Read an Excerpt
Chapter One
Your Dreams Can Come True!
Every human being thrills at the thought of having dreams come true! The idea means different things to different people. To you it may mean physical health: the ability to walk, run, play, to engage in activity. To me, it may mean abundance: money, a home, a car—opulence. To another, dreams may involve education, or the ability to get along with people. Whatever your personal desires may be—as long as they do not hurt yourself or someone else—you have a right to attain them . . . and you can.
The ability to attain your goals—to control your experiences and have them result in happiness, prosperity and success—lies in your own mind and the way you use it. This means you control your own experience—you are really in charge of your affairs and the way they are to develop.
Let us sum it up this way: My thought is in control of my experience, and I can direct my thinking.
Read that again and then say it aloud. It is a most astounding statement and at first may even seem far-fetched. But because you are a thoughtful person with an open mind, ready to be shown what you may not at first understand—even what does not seem entirely believable—you will be willing to take that statement under consideration and hear the reasons for it. Certainly you do not have to believe it nor do you wish to until you have investigated it, heard the arguments in its favor, and observed whether or not it works for you after you have given it a fair trial. That is the way the intelligent mind approaches any new idea.
It Has to Make Sense
No one can force a new belief upon another; no one has the right to attempt to do so. Only when we have made the appropriate intellectual inquiries and investigations for ourselves can we honestly decide whether to accept or reject what is presented to us. We are not going to allow ourselves to be coerced into anything of which our own good judgment does not approve. However, we cannot bring our good judgment to bear upon anything in fullest measure until we have been fair in our efforts to understand it and then faithful in our attempts to test it, to see if it actually does work for us.
If you were raised under Christian influences in the home and church, you will probably feel particularly sensitive about things that sound religious. You will be inclined to say, "I do not want anything to disturb my faith in God as an Overruling Providence and in Jesus as the Wayshower for men and women through his practical application of a loving, useful life and his triumphant conquest even over death itself."
In response, the Science of Mind viewpoint suggests, "You are exactly right!"
On the other hand, if you have lived apart from church activities and associations, or you have found them unfitted to your intellectual turn of mind and you want something on which you can base your thinking and faith, something that retains a clear concept of the orderly world of science in which natural law and order prevail, then we say, "That is a rational viewpoint and we believe you will find much that is of interest and value to you in the Science of Mind."
Possibly, though, you may be just a busy man or woman who desires a wholesome, successful life and a sense of security. If you are going to give your attention to a new way of thinking, it will have to be something that makes sense and that you can apply in your everyday affairs, because you know it works!
This is a realistic and reasonable attitude according to the Science of Mind viewpoint.
Something for You
So . . . if an understanding of God meets your daily needs in a world of practical affairs, you want it. If some system of reasoning conforms to your keenest intellectual understanding and scientific knowledge, it is of interest to you. If you can find something which, for you, satisfies the deep inner hunger that lies in the hearts of all people (whether they ever acknowledge that hunger or not), you are just as eager as anyone else to find satisfaction. You have practical daily needs that must be met, intellectual demands that seek rational fulfillment, and sincere spiritual longings that have to be fulfilled. This is true of all persons. You are no exception.
Now that we have a foundation for mutual understanding and a willingness to look into an exciting new way of thinking, let us go back to our earlier statement, enlarge it, and give it more careful consideration:
The ability to control my experiences and have them result in happiness, health, prosperity and success lies in my own mind and my use of it.<