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If the Kingdom of Heaven is within man, then he
should employ a St. Peter as the doorkeeper of his mind, to watch
all thoughts that desire to enter and reject the ones that destroy
happiness and health. What a host of discordant and unworthy
thoughts try each day to find resting place in the human mind, and
what a powerful influence they exert when once they have found
lodgement; but, with the wary St. Peter on guard to help him, he
instinctively rejects these destructive thoughts. Take the
thought of envy --one of the most destructive of all forces.
A person who is envious will try to kill the noble efforts of
others by unjust criticism just because he resents his superior's ability
which he does not himself possess. He is lazy, perhaps, or
lacks the ambition to work for the attainments or the
accomplishments of those he envies, otherwise he might in
time reach to their level.
Have you ever attended a concert or the Opera with
a musician? If so, by the time you have listened to
criticisms of the singers and performers and had your attention
called to all their mistakes and imperfections, you probably have
made up your mind never to attend a concert or an opera again with
a professional. These criticisms are often made by a person
who is standing still or making little progress in his profession,
and so consumed with envy that he cannot enjoy good music.
If your neighbor has anything that you desire, do
not envy him, but spend your time developing the ability to gain
the same for yourself. Instead of being envious of him, let
his possessions inspire you to greater endeavor. Envious
thoughts will affect your health, disturb your rest, bring bad
visions, develop hate and shrink your atmosphere; while if the old
earthbound thought of envy is exchanged for the new thought of
inspiration, hard mental work and constructive thinking will bring
you success and untold blessings. Be inspired by the lives
of great men and their achievements. If you are not envious,
your acquaintance with these atmosphere will refresh you, give you
courage and fill your mind with the ennobling desire and ambition
to be like them.
Great minds are the light on life's pathway.
They are earth's natural luminaries. They are persons who
are continually sifting their thoughts, exchanging old thoughts
for new ones. They reach the heights by means of the light
with which they are endowed.
Do not allow envy and inferior thinking to force
you into the shade. Do not recognize or feel
imperfection. Change the thought of imperfection for that of
perfection. Think of yourself as you want to be and know
that your thought is creative; that what you create today you will
realize tomorrow. Use new thoughts to create, not old
ones. Always think of yourself as healthy and
enduring. Change unhealthful thoughts for thoughts of
health, for physical endurance is a powerful asset. Persevere
against the thought of weariness. Change the old thought of
weariness for the new thought of strength. See yourself
strong. Carry an atmosphere that reflects confidence and
enthusiasm and proclaims to the world that life is, and has been,
worth living and that you are going To Live and Grow Young.
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