The time has now come to relax and enjoy what you have already learned in the previous chapters. Indeed, the time has come to act as though you are a full-fledged “prosperous thinker,” because by the time you have gotten to this chapter, you are truly beginning to be! And you are now ready for the prosperity law of increase. The use of the law of increase is easy and pleasant. It consists first in establishing and maintaining an attitude of rich increase toward everything and everybody. In other words, let your main thought when thinking of yourself and others be the thought of riches, prosperity, success and victorious good. Just by thinking of yourself and others as rich, successful, prosperous and victorious, you help make it so. As you contact others by mail, telephone and in person, let your thought about them be one of increased good. Just by giving them the benefit of your rich thoughts is a giant step in helping them to become that way. They may not be consciously aware of your prosperous thinking about them, but they will subconsciously receive and be richly blessed. Often they will respond to you in some rich and happy way!
Thought of Increase Turns the Tide
I do not believe that jail is quite the proper place for a prosperous thinker but, nevertheless, a man who once found himself imprisoned decided to make the best of the situation. After he was made a “trusty” in the jail, he was allowed to make occasional telephone calls and sometimes he would telephone me, reporting his progress. Once he called very excitedly, declaring that for some time the main office of the jail had needed to be air-conditioned. He had visualized, affirmed and given thanks that it would be, since the people working there had been kind to him and he wished to see them comfortable and happy. He said that at last the office had received air-conditioning; and that if no other good came out of his jail experience, at least he felt that this increased good for the office force was an indication of how prosperous thinking could bring happy results.
How quickly affairs change for people after they begin thinking prosperously about themselves and others! A woman who had been married 18 years began to apply the prosperity law of increase in her world. She received a letter from a man she had worked for prior to her marriage. He declared that when she married, he had been in financial straits and had not been able to give her a decent wedding gift. Now that he was successful he decided the time had come to do something about the matter. He told her that a nice wedding gift was being mailed her and her bridegroom of 18 years!
A woman in a poor section of the city heard about prosperous thinking, and began to give her neighbors the benefit of the thought of increase as well as herself. In a few days a check came in the mail for $125, which seemed a tremendous sum to her. It was from an insurance company, which explained that it was a balance due her from the estate of her sister who had died eight years previously.
A businessman who knows the law of increase uses it constantly in his work as a credit manager to collect accounts owed his company. Little wonder that last year he led in collections for the entire company, which has offices all over the South. One customer owed his company thousands of dollars, which no one had been able to collect. The account was so large that one of the company’s officials came from the home office in another state to investigate the collection of this account.
The credit manager stated to the company official before they visited the customer, “The only way we will ever collect all this money is by being kind, courteous and positive in talking with him. We’ve got to restore his faith in himself; we’ve got to show him that we believe he will soon be able to pay this amount in full. We’ve got to use the thought of increase on him. Criticism will get us nowhere.” Thus, when they talked with this customer, they spoke of their faith in him and their belief that he could and would pay the debt he had contracted in good faith. Several days later, this customer rushed into the credit manager’s office with his first payment on his account, after months of non-payment. He declared, “The other morning when you walked into my office, I was feeling so low and such a failure in my business affairs, that if you had criticized me, I would have immediately given up and gone to my lawyer’s office and declared bankruptcy. But you were so kind to me and so positive in your faith that my business could be saved, it gave me the courage to believe it, too. And already, the turning point has come!”
You Always Use the Law of Increase or Decrease
All people are seeking an increase in food, clothes, better homes, more beauty, knowledge, leisure, pleasure, luxury, more satisfaction in their work, more increase of good in everything. And rightly so, for it is a divine desire. Thus, the normal desire for increased good should not be condemned or suppressed. It is divine, and can be lifted to divine levels of expression through the spiritual laws of prosperous thinking.
How wonderful to use the law of increase rather than the negative law of decrease. Often when people criticize, condemn and belittle others, they do not realize that through the law of mind action, they are asking for the same things to happen to them. Never waste your time giving yourself or others the thought of decrease. Like bread cast upon the water, what you send out comes back to you multiplied, and it will produce corresponding experiences in your own life.
During a steel strike, two professional men proved the law of increase. One, a chiropractor, refused to talk hard times or listen to such talk from his patients. Even though his office and much of his practice was located in the strike area not far from the steel mills, he constantly talked increase, prosperity and success. One night he attended a monthly meeting of the local chiropractors association, and most of the men present described what a tough time they were having in their practice “because of the strike.” Finally, someone asked him about his practice and he amazed the group by replying, “My practice has never been better. I refuse to talk of hard times during a steel strike or at any other time. I have found that the power of prosperous thinking can change all that.” A lawyer in the strike area also used the law of increase during this same period. His associates in the legal profession were constantly declaring how bad business was and that their practice was off. This man decided that to avoid falling into that limited state of thought, he had better be firm in his thinking.
One night in his prayer session he said, “Lord, I believe that You are my shepherd and that I need not want. I know those steel mills have been my main clients, but I also know that You have many equally prosperous clients who need my legal help. I am trusting You to provide new prosperous clients whom I may serve.”
At this time he had four big corporation clients who were his largest channels of income. Soon three of these corporation clients were giving him more business that brought in additional income. Several other corporation clients provided him with more legal business than the steel mills ever had! Thus, he was richly provided for during a period when most everyone was talking the law of decrease and getting that result.
Invoke the Law of Increase in Simple Ways
You can invoke the law of increase in a number of simple ways: You should speak the law of increase about yourself and others boldy and positively. You should look and act out the law of increase. You should write out notes of increase and image and affirm rich increase It was Nehemiah of the Bible who used the law of increase to get the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt after the Jews returned from Babylonia. Cup-bearer to the King of Persia, Nehemiah secured from the King the materials and manpower to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but he soon discovered that hostile tribes had occupied Jerusalem while the Jews were in exile. It was necessary for Nehemiah to organize two crews of workmen, one to build the walls of Jerusalem and one to fight off the enemy tribes. The walls were rebuilt in 52 days, after Nehemiah affirmed, The God of heaven, He will prosper us. (Nehemiah 2:20)
Often we have used the law of decrease rather than the law of increase, and have only delayed our prosperity. We have been like the Children of Israel who remained on the border of the Promised Land for 40 years, when they might have gone forth into the land reportedly “flowing with milk and honey.” Perhaps Joshua and Caleb are two of the most prosperous thinkers of the Bible. Of the twelve messengers whom Moses sent in to inspect the Promised Land, they were the only two who returned with proof of its riches, in the form of an enormous bunch of grapes. When the other messengers reported that the land was rich, but inhabited by warlike tribes, Joshua and Caleb confidently added the law of increase to the situation by declaring, Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. (Numbers 13:30)
But the majority were against this plan, and the Hebrews remained in the wilderness. Years later, when they finally did go into the Promised Land, they discovered those warlike tribes were not as big as giants, as previously reported, and they discovered that the people of Jericho had been as afraid of them as they had been of the people of Jericho.
These people had seen the smoke from their campfires across the Jordan River, and had feared there must be hundreds of thousands of them, rather than only about 40 thousand. Thus, the Hebrews discovered that the people they feared were afraid of them. Through their hesitation to go in and claim their good, they had only prolonged their stay in the wilderness. Eventually they had to face the situation and master it anyway. The same applies to each of us. If you use the law of decrease and limit your good, you are never satisfied with the limited result. Eventually you have to begin applying the law of increase anyway. So why not do it in the beginning, and get on into your Promised Land of greater good, rather than remaining in the wilderness of want, lack and privation?
Give Others Thought of Increase
You should convey the impression of increase with everything you do, so that all people will receive that rich impression. When writing, telephoning, thinking about or meeting others, give your family, social acquaintances, business acquaintances, friends, world leaders, all people the thought of increased good. Declare for them: I bless you with a rich increase of God’s Almighty Good. Speak bold words of faith, confidence and increase to them directly as well. Just a few words can work wonders for another.
A retired Army officer recently said to me, “You’ll never know how much you helped me several years ago when I was feeling low and was actually on the brink of suicide. Your words turned the tide of my thinking and of my life.” When I thought back, I realized that the only thing I had said to that man was, “You aren’t too old to begin life anew. You’ve been a success in the past and you can be a success again. Take a new lease on life, because you have what it takes to succeed.” Speak words of increased good to others often. You may never know how much it means, but the results will show forth.
When speaking of someone, speak in terms of their success only. If you know of someone who has been making a comeback from past mistakes, contribute to his unfolding success by ignoring his past and emphasizing only his present good. Not only will you add to his increased good, but you can be assured the skeletons in your own closet will be rattled less.
Give Yourself Thought of Increase
Give yourself an equal thought of increase. You can do it just by feeling that you are becoming more successful and that you are helping others to do so. Your every act, tone and look should express a quiet, rich assurance of success. Words to convince others of your success are not so necessary when you get the feeling of richness implanted in your mental atmosphere. It is then radiated from you and subconsciously communicated to others. They will want to be associated with you in business transactions and otherwise, for they are subconsciously and consciously benefited by the feeling of richness, success and prosperity that you radiate.
Just by quietly working to get the feeling of richness, success and prosperity, you will draw to you prosperous-minded people you have never seen before who will become your customers, business associates and friends. People unconsciously go where there is an atmosphere of increase. It is thus that business expands rapidly, and many rich blessings flow forth. As you give the thought of increase to others and entertain it quietly in the deep recesses of your own mind, others are attracted to you and automatically prosper you.
Dare to invoke the law of increase in every way it reveals itself to you, both large and small. A housewife recently spoke of how she helped to pull her husband out of a financial slump by saying to him every day when he returned home from work, “Now, tell me, dear, every good thing that happened today.” They were both surprised to see how much good came to pass and how much they had to be thankful for. The whole tide of their thinking turned from failure to success. Anything you can say to help yourself or others get the feeling of prosperity is worth the time and effort.
Avoid Hard Times Talk
Do not think, talk or act any way but prosperously. Do not allow others to talk to you in any way but prosperously. Do not read anything or take seriously anything that is printed or said that seems contrary to prosperous thinking. If you mix up your trend of thought, you set up cross-currents that neutralize your efforts for prosperity. In order to be permanently prosperous, dare to be different!
You should not become upset when people talk hard times. Neither should you join in their sad chorus unless you want to experience hard times yourself. Instead, declare in the face of apparent hard times: Divine restoration is taking place. The good which the locusts of lack have eaten is being divinely restored. The divine law of balance and equilibrium is doing its perfect work. The law of divine adjustment and balance is a universal law, and you can help that balancing factor work for good through your prosperous state of mind. This can be a time of rich blessings and great prosperity for you, because, as the salesman declared, “There’s gold dust in the air!”
A saleswoman recently pointed out what hard times talk can do. She spoke of a fellow employee who constantly talked lack, recession, hard times. Understandably, this employee was not making her quota of sales. Instead of thinking of prosperity, she was spending her lunch hour roaming about town, talking with other failure-minded people. When she returned to her sales job after lunch each day, she always said the same thing, “I’ve been in stores all over town. Business is terrible. Nobody is selling a thing!” The result? Well, the woman to whom she so often said these things refused to accept these ideas of hard times, for she knew the power of prosperous thinking. As she invoked it, her sales remained high and her commission checks appeared regularly. But the woman doing all the “hard times” talk got an unwanted result. One day the manager of the store called her in and placed her on part-time work, although she wanted to work full time. You can and do produce tangible results with your attitudes. This lady proved it but in the wrong direction.
Think Upon Plenty Ideas
Charles Fillmore showed us how to use the law of increase when those about us may be using the law of decrease: The spiritual substance from which comes all visible wealth is never depleted. It is right with you all the time and responds to your faith in it and your demands upon it. It is not affected by our ignorant talk of hard times, though we are affected because our thoughts and words govern our demonstration. The unfailing resource is always ready to give. Pour your living words of faith into the omnipresent ethers and you will be prospered though all the banks in the world close their doors. Turn the great energy of your thinking upon “plenty” ideas and you will have plenty regardless of what men about you are saying or doing.
A businessman recently said to a banker, who was trying to talk hard times to him, “There’s plenty of money in the world; there’s plenty of wealth; and there are plenty of wealthy resources to be developed and tapped. I refuse to believe in anything but wealth and prosperity for myself, for you, for all mankind.” The banker shook his head and said, “You are the most optimistic person I know.” He then proceeded to lend this businessman a sizable amount of money, with which this man proved that there is wealth and prosperity for anyone who thinks prosperously, and who uses words expecting prosperity.
Conserve and rightly use the substance of your being for prosperity by concentrating your thoughts, feelings; relationships and activities on prosperity, not failure or lack. Expect to become prosperous; start thinking and speaking in those terms and no other. Remind yourself often that scattered, idle thoughts, words and expectations bring scattered, idle, poverty-stricken results. Hitch your mental image of prosperity to the rich star of success, and keep it there.
Overcome Discouragement and Disappointment
When you are tempted to become discouraged in your efforts toward greater prosperity, remind yourself that to think according to the general beliefs of the human race is easy–and useless. But to think prosperously in spite of appearances to the contrary is worth every effort, because it produces rich results. One editor has often said to me, “Remember, Catherine, the majority is always wrong!”
Another way to invoke the law of increase, and thus to avoid the pettiness and destructiveness of the law of decrease, is by training your mind never to be disappointed. If certain things do not come at certain expected times in the way you wished, do not consider it a failure. Since you have not received that thing, you can instead stand firm in the faith that something much better is on the way and will appear at the right time. When you seem to fail, remind yourself that it is because you have not asked big enough. Expand your viewpoint and expectation, and a larger answer than you originally anticipated will surely come. Failure is nothing but success trying to be born in a bigger way. Most seeming failures are just installments toward victory!
Avoid Hurry
As you invoke the law of increase, remember that there is no hurry, force or push on the prosperous plane of life, and there is no lack of opportunity. Do all that you can do in a successful manner every day, but do it as calmly as possible without undue haste, worry or fear. Go as fast as you can, but do not hurry. The moment you begin to hurry, you cease to be prosperous in your thinking and become fearful, which is the prologue to failure. Whenever you find yourself hurrying along trying to force a result, call a halt. Fix your attention on the mental image of the thing you are working toward, and then begin to give thanks you are receiving it and accomplishing it in God’s own wonderful way.
A saleslady I know says that when she gets the feeling that she has “so much to do,” she does nothing. Instead, she goes off for a little while to relax, have a cup of coffee and regain her equilibrium, after which she can usually accomplish twice as much in half the time.
“But,” you may object, “how can I do this when I am living in the midst of people who do not know these laws of prosperous thinking, and who are constantly trying to rush me?” When I worked as a secretary in the business world, I knew what it was like to be in such a situation. But I also discovered that one person who uses the power of prosperous thinking has more control of a situation than a whole army of hurried, harried people who scatter their power in futile rushing around. At such times mentally declare, Peace, be still, and observe the atmosphere around you calm down to a reasonable pace.
Free Yourself From Petty Thinking
Do not waste time holding grudges, even toward those who have treated you unjustly. You will meet such people along the way, as you rise toward success. Others who are not making the grade will try to hold you down to their mediocre level, but they can’t if you refuse to be bothered by what they say or do. Nobody can keep your success and prosperity from you but yourself.
If some people seem to try and even to succeed to dissuade you for a time, remember that success has endless doors ready to open to you, endless ways and means of providing your good. If one door closes, just know there are bigger and better doors trying to open. Don’t get jammed in the half-closed door. Let it close. Be ready for the new doors that wish to open all the way for you.
You can also free yourself of petty thinking in regard to others’ success and free yourself from their petty thinking by declaring: Refusing to criticize another’s prosperity, I turn to God, ask His Direction and I am prospered. In like manner, others refuse to criticize my prosperity. Instead, they turn to God, ask His Direction and they, too, are prospered. There is plenty of success and prosperity for all.
Never become disappointed, discouraged or upset by what others say or do in an effort to hold you down or take your good from you, as you begin to rise through prosperous thinking. In the long run, they cannot hurt you, only themselves. Instead, feel flattered when people try to hold you down or “down you” in any way. It’s a sure sign that at last you are succeeding and that others realize it. At such times, take a deep breath, give thanks that your success is now manifesting, and consider it a compliment that others bother to criticize or try to pull you down. There is doubtless something about you they secretly admire and feel is lacking in themselves; otherwise, they would not feel the lack keenly enough to resent finding its opposite in you.
Make the Law of Increase Your New Frontier
All of these methods and attitudes are a part of the prosperity law of increase. As you think vitally about this fascinating law, it will reveal its own “ways and means” of expression to you further, in regard to your own individual circumstances.
I suggest you begin invoking the law of increase fully with these ideas: I am now experiencing perfect health, abundant prosperity and complete and utter happiness. This is true because the world is full of charming people who now lovingly help me in every way. I am now come into an innumerable company of angels. I am now living a delightful, interesting and satisfying life of the most widely useful kind. Because of my own increased health, wealth and happiness, I am now able to help others live a delightful, interesting and satisfying life of the most widely useful kind. My good–our good–is universal.
Your good is created as fast as your good words are uttered! Dare to begin invoking the law of increase in the practical ways mentioned herein. As you do, your thoughts, prayers, words and expectations of increased good shall circle the globe and may even reach into “outer space.” Indeed, you shall become a part of the “new frontier” for universal good that is now spanning this planet!