As A Man Thinketh Book Summary

As A Man Thinketh by James Allen

1. Your future is in your hands

You might think that outside influences shape your destiny, or that everything is almost pre-designed, but if you think that way you’re missing out on something pretty huge. “As a Man Thinketh” teaches us that your destiny isn’t written in the stars, as romantic as it sounds, but instead it is in your own hands. You get to shape it, you get to write it, you get to create it.

"They themselves are makers of themselves."

Everything that you are, everything you hold dear to you, comes from what you think. This includes the things which are planned and the things which happen spontaneously. Allen tells us that if you make the right choices in life and you put forth the effort, you will go to heaven. If you don’t, and if you abuse life and place effort in the wrong places, you will go to hell.

"You are in control of your own destiny with your thoughts and actions. Wake up and realize it before it’s too late!"

That basically means that the keys to your destiny, both in life and beyond it, are in your hands and you get to decide what you’re going to do with them. Even when things aren’t going so well, your attitude and decisions shape your future.

Did you know? The true meaning of the Bible passage “as a man thinketh, so is he” relates to a person’s true nature and that what you see isn’t always what you get. It’s about what they are on the inside.

2. Negative thoughts will poison your mind

Your circumstances certainly affect your mind, but you can choose your actions. Allen compares this situation to a garden. You can either choose to look after the garden, tend to it, weed it, water it regularly, or you can leave it to grow into a state of disarray. If you choose the former, the garden will bloom with flowers and look fantastic. However, if you leave it to fall into ruin, the garden will become overrun with weeds and become unruly. Your mind is the same.

If you avoid impure and negative thoughts, your mind will cultivate itself into a beautiful, blooming garden. However, if you allow negative and selfish thoughts to take over, so will the weeds.

"Look towards the positive and avoid negative thoughts, to avoid making decisions which could negatively affect your circumstances."

Your character is formed by your thoughts, which in turn are formed by your circumstances at any given time. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the circumstance you find yourself in now is a total reflection of who you are, because we go through many different circumstances in life. It means that you learn something from every situation you are in, and you can choose to put forth the effort to do that, looking for a positive, or you can allow yourself to drown in negativity. Allen states that you need to use self-control and keep your mind as pure as possible.

"Our world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought."

The bottom line is that you can’t choose your circumstances in life sometimes, occasionally they’re totally out of your control, but you can choose your thoughts. Those thoughts are what could lead to your circumstances changing, by influencing your actions.

"You can influence your current circumstances via the power of thought. If you focus your mind, you change your actions, which change your circumstances."

3. Bad health = bad thoughts, good health = good thoughts

The way you think affects your health, both physically and mentally. Allen mentions that the body is totally at the mercy of the mind, so if you think negatively, your body is going to be negatively affected, and vice versa.

If you think in an impure and negative way, your body will be at the mercy of disease and begin to decay. This can be incredibly aging and can certainly affect the way you feel in yourself. However, if you choose to think positively and purely, you will start to glow with youth and vitality.

"The way you think affects your health — negative thoughts manifest into illness, but positive thoughts allow you to glow."

Anxiety also has a hugely damaging effect on the body. Those who are worried about catching a disease are often the ones who get it, and by becoming anxious and worried about every small thing in life, you’re damaging your own immune system and opening yourself up to illness.

"Instead, think strong thoughts, happy thoughts, and you will feel stronger and happier in yourself."

Of course, you should also look to change your diet for a healthier option, but if you have negative thoughts, your diet is not going to be of much use. If you change your thoughts, however, you probably won’t want those impure or unhealthy foods, which have a direct impact on the quality of your health.

Did you know? Around 275 million people around the world suffer from an anxiety disorder.

4. Everyone needs a purpose in life, what is yours?

Wandering through life with no plan is classified as aimlessness, and Allen states that this will lead you towards destruction in life. Instead, you need to identify a purpose and work towards it tirelessly. You need to focus and you need to avoid worry and self-pity at all costs. These are signs of weakness and negativity within.

Until you identify your purpose and work towards it, you will never achieve anything of any substance, so focus on the road in front of you and start making steps towards the things you want and need in life.

"Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success."

Those who never identify their purpose and never work toward achieving anything of any real substance tend to become anxious, worried, living in fear and dwelling in the self-pity that Allen states we need to avoid. Your purpose can be anything you want it to be, but it must be something which means something to you, and something which is going to bring you a sense of wellbeing and accomplishment, teaching you more about yourself and the capacity you have as a person.

5. If at first, you don’t succeed, it’s your own fault!

When you try something and fail, it’s very easy to place the blame at the feet of someone else or on the circumstances around you. The truth is that if you try and fail, you didn’t try hard enough, or you didn’t fill your mind with the positive thoughts required for success. You cannot blame others or situations, a strong person only blames themselves and learns from the experience to do better next time.

"If you fail at anything in life, you have to take responsibility and avoid blaming it on others."

If you fail to achieve something, it is because of your thoughts. You have to take responsibility and rectify the situation if you want to change anything. Did you fall towards the negative end of the scale? Did you fail to clearly outline your purpose? Did you look towards selfish gains instead? By falling foul of any of the Seven Deadly Sins, you are likely to fail.

Of course, we all need help from time to time, but a person who is feeling weak cannot become strong unless they focus on their purpose, i.e. the desire to become stronger, and they accept help from those who are stronger at that time. If you don’t do this, you will remain weak and miserable and you will not be able to lift yourself up.

"Asking for help when you need it will allow you to lift yourself up and grow."

Allen also points out that if you want to achieve something in life you also have to make sacrifices. The bigger the sacrifice, the greater the outcome.

Did you know? The Seven Deadly Sins are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia.

6. If you achieve serenity, you know you’ve made it

A feeling of serenity is calmness in your mind and a gentle feeling of being happy in yourself. This is something which can only be achieved if you have taken control of your thoughts and decided to steer them towards positivity, avoiding negativity along the way.

"You will feel a sense of serenity once you learn to master your own thoughts."

Allen points out that those who have covered all the points in the book will feel that sense of serenity in the end. If you have this, it’s a sign that you have mastered your own mind and thoughts. You understand yourself and you have evolved into someone who is self-assured, comfortable in their own skin, and sure in their power to achieve whatever they focus their mind on. You’re able to adapt to life’s challenges, aiming your thoughts in a way which means you will overcome any issue that comes your way.

Did you know? The definition of serenity is “the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled”.

7. Conclusion

Your mind has the power to control you if you allow it, however if you take hold of the reins and steer your thoughts where you want them to go, the so-called impossible becomes a reality.

Everything you think, say, do, and strive for in life helps you to achieve your potential and, ultimately, your destiny. Your destiny isn’t pre-written, it doesn’t come in a leather-bound book when you’re born, ready to be realized, it’s in your hands to write it and make it happen. By understanding this, you can change your thoughts to ensure that you’re always on the positive side of the line, far away from negative and impure thoughts.

Practice Lessons

1. For every negative thought that enters your mind, reframe it into something positive
2. What is your purpose? Sit down and brainstorm the things you really want in life
3. Take a look at your diet and identify whether you need to make changes to become healthier in your mind and body

Be Blessed by the Divine!

Krish Murali Eswar

More Book Summaries Available in: https://krishmuralieswar.com/category/book-summary/