James Allen

As A Man Thinketh has influenced many contemporary writers including Norman Vincent Peale, Earl Nightingale, Denis Waitley and Tony Robbins, among others.

His “little volume”, as he called it, has been translated into five major languages, inspiring millions of readers to recognize that man’s visions can become reality, simply through the power of thought.

Who was James Allen

Although his book, As A Man Thinketh, has inspired millions around the world and been a major influence in the self-improvement industry, very little is known about its author, James Allen. He was born in Leicester, England in 1864 and worked as a personal secretary for an executive of a large English corporation until  1902.  At the age of 38 he “retired” to writing and moved with his wife to a small cottage at Ilfracombe, England.  He penned more than 20 works before suddenly passing away at the age of 48.

His Book

He wrote many books in his life. As a Man thinketh was written over 130 years ago is perhaps his best know and often quoted book. Sayings from this book have permeated through all walks of life.

“Some books are so good and meaningful that you read them again and again. Primarily because you know the substance and content is so important that you need to be reminded of what it has to say. As A Man Thinketh, by James Allen is just such a book.”  -    Book Review, Michigan Chronicle

"Beyond the New Testament, the Old Testament and other books documenting the beliefs of the greatest religions of the world, there is one little book that impacted my life dramatically during my formative teenage years.  The book is As A Man Thinketh, the most widely acclaimed...book written by James Allen, who might be likened to the Norman Vincent Peale or Earl Nightingale of the late 1800's." - Denis Waitley, author of The Psychology of Winning, the best selling audio program in the world.

To quote James Allen “The aphorism, ‘As a man thinketh in his heart so is he’ not only embraces the whole of a man’s being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance in life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.“

He develops the theme that a person has within his control the power to shape his own destiny. As he thinks, so it will be. The mental image of himself his goals and how he sees his life, all play out in the real world to create the life he imagines for himself.

The Message in his book

To quote James Allen again “ All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is a direct result of his own thoughts.” If you change your thoughts you change your life.

Interesting idea isn’t it.? Imagine if you could mould that image to create the success you want. Later writers in this area developed this theme. But before you can move forward you must always know the rules that govern what you can and can’t do. Rules that will affect your ability to succeed. These rules would be the building blocks of Wallace Wattles – The Master Key System, The Secret, Anthony Robbins, Bob Proctor and of course myself.

One key feature of all self help systems is how to actually achieve success, when through environmental factors such as upbringing and preconceived idioms we are surrounded by the reverse. I wrote Survival to Success to answer this. How to find the power within to achieve success without. The lessons in Survival to Success are a molding of all the above self help writers with knowledge of how the mind works, the laws of the universe and then how to apply this knowledge to obtain the success you are looking for.