Most of what happens to us depends upon a choice. Our choice of directions, thoughts and actions. If you choose well, and act upon those choices with will and determination, much will happen for you. My suggestion to you this year is that you choose mastery of mind power, that you elevate your understanding and practice to where a higher level of mastery is reached, and so the next few months will be dedicated to showing how every student of mind power can achieve this goal in the coming year, 2004.

First, let me share with you a story. It was 1972 in Munich. A relatively unknown swimmer was poised at the edge of the pool awaiting the firing of the starter gun. It was his first time in the Olympics and he had made it to the finals. The gun sounded and he dove into the pool and swam with all his strength. Moments later he had won the gold medal and set a new world record at the same time. The next day he swam again, and again won another gold medal and, amazingly, he again won it in world record time. He swam seven races in Munich, won seven gold medals and, incredibly, established seven new world records. It was one of the greatest feats in Olympic history. The entire world suddenly knew the name of Mark Spitz.

His winning was not luck or chance, but the end result of all the work he had put into his sport. He had the heart of a champion and the dedication of one who knows what he wants and what he has to do to achieve it. His words call for careful attention from all who wish to excel. “We all love to win,” he said, “but how many people love to train?”

This is an important question for those of you who will consider my suggestion that you develop mastery in mind power this year. If you do desire to develop this mastery, and to develop it this year, then you will need to train and exercise just like an athlete. Fortunately you don’t need to put in anywhere near the time that an Olympic athlete must commit. All that is required is a 20- to 30-minute commitment daily. But I do mean daily. Mastery will never come from half-hearted attempts and fitful starts and stops. Are you still interested?

I have personally trained over a hundred thousand students. This is not counting the millions who have read my books or listened to my CDs. I’m talking about people I know who have studied with me. Each of them has been different, with unique circumstances and goals. No two people are the same. Yet with each one of them, the method I taught was the same. What works for one works for all. Every single one of my students saw results. It sounds incredible but it is true. For some the results were modest. For others the results were extraordinary. But none was unhappy with my teaching. Not everyone desired mastery of this inner science. Most were willing to settle for competency. And there is nothing wrong with competency.

To be competent at mind power is a wonderful achievement. Most are thrilled with what competency brings. However, there are always those dedicated few who wish to excel at this science and lift themselves from competency to mastery. What does it take? I will answer in one word, practice.

There is an old expression that states “practice makes perfect.” I’m not sure I would agree a hundred percent here. The concept of perfect is illusionary. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice develops mastery when combined with will and determination.

There are a number of secrets to developing mastery that cover all fields of endeavour, not just mind power. It is these that I will explore here, rather than specific mind power techniques which are explained fully in my books and CDs in *Mind Power Products* <http://www.learnmindpower.com/Pages/mind-power-self-help-books.html>.


   Part I

“Don’t think of results, just do.” It was Gurdjieff, the Armenian mystic, who quoted this phrase, and a wise one it is. In Mind Power, results always follow practice. It is the practicing of the techniques that causes the results to happen. A simple enough concept to understand, yet often forgotten. Mind Power students often wonder, “When are my results coming?” after doing the exercises for just a week or two. Sometimes students are looking for results after only a day or two, and slack off from their exercises when they don’t see immediate results. It is the nature of our “I want it now” culture that demands and expects immediate results. We get it from the fast food we eat, to sitting in front of the TV flicking the channels till we find something we like. We feel uncomfortable and unnatural waiting for something to happen. That is why Gurdjieff’s saying is so powerful today, more than fifty years after his death.

“Don’t think of results, just do.” What? Don’t think of results? But results are what I want. Yes, but it is the thinking of results, the watching and waiting and anticipating them that distracts us from the practice. “Just do,” he says. Do what? Do the exercises. Concern yourself only with the practice. Think only of doing the exercises daily. If you can focus on the practice and the daily doing of your exercises, results always follow.

In my classes I often express this truth in a slightly different way. Those who have been my students know that I emphasize time and time again the importance of “not constantly looking over your shoulder.” What does that mean? It means that it is counterproductive to be asking yourself daily “Has it happened yet?” “Am I getting results?” Now Mind Power is result oriented, and you must know whether what you are doing is producing results, but you don’t need to monitor it daily, or even weekly. Once a month is more than enough to examine your results. So each day you don’t monitor results, you monitor only whether or not you’re doing your exercises. Your only concern is “Have I done my Mind Power exercises today?” If you have, fine. If not – do them immediately. No procrastination. *Set up a Mind Power program* <http://www.learnmindpower.com/Pages/mind-power-self-help-books.html#setting-up-a-mind-power-program> and commit to it and do it daily.

This is the first lesson of Mastery, and a very appropriate one to begin with.