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Beethoven would suddenly encounter in his mind a complete symphony. His only effort, and a somewhat strenuous one, was to hurriedly place it on paper while he could still retain it in his mind.

The experience of Einstein walking to a blackboard, a piece of chalk in hand, and writing a formula — a new formula that just came to mind. One he could not fully explain or verify. But one he said was true; one that had announced itself to him in such a way there was no room for doubt or uncertainty.

The Impossible Becoming Possible?

The history of man is packed with countless similar illustrations, all of them fascinating. At times it seemed as though the impossible suddenly became possible.

How can these things be explained? A stroke of genius, intuition, inspiration? Yes, probably all of these, but much, much more. All the ability involved in the logical process of reasoning could in no way enable the individual to arrive at the conclusion achieved.

Something new entered the picture. Mind, infinite Mind, expressed Itself. Life went forth anew into creation. There is no other possible source or explanation for what occurred.

In almost every instance such discoveries and creations as have flowed through and from the minds of men have been the result of sufficient intellectual courage to turn from the obvious, the appearance of things about them, from their own preconceived and static patterns of thinking, and encounter the pure unadulterated action of the creative activity of Mind. It is there if we but seek it out, recognize it, and accept it.

Limits on Your Wonderful Experience?

In view of this, who can set any limit to the possibility of his advancement? Who would dare to set a limit on the expression of God through him? By what means, by what authority do we deprive ourselves of being that greater person we can be except through our own ignorance, our own blindness, our refusal to open our minds and eyes? Why do we insist on living within the limited confines of narrow thinking, thinking that refuses to recognize or make use of its innate creativity?

The limitless productivity of the universe is within our reach, would we but take the trouble to reach. We need to wake up and look at things differently. We need to take a long look at life, and start to think differently about it.

Stepping Away from Limited Thinking

Life will always be life, but what it can mean to us depends upon what we think it can mean to us. Once we dare to stick our heads out of the cave of morbid, depressed, and limited thinking we will find that a whole new world exists — the kind of world that we thought existed only in our fondest dreams. It is real and can become an actuality for us.

Since our lives are primarily mental, an activity of consciousness, it would naturally follow that we should come to believe that something wonderful, new, and original, something continuously expansive, is happening to us at all times. On the other hand, how much of our time is spent in denying ourselves the privilege of entering into a greater degree of livingness?

Bound by Negative Ideas?

We are possibly bound by more negative ideas than we will ever realize. We keep saying, “I cannot. I don’t know how. I lack the opportunity. Everything is against me.” All of these statements are flat denials of Life Itself, and the creative flow of It through us.

What should be a constructive and expanding faith in accord with the creative nature of our thought becomes a limiting, contracting one. The result? We use the very power that should set us free to bind ourselves.

Thinking Makes It So...

Thought is a two-edged sword. It can be used to cut a pathway into a glorious future, or it can be used to cut down and sap every bit of life out of us. Perhaps nothing is good or bad in our experience except as thinking makes it so.

In this connection it is a very simple matter to reverse the entire process. The creative action is continuous. We but change our thought. Wonders can result if we can do this, if we can come to believe we are living in God and God is expressing Himself through us, and if we can apply this thought consciously to everything we do until at last it becomes an automatic action. Then we shall find ourselves on the road to a greater freedom, and happiness, and joy in living.

This article was excerpted with permission from the book:

A New Design for Living
by Ernest Holmes & Willis H. Kinnear.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA). ©2010. www.us.PenguinGroup.com.

Click here for more info and/or to order this book.

About the Authors

Ernest Holmes was an internationally recognized authority on religious psychology and the founder of the Religious Science movement. His inspirational books include the renowned classic The Science of Mind, This Thing Called You, The Art of Life, 365 Science of Mind, The Hidden Power of the Bible, and Creative Mind and Success.

Willis Kinnear, who compiled and edited A New Design for Living, was renowned for his work as editor of Science of Mind Magazine, as well as for his co-authorship of several books with Dr. Holmes.

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