“If you wish to be happy then study happiness and if you wish to be wealthy then study wealth!”
Are you serious about making money? Do you accept that no matter how much wealth you have created there will always be room for you to improve?
If your answer is yes to any of the previous questions then I firmly recommend that you read ‘The Science of Getting Rich’ as soon as possible.
Even though the title of the book suggests that it is all about making money only, it is also deeply spiritual. Among many important things, it reveals how:
- Learning the subject of philosophy can make you very wealthy
- Being creative and non-competitive, can make you become rich in a ‘Scientific and Certain Way’
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THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH
Over 100 years ago (1910), ‘The Science of Getting Rich’ was written by Wallace D. Wattles. Wattles wrote this book because the majority of people in America, at the time, were subject to the most oppressive forces of capitalism.
During this period, corruption and monopolies were widespread and wealth and power were concentrated in the hands of a few such as Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan.
For the average person, there were no safety nets and so most people clung onto jobs that they hated, or continued to run businesses that were not doing well, in fear that they would lose everything.
It was as if the economic system in America was crushing the ability of the masses to determine their own futures or destinies.
Concerned about this situation and after a deep study of philosophy, Wattles believed that he had found a philosophical solution for the majority of people.
His simple answer was that every American man and woman in the 20th Century needed to become rich in a philosophically spiritual way.
It was important to him that people did not battle each other on a competitive field of capitalism, or adopt a capitalist ethos of greed, both of which he saw as being non-spiritual.
However, knowing that the average person would not have the time, the means, or the opportunity that he had to study philosophy, he wrote ‘The Science of Getting Rich.’
It was to act as a practical book with a brief and simple system. Stripped of all non-essentials, the aim of the text was to allow any American to start applying the things that he had learnt without having to go through any philosophical teachings.
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PHILOSOPHY – THE ORIGINAL SUBSTANCE
In terms of Wattles’ philosophy or knowledge of truth, he claims that:
- Everything in the universe is made from one Original Substance or Formless Stuff with New Forms being made whilst Older Forms dissolve all of the time.
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- Even though the universe is made out of the Original Substance, the Original Substance has no limits; therefore, 10,000 times more, than what already exists, might still be created in the future without exhausting the Original Substance’s supply.
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- The Original Substance is intelligent and it thinks and is alive with creative energy. It creates New Forms in response to the needs of the human race as a whole, and to anyone who thinks and acts in the Certain Way.
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- There is an exact science of getting rich with certain laws that rule the process of gaining wealth. Once you learn and live according to these certain laws then, with mathematical precision, you will become rich. The ownership of money and property comes to those who do things in the Certain Way.
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THE FIRST PRINCIPLE IN THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH
Wattles informs you that as a first step towards getting rich, you must achieve sustained and unbroken thought. It is the hardest thing to do in the world to the extent that most people who start will, eventually, stop or be unable to continue. The reason is that:
‘To think according to appearance is easy; to think truth regardless of appearances is laborious, and requires the expenditure of more power than any other work man is called upon to perform (p. 26).’
For example, if you have to think about riches when you are surrounded by the appearance of poverty, it will require a consistent application of your power. But if you gain this ability you become a ‘…MASTER MIND, a person who can conquer fate and have whatever you desire (p. 27).’
The TRUTH is that behind all appearances, there is one thinking substance from which all things originate. A person can drive his or her thoughts upon it, to cause those thoughts to come into physical existence.
‘THOUGHT is the only power which can produce tangible riches from the Original Substance … we live in a thought world, which is part of a thought universe (p. 22).’
To do things in the Certain Way, you have to gain the ability to think the way you want to think, as your actions will be a direct result of the way you think about things.
‘Man is a thinking center, and can originate thought … he cannot shape a thing until he has thought that thing (p. 25).’
When you realise the above, you will lose all doubt and fear. This is because you will know that you can create whatever you want to form, get whatever you want to have, or become whatever you want to be.
In spite of this, most people confine their daily thoughts to forms that have been created before. They make little or no effort to work with Formless Intelligence to create new things that go beyond just reshaping and modifying things that are in current existence.
Throughout the 17 chapters of his book, Wattles shows how you must do various things in the Certain Way in order to become rich. With short passages taken from chapter 5 and 13, this review will provide you with brief examples of the’ Certain Way.’
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A CERTAIN WAY
Assuming that you believe in the philosophy of the Original Substance and the First Principle, in chapter 5 and 13, Wattles states that:
- You must become a creator and not a competitor so that when you get what you want, you will get it in such a way that it will inspire others to create also. Even though there are people who get rich by being competitive, the forces that produce these characters will also dispose of them. Plus, riches secured in a competitive way are never satisfactory or permanent.
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- If you are to get rich in the scientific and Certain Way then you must rise above the competitive mind so that you never allow yourself to think that the supply of riches is either limited, or controlled by a select group of people like bankers. Neither should you believe that unless you hurry all the best opportunities will be taken before you are ready.
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- The reason is that for each moment that you allow your mind to think in a competitive way, your power to cause creation will be gone; and it will stop any creative movement that you may have started before.
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- You must never look at the visible supply, but instead always look at the limitless riches in the Formless Substance, and be confident that they are coming to you as fast as you can receive them.
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- You must never take quick or extreme action when you are in doubt as to whether it would be the wise thing to do. This is because there is never a lack of opportunity, or a need to hurry, when you are functioning on a creative level.
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- You must get away from having a competitive mind by understanding that you will never need to act too quickly, as no one is going to outrun you to the thing that you want to do. There will always be enough for everybody and if one space is taken then a better one will emerge a little further on.
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- There will always be plenty of time so when you are in doubt, wait, re-focus by contemplating your vision, increase your faith and purpose, and build up your sense of gratitude. By spending a day or two seriously thinking about your vision of what you want in life, and in heartfelt thankfulness that you are gradually moving towards it, your mind and being will be brought into such a close relationship with the universe that you will make no mistake when you do decide to act.
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- Mistakes come from acting too quickly, acting out of fear and doubt, or acting without the Right Motive: ‘which is more life to all, and less to none (p.88).’
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- If you live in the Certain Way, opportunities will come to you in increasing number; however, to become rich, you will need to be unchanging in your faith and purpose, and keep in close contact with the ‘All Mind’ by practising gratitude.
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- You must do all that you can each day in a flawless manner, but without acting in haste, worry, or fear.
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- When in action, you must go as fast as you can, but never go too quickly because if you begin to hurry, you stop being a creator and start becoming a competitor. Therefore, whenever you begin to hurry, come to a standstill and re-focus your attention on the mental image of what you want in life. Cultivate thankfulness that slowly and surely you are moving in the right direction.
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CONCLUSION
In many countries across the world, popular culture encourages the majority of people to become competitive by emphasising the importance of achievement or becoming number one.
As a result, many people believe that if there were any certain ways to become rich, it would ordinarily involve moving faster and becoming more competitive.
But, in contrast, Wattles argues that getting rich in the scientific and Certain Way requires you to slow down, use your creativity, do things without fear and self-doubt, and rise above the competitive plane.
Consistent with Wattles’ approach, I have found that those with a spiritual orientation who favour partnership instead of competition, and reject the popular definition of success; become more efficient; more productive; and achieve a more balanced way of life. (For further discussion, please see blog post Why Developing Your Spiritual Intelligence Is So Important!).
Wattles goes as far as to say that achieving ‘…sustained and consecutive thought; it is the hardest work in the world (p. 26),’ which initially surprised me.
However, after taking time to reflect, I now totally agree.
The reason is that it is clear when observing others that many people do not have what Wattles refers to as a ‘MASTER MIND’ and do not see his knowledge of ‘TRUTH’ behind all appearances.
The uncomfortable reality of Wattles’ philosophy is that it suggests that many of us will experience much self-doubt and fear, unless we believe in his knowledge of truth and think deeply most of the time.
My observation of those around me seems to indicate that, at the least, he may be partly correct.
Without a powerful philosophy and a strong focus, most of the people I know do not really believe in themselves or face the future fearlessly.
Since Wattles wrote ‘The Science of Getting Rich,’ there have been many people who have embraced his text, or the work of other writers influenced by it, and become very wealthy.
Rhonda Byrne is one of the most notable examples.
Influenced by Wattles, she created a very popular self-help book and DVD called ‘The Secret,’ and became worth $60 million dollars.
This book has allowed me, personally, to see how the study of philosophy can have tremendous practical application when used as a part of a person’s daily psychology.
In fact, it is so important that it drove Wattles to insist in 1910 that people should:
‘Read this book every day; keep it with you; commit it to memory, and do not think about other “systems” and theories … until you are quite sure that you have gained what you want ….(p. 69).’
The truth is that no matter who you are, you will be using some sort of knowledge of truth in order to live your life. Therefore, in my opinion, you must really question whether:
- You choose your philosophy, or is it something you have just picked up along the way
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- Your philosophy will enable you to develop wealth
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- Your philosophy gives you other benefits at the expense of keeping you in relative poverty
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- You want to keep your current philosophy or improve it in some way
In the future, I will
- Look into the philosophical writers that Wattles recommends, which are Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Emerson, and Oriental Philosophers
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- Pay better attention, overall, to the subjects of philosophy and metaphysics
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- Continue to work towards building a fortune by focusing on my creativity, being rock solid in my convictions and purpose, and when in doubt, never doing things too quickly
Until the next review, remember that true masters seek no fame, no spotlight, no fan club, and no pat on the back.
Instead, they look to themselves for self-recognition and an acknowledgement of self-progress and success.
Let’s do this!
Tom