Autosuggestion
Program your subconscious mind through repeated, emotionally charged self-instruction to convert desire into its physical equivalent.
Autosuggestion is the medium through which you voluntarily feed your subconscious mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or by neglect permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into the rich garden of the mind. It is the bridge between the conscious thinking mind and the subconscious acting mind. Hill instructs the reader to go into a quiet spot, preferably in bed at night, close the eyes, and repeat aloud the written statement of the amount of money desired along with the time limit and plan for acquisition. As you read, you must concentrate and fix attention with eyes closed until you can actually see the physical appearance of the money. The key insight is that the subconscious mind accepts and acts upon instructions that are mixed with emotion and feeling. Plain words alone have no influence on the subconscious. Everlasting persistence in applying the principle is the price of the ability to influence the subconscious mind — there is no shortcut.
- The subconscious mind accepts and acts upon instructions mixed with emotion and feeling — plain words have no influence
- You may voluntarily feed your subconscious on creative thoughts or by neglect permit destructive thoughts to enter
- Concentration upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning obsession is the key to autosuggestion
- The price of ability to influence your subconscious mind is everlasting persistence — you cannot develop this ability for a lower price
- Thoughts mixed with any of the emotions constitute a magnetic force which attracts similar or related thoughts
- Go to a Quiet PlaceGo into a quiet spot, preferably in bed at night, where you will not be disturbed or interrupted. The subconscious is most receptive in states of relaxation and reduced external stimulation.Pro tipThe moments just before sleep and just after waking are when the boundary between conscious and subconscious is thinnest. Use these windows deliberately.
- Close Your Eyes and Repeat Your StatementClose your eyes and repeat aloud your written statement of the amount of money you intend to accumulate, the time limit for its accumulation, and the service or merchandise you intend to give in return. See yourself already rendering this service or delivering the merchandise.Pro tipSpeak with conviction, not rote repetition. The subconscious responds to the emotional quality of delivery, not the mechanical accuracy of words.
- Visualize with ConcentrationHold your thoughts on the amount of money by concentration or fixation of attention, with your eyes closed, until you can actually see the physical appearance of the money. Do this until the visualization is vivid and emotionally real.Pro tipIf you struggle to visualize, start with simpler images and build complexity over time. The skill of mental imagery improves with practice.
- Act on Flashes of InspirationAs you carry out these instructions, any idea, plan, or thought that flashes into your mind should be considered a direct message from your subconscious. Treat it with respect and act upon it as soon as you receive it. Failure to do this will be fatal to your success.Pro tipKeep a notebook by your bed. The most valuable ideas from autosuggestion often arrive in the transition between sleep and wakefulness and vanish if not captured.WarningDo not trust only to reason when creating plans from these insights. The subconscious has access to information and patterns that the rational mind cannot perceive.
- Persist Until It Becomes HabitContinue the practice with absolute persistence until your subconscious mind hands over to you a clear picture of the object of your desire. From that point on you will not be handicapped by lack of conviction.Pro tipMost people quit this practice within days because they expect immediate results. Hill warns that the price is everlasting persistence — treat it as a non-negotiable daily discipline.
Hill positioned autosuggestion as the third step toward riches in his thirteen principles, and described it as the connecting link between conscious desire and subconscious action. He drew from his study of Carnegie, Edison, and hundreds of other successful individuals who all practiced some form of deliberate self-instruction. Hill observed that those who neglected this step allowed poverty consciousness to seize their minds by default, because the subconscious does not remain idle — it acts on whatever thoughts dominate, whether constructive or destructive.