Yawn and Grow Rich Course
By Paul Adams – The Yawn Guy
SECTION 12: THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
- Text in black (after legend) = original text of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- Text in blue = paragraph numbers and course instructions to you, the student
- DEMO = draw out pictures of real-life situations on paper using stick figures for you, your partner, your boss etc. Demos will help considerably with your understanding. Do not use a lot of words in the demo. Demo the ideas as they apply to your own life. You can also do demos at your discretion to help with any "non-demo" paragraph too. If you are feeling "light-headed" from too much theory, do lots of real-life demos until the light-headedness goes away.
- PRACTICAL = an assignment for you to do now before continuing to read further in the text. Sometimes it will be something for you to do later in the day, or a continuing action, and if so this will be stated.
- Text in green = explanation, not written by Napoleon Hill
- Mark the radio buttons ( | ) honestly as you do each paragraph. Note that these buttons will clear when you close your browser. It is not a good idea to leave lots of "Hmmm"s behind you. (That doesn't mean close your browser often!)
- Look up any word or phrase you don't understand when you first encounter it. This is important—don't guess or slide by without getting it. Use it in sentences of your own until you fully get it. This might take a few or it might take ten or more sentences.
- If you really can't understand a paragraph and it does seems like you understand every word, click on the "Didn't get it" link at the end of that paragraph. Follow the instructions you find there. This is different to a "negative reaction". "Didn't get it" means you have gone foggy or blank and didn't understand the paragraph, either the whole of it or some part of it.
- If you understood the paragraph, but have a negative reaction to the text, first make sure you understand the words the author is using, and the idea he is trying to put across. In other words, make sure your reaction is to what the author is saying, not to what you misunderstand him to be saying. If the reaction persists, click on the "Negative reaction" link and follow the instructions there. An example of a negative reaction would be "Oh! I'll never be able to do that!"
CHAPTER 12: THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
THE CONNECTING LINK
The Eleventh Step toward Riches
12.1 DEMO: THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
consists of a field of consciousness, in which every impulse of thought
that reaches the objective mind through any of the five senses, is
classified and recorded, and from which thoughts may be recalled or
withdrawn as letters may be taken from a filing cabinet.
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12.2 DEMO: It receives, and
files, sense impressions or thoughts, regardless of their nature. You
may VOLUNTARILY plant in your subconscious mind any plan, thought, or
purpose which you desire to translate into its physical or monetary
equivalent. The subconscious acts first on the dominating desires which
have been mixed with emotional feeling, such as faith.
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12.3 Consider this in connection
with the instructions given in the chapter on DESIRE, for taking the
six steps there outlined, and the instructions given in the chapter on
the building and execution of plans, and you will understand the
importance of the thought conveyed.
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12.4 THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND WORKS
DAY AND NIGHT. Through a method of procedure, unknown to man, the
subconscious mind draws upon the forces of Infinite Intelligence for the
power with which it voluntarily transmutes one's desires into their
physical equivalent, making use, always of the most practical media by
which this end may be accomplished.
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12.5 You cannot entirely
control your subconscious mind, but you can voluntarily hand over to it
any plan, desire, or purpose which you wish transformed into concrete
form. Read, again, instructions for using the subconscious mind, in the
chapter on autosuggestion.
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12.6 DEMO: There is plenty of
evidence to support the belief that the subconscious mind is the
connecting link between the finite mind of man and Infinite
Intelligence. It is the intermediary through which one may draw upon the
forces of Infinite Intelligence at will. It, alone, contains the secret
process by which mental impulses are modified and changed into their
spiritual equivalent. It, alone, is the medium through which prayer may
be transmitted to the source capable of answering prayer.
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12.7 The possibilities of
creative effort connected with the subconscious mind are stupendous and
imponderable. They inspire one with awe.
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12.8 DEMO: I never approach the
discussion of the subconscious mind without a feeling of littleness and
inferiority due, perhaps, to the fact that man's entire stock of
knowledge on this subject is so pitifully limited. The very fact that
the subconscious mind is the medium of communication between the
thinking mind of man and Infinite Intelligence is, of itself, a thought
which almost paralyzes one's reason.
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12.9 After you have accepted, as
a reality, the existence of the subconscious mind, and understand its
possibilities, as a medium for transmuting your DESIRES into their
physical or monetary equivalent, you will comprehend the full
significance of the instructions given in the chapter on DESIRE. You
will also understand why you have been repeatedly admonished to MAKE
YOUR DESIRES CLEAR, AND TO REDUCE THEM TO WRITING. You will also
understand the necessity of PERSISTENCE in carrying out instructions.
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12.10 DEMO: The thirteen
principles are the stimuli with which you acquire the ability to reach,
and to influence your subconscious mind. Do not become discouraged, if
you cannot do this upon the first attempt. Remember that the
subconscious mind may be voluntarily directed only through habit, under the directions given in the chapter on FAITH. You have not yet had time to master faith. Be patient. Be persistent.
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12.11 A good many statements in
the chapters on faith and auto-suggestion will be repeated here, for the
benefit of YOUR subconscious mind. Remember, your subconscious mind
functions voluntarily, whether you make any effort to influence it or not.
This, naturally, suggests to you that thoughts of fear and poverty, and
all negative thoughts serve as stimuli to your subconscious mind,
unless, you master these impulses and give it more desirable food upon
which it may feed.
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12.12 DEMO: The subconscious
mind will not remain idle! If you fail to plant DESIRES in your
subconscious mind, it will feed upon the thoughts which reach it as the result of your neglect.
We have already explained that thought impulses, both negative and
positive are reaching the subconscious mind continuously, from the four
sources which were mentioned in the chapter on Sex Transmutation.
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12.13 For the present, it is sufficient if you remember that you are living daily,
in the midst of all manner of thought impulses which are reaching your
subconscious mind, without your knowledge. Some of these impulses are
negative, some are positive. You are now engaged in trying to help shut
off the flow of negative impulses, and to aid in voluntarily influencing
your subconscious mind, through positive impulses of DESIRE.
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12.14 When you achieve this, you
will possess the key which unlocks the door to your subconscious mind.
Moreover, you will control that door so completely, that no undesirable
thought may influence your subconscious mind.
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12.15 Everything which man
creates, BEGINS in the form of a thought impulse. Man can create nothing
which he does not first conceive in THOUGHT. Through the aid of the
imagination, thought impulses may be assembled into plans. The
imagination, when under control, may be used for the creation of plans
or purposes that lead to success in one's chosen occupation.
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12.16 All thought impulses,
intended for transmutation into their physical equivalent, voluntarily
planted in the subconscious mind, must pass through the imagination, and
be mixed with faith. The "mixing" of faith with a plan, or purpose,
intended for submission to the subconscious mind, may be done ONLY
through the imagination.
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12.17 From these statements, you
will readily observe that voluntary use of the subconscious mind calls
for coordination and application of all the principles.
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12.18 Ella Wheeler Wilcox gave evidence of her understanding of the power of the subconscious mind when she wrote:
In bringing you hate or love—
For thoughts are things, and their airy wings
Are swifter than carrier doves.
They follow the law of the universe—
Each thing creates its kind,
And they speed O’er the track to bring you back
Whatever went out from your mind."
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12.19 Mrs. Wilcox understood the
truth, that thoughts which go out from one's mind, also imbed
themselves deeply in one's subconscious mind, where they serve as a
magnet, pattern, or blueprint by which the subconscious mind is
influenced while translating them into their physical equivalent.
Thoughts are truly things, for the reason that every material thing
begins in the form of thought-energy.
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12.20 DEMO: The subconscious
mind is more susceptible to influence by impulses of thought mixed with
"feeling" or emotion, than by those originating solely in the reasoning
portion of the mind. In fact, there is much evidence to support the
theory, that ONLY emotionalized thoughts have any ACTION influence upon
the subconscious mind. It is a well known fact that emotion or feeling,
rules the majority of people. If it is true that the subconscious mind
responds more quickly to, and is influenced more readily by thought
impulses which are well mixed with emotion, it is essential to become
familiar with the more important of the emotions. There are seven major
positive emotions, and seven major negative emotions. The negatives
voluntarily inject themselves into the thought impulses, which insure
passage into the subconscious mind. The positives must be injected,
through the principle of auto-suggestion, into the thought impulses
which an individual wishes to pass on to his subconscious mind.
(Instructions have been given in the chapter on auto-suggestion.)
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12.21 These emotions, or feeling
impulses, may be likened to yeast in a loaf of bread, because they
constitute the ACTION element, which transforms thought impulses from
the passive to the active state. Thus may one understand why thought
impulses, which have been well mixed with emotion, are acted upon more
readily than thought impulses originating in "cold reason."
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12.22 You are preparing yourself
to influence and control the "inner audience" of your subconscious
mind, in order to hand over to it the DESIRE for money, which you wish
transmuted into its monetary equivalent. It is essential, therefore,
that you understand the method of approach to this "inner audience." You
must speak its language, or it will not heed your call. It understands
best the language of emotion or feeling. Let us, therefore describe here
the seven major positive emotions, and the seven major negative
emotions, so that you may draw upon the positives, and avoid the
negatives, when giving instructions to your subconscious mind.
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12.23 DEMO: THE SEVEN MAJOR POSITIVE EMOTIONS
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The emotion of DESIRE |
12.24 DEMO: There are other
positive emotions, but these are the seven most powerful, and the ones
most commonly used in creative effort. Master these seven emotions (they
can be mastered only by USE), and the other positive emotions will be
at your command when you need them. Remember, in this connection, that
you are studying a book which is intended to help you develop a "money
consciousness" by filling your mind with positive emotions. One does not become money conscious by filling one's mind with negative emotions.
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12.25 DEMO: THE SEVEN MAJOR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
(To be avoided)
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The emotion of FEAR |
12.26 DEMO: Positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind at the same time.
One or the other must dominate. It is your responsibility to make sure
that positive emotions constitute the dominating influence of your mind.
Here the law of HABIT will come to your aid. Form the habit of applying and using the positive emotions! Eventually, they will dominate your mind so completely, that the nega
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12.27 DEMO: Only by following
these instructions literally, and continuously, can you gain control
over your subconscious mind. The presence of a single negative in your
conscious mind is sufficient to destroy all chances of constructive aid from your subconscious mind.
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12.28 If you are an observing
person, you must have noticed that most people resort to prayer ONLY
after everything else has FAILED! Or else they pray by a ritual of
meaningless words. And, because it is a fact that most people who pray,
do so ONLY AFTER EVERYTHING ELSE HAS FAILED, they go to prayer with
their minds filled with FEAR and DOUBT, which are the emotions the subconscious mind acts upon, and passes on to Infinite Intelligence. Likewise, that is the emotion which Infinite Intelligence receives, and ACTS UPON.
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12.29 If you pray for a thing,
but have fear as you pray, that you may not receive it, or that your
prayer will not be acted upon by Infinite Intelligence, your prayer will have been in vain.
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12.30 Prayer does, sometimes,
result in the realization of that for which one prays. If you have ever
had the experience of receiving that for which you prayed, go back in
your memory, and recall your actual STATE OF MIND, while you were
praying, and you will know, for sure, that the theory here described is
more than a theory.
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12.31 The time will come when
the schools and educational institutions of the country will teach the
"science of prayer." Moreover, then prayer may be, and will be reduced
to a science. When that time comes, (it will come as soon as mankind is
ready for it, and demands it), no one will approach the Universal Mind
in a state of fear, for the very good reason that there will be no such
emotion as fear. Ignorance, superstition, and false teaching will have
disappeared, and man will have attained his true status as a child of
Infinite Intelligence. A few have already attained this blessing.
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12.32 If you believe this
prophesy is far-fetched, take a look at the human race in retrospect.
Less than a hundred years ago, men believed the lightning to be evidence
of the wrath of God, and feared it. Now, thanks to the power of FAITH,
men have harnessed the lightning and made it turn the wheels of
industry. Much less than a hundred years ago, men believed the space
between the planets to be nothing but a great void, a stretch of dead
nothingness. Now, thanks to this same power of FAITH, men know that far
from being either dead or a void, the space between the planets is very
much alive, that it is the highest form of vibration known, excepting,
perhaps, the vibration of THOUGHT. Moreover, men know that this living,
pulsating, vibratory energy which permeates every atom of matter, and
fills every niche of space, connects every human brain with every other
human brain.
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12.33 What reason have men to believe that this same energy does not connect every human brain with Infinite Intelligence?
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12.34 There are no toll-gates
between the finite mind of man and Infinite Intelligence. The
communication costs nothing except Patience, Faith, Persistence,
Understanding, and a SINCERE DESIRE to communicate. Moreover, the
approach can be made only by the individual himself. Paid prayers are
worthless. Infinite Intelligence does no business by proxy. You either
go direct, or you do not communicate.
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12.35 You may buy prayer books
and repeat them until the day of your doom, without avail. Thoughts
which you wish to communicate to Infinite Intelligence, must undergo
transformation, such as can be given only through your own subconscious
mind.
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12.36 The method by which you
may communicate with Infinite Intelligence is very similar to that
through which the vibration of sound is communicated by radio. If you
understand the working principle of radio, you of course, know that
sound cannot be communicated through the ether until it has been
"stepped up," or changed into a rate of vibration which the human ear
cannot detect. The radio sending station picks up the sound of the human
voice, and "scrambles," or modifies it by stepping up the vibration
millions of times. Only in this way, can the vibration of sound be
communicated through the ether. After this transformation has taken
place, the ether "picks up" the energy (which originally was in the form
of vibrations of sound), carries that energy to radio receiving
stations, and these receiving sets "step" that energy back down to its
original rate of vibration so it is recognized as sound.
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12.37 The subconscious mind is
the intermediary, which translates one's prayers into terms which
Infinite Intelligence can recognize, presents the message, and brings
back the answer in the form of a definite plan or idea for procuring the
object of the prayer. Understand this principle, and you will know why
mere words read from a prayer book cannot, and will never serve as an
agency of communication between the mind of man and Infinite
Intelligence.
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12.38 Before your prayer will
reach Infinite Intelligence (a statement of the author's theory only),
it probably is transformed from its original thought vibration into
terms of spiritual vibration. Faith is the only known agency which will
give your thoughts a spiritual nature. FAITH and FEAR make poor
bedfellows. Where one is found, the other cannot exist.
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12.FDS PRACTICAL: Skim over the chapter again to refamiliarize yourself with the main ideas, then check over the False Data Stripping questions with regard to it, using the PaulsRobot3 FDSing module. Remember the idea is to FIND and deal with False Data, not to confirm that of course you don't have any. :). Once you have found and dealt with any false data, study this chapter once more before going on to the next one. You can decide which demos and practicals you should do again.
12.LEC FINAL PRACTICAL: Deliver a 3-5 minute
lecture (by the clock) on the main points of this chapter, without using
any notes at all. You don't have to use people for an audience; use
the dog or the wall if you prefer. If you don't know the subject well
enough to do this, do the entire section again, paragraphs 12.1 to
12.FDS, including all demos. This is a test of your understanding, not
your ability to remember a collection of words or phrases. Working out
how to explain the main points to someone else—IN SPOKEN WORDS,
ALOUD—is usually a very valuable aid to your own understanding.
CONGRATULATIONS! END OF SECTION 12
Next: Chapter 13. The Brain (The Twelfth Step toward Riches)