The law of successful achievement is a profound concept. Firstly, having a goal is essential. It should not be a hazy or indistinct one but a precisely focused objective. One must be crystal clear about what they want to accomplish, where they desire to go, and what they aim to become. There should be no room for doubt. The next practical step is to pray about this goal to ensure its righteousness. For if it is not right, it is wrong, and nothing wrong ever yields a positive outcome.
Then, tenaciously hold the goal in the conscious mind. Through a process of intellectual osmosis, it will sink into the subconscious. Once it is firmly established in the subconscious, one has truly embraced it because it has taken hold of them completely - their hopes, thoughts, and efforts.
After that, behind the goal, one should place positive rather than negative thoughts. The negative thinker unleashes destructive forces that can potentially ruin them. By sending out negative thoughts, they activate the surrounding world negatively. There is a law of attraction at play. Like attracts like. Just as birds of a feather flock together, thoughts of a similar kind have a natural affinity. The negative thinker tends to draw negative results back to themselves. In contrast, the positive thinker, by sending out optimistic and positive thoughts, activates the world around them positively. Based on the same law of attraction, they draw positive results back to themselves. They work tirelessly and keep on thinking positively. They believe wholeheartedly and never give up. They put in the effort with full positive faith and action. The result? They can achieve because they believe they can. Their dreams come true, they attain their goals, and miracles happen.
(Norman Vincent Peale, You Can If You Think You Can, Page 150-151)
I understand that this is a rather lengthy piece quoted from the book. However, I firmly believe that it encapsulates the essence of what the book is about. The author continuously weaves in real-life examples throughout the book to assist the reader in seeing how the application of positive thinking works in a practical sense.
I always experience a boost in my spirits when going through this author's books. The only aspect I disagree with is his philosophy on taking life easy and relaxing. While I concur that one must do this, we also need to be diligent and thoughtful in our actions. Otherwise, big mistakes can occur. As the book of Proverbs states, "He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich." (Proverbs 10:4).