I began rereading one of my favorite books of all time, and thought to share some insights from James Allen and his book, As a Man Thinketh. This book changed the course of my life, and every year I enjoy rereading it to refresh all the important wisdom that comes from its pages. Nearly every sentence is profound and although it is a short read, the lessons learned can be explored and deepened throughout one’s lifetime.

I decided to take this review one chapter at a time, starting with the first, Thought and Character, but before we get into it I’ll share a poem that comes after the introduction made by Arthur R. Pell, Ph.D.

“Mind is the Master power that molds and makes,

And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes,

The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,

Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills,

He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:

Environment is but his looking glass.”

-James Allen

The title of this book may be familiar to those who are well-versed in the Bible. It comes from the book of Proverbs (23:7): “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Allen claims that each of us are literally what we think, being the manifestation of the complete sum of all of our thoughts. The word ‘sum’ is an important one in this sentence and it can be demonstrated by evaluating ourselves with a simple equation.

Consider the thoughts you have as possessing a positive or a negative value, being summed together and your character being the result. It’s an equation that never ends compounding, for we are always thinking, and its sum is the quality of your character.

Every thought can be weighed by the emotion behind it. For example, say you do something silly and you think, “I’m dumb.” This is a negative thought, but its negative value depends on how much you mean it, and how much negative emotion is behind it.

Likewise, a positive thought has weight to it. If you think, “I am competent,” after completing a task, the weight of that positive thought depends on how much you mean it and on how good it made you feel to achieve that success.

For example, the thought’s weight differs from when you did your laundry when you were supposed to, a small task and small achievement, compared to hitting a new personal record for a squat at the gym which might take months or years of hard work and dedication.

So, whenever you have a negative thought, or a positive one, think of it as going into this equation.

(-)thoughts + (+)thoughts = your character

Now, one can easily see that if you have more negative or self-degrading thoughts than positive and self-empowering thoughts, then the sum of your character will be an overall negative one, especially if the weight of the negative thoughts is significantly more than the weight of the positive ones.

Ex: (-4)thought + (-3)thought + (+2) thought = (-5)character

The numbers are arbitrary, and used to emphasize to the reader the significance of the power of thought on the outcome of character. Therefore, the reader should understand that each thought should be examined, observed, controlled and altered as necessary.

When you have a negative thought, observe and examine it, meaning, be aware of its polarity when you have it (-)/(+), examine it for validity, control it so as to not let it snowball into sequential negative thoughts, and then alter it or replace it with a positive thought, and then reinforce it with more positive thoughts.

The net value of a negative and positive thought with equal weights is zero.

(-1)thought + (+1)thought = 0

Reinforcing the (counter) positive thought with more positive thoughts results in a net positive outcome.

(-1)thought + (+1)thought + (+1)thought = (+1)

For example, say you do something silly again and you have the negative thought, “I’m dumb.” First you become aware that your thought’s quality is negative, then you examine it for validity. Are you actually dumb, or did you make an honest mistake? Did you make that mistake because you were tired, or because you were busy worrying about something else and you weren’t paying attention to the task at hand?

If so, now counter that negative thought with a positive one. “I’m not dumb, I’m distracted because I was worrying about something else and I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing.”

Then reinforce that thought. “I’m now aware that I make mistakes when I allow myself to worry about other things. I can use this as a lesson and not allow myself to be distracted so I can perform better and be better. In fact, I am better because this thought alone is an improvement and I will continue to improve now that I know why I made that mistake.”

Suddenly, you are net positive, and because you didn’t let your negative thoughts snowball, you make the improvement and you become a better person; your character has improved. Hopefully relating this mental concept to math has helped those who are of a more analytical mind understand the importance of thought and its influence on character.

The result of character is not by chance. The realm of thought is subject to the Principle of Cause and Effect just as the physical realm is.

“Human growth is a natural phenomenon and not a creation by artifice. Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favor or chance but is the natural result of continuous effort and right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thought. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harboring of groveling thoughts.”

– James Allen

Two people may have similar upbringings and similar life experiences, but the outcome is two very different characters. The difference in result comes from the difference in perspective and the quality of thought associated with experience. Although the influence of one’s environment is significant and important, it is not as defining as the thoughts of the mind experiencing it.

I know of siblings with similar upbringings who have a vastly different quality of life because one sibling chose to think of their childhood in a positive light, and the other in a negative one. The results were that one sibling changed the course of their life for the better and has had many achievements, and the other sibling changed their life for the worse, now constantly in a battle to recover from their most recent poor decision that was a result of poor thinking.

“We are made or unmade by ourselves. By our thoughts, we forge the weapons by which we can destroy ourselves. Likewise, we also fashion the tools with which we build ourselves heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace….. We are our own maker and master.”

– James Allen

Have you been using your thoughts to forge the weapons of your destruction, or to fashion tools to build yourself into something better? We may not chose our circumstances, but we can determine how we perceive them and how to think about our experiences.

If this is true, why wouldn’t you choose the positive? Bad things happen, and it hurts, but why choose to be worse from it if you have the power to determine how you think? Wouldn’t you want a better character? Wouldn’t better thoughts and better character bring about an overall better result?

With careful investigation, you can discover how your thoughts have been molding your life and your character. I remember being at one of the lowest points in my life and reading this book and realizing how much worse I was making my situation because of the negative way I was thinking about it. I thought negatively and so I acted negatively and compounded the poor situation.

It wasn’t until I changed the way I thought that I started to change the way I acted and then I saw my situation change for the better and my character improved. We can get so wrapped up in negative ways of thinking that its hard to take a step back and realize that the situation itself is never really as bad as it seems, and that our thoughts make it worse when we have poor quality thinking.

If you desire a better character, first improve the quality of your thoughts.

“Only by such searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and we can find every truth connected with our being if we will dig deep into the mine of our soul; and that we are the maker of our own character, the molder of our own life, and the builder of our own destiny, we may unerringly prove, if we will watch, control, and alter our thoughts, tracing their effects upon ourselves, upon others, and upon our life and circumstances. By linking cause and effect, by patient practice and investigation, and utilizing every experience, even the most trivial everyday occurrence, we will obtain knowledge of ourselves which is Understanding, Wisdom, and Power.”

– James Allen

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