Another reason why some people are afraid of success (and this one, perhaps, is more serious that anything else) is their underlying assumption that the world is evil, and only evil people are the ones that grab the best of life.

This conviction is not easy to deal with, because it is deeply rooted in religious training that many people had since their childhood. Some religious groups prefer to focus on negative sides of human behavior, convincing their followers that men and women are sinful and deprived by nature, and that when they do evil, they do what is most natural for them.

For a number of years I also believed that the world is evil. I did not trust people, thinking that, perhaps, their kindness is only a mask they wear, and they will deceive me when they'll get a chance. I spent my energy, building high walls of protection around myself. And now I can say, this wasn't the best time of my life. I encountered stumbling blocks all along my way. Only when I started to withdraw, slowly but surely, from this negative mindset, things begun to change for the better, and the overall quality of my life improved.

Belief that our world is evil, that there are people or forces that intend to harm us, or take away our success, can give a certain level of emotional comfort in times when the things go wrong, but it is nothing but a lie. Would we prefer to be comforted, or to know the truth? It is up to each one of us to answer this question.

So, this is my recommendation to anyone who may need it: Don't try to change all your beliefs about life all at once, this task might be too difficult. Don't force yourself to change too much. Make an experiment, and pretend that life is good, that the world is good. Try to live for a while as if it is true, and notice the difference.

AS IF are magic words. They call into action the powerful quality of your creative imagination. If you don't feel that you believe, pretend that you believe. If you don't feel that you have, pretend that you have, and act as if you have.

The world in which we live is governed by the laws, and these laws can be known and proven. The best proof of any statement is your personal experience. "Prove all things, hold fast to the good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21), wrote Paul. Hold fast to anything that works in your life, bringing you the positive results, until you find something better.

One of these laws is the law of attraction and radiation. "With the same measure you measure, it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38), said Jesus. So, if you would like to attract better things, change the pattern of your radiation.

Trust life, and life will trust you.
Love life, and life will love you.
Believe in life, and life will believe in you.

Our life is a mirror of our consciousness. When you smile on a mirror, what do you see? A smile. When you frown on a mirror, what do you see? A frown.

Our life is an echo of our inner voices. When you shout, "I love you", how does an echo responds? "I love you". When you shout, "I curse you", how does an echo responds? "I curse you".

"Great hearts send forth steadily the secret forces that incessantly draw great events", wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. In truth, we all are called to be among those "great hearts".