“The Science of Getting Rich” and Visualization

My former cookery class student, Jake, who works for the High Speed Railway (HSR), asked me if I have read The Science of Getting Rich. With a title like that, it sounded a little bit crazy. But anyway, I downloaded the book, and read it carefully and tried to find if there really is a science of getting rich.

This is an old book, written in around 1910 by an American, Wallace D. Wattles. The language is a bit wordy and sometimes odd. Jake said many people put it down after the first one or two chapters. But to find out how to get rich, I was prepared to be very patient.

Jake treated it a bit like a Bible. He said “I read it every day for two months... You have to work hard at reading the book and take into account the times [when it was written], but there are some real gems in it.”

I talked to the 'visualizing master', Jake, about half an year ago, and now from this book I learned the art of visualization.

To get rich, the key is simply to visualize what I want.

It sounds very simple, but in practice, it's not.

Becoming rich was still too difficult to imagine for me, so I started with something that's easier to achieve. I tried to visualize solutions for my problems.

As soon as I tried to visualize a answer to my problems. My mind would be filled with all kinds of excuses why my problems couldn't be solved. All those negative thoughts were telling me I could not get what I want, I could not make my dreams come true. I was defeating myself with my own negative thoughts. Jake had a similar experience. He said “I find myself being sucked into what sort of chaos is around me, very often.”

My whole life, I'd never so closely examined my thoughts. It's scary to see that the negative thoughts that I am producing have been the obstacles to a positive life. And it's also scary to realize how many beautiful things I might have missed in life. Now I could see why I was attracted to the idea “how to get rich” – because I was not contented with what I got. I just had too many negative thoughts, which were not leading me towards a happier life.

So I made up my mind to focus on positive thoughts only. I visualized a beautiful day when I got up, a happy gathering with family, a pleasant meeting with my guests, a good walk in the mountain, a peaceful relationship with neighbors, problems will solve themselves, and all the nice things will happen around me. I determined to turn the world toward to me.

I was working hard on focusing positive thoughts only, and letting go of chaotic or negative thoughts. Of course, this wasn't easy, I started to spot my negative thoughts, not letting them control me. And now I understand Buddha's saying “Using the wisdom sword to cut out vexation.”

According to the The Science of Getting Rich:

"There is no labor from which most people shrink as they do from that of sustained and consecutive thought; it is the hardest work in the world. This is especially true when truth is contrary to appearances. Every appearance in the visible world tends to produce a corresponding form in the mind which observes it; and this can only be prevented by holding the thought of the TRUTH.

To look upon the appearance of disease will produce the form of disease in your own mind, and ultimately in your body, unless you hold the thought of the truth, which is that there is no disease; it is only an appearance, and the reality is health.

To look upon the appearances of poverty will produce corresponding forms in your own mind, unless you hold to the truth that there is no poverty; there is only abundance.

To think health when surrounded by the appearances of disease, or to think riches when in the midst of appearances of poverty, requires power; but he who acquires this power becomes a MASTER MIND. He can conquer fate; he can have what he wants."

So far, I am still not a rich person. But after practicing focusing on positive thoughts for about five weeks, one day I got up and the first thought in my mind was “I Love the World”. This was the greatest experience ever to happen to me. Feeling no conflicts with the world, I was happy to see whatever was around me, I greeted the mountain, the plants, my house, my furniture, and even said thank you to my body. It's a great relief, I could feel the muscles in my body also relaxed too.

Now I feel I'm more confident in this technique so I can start to visualize my next step.

The Science of Getting Rich