As A Man Thinketh Book Summary, by James Allen

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1-Page Summary of As A Man Thinketh

Overview

Do you want to become successful? There are certain actions that will help you achieve your goals. For example, if you want to write a book, then clean and organize your desk so you can focus on writing it.

Instead, As a Man Thinketh aims to help you realize the power that you already possess. Reading these key points, you will find out how everything in your life, from your strength of character and physical health to artistic achievements and life circumstances are determined by your thoughts. And you will learn how to make the most of this unbounded freedom.

By reading this, you’ll also learn why your mind is like a garden; how thoughts can make you look older than you are; and what’s so great about being a dreamer.

Big Idea #1: By mastering our thoughts, we can change our lives.

Ever wonder why we are the way we are? Well, it’s because of our thoughts. A plant grows from a tiny seed, and so does an action. Our actions eventually become patterns that make up our character or personality. It all starts with thought, which is why it’s important to understand how they work.

Well, have you ever known someone who gave up on a project or relationship and had a pessimistic attitude? Those two things – attitude and action – are closely related. Underachievers tend to disappoint themselves because they think so little of themselves to begin with. Attitude problems often snowball and have severe consequences. Yet, there’s a very simple solution.

If our thoughts shape our character, then it is logical that changing those thoughts would change your character too. By changing the nature of their thoughts, pessimistic people might find that they have a bit more to smile about.

Big Idea #2: The world we live in doesn’t just shape us – we shape it, too!

We often blame our failures on external factors. However, we must remember that these circumstances are directly linked to our character and not the other way around. It’s easy to think that an unpleasant phone call with your mother or a bad day at work is why you failed in a certain situation, but it’s not true at all. We shape our world just as much as it shapes us!

Although our circumstances are often out of our control, they don’t necessarily create who we are. Our character has a strong influence on what situations we end up in. So if you’re in jail, it’s not because the world is cruel or fate is punishing you. Rather, your own thoughts and attitudes led to the very situations that put you there. However, it’s hard to say whether character or circumstance plays more of a role in any given situation. We all know people with good hearts who still face terrible adversity; likewise, many dishonest people lead happy lives surrounded by wealth and admirers. Therefore, trying to predict someone’s character based on her circumstances is impossible; likewise predicting someone’s future circumstances based on his/her current characteristics isn’t always easy either