Claude M. Bristol's The Magic of Believing: A modern-day interpretation of a self-help classic

by Andrew Holmes

Overview

When Claude Myron Bristol was a soldier in the First World War he endured a period in which he had no pay and couldn't even afford cigarettes. He made up his mind that when he got back to civilian life he would become rich. For Bristol this was a decision, not a wish. Having made the decision he focused all his mental powers on achieving his goal. Bristol believed that every action (both his and those of others) helped him realize his objective, and he did indeed become rich. Bristol believed in the magic of believing, the difference between someone who constantly thinks the worst and seems to find it at every turn and one who expects the best of every situation and always seems to get it. When Bristol returned home he was offered a job with a small salary but he constantly kept before him a mental picture of wealth. In quiet moments he doodled dollar signs on pieces of paper on his desk. This definiteness of belief, he said, more than anything else paved the way for a highly successful career in investment banking and business. In 1948 he published The Magic of Believing, which became a prosperity classic. The Magic of Believing was written for ex-service men and women who would have to adjust to civilian life and try to prosper in it, but from the moment of publication it has been inspiring hundreds of thousands of readers from all walks of life. For nearly 70 years success-oriented readers have turned to the no-nonsense, time-tested motivational techniques described in The Magic of Believing to achieve their goals. In Claude M. Bristol’s The Magic of Believing Andrew Holmes distils the key themes and ideas of this classic into 52 bite-sized chunks, supported by examples from business, sport, history and human endeavour. Readers will discover how to: • Think big to be big; • Trump intimidation; • Harness the power of talismans; • Create a can-do culture; • Hold on to success. This book is an entertaining accompaniment to one of the most popular self-help books ever written, providing readers with all the tools they need to harness the power of the mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909652446
Publisher:	Infinite Ideas Ltd
Publication date:	04/15/2013
Series:	Infinite Success
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	114
File size:	795 KB

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Act decisively 2. Follow that thought 3. Holding onto success 4. Moulded by others 5. Sleep on it 6. The life line 7. The power of talismans 8. Trumping intimidation 9. Your body speaks its mind 10. Appeal by drama 11. Connecting the dots 12. If you believe it, write it down 13. Mental models 14. Seek and you shall find 15. The inner game 16. The power of physiology 17. Think your world into being 18. What would edison say? 19. Be unflappable 20. Hardwork is not enough 21. The foundations of trust 22. Think the best of others 23. Know your limitations 24. No one is an island 25. Believing others 26. Have faith 27. Visualization 28. The invisible hand 29. You are what you read 30. It’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it 31. The mysterious magnetism of positivity 32. Regrets... I have a few 33. The mirror technique 34. Scrupulous optimism 35. Thinking big to be big 36. Breaking convention 37. Can-do culture 38. Know thyself 39. Smile and the whole world smiles with you 40. From the fringe 41. What do you want? 42. The card technique 43. The power of desire 44. Having the courage of your convictions 45. Me...a chief executive? 46. To convince others, you must first convince yourself 47. Everything can be improved 48. Mantras and self-affirmations 49. The placebo effect 50. The whole package 51. Set the scene for success 52. The singularity

Preface

The Magic of Believing was no quick fix, but it was ahead of its time. When Claude Bristol wrote The Magic of Believing, he did so because he was convinced about the power of thought and suggestion. His idea wasn’t just whimsical, nor was it a quick fix; Bristol took the time to think about his concept and research it too. It is this that allows the book to survive the test of time. The germ of his idea came to him whilst in the trenches of the First World War and although he may have had a gentler ride than most, it was during his time in France, when he had no money, that he decided that he would become rich. His notion of becoming rich was not a eeting wish or daydream, but something altogether more powerful; it was a decision, a powerful desire. Having made the decision, his mind and all its underlying power was focused on achieving it. Although this took time, he believed that every action (both his and others) helped him to realize his objective. Bristol did indeed become rich. Bristol researched his ideas carefully and like all good scholars cast his net wide. In addition to doing what most people would do when trying to understand how successful people became successful, he investigated religions, sects and organizations. From this he deduced that with repeated suggestion and mantras, talismans and such like, it was not only possible to make people believe in something, be it their own capabilities or God, but it also allowed them to become masters of their own destiny. The key was believing in the power of thought. Bristol was clearly ahead of his time and because of this his ideas were often met with scepticism and, occasionally, derision. He acknowledged this but felt that his ideas, and the evidence he accrued to support them, were solid. He was also keen to stress that this was no quick fix. To harness the power of thought required congruence between what people wanted and what they did – it went to the heart of who they were. It therefore necessitated hard work and diligence. This was no ordinary self-help, quick fix, this was something more enduring. Interestingly much later in the century, when the clinical basis for neurolinguistic programming was established, his ideas finally received the credibility they deserved. In this modern day interpretation of Bristol’s book, the key themes and ideas have been distilled into 52 bite-sized chunks, supported by examples from business and sport as well as history and human endeavour. Designed to provide a short-cut to the concepts, this book provides the reader with a solid grounding in The Magic of Believing and everything they need to harness the power of the mind, something which Bristol realized back in 1918.