“Is there a power that can reveal hidden veins of riches and uncover treasures of which we never dreamed? Is there a force that we can call upon to give health, happiness, and spiritual enlightenment? The saints and sages of India teach that there is such a power. They have demonstrated the efficacy of truth principles that will work for you, too, if you give them a fair trial.
Your success in life does not altogether depend on ability and training; it also depends on your determination to grasp opportunities that are presented to you. Opportunities in life come by creation, not by chance. You yourself, either now or in the past… have created all opportunities that arise in your path. Since you have earned them use them to the best advantage.
If you use all available outward means, as well as your natural abilities, to overcome every obstacle in your path, you will thus develop the powers that God gave you—unlimited powers that flow from the innermost forces of your being. You possess the power of thought and the power of will. Utilize to the uttermost these divine gifts!”
~ Paramahansa Yogananda from The Law of Success
Michael Singer became one of my new favorite teachers after I read his brilliant (!) book Living Untethered.
So, following Joseph Campbell’s recommendation to read everything an author who grabs you wrote, I went out and bought a couple other books Singer wrote nearly fifty years ago.
One of the first things I do when I get a book is read the Acknowledgment—as you can learn a lot about someone when you see how they appreciate the important people in their lives.
For example, I had a sense that Yuval Noah Harari must be a meditator because his writing was so incredibly lucid. But, it wasn’t until I read the dedication he made to his Vipassana teacher S.N. Goenka in his book Homo Deus that I learned JUST how dedicated of a meditator he is. (He’s meditated for two hours a day for decades.)
So... In Michael Singer’s Acknowledgment in Three Essays on Universal Law (a book he wrote in 1975!), he says this: “Finally, and most importantly, I give heartfelt recognition to Paramahansa Yogananda for his unending flow of inspiration. The wisdom of this great Teacher forms the guidance behind all my constructive thoughts and actions.”
THAT’s when I KNEW I needed to start reading everything Yogananda had written. (Which is another Campbell tip, btw. He says to read everything written by the people who *inspired* the teachers you admire as well!)
This little booklet (and a few others like it) were the first books I got. It was written in 1944. Although it’s only a TINY little booklet, it’s PACKED with wisdom. Get a copy here.
I’m excited to share some of my favorite Big Ideas so let’s jump straight in!
P.S. Did you know that Steve Jobs gave Yogananda’s An Autobiography of a Yogi to everyone who attended his memorial service as THE final gift on their way out?! Yep. Another reason we’ll be going deep into his wisdom!
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