Do you see what I’m saying?

Mental Laws/Rules
Throughout the years, people have always wanted to understand why some are more successful than others. For this reason, the following laws and rules have been studied and have proven to be true. It has been found that people who practice these laws with consistency obtain a level of success more frequently. In “Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice,” Dennis Kimbro expounds on the teachings of Napoleon Hill by giving examples of African Americans who have effectively utilized the laws and achieved great success. As you study these laws, you will notice they all refer back to seeing (imagining), speaking (confessing), and believing (faith).

Here are eight mental laws we all must understand:

1. Whatever You Think Upon Grows

• Your thoughts are a magnet to your reality
• You are a magnet to people, things, and circumstances that agree with your thought pattern
  2. The Law of Cause & Effect
• Thoughts are causes and conditions are effects
• Your perceptions are the causes and your reality is your effect
• Whatever you send out in thought, word, or deed will come back to you with accuracy
  3. Use It or Lose It
• Practice makes perfect
• Never sit on a gift, talent, or skill
  4. The Law of Correspondence
• You feel the way you act
• Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world
• Whatever is on the inside will affect the outside
  5. The Law of Substitution
• Substitute a negative thought for a positive thought
• Your conscience mind can only hold one thought at a time
  6. The Law of Belief, Expectation, and Relaxation
• Anything you believe, with feeling, will become your reality
• Faith is belief with action
• Once you have worked the principles, relax
  7. The Law of Attraction
• Like always attracts like
  8. The Law of Compensation
• You reap what you sow
• Give exactly what you want back
• If you work these laws, they will work for you.

Your Perception Is Your Reality
Take time to survey the last decade of your life. Note that the people you’ve hung around, the books you have read (or not read), and the words you’ve spoken, have all played a crucial role in shaping your dreams and lifestyle. If you are not pleased with your current state, change what you have been doing. If you want something different, do something different. God’s method to physical manifestation requires us to conceive, believe, confess, and receive. He has given us the authority to speak those things that are not as though they were. In turn, your job is to continue to speak what you have imagined or dreamed until you see it in the physical. Nothing that we call real or tangible is a surprise to the
creator of that item. They have seen it many times before it came to fruition. This form of visualization is a principle that works for those who understand it, as well as for those who do not. My responsibility is to enlighten you with this biblical truth.

I believe most people have an inward desire for more: more money, more time, more influence, and the list goes on and on. The challenge is how to obtain these desires. One vital point to remember is that though these desires will become a reality, you are the variable. Someone will accomplish these desires, but will it be you? The answer can be yes. You
must first convert your desires, dreams, and wishes into goals. In her book “The Invisible Child,” Katherine Peterson says, “A dream without a plan is just a wish.” I like to say it as, “A wish is a dream with no attempt to make it happen.” This theory supports the idea that dreams become wishes, because the person never creates a plan of action. So, taking action is essential.

Guard Your Mind and Watch Your Mouth!
During this journey, you will experience what I call “Life.” Life is the good, bad, ugly, and unexpected phenomenon that occurs on a daily basis. If you are not careful, it will negatively alter your original perception of what life should be. Your beliefs may begin to change. You may notice that you are not as driven as you once were and those hopes and
dreams that kept you focused, start to fade into the background. However, to combat these manifestations of “Life,” you must “Guard your mind and watch your mouth.” This can be achieved by a renewing of the mind. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) says, “*Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to
God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” *In other words, you must be cautious of those things you allow to enter into your eye and ear gates and be
mindful of what comes forth out of your mouth. Though it seems a daunting task at times, when you begin experiencing that which God has ordained for you, it will become clear that the reward outweighs the effort.

One of the most important lessons you must learn as you take this journey toward a successful life is that your thoughts and words are magnets to your reality. The Bible instructs us in Philippians 2:5 (KJV) to, *“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” *Therefore, with a “Christ-like” mind, you move closer to your destiny, understanding that whatever you consistently send out in thought, word, and deed, will come back to you with accuracy. This includes things, people, and circumstances that are drawn to the energy that you give out.

Food for Thought
If you plan to see in the physical what you have seen in your imagination, you will have to do three things:

Speak it, Write it, *and Work it.*

Speak It

“…My tongue is like the pen of a ready writer.”

~ Psalm 45:1

Proverbs 18:21 says*, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Therefore, speaking your dreams and goals is so important. When you speak your goals out loud, you are telling your subconscious mind to hold you accountable and to find a way to accomplish that dream or goal. It also puts people on alert of what’s to come and helps you to stay positive. I have personally developed a “speaking” test that has been incorporated into my life. The test works like this: at the end of any statement I make relating to my dreams or goals, I will ask myself, “Is that what I really want?” If my answer is no, I change my wording. Proverbs 6:2 says “Thou are snared (trapped)
with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.”*

For example:

“Nothing I do seems to work.”

Test:

“Is that what I really want? No, of course not.”

Correction:

“Everything I do seems to work out in my favor.”

Write It

“*And the Lord answered me and said, write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon the tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easy and quickly] as he hastens by. For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.” *

~ Habakkuk 2:2 – 3 (AMP)*
Many underestimate the importance of writing down their goals. Studies have shown that there is a much greater chance of a person reaching their goals if they write them down versus keeping them in their heads. Writing your goals down is the first step to developing a plan. Having a plan helps you, and those with whom you share it, know how to move forward in bringing your goals to pass. Writing also provides a way of keeping your progress in check. As the months and years go by, you are able to check off your achievements. Checking off these achievements from a list can provide a psychological boost when things don’t seem to be working. I’ve done this for years. Every so often, I will take a look at my list of dreams or goals and check off what I have accomplished. It’s amazing the sense of pride and motivation I feel when I realize how much I have accomplished. There is no better way to *see *what you have been saying.

Food for Thought
Success is connected to action.

Work It

“Faith without works is dead.”

James 2:17 (KJV)*
Seeing it, speaking it, and writing it means nothing until you decide to work it. You must work both God’s word and your own words. No one wants to be that person who talks a good game but never does anything. There is never a good time for opportunities; you have to take them when they present themselves. James 1:22-24 says, “*But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own-selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”*

Have you ever noticed that successful people are always considered the movers and shakers in society? They keep their eyes open for new opportunities. Trust me, they make mistakes, but they don’t quit. They get up and work it again and again until they get what they are seeking. They understand, and so must you, that if you are not prepared to fail at something, you will never succeed. Success is connected to action. You can’t make an “A” if you are afraid to get an “F”.

Understanding these principles will help you create your own plan of action. God does get involved with our actions, but we must give Him something to work with…something to kiss. When God “kisses” an action, work, or desire, it means He supports and favors that which you have set your hand to do. In other words, He has given you His stamp of approval. With this divine sanctioning, you will begin to notice doors opening on your behalf in a manner that can only be credited to God. He could have you meet the right person at the right time or put you on the heart and mind of someone that has the ability to bless and support your venture. For this type of intervention to occur, you must first do your part, which includes applying His principles in your life. Obedience motivates God to keep His promises and will propel you closer to your dreams and goals. It’s just that simple: speak it, write it, work it, and of course, believe it. God will then “kiss” it, therefore showing favor to that which you desire.