This is the fourth, and last, post in a series based on the teachings found in the success classic “The Science of Getting Rich”, written in 1910 by Wallace D. Wattles (that’s him in the image to the left). As I stated in the three previous posts, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants increased prosperity.
You can read the first three posts of this series here:
- Lessons from “The Science of Getting Rich” (Part 1)
- Lessons from “The Science of Getting Rich” (Part 2)
- Lessons from “The Science of Getting Rich” (Part3)
Wattles explains that in order to get rich you must think and act in “a certain way”. In addition, by thinking and acting in “a certain way” you will get rich with mathematical certainty. I explained how to think “in a certain way” in Part 2 of this series. In this post, I’m going to share with you how to act “in a certain way”.
You Must Act in a Certain Way
In chapter 11 of “The Science of Getting Rich”, Wattles points out that while it’s true that thought is the creative power which sets the creative force in motion, a person must not rely on thought alone and pay no attention to personal action.
As Wattles states, “A person must not only think, but his personal action must supplement his thought.” You must act in such a way that you can receive what you want when it gets to you. That is, your thoughts bring what you’re thinking about toward you, and by action you receive them.
Your thoughts make everything in the universe, including inanimate things and people, work to bring you what you’re thinking about. However, things will reach you in the hands of others, and you must give each person an equivalent for the things they bring to you. To quote “The Science of Getting Rich”:
“[Y]ou must act in a certain way, so that you can appropriate what is yours when it comes to you and so that you can meet the things you have in your picture and put them in their proper places as they arrive.”
You must act, and you must act now. You cannot act in the past, for the past is gone. To dwell on the past is to cloud your vision. You cannot act in the future, since the future is not here yet. Be confident that you will be able to meet any future contingencies when you get to them. Wattles advises to “Put your whole mind into present action.”
Do not wait to be in the right business or to be in the right environment to begin. Begin where you are: you move to the right business by acting, and you get a change of environment by acting. This is well illustrated in the following quote:
“Hold the vision of yourself in the right business, with the purpose to get into it and the faith that you will get into it and are getting into it, but ACT in your present business. Use your present business as a means of getting into a better one. Your vision of the right business, if held with faith and purpose, will cause the supreme power to move the right business toward you. And your action, if performed in the certain way, will cause you to move toward the business.”
It is likely that in the beginning your actions will be the same that you’ve been performing up to now, but you will begin to perform these actions in “a certain way” which will make you rich. By thinking and acting in a certain way you will set in motion forces that will move you toward where you want to be.
You Must Act Efficiently
As for the way in which you should act, Wattles explains in Chapter 12 of “The Science of Getting Rich” that you need to act efficiently.
First of all, remember that the universe works on the principle of expansion and advancement. Since the universe wants society to move forward, it will come to the aid of those who more than fill their present place, thus helping to speed up the progress of the world. The way to more than fill your present place is to do all that you can do where you are. To quote “The Science of Getting Rich”:
“You can advance only by being larger than your present place, and no one is larger than his present place who leaves undone any of the work pertaining to that place. The world is advanced only by those who more than fill their present places.”
There are countless people who go to work and simply comply with the bare minimum in their job description. They do what they’re told to do by their boss and not one thing more. These people will never get ahead. In order to do things in “a certain way” you have to go beyond your job description and do more than is expected of you. This is what it means to more than fill your present place.
When you begin to think in a certain way, massive forces are set to work on your behalf, and much may depend on you doing a simple act which is to open the door to great opportunities. Your failure to do even one small thing can cause a long delay in getting what you want. Therefore, do every day all that you can do on that day.
However, it is important that you don’t overwork or rush frantically about trying to do the greatest number of things in the shortest possible time. What counts is the efficiency of each separate act. Every inefficient act is a failure, and the more inefficient acts you do, the worse off you’ll be. In order to move forward, you must do enough things, no matter how common place, in an efficient manner.
So how do you act in an efficient manner? If you dwell often on what you want, this will become so firmly fixed upon your mind that throughout the day you need only to refer mentally to that image to cause your best effort to be put forth. As Wattles indicates, “Every act can be made strong and efficient by holding your vision while you’re doing it and putting the whole power of your faith and purpose into it.” In addition, focus on what you want until your next action seems like the next logical step.
Mistakes come from acting out of fear or acting hastily because you think someone else is going to beat you to the thing you want to do. Fix your attention on the mental image of what you want and begin to give thanks that you’re getting it; this will strengthen your faith and renew your purpose. Keep your mind close to the supreme mind by reverent gratitude and you will act efficiently.
The idea is not to act for the sake of acting, but to act with purpose. You act with purpose when you’re taking steps to get what you want, to achieve the mental picture you’ve constructed in your mind. Actions are the last component of the creative process, and they must be in alignment with your mental picture.
In addition, as you begin to move toward larger life, you will increase the magnetic pull toward you of everything that is good. Life attracts life, and the more that you develop yourself in mind, body and soul, the more alive that you become.
Do everything that you can do every day, but do it without haste, worry, or fear. If you don’t do any inefficient acts-that is, if you don’t act out of doubt or fear–, and if you do a sufficient number of efficient acts-by concentrating on the vision of what you want with faith and purpose–, you will become rich.
Wattles points out in “The Science of Getting Rich” that you should add to the life of the world with every business transaction by providing more value than you’re being paid for. First, you should only sell goods and services that bring more life to the person paying for them. Also, the principle of advancement states that every person who transacts business with you should receive more value than the thing he gave you in exchange.
Add to the Life of the World
You need to be attentive to others and to their needs. Successful people know that value must be given in order for value to be received in a business transaction or business relationship. The goal is to share your gifts with as many people as possible. There is a quote by Woodrow Wilson that is a good illustration of this:
“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget that errand.”
All men and women are looking for increase, for the continuous advancement of life. Therefore, whenever you come into contact with anyone, whether it’s in person, by phone, or in writing, you should strive to communicate to them the impression of increase.
In order to become wealthy, you first have to be wealthy. This doesn’t mean that you have to have money in order to make money; it means that you have to identify yourself as being wealthy even if your bank account doesn’t reflect that wealth at the moment. Wealth is not what a person has; it’s a state of mind. The people who succeed in life from a financial perspective have positive beliefs about money, wealth and prosperity.
In “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill says the following: “When you begin to think and grow rich, you will observe that riches begin with a state of mind . . . You, and every other person, ought to be interested in knowing how to acquire that state of mind which will attract riches.”
The quote below by Charles Fillmore is a good illustration of what it means to be wealthy:
“Prosperity is not in the possession of things, but in the recognition of supply, and in the knowledge of free and open access to an inexhaustible storehouse of all that is good.”
By following “the certain way” you are in fact creating increase for yourself, and you should convey assurance of this fact to everyone you come into contact with. Do everything with the firm conviction that you’re an advancing personality and that you’re giving advancement to everyone.
Convey the quiet assurance that you’re getting rich and give everyone more value than the cash value you take from them. People will go where they are given increase, and your business will increase rapidly. This applies to the professional person and to the wage earner. As Wattles puts it:
“The person who is certain to advance is the one who is too big for his place, who has a clear concept of what he wants to be, who knows that he can become what he wants to be, and who is determined to be what he wants to be.”
The Right Business for You
When deciding what the right business for you is, Wattles explains that generally speaking, you will do best in that business which will use your strongest faculties.
However, although it will be easier in terms of effort to get rich if you do so in the occupation for which you are best fitted, you will be happier if you get rich by doing what you want to do. If you’re passionate about you’re doing you’re more likely to succeed.
Wattles assures the reader that they can do what they want to do; the fact that someone has a desire to do something is proof that they have within them the power to do it. For Wattles, desire is power trying to express itself:
“The desire to play music is the power which can play music seeking expression and development. The desire to invent mechanical devices is the mechanical talent seeking expression and development.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, a person increases their prosperity by thinking and acting in “a certain way”. In order to think in a “certain way” a person must form a clear mental image of what they want, and they must hold this mental image in their thoughts frequently, coupled with unwavering faith and gratitude.
So as to receive what they want, a person must act in “a certain way”. That is, they must more than fill their present place. In addition, they must give each person a use value in excess of the cash value they receive, so that each transaction makes for more life.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading this series on “The Science of Getting Rich”, and that you begin to apply the lessons presented by Wattles in your own life. Wattles’ daughter, Florence, was quoted as saying the following about her father:
“He wrote almost constantly. It was then that he formed his mental picture. He saw himself as a successful writer, a personality of power, an advancing man, and he began to work toward the realization of this vision. He lived every page … His life was truly the powerful life.”
Get the Book for Free
If you would like to read “The Science of Getting Rich”, you can get the book for free by clicking here: The Science of Getting Rich for Practical Geniuses. The book is a free download; you also have the option of enrolling for a course on “The Science of Getting Rich” created by Rebecca Fine (Rebecca lets you decide how much you’ll pay for the course, how cool is that). Rebecca also offers a lot of interesting free stuff, so stop by, get the book, and have a look. (And yes, should you decide to enroll in the course, I’m an affiliate.)
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