“Develop a positive mental attitude by thinking positively at all times. Never allow negative thoughts to have a place in your mind”.

 

“If you have your heart fixed on what you want, there is nothing the world can do to stop you from getting it.” Like a hot knife cutting through butter, these words pierced through my heart. I was startled by those immortal words of Napoleon Hill, author of the all-time bestselling book, “THINK AND GROW RICH”. As I got myself together quickly, I turned around from my study chair to confirm the voice that had uttered the words a few seconds ago. Yes, my guess was right. It was Aladdin – the famous Aladdin with the magic lamp.

 

I rose up to meet the great sage who had become my regular visitor for the past four weeks.

 

His oblong face slightly sunburned by the desert sun, was as usual transformed with an electrifying smile. The colour of his turban today was leaf green which was a far cry from the golden yellow ones he had worn for the past four weeks. The powerful golden light rays emanating from his white garments gave his 5 foot 8 inches frame a royal glow. But something was missing – his lamp.

 

“How come you do not have your lamp with you today?” I asked as he sat on another chair close to my reading table.

 

He smiled, “I decided to leave it behind to enable me to teach you a few things that will help you sell yourself to the most important customer in the world?

 

“I knew you would ask me about the lamp. I encourage you to listen to the few words I have to share with you tonight. I will be away for the next one year but if you will obey these secrets I am about to reveal to you, you will do much more than I could do with my lamp. And you will never feel my absence for one day. You will experience success beyond your wildest dreams.”

 

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, trying to allow his words to sink in and then, “but I am yet to put into practice all the other principles you have taught me in the past four weeks. How do I add to…”

 

I felt his warm hands on my shoulder as he chipped in, “If you do not have enough time to practise the other principles, do not be discouraged. Verily, verily, you are about to hear the most important secret of all I had shared with you. Would you be ready to put into practice what I am about to tell you?”

 

There was a reflective silence in the room and all I could hear was the ticking away of the wall clock I turned around to stare at his flame-like love-filled eyes.

 

With a sudden sense of relief, I slowly uttered the words, “I will.” He smiled again.

 

“Now, let’s get down to business.

 

Most business people have always thought that the most important customer is the one who makes a decision to buy their products and services. Some smart companies have even moved ahead of others by recognising the most important customer as their staff. But there is more to it.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes. The most important customer is the person you see every day and interact with. The problem is that you do not give that person all the necessary attention he needs, to make you complete success in business and in life. You know that customer very well because that customer is YOU.

 

“Me?”

 

Yes, YOU. You see, success comes primarily from self-confidence. And self-confidence is a result of you being able to successfully sell to yourself an idea, believe system, or vision. If you are not convinced about a thing, you cannot sell the ideas to others. We are all selling ideas whether they are tangible or intangible. If you cannot sell an idea, nobody will buy from you and success will remain an illusion.

 

“Why does my selling an idea or business depend on my self-confidence.?”

 

He shifted his gaze to the open window by my study and said: “People are not interested in buying products and services. They are interested in what makes them feel good, important, loved. They are interested in what gives them security, comfort, something that solves their problems. People are actually buying hope. Your belief is received into their minds as hope. Hope gives birth to faith and strong faith produces expectation. That is why they buy from you.”

 

He poured out a glass of water for himself as he continued to gaze into the starry sky through my study window.

 

“Great Aladdin, you have shared some important truths with me. But how do I develop this belief which I can communicate to my external customers?”

 

“It is simple when you understand the fundamental law of success.”

 

“And what is that?”

 

“It is called the law of radiation and attraction. Most people think that what they need to succeed in life lies outside them. They believe that it is only when they have money, friends, godfathers, godmothers or relations in high stations in life that they can be sure of success. These factors are necessary but not as important as what l am about to tell you. The real success you see comes from within you. The fundamental law of success states that the predominant thoughts in our minds radiate to our environment and attract to us the ideas, people, environments, and resources having a similar identity with our thoughts. A great truth teacher by the name of K.O. Schmidt stated that “Each of us is surrounded by a magnetic field corresponding with the prevailing trend of our thoughts. It influences our fellow men, things, and events by attracting or repelling them.”

 

The moment you become aware of this, you can consciously radiate more strong, positive, and effective thought rays and thus secure your happiness in life. If you think success, you will experience success in all you do.”

 

As I listened to this great sage, I now had the answers to why some people seem to have success as their birthright. It was actually their thought-field of success attracting success to them. What you radiate as thoughts is what comes back into your life.

 

In Schmidt’s words, “Every thought is a living, transforming power, a micro field of force with the tendency to materialize, to embody, to actualize itself according to its nature.”

 

The inference is simple; if you have been a failure in the past, you can become a success today. You can become a successful sales executive, businessman, or whatever you choose to be: CHANGE YOUR THINKING – and you will change yourself and your life, your business, your finances, your relationships, your destiny, and the world.

 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, thought creates. “Thought is the creative and determining factor in life. Your success in any project is determined by what you think. You will fail if you think of failure thoughts. You will succeed if you think of successful thoughts. You need to think in terms of success, wealth, health. Think in terms of opulence. Think less of your present economic status and more of your potential wealth? I felt a new lease of life flow into me as I listened to his inspiring words. I decided to recline on my bed to comfortably listen to the words of this great man. As if reading my thoughts, he moved closer and sat by my bedside as I propped up my backside with a pillow by the wall.

 

“The summary of all I have spoken so far is simply this: Develop a positive mental attitude by thinking positively at all times. Never allow negative thoughts to have a place in your mind. Resist it by replacing it with a positive thought. Of course, if you do not know what positive thought to focus on, then just think about God. Ask yourself the simple question If God could see through my heart, would He like what I am thinking? Then, think right,” Aladdin added.

 

 

First published in October, 1997.