The One Way to Get Something For Nothing

I picked up one of my old books the other day and opened it up to chapter 2. It was titled: "The One Way to Get Something For Nothing". Vernon Howard wrote this book. I came to know about Vernon through Ken Roberts' trading course my Dad ordered when I was 15. It had been so long since I had read this book that I didn't recall I had even read it, but I did because there were highlighted phrases and dog-eared pages. Here it is.

It is said that the best things in life are free. They are. That is why a man must stop trying to pay for them with anxious effort and unnatural strain.
     Some wise individuals realize that hard work, all by itself, is no virtue. They are the alert ones. They see the difference between anxious striving and natural coasting.
     Anxious effort gives you nothing for something.
     Natural effort, effort harmonized with the natural laws of life, gives you something for nothing.
     One task of Psycho-Pictography is to show you that the easy way is the right way. It does not appeal to an unrealistic desire to get something for nothing. It tries to show every man that he inwardly possesses everything he needs, but does not consciously know it.
     You need not strive to create contentment or energy or friendships or anything else. You need only to claim them. You need not struggle. You need only realize. Your lamp is already lighted, and you need only to remove its covering.
     Writes philosopher Meher Baba:

          It must be impressed constantly upon humanity that the real birthright of every man and woman is to achieve his own original freedom, that it can be achieved, and that sooner or later it must be achieved. Without this, there is no lasting escape from the day-to-day problems

Suppose you knew that a map to a fabulous treasure had been taken to a mountain peak, torn and scattered to the four winds. You would, of course, search for the pieces-but would you strain anxiously at every step, or would you enjoy the adventure? Would you be gloomy, or would you step cheerfully around? Knowing that the treasure can be found, you would be excited, but at the same time relaxed.

Your treasures of contentment and energy and everything else are yours to find. That is what this chapter-in fact, the entire book-is all about.

Making Your Mind Your Best Friend

     Throughout these pages, we will be meeting terms such as awareness, understanding, perception of Truth, higher levels of consciousness, and other similar terms. It is important to define them. For maximum clarity, I will phrase the definition in three different ways. Simply remember that they all mean the same thing.
     Awareness or understanding or perception of Truth means:
     To see something new; something we have never inwardly grasped until now.
          Or:
          To so understand an idea that it is no longer intellectual knowledge, but an internally operating fact.
          Or:
          To actually see a false attitude or viewpoint as false, and a truthful viewpoint as truthful.

When we were children, we had certain attitudes toward life; for example, that our parents should buy us every toy in the store window. As our understanding developed, that unrealistic attitude was replaced by genuine understanding. We were, therefore, free from a frustrating demand for toys. That is a simple example of the difference between a mere attitude and a mature understanding.
     Let's take another misunderstanding, common to many people, relating to the mind. People do not realize that the mind can actually be transformed into something entirely different from a mechanically reacting machine. What may now be a man's worst enemy can be amazingly changed into a man's best friend. The very mind that may now be confused or angry or frustrated can be turned into something clear, creative, cheery, unafraid.
     Misunderstanding is like a loosely built brick wall. Remove a key brick or two and the whole false structure collapses, enabling you to see beyond to a previously unknown empire.
     Sometimes a simple statement of truth is enough to crack open a new world of awareness. I once asked a troubled man, "Did it ever occur to you that life might be good, and that you simply do not see it?"
     He later reported, "That was like switching on a light bulb that had been out for years." 
     One of the greatest contributions of Psycho-Pictography is a new understanding. A positive mental picture attacks and destroys illusions and irritating imaginations.
     If we are personally to find this wonderful new life, a new understanding is essential. We must discover who we really are, what we can actually do for ourselves, how we can change and brighten what we may now consider hopeless.
     The first heroic step toward self-knowledge is he quiet admission that we presently do not know ourselves very well. Self-honesty is self-power. Armed with it, we can dash courageously into the adventure of self-discovery, certain of victory.
     Try this for an encouraging truth: No sincere effort toward self-understanding is ever lost. It remains as an energizing force. This is such an inspiring idea that I want to repeat it: Once glimpsed, a new truth can never be lost. "Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers." (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

(To summarize following paragraphs)

How to Achieve Natural Happiness

     "It is the lightening of inner loads you are now unconsciously carrying around. Most people are not aware of all the useless burdens that wear them down. Fearful imaginations and frozen attitudes. As you become conscious of these pointless burdens, you drop them. Remember, no man consciously or knowingly burdens himself. He doesn't see what he is doing to himself." 

     "I have a glimpse of that, I once saw the folly of always rushing around, of inventing useless activities just to keep my mind distracted. I saw that I wasn't rushing toward anything, but rather away from my unhappy self. (Sound familiar from the previous blog post??) Now I've learned to like my own company."

You know... I haven't even read all of this book before and just now thumbed through to a beautiful part way in the back... 

"Should I Help Others?"

People confess, "I'm confused over the duty of helping other people. I want to be good to others, but I just don't have the strength. Is it selfish of me?"
     A false sense of duty damages human harmony. So if you have ever asked a similar question, please follow:
     For now, don't concern yourself in the least with ideas about helping others.
     Concentrate your strength on achieving the self-change we have been covering. This is your first duty. In the long run, it is the richest contribution you could ever make to others.
     Don't try to do something for another, rather, try to be someone to him. This other person, whether spouse or child or friend, will then inwardly recognize that you are different; they will sense your inner strength; they will have you as an example of a mature and unafraid person. You will be the genuinely spiritual person whom they hoped existed after all. You will be the one for whom they have been searching for all their lives, and the one who can really help them. All they have found up till now is someone who did something for them in expectation of getting something in return.

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With all that said, I have to say, I am in the good habit of not blindly taking in whatever comes to me. You are free to feel differently, but I am not concerned with the term spiritual. I also do think balance is a key component of my life. I'm not one to help 100% of the time without expecting something in return. It's a case by case basis, but realistically with where I am at in my life, I'm not going to do things unless I genuinely want to most of the time, and if I do something really nice for someone, appreciation would be nice. I don't buy into the whole selfless holy person thing. And don't get me started on "Karma", if you mention you're okay with not getting anything in return from someone because "Karma will come back to you".... that means you too are concerned about balance. Only difference is, my balance will be desired directly from the person I'm helping if I want it at all, not from some random perception of some invisible God determining my consequences down the road.