In the second chapter of As a Man Thinketh, James Allen often likens the mind to a garden, thoughts being the seeds that are planted, and the circumstances of our lives being the fruits they bear.

“Just as the gardener cultivates the plot, keeping it free from weeds and cultivating the flowers and fruits which are required, so may we tend the garden of our mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts.”

– James Allen

Most people go through life without making a genuine effort to control their thoughts. They experience a thought, and make no attempt to weed out the bad ones and plant good ones in their place. They behave as if thoughts are forces beyond their control, and never become the gardeners of their minds, allowing themselves to be taken in any which direction their thoughts take them.

It is for this reason that many people stay stuck in unfavorable circumstances. They want to change their circumstance, yet never attempt to change the inner workings that support the outer conditions. We attract what we think about. We are what we think about.

Now, some who are in unfavorable circumstances would probably say that they think about obtaining better circumstances, and they may, however, there is probably some deep-seated thought or thought pattern that is keeping them from growing out of that unfavorable circumstance.

“Thought and character are one, and as character can manifest and discover itself only through environment and circumstance, the outer conditions of our life will always be found to be harmoniously related to our inner state. This does not mean that our circumstances at any given time are an indication of our entire character but that those circumstances are so intimately connected with some vital thought-element within ourselves that, for the time being, they are indispensable to our development.”

– James Allen

Perhaps you wish for riches, and although you may think of riches and have thoughts about having more wealth, you remain in poor circumstances until you have disposed of thoughts that are inharmonious with wealth. Perhaps you harbor thoughts of self-indulgence and spend your money unwisely. Maybe you constantly think, “I don’t make enough money,” and so you fail to save or to invest because you don’t see the point in saving when you have so little to save.

You can desire for wealth, but you don’t think like a wealthy person thinks. Do your thoughts lead to poor spending habits? Do you wish for wealth but think and act in ways that provide little value? Maybe you think your job doesn’t pay enough, and so you slack off and cut corners because you feel you aren’t earning enough to give more effort. You provide little value, so you get little value.

Perhaps your unfavorable circumstance is your poor health condition. You may think thoughts about desiring better health, but you harbor thoughts of self-indulgence and laziness. You don’t think like a health person, you just think you want to be a healthy person.

You think about indulging in unhealthy foods, and so you eat them. You think about exercising and about how its so hard and about how much better it would feel to relax on the couch and watch a show and so you do, and your circumstances are the result of your thinking.

You have to change the way you think first, and not just by thinking that you want a certain something. You have to think the correct thoughts to produce the desired circumstance and then do what must be done. It is not enough to want. Everybody wants something, and not everyone gets what they want. You have to be what you want, and that starts by thinking in the correct way.

“We do not attract that which we want but that which we are. Our whims, fancies, and ambitions are thwarted at every step, but our inmost thoughts and desires are fed with our own food, be it foul or clean. The “divinity that shapes our ends” is in ourselves, thought and action at the jailers of Fate – they imprison, being base; they are also angels of Freedom – they liberate, being noble. Not what we wish and pray for do we get but what we justly earn. Our wishes and prayers are gratified and answered only when they harmonize with our thoughts and actions.”

– James Allen

You have the key to change within you. The Principle of Mentalism teaches us that the universe is mental, so if you want to change your world, you need to change your mind first. The concept is clear to those who pay attention and apply the Principle to every thought. It can be exhausting at first because you are in the habit of thinking in ways that are inharmonious with what you want, or perhaps a habitual negative thinker.

To break out of this, first keep the Principle in mind. Then be aware of poor thoughts, and make every effort to replace or banish them. The more positive thinking you do, and the more growth-oriented you make your thoughts, the easier it shall become and eventually you will develop creative ways to think correctly. First, make an effort to improve yourself, and your circumstances will follow.

“That circumstances grow out of thought, each of us, who has for any length of time practiced self-control and self-purification, knows- for we will have noticed that the alteration in our circumstance has been in exact ratio with our altered mental condition. So true is this that when we earnestly apply ourselves to remedy the defects in our character and make swift and marked progress, we pass rapidly through a succession of vicissitudes.”

– James Allen

Many think that maturity is signified by taking on responsibility of one’s life, and this is true, but it goes deeper than that. Taking responsibility for the fact that you are the creator of your life, and that you are the ruler of your mind is the true mark of maturity. If your life is not what you want, then real maturity is acknowledging that there is none other to blame but yourself, and that your poor thinking is what lead you to where you are, and its up to you to improve it.

“We begin to be mature adults only when we cease to whine and revile and commence to search for the hidden justice which regulates our lives. As we adapt our minds to that regulating factor, we cease to name others as the cause of our condition but begin to build ourselves up in strong and noble thoughts. We cease to kick against circumstances but begin to use them as aids to more rapid progress and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within ourselves.”

– James Allen

The next time you get upset with your circumstances, and you are lucky enough to catch the moment in your awareness, observe how the situation evolves when you pause and take a minute to think about how that circumstance could be used as a vehicle for growth. Then look back at a time when you took everything so personally and lashed out emotionally and the results of that experience on your circumstances. Did your thoughts and actions in that instance make anything better?

Even without much conscious control you can improve your circumstances by reacting to events with an opportunistic eye and a growth mindset. Try it. See for yourself if your life turns out for better or for worse. If what you’re doing now isn’t working, then what do you have to lose?

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