IF you
were to stop with the close of the last chapter, however, you would never
become great; you would be indeed a mere dreamer of dreams, a castle-builder.
Too many do stop there; they do not understand the necessity for present action
in realizing the vision and bringing the thought-form into manifestation. Two
things are necessary; firstly, the making of the thought-form and secondly, the
actual appropriation to yourself of all that goes into, and around, the
thought-form. We have discussed the first, now we will proceed to give
directions for the second. When you have made your thought-form, you are
already, in your interior, what you want to be; next you must become externally
what you want to be. You are already great within, but you are not yet doing
the great things without.
You
cannot begin, on the instant, to do the great things; you cannot be before the
world the great actor, or lawyer, or musician, or personality you know yourself
to be; no one will entrust great things to you as yet for you have not made
yourself known. But you can always begin to do small things in a great way.
Here lies
the whole secret. You can begin to be great today in your own home, in your
store or office, on the street, everywhere; you can begin to make yourself
known as great, and you can do this by doing everything you do in a great way.
You must put the whole power of your great soul in to every act, however small
and commonplace, and so reveal to your family, your friends, and neighbors what
you really are. Do not brag or boast of yourself; do not go about telling
people what a great personage you are, simply live in a great way. No one will
believe you if you tell him you are a great man, but no one can doubt your
greatness if you show it in your actions. In your domestic circle be so just,
so generous, so courteous, and kindly that your family, your wife, husband,
children, brothers, and sisters shall know that you are a great and noble soul.
In all your relations with men be great, just, generous, courteous, and kindly.
The great are never otherwise. This is your attitude.
Next, and
most important, you must have absolute faith in your own perceptions of truth.
Never act in haste or hurry; be deliberate in everything; wait until you feel
that you know the true way. And when you do feel that you know the true way, be
guided by your own faith though the entire world shall disagree with you. If you
do not believe what God tells you in little things, you will never draw upon
his wisdom and knowledge in larger things. When you feel deeply that a certain
act is the right act, do it and have perfect faith that the consequences will
be good.
When you
are deeply impressed that a certain thing is true, no matter what the
appearances to the contrary may be, accept that thing as true and act
accordingly. The one way to develop a perception of truth in large things is to
trust absolutely to your present perception of Truth in small things. Remember
that you are seeking to develop this very power or faculty - the perception of
truth; you are learning to read the thoughts of God. Nothing is great and
nothing is small in the sight of Omnipotence; he holds the sun in its place,
but he also notes a sparrow’s fall, and numbers the hairs of your head.
God is as
much interested in the little matters of everyday life as he is in the affairs
of nations. You can perceive truth about family and neighborhood affairs as well
as about matters of statecraft. And the way to begin is to have perfect faith
in the truth in these small matters, as it is revealed to you from day to day.
When you feel deeply impelled to take a course that seems contrary to all
reason and worldly judgment, take that course. Listen to the suggestions and
advice of others, but always do what you feel deeply in the within to be the
true thing to do. Rely with absolute faith, at all times, on your own
perception of truth; but be sure that you listen to God - that you do not act
in haste, fear, or anxiety.
Rely upon
your perception of truth in all the facts and circumstances of life. If you
deeply feel that a certain man will be in a certain place on a certain day, go
there with perfect faith to meet him; he will be there, no matter how unlikely
it may seem. If you feel sure that certain people are making certain
combinations, or doing certain things, act in the faith that they are doing
those things. If you feel sure of the truth of any circumstance or happening,
near or distant, past, present, or to come, trust in your perception. You may
make occasion al mistakes at first because of your imperfect understanding of
the within; but you will soon be guided almost invariably right.