I'd like to take you with me on such a voyage of the mind. One that was charted for me many years ago by an obscure, 19th-century English editor and poet named James Allen. His most popular book, As a Man Thinketh, speaks poetically to some mystic quality of each of us, a quality that discerns truth. Just listen to these poems, which are the beginning and end pieces of As a Man Thinketh:

"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."

And finally, "Tempest tossed souls, wherever you may be, under whatsoever conditions you may live, know this: in the ocean of life the isles of blessedness are smiling. The sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep your hand firmly on the helm of thought. In the bark of your soul reclines the commanding master. He does but sleep. Wake him. Self-control is strength. Thought is mastery. Calmness is power. Say onto your heart peace. Be still."

Now you may say, “That's all very well. I appreciate poetry and I believe in truth, but is it relevant to my personal situation, or at least to the times in which I live?”

I’m here to tell you: Yes, it is. What was true in the 19th century is still true today. And I’m going to share many words from James Allen’s As a Man Thinketh, to show you how.