"We first think in terms of success before we manifest success," is the first motto I wrote after learning the influence of mind over matter.

The entire purpose of this article is to impress upon you the fact that all achievement begins with thought. But, knowing this is not enough, we should learn how to build a success consciousness.

As a very simple illustration, let us think of a delicious cake. The layers, the frosting on top, the filling all taste so delicious that much culinary skill must be required to produce it.

But if you study the recipe and see that you take so many cupfuls of this, a tablespoon of that, etc., you find that, by carefully following instructions, there is no mystery about it at all.

A genuine success consciousness does not mean that you might succeed; it is a definite promise of success.

A success consciousness is that state of mind in which you cannot see yourself as anything but a success.

Remember this! Know it to be true, because it is true, as the following story will show:

A friend of mine frequently spent time with me in my hobby shop. He constantly reminded me that he was not a bit handy with tools and that he would find it impossible to build the things he had seen me build.

One day I took the time to prove to him how wrong he was. I took the plans of a cabinet and literally dissected them. "This plan calls for six pieces of lumber 30 inches long, 12 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Could you take a board and cut it according to those dimensions?" I asked. Without hesitancy he admitted that he could. Then I mentioned the size of other members of the cabinet and asked him if he could cut those according to size. He said he could. On and on I went through each step, and he agreed that each would not be difficult.

The outcome of this experiment was that he went home and built a really good cabinet. Now his hobby shop is replete with power tools and his home shows evidence of his handiwork in every room. As soon as he gained a success consciousness regarding woodworking, he became proficient.

A success consciousness will lead you to success in any direction. If your desires include the building of an estate and financial security, a success consciousness will lead you right there.