"Think & Grow Rich" CHAPTER 15

"Think & Grow Rich"
CHAPTER 15: How To Outwit The 6 Ghosts of Fear


633. The preparation is not difficult. Understanding of 3 ENEMIES
which you shall have to clear out. There are indecision, doubt, & fear.
634. The sixth sense will never function while these 3 negatives,
or any of them remain in your mind.
635. Before we can master an enemy, we must know its name,
its habits, & its place of abode. Analyze yourself carefully,
& determine which, if any, of the 6 common fears
(NEGATIVE ENTITIES) have attached themselves to you.
636. Most people are fortunate if they do not suffer from the entire 6 fears.
637. The 6 Basic Fears:
The Fear of Poverty, The Fear of Criticism, The Fear of ILL Health,
The Fear of Loss of Love of Someone, The Fear of Old Age, The Fear of Death
638. Just following the war, we were in the cycle of fear of ill health,
as evidenced by the EPIDEMIC OF DISEASE which spread itself
all over the world.
639. Fears are nothing more than states of mind. One's state of mind is subject
to control & direction. Physicians, as everyone knows, are less subject to attack
by disease. Physicians, have been known to physically contact hundreds of people,
daily, who were suffering from contagious diseases as small-pox, without becoming infected. Their immunity against the disease consisted, largely, if not solely,
in their absolute LACK OF FEAR.
640. Man can create nothing which he does not first
conceive in the form of an impulse of though.
641. Man's thought impulses being immediately
to translate themselves into their physical equivalent.
642. Every human being has the ability to completely control his own mind.
643. Every person may open his mind to the tramp through
impulses which are being released by other brains.
644. Everything which man creates begins in the form of a thought.
645. Thought impulses of fear & POVERTY
cannot be translated into terms of courage & financial gain.
646. The 2 roads that lead to poverty & riches travel in opposite directions.
You must REFUSE TO ACCEPT ANY CIRCUMSTANCE that leads toward poverty.
647. If you demand riches, determine what form,
& how much will be required to satisfy you.
648. If you neglect to make the start, or stop before you arrive,
no one will be to blame but you. This responsibility is yours.
649. The only thing you can control - is your state of mind.
650. FEAR OF POVERTY is a state of mind, nothing else!
651. This fear leads to UNCERTAINTY OF PURPOSE,
& makes self-control an impossibility. It takes the charm of one's personality
& invites failure in every conceivable form; it kills love, invites disaster
in a hundred forms, leads to sleeplessness, misery & unhappiness.
652. Without nothing standing between us & our desires,
excepting lack of a definite purpose.
653. The FEAR OF POVERY is, the most destructive of the 6 basic fears
& it is the most difficult to master.
654. A man is considered less than the dust of the earth,
unless he can display a fat bank account; but if he has money
- never mind how he acquired it -  he is a "king" or a "big shot";
he is above the law, he rules in politics, he dominates in business,
& the whole world about him bows in respect when he passes.
655. Nothing brings man so much suffering & humility as poverty!
656. Some men cannot be trusted, where matters of money & earthly
possessions are concerned.
657. The majority of marriages are motivated by the wealth
possessed by one, or both of the contradicting parties.
This is why divorce courts are so busy.
658. Self-analysis may disclose weaknesses.
Examination is essential to all who demand of life more than mediocrity.
659. Ask yourself definite questions & demand direct replies.
660. Few people realize that they are bound, handicapped,
whipped spiritually & physically through some form of fear.

661. The Symptoms of The Fear of Poverty:
A. Indifference. Lack of ambition; willingness to tolerate poverty;
mental & physical laziness; lack of imagination, enthusiasm & self-control.
B. Indecision.
C. Doubt. Expressed through alibis & EXCUSES.
Envy of those who are successful, or by criticising them.
D. Worry. Finding fault with others, a tendency to spend beyond one's income,
NEGLECT OF PERSONAL APPEARANCE, frowning; intemperance
in the use of alcoholic drink, use of narcotics, nervousness, lack of poise,
self-consciousness & lack of self-reliance.
E. Over-Caution. The habit of looking for the negative side of every circumstance, talking of possible failure instead of CONCENTRATING UPON SUCCEEDING.
Never searching for the plans to avoid failure. Waiting for the "right time"
to begin putting ideas & plans into ACTION, until the waiting
becomes a PERMANENT HABIT. Pessimism, leading to indigestion,
poor elimination, auto-intoxication, bad breath & bad disposition.
F. Procrastination. The habit of putting off until tomorrow that which
should have been done last year. Spending time creating excuses.
REFUSAL TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY. Willingness to compromise.
Compromising with difficulties instead of using them as stepping
stones to advancement. Bargaining wit life, instead of DEMANDING PROSPERITY,
contentment & happiness. Planning what to do if overtaken by failure.
Total lack of self-confidence, self-control, enthusiasm, & sound reasoning ability.
EXPECTING POVERTY INSTEAD OF DEMANDING RICHES.
Association with those who accept poverty instead of seeking the company
of those who DEMAND & RECEIVE RICHES.

662. "Give me all the money I need, & I will find everything else I want."
663. There are treasures of the heart & soul which money cannot buy,
but most people, being broke, are unable to keep this in mind & sustain their spirits.
664. When a man is down & out, unable to get any job at all,
something happens to his spirit. He cannot escape
a feeling of inferiority even though he knows they are definitely
not his equals in character, intelligence or ability.
665. When a man is borrowing merely to live, is a depressing expierence.
666. They have their independence, their self-respect & manhood,
& he simply cannot convince himself that he is a good man.
667. With a little money he would be himself again.
668. It is a well-known fact that a thief will criticise the man from whom he steals
just like politicians seek office, but by attempting to besmirch their opponents.
669. Baldheaded men, are bald for no other reason
than their fear of criticism. Heads become bald because of the tight-fitting
bands of hats which cut off circulation from the roots of the hair.
670. Most people will, tell a lie rather than admit that they
do not believe the stories associated with religion.
671. Parents often do their children irreparable injury by criticising them.
672. One's nearest relatives often are the worst offenders. It should be recognized
as a crime for any parent to build inferiority complexes in the mind of a child.
673. Employers, get the best there is in men, by constructive suggestion.
674. Criticism will plant fear, or resentment, but it will build love or affection.

675. The Major Symptoms of The Fear of Criticism Are:
A. Self-Consciousness. Nervousness, shifting of the eyes.
B. Lack of Poise. Lack of voice control, nervousness around others,
poor posture of body, & poor memory.
C. Personality. Lacking in decision, personal charm, & ability to express opinions.
D. Inferiority Complex. Using "big words" to impress others,
imitating others in dress, speech & manners.
E. Extravagance. Spending beyond one's income.
F. Lack of Initiative. Failure to embrace opportunities for self-advancement,
lack of confidence in one's own ideas, hesitancy of manner & speech,
deceit in both words & deeds.
G. Lack of Ambition. Mental & physical laziness, slowness in reaching decisions,
easily influenced by others, the habit of criticising others (being judgmental),
accepting defeat, suspicious of other people.

676. Fear may be traced to both physical & social heredity.
677. Man fears ill health because of the economic toll which it may claim.
678. 75% of all people are suffering with HYPOCONDRIA (imaginary illness).
It has been show most convincingly that the FEAR OF DISEASE,
often produces the physical symptoms of the disease feared.
679. POWERFUL & MIGHTY IS THE HUMAN MIND!
It builds or it destroys.
680. Playing upon this common weakness of fear of ill health,
dispensers of patent MEDICINES HAVE REAPED FORTUNES.
681. During the world war, the NEWSPAPERS QUIT PUBLISHING
STORIES about the "FLU," & WITHIN ONE MONTH the EPIDEMIC
HAD BEEN SUCCESSFULLY CHECKED.
682. Through a series of experiments, it was proved that PEOPLE
MAY BE MADE ILL BY SUGGESTION.
(Television, Subconscious Mind Programming, etc.)
683. There is a certain religious sect whose members take vengeance upon their enemies by the "hexing" method. They call it "placing a spell" on the victim.
684. Doctors send patients into new climates for their health,
because a change of "mental attitude" is nessecary.
685. EVERY FORM OF NEGATIVE THINKING MAY CAUSE ILL HEALTH.
686. DISSAPPOINTMENTS in love stand at the head of the list of causes
of fear of ill health.

687. The Symptoms of Fear of Ill Health:
A. Auto-Suggestion. The habit of NEGATIVE self-suggestion by expecting to find
the symptoms of all kinds of diseases. Imaginary illness & speaking of it as being real.
B. Hypocondria. The habit of talking of illness, concentrating the mind upon disease.
It is brought on by NEGATIVE THINKING & nothing but POSITIVE THOUGHT
CAN EFFECT A CURE.
C. Excercise. Fear of ill health often interferes with proper physical excercise,
& results in OVER-WEIGHT, by causing one to AVOID OUTDOOR LIFE.
D. Susceptibility. Fear of ill health creates a favorable condition
for any form of disease one may contact.
E. Self-Coddling. The habit of making a bid for SYMPATHY.
The habit of feigning illness to cover plain laziness,
or to serve as an alibi for lack of ambition.
F. Intemperance. The habit of using ALCOHOL & NARCOTICS
to destroy pains such as headaches, neuralgia, etc.,
instead of eliminating the cause.

688. The habit of reading about illness & worrying over the possibility
of being stricken by it.
689. THE FEAR OF LOSS OF LOVE
Jealousy, forms out of man's inherited fear of the loss of love of someone.
This fear is the most painful of all six basic fears. It probably plays more
havoc with the body & mind than any of the other basic fears,
as it often leads to permanent insanity.
690. Now use persuasion, the promise of pretty clothes, motor cars,
& other "bait" much more effective than physical force.
691. Women are more susceptible to this fear than men.

692. The Symptoms of The Fear of Loss of Love:
A. Jealousy. The habit of BEING SUSPICIOUS of friends
& loved ones without any reasonable evidence of sufficient grounds.
(Jealousy is a form of dementia which sometimes becomes VIOLENT.)
The habit of accusing wife or husband of infidelity without grounds.
General suspicion of everyone, absolute faith in no one.
B. Fault Finding. The habit of fault finding with friends, relatives,
business associates, & loved ones, without any cause whatsoever.
C. Gambling. The habit of gambling, stealing, cheating,
& otherwise taking hazardous chances to provide money for loved ones.

693. The Symptoms of The Fear of Old Age:
A. The truth is that man's most useful years, mentally & spiritually,
are those between forty & sixty years old.
B. Expressing gratitude for having reached the age of wisdom & understanding.
C. The habit of the man or woman of forty dressing with the aim
of trying to appear much younger, & affecting mannerisms of youth.

694. The terrible pangs of fear of death, may be charged directly to religious fanaticism.
"Come into my tent, embrace my faith, accept my dogmas,
& I will give you a ticket that will admit you straightaway into heaven when you die,"
cries a leader of sectarianism. "Remain out of my tent," says the same leader,
& may the devil take you & burn you throughout eternity."
695. Eternal punishment causes man to fear death.
It makes happiness impossible.
696. No man knows, what heaven or hell is like,
nor does any man know if either place actually exists.
697. Insane asylums are filled with men & women who have gone mad,
because of the fear of death.
698. Death will come, no matter what. Accept it as a necessity,
& pass the thought out of your mind. Perhaps it is not as bad as it has been pictured.
699. The entire world is made up of only two things, energy & matter.
In elementary physics we learn that niether matter nor energy can
be created or destroyed.
700. Life is energy. Death is mere transition.

701. The Symptoms of The Fear of Death:
A. The habit of thinking about dying instead of making the most of life,
due, to lack of purpose, or lack of a suitable occupation.
The greatest of all remedies for the fear of death is a burning desire for achievement, backed by useful service to others.

702. Worry is a state of mind based upon fear.
703. Worry is a state of mind which can be controlled.
704. We do not worry once we have reached a DECISION
to follow a definite line of action.
705. Decision can prevent one's acceptance of undesired circumstances.
706. Reaching a decision not to worry about what other people think, do, or say.
707. Acquit yourself of the fear of ill health by the decision to forget symptoms.
708. Master the fear of loss of love by reaching a decision to get along without love,
if that is nessecary.
709. With this decision will come poise, peace of mind, & calmness of thought
which will bring happiness.
710. A man whose mind is filled with fear transmits these destructive vibrations
to the minds of all who come into contact with him.
711. A bee will sting the person whose mind is releasing vibrations of fear.
712. Mental telepathy is a reality.
713. The person who gives expression, to negative or destructive thoughts
is certain to expierence the results of those words in the form of a destructive
"kick-back."
714. The person who releases thoughts of a destructive nature must suffer damage.
715. Destructive emotion develops a NEGATIVE PERSONALITY WHICH REPELS PEOPLE, & often converts them into antagonists.
716. The person who releases negative thoughts, are not only damaging to others,
but they imbed themselves in the subconscious mind of the person releasing them,
& they become a part of his character.
717. Your business in life is presumably to achieve success. To be successful,
YOU MUST FIND PEACE OF MIND, acquire the material needs of life,
& above all, attain happiness. All of these begin in the form of thought impulses.
718. You may control your own mind.
719. You may influence, direct, & EVENTUALLY CONTROL YOUR OWN ENVIRONMENT, MAKING YOUR LIFE WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE.
720. Men who accumulate great riches always protect themselves against this evil!
The poverty stricken never do! THOSE WHO SUCCEED PREPARE THEIR MINDS
TO RESIST THE EVIL.
721. You should examine yourself very carefully, to determine whether you
are susceptible to negative influences. If you neglect this self-analysis,
you will forfeit your right to attain the object of your desires.
722. Deal with your own faults as you would with a more tangible enemy.
723. The "seventh basic evil" is difficult to master, because it strikes when you
are not aware of its presence, when you are asleep, & while you are awake.
724. It consists of merely - a state of mind.

725. How To Protect Yourself Against Negative Influences:
A. To protect yourself against negative influences, recognize that you
have a will-power, & put it into constant use, until it builds a wall of immunity
against negative influences in your own mind.
B. Negative influences often work on you, through your subconscious mind,
& keep your mind closed against all people who depress or discourage you in any way.
C. Stop pandering to colds, aches, pains, & imaginary illness.
D. Do not expect troubles.
E. The most common weakness of all human beings is the habit of leaving
their minds open to the negative influence of other people.
F. Most people refuse to correct the evil until it
becomes an uncontrollable part of their daily habits.
G. Read the questions & state your answers aloud, so you can hear your own voice.

Self-Analysis Test   (Seperate Form)

726. Answer truthfully, you know more about yourself than the majority of people.
Study the questions carefully, come back to them once each week for several months.
727. YOU HAVE ABSOLUTE CONTROL OVER YOUR THOUGHTS.
728. This is the sole means by which you may control your own destiny.
If you fail to control your own mind, you may be sure you will control nothing else.
729. You were given a will-power for this purpose.
730. Henry Ford has a mind & controls it.
731. Henry Ford is a man with a mind of his own, & a will to control it, can accomplish.
732. Ford created an opportunity & backed it with persistence
until it made him richer than Croesus.
733. Mind control is the result of SELF-DISCIPLINE & HABIT.
734. You either control your mind or it controls you.
735. The most practical methods for controlling the mind is the habit of keeping
it busy with a definite purpose, backed by a definite plan.
736. Without this control, success is not possible.

737. "FIFTY-SEVEN FAMOUS ALIBIS"
IF I didn't have a wife & family...
IF I had enough "pull"...
IF I had money...
IF I had a good education...
IF I could get a job...
IF I had good health...
IF I only had time...
IF times were better...
IF other people understood me...
IF conditions around me were only different...
IF I could live my life over again...
IF I did not fear what "they" would say...
IF I had been given a chance...
IF I now had a chance...
IF other people didn't "have it in for me"...
IF nothing happens to stop me...
IF I were only younger...
IF I could only do what I want...
IF I had been born rich...
IF I could meet "the right people"...
IF I had the talent that some people have...
IF I dared assert myself...
IF I only embraced opportunities...
IF people didn't get on my nerves...
IF I didn't have to keep house & look after the children...
IF I could save some money...
IF the boss only appreciated me...
IF I only had somebody to help me...
IF my family understood me...
IF I lived in a big city...
IF I could just get started...
IF I were only free...
IF I had the personality of some people...
IF I were not so fat...
IF my talents were known...
IF I could just get a "break"...
IF I could only get out of debt...
IF I hadn't failed...
IF I only knew how...
IF everybody didn't oppose me...
IF I didn't have so many worries...
IF I could marry the right person...
IF people weren't so dumb...
IF my family were not so extravagant...
IF I were sure of myself...
IF luck were not against me...
IF I had not been born under the wrong star...
IF it were not true that "what is to be will be"...
IF I did not have to work so hard...
IF I hadn't lost my money...
IF I lived in a different neighborhood...
IF I didn't have a past...
IF I only had a business of my own...
IF other people would only listen to me...
IF *** & this is the greatest of them all ***
IF I had the courage to see myself as I really am, I would find out what is wrong with me, & correct it, then I might have a chance to profit by mistakes, for I know that there is something wrong with me, or I would now be where I would have been if I had spent more time analyzing my weaknesses, & less time building alibis to cover them.

738. Building alibis with which to explain away failure is a national pastime.
The habit is as old as the human race, & is fatal to success!
739. People defend their alibis because they create them!
740. Building alibis is a deeply rooted habit.
741. Plato said, "The first & best victory is to conquer self.
To be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful & vile."
742. "It was a great surprise to me when I discovered that most of the ugliness
I saw in others, was but a reflection of my own nature."
743. The Master Key is the priviledge of creating, in your own mind,
a burning desire for a definite form of riches.
744. There is a price you must pay if you do not use it. The price is failure.
745. The key is the satisfaction that comes to all who conquer self
& force Life to pay whatever is asked.