Subconscious Mind Power by James Thompson

The book "Subconscious Mind Power" written by James Thompson is worth recommending for the readers who enjoy reading self-improvement books. 

It contains merely 31 pages. One can easily read it in one hour. It does not contain any technical terms or further research. It is written on the basis of experiential observation. It is a discourse without any appeal to any fixed belief system. It contains practical advice. 

It is meant for both kinds of people whether they are believer or atheist. It does not mention or cite any scientific research result. 

The author has given a bibliography which contains more titles from where similar guidance can be taken. No doubt, he also invites you to join his site. 

Presently it is free of cost. It does not cost you any money. You have to invest merely 60 minutes in it. 

A preview can be read through the thumbnail given below. 

---

---

Catalogue of the Books written by Blogger.

The Reason For Not Posting Any New Post For Long on this Blog

I have not stopped reading.

I have not stopped writing.

I have not remained away from this blog. I had watched it regularly.

I have not stopped blogging.

I have read new books during the period of absence from this blog. I consider reading and writing complementary to each other. I have written a post on my Author Platform on this aspect.

When I read a book, I always write on it in my diaries. It is another thing that after migrating to the Kindle reader, I have been writing in the note section of the Kindle. However, that cannot be called writing. I write private notes on whatsoever I read. It is a rule, but sometimes, I do not maintain my practice. However, I have observed that making small notes on Kindle is also a way of writing. The act of writing annotations is one part of writing and growth of understanding. Many self-improvement writers have suggested the methods of creating tags while reading. It is a practice which is followed by highly placed executives, lawyers, journalists, judges, scientists and others. In short, I am still writing. I have not posted any article for long on this blog. But I read and write during this period. I have already revealed in the previous paragraph that I have written on my other blog, which is titled "Author Page of Sumir Sharma". No doubt, I have started a new blog, and it is one of the reasons that I have remained away from this blog.

I want to reiterate one thing. I have remained sincere to my basic norm and ethic. I read, and I wrote. I would like to emphasis one aspect on this norm of reading and writing as one thing having two inseparable sites. There was a paradigm shift during this period. Let me share it here.

I have reviewed many books on self-improvement on this blog. Among many readers, there is a doubt about the efficacy and utility of such titles. It is a different issue. I would instead like to move to the point which I desire to make here. While living the course of synchronizing reading and writing, I have already emerged as a self-publishing author. A self-publishing author has to perform multiple tasks on his own even if he or she takes up the help of the supporting expertise of others. Borrowing a message of an editor, who herself is a self-publishing authoress, I found that such authors have to perform a work of a CEO of a company. They have to attend to the work of production, which is their first role, then, they do the publishing, then the marketing and the finance involved in all these activities and finally no doubt, the actual profit made out of all that.

On being emerging as a self-publishing author, the content of my reading also underwent a shift. I collected and read books on writing methods, writing skills, marketing of the books and related issue. During the course of such a reading activity, I would like to mention the titles of Derek Doepker who wrote “Why Authors Fail – 17 Mistakes Self-published Authors Make That Sabotage Their Success And How to Fix Them”; “Writing A Book A Week”, by Alex Foster, “How I Sold 80,000 Books, Book Marketing for Authors” by Alinka Rutkowska and many other related books and supporting self-improvements. I have not written any review on them. However, the reading of those books had left deep scratches on my brain, which influenced my vision of raising myself as a self-publishing author. There were many suggestions, a bundle of information, tonnes of data and different facts. I was able to appreciate many things written in those books.

 I believe I am not capable or grown enough to value some of the suggestions. Some of the advice, I think are not practicable for me in India where I live. However, a quantum of impact was there. I developed an understanding that as a writer, I must connect to readers through different media apart from the contents of my book. The aspiration of writing a perfect novel which entraps the attention of the whole world is an idea which is a delusion. If one can write a book, that thing is in itself an excellent thing to do. If the book is read even by a half a dozen readers who are not known to you, then you are a success. On Amazon and through Kindle, your book is at least open by the members of Kindle Unlimited. Even if, that happens, then as a writer, you are a success.

From the churning of words done by other authors on marketing, I picked the suggestion of connecting to readers apart from your book. There are numerous methods which are being suggested. Blogging is one of that. One of the tips is to develop an Author Page or Author Platform. If it is the message in the suggestion, and if I have understood it rightly, then It was what I did in-between.  I created two blogs instead. They are as follows.

1.       Author Page of SumirSharma.

2.       A Platform of Golden Kit toSelf-Publish the Writings in Hindi.

The blog Author Page is a general blog. Herein, the author talks to the reader about the topics relating to writing, writing skills, the methods of writing and related issue.

The Platform of Golden Kit is for a specific book of the author. In the blog, the author discusses the content of the book and issues related to the activity.

During these developments, I have derived some conclusions. They may interest many.

I have learned that the Self-Improvement books are not an inferior form of literature as some readers and discussions on this genre suggest. The style of Self-Improvement books in the genre of Non-fictional literature is a substantial cerebral activity. It relates to your present-day life. It provides solutions to the issues and problems which are real.

The second observation is that blogging is not a redundant thing. Twitter, Facebook, Youtube are the present-day buzz word. They have created a lot of commotion and blogging is sidelined in the din which has been raised. The activity has an intrinsic strength which would ensure its continuity. It is a meaningful activity which has its value. Too many people have ridden the waves of the cyber sea and raising a noise of their underdeveloped brains. Thumping the keypad with thumbs are far less productive than using all the fingers on the keyboard. The input methods may change, but the discourse which can be given through blogging is far ahead than the rest of the mediums. Even on Youtube, an over voice is needed. A stream of visuals may not be liked for long.

As far as the writers and readers are concerned, blogging can be an excellent platform to interact.

All such thoughts, readings, writings and activities are the reason behind my absence from this blog. I am here, and I will continue to post on this blog.

Catalogue of the Books by Sumir Sharma

Develop the Man in the Man by the Man.

---

---

This post is a review of the latest book by Martin Medows. A shorter name for the book is Self Disciplined Producer by Martin Medows

I downloaded two free books authored by Martin Medows. I downloaded the third book by Martin Medows which was suggested in the books which I had already downloaded. I have commented on two of his books on this blog. I communicated with Martin Medows through emails. I checked his YouTube Displays. I watched a person talking to his audience. Is he the real Martin Medows? Martin Medows is a pen name of the author. I had sent him a direct question and asked him about his real name. However, he skipped the straight answer. He sends newsletters. In one of the letter, he announced the launch of his new book. He wrote that the price as suggested in the email would be increased after the promotional period ends. I bought the book. The book, Self Disciplined Producer - Develop a Powerful Work Ethic, Improve Your Focus, and Produce Better Results is the topic of commentary here. Quite a long title. However, the book is not long at all. It contains 100 pages. I bought it for ₹49. However, now it is for ₹260. In short, he has made a sale by his skills.

Martin Medows has repeated it in his book that he is not much concerned by developing social media content with the motive of promoting his book. He suggests a very pragmatic, workable and practical solution and it is, that an author should come up with a new title at a regular interval. That sounds a sensible thing. That is the nature of his advice. They are not elaborate. They are the matter of fact advice. They are experientialist advice. They are the direct action advice. He preaches what he practices. That is the hallmark of the contents of his book. On the other hand, he is not adverse to aggressively market his product. He has adopted the technique of developing an email list of interested readers. He brings his work in the multiple emerging formats of publishing like Audiobooks and podcasts. In short, he makes a sale by his skills.

Now something about the book and the contents.

The book is spread over seven essays. The content includes one Prologue, five chapters and ends with an Epilogue.

The chapter 1, The Common Habits, the writer talks about the procrastination and how to deal with it. He has given his analysis of the feature of procrastination. The writer has developed his narrative according to his analysis. He has referred to some sources which are available on the Internet. He has suggested some solutions to deal with procrastination.

In Chapter 2, If you can't wait, he writes about necessary sacrifices which one has to make to achieve success.

In chapter 2, he has made an observation. He writes, "Different techniques work for different people, so try few and see what works."

Now, the observation of the writer as mentioned above is correct about all the Self Improvement literature. I have already said it in one of my posts. The writer writes the similar type of the matter of facts statements.

The writer talks about Krav Maga technique. It seems that he is a rock climber and love this sport more than any other game. In one of his other book, he has also talked about some specific feature of self-improvement methods. Therein, he had informed of a software Xmind to record progress. He writes about such features in self-disciplining and improvements in a manner as if he is sharing his own secret. The actual thing is that one should develop the ability to learn and incorporate different devices and techniques in his daily life to improve one's personality. One should drop rigidity. One should remove aversions. One should stop making the final statements. One should be open to innovation and experimentation without compromising his morality and social ethics.

Chapter 3 is titled as Does his matter. In his promotional letter, the writer has asked a question for providing a new free ebook by quizzing that which is the third letter in the book. It was used as another marketing technique.

The central theme of the chapter is that one should adopt one target approach. One should make one's task simpler. One should watch for those tasks and acts which increases the productivity and profit. It is a very pertinent suggestion. We clutter our mind by numerous rituals and practices which reduces are output. It is more accurate in case of Indians – Bhartiyas as they have an instinct to develop rituals and rites about the general course of actions. The message of the writer is that one should get melted into one's passion.

The Chapter 4, is called Go for Extreme. This chapter is primarily about the time management. It talks about learning the limits of one's endurance in case of mind and physical strength.

The Chapter 5, is about the importance of rest.

However, he makes an interesting observation. While emphasising the need of doing exercise as a part of one's personality development, he writes, "I won't bother with citing scientific research about its well-known benefits." The point for attention in the line is the phrase "bother with citing scientific research". That is the thing. He writes about his experiential observations. It is writing norm which he has adopted that when he makes his statement, he substantiate with a reference which is termed as research-based fact. The emphasis of research-based facts; quoting of research-based reports of some institution, laboratory, universities or science magazine to authenticate one claim is a fashion, a fad, a norm. A writer tells about his observations. The writer provides references from thirty to forty sources. Where should a reader go? Is the reader expected to check every text? If one goes by scientific temperament approach, then he or she is supposed to verify the claim. It is not possible in the art of reading. The writers must say his thing. However, he should do it in a manner, wherein the narrative itself remains consistent. There is no need of giving references to different sources every time.

In the Epilogue, the writer has tried to summarise his whole work. The feature of the summary was seen being appreciated by one of the reviewer and commentator in the comment section at Amazon portal.

I end the essay with an observation. All these self-improvement books can be divided into two sets. One set contains books wherein the writer talks about some gurus, religious scriptures and esoteric philosophy for personality development. The second set is of such writers who refer to scientific observations and research reports. Both the groups adopt an anchoring in a faith system – if one refers to Godly things then other suggests Scientific things. Nobody talks about the actual person. One should tell that it is YOU who have to change. Even education system is not able to resolve the purpose of its endeavours. The society needs the individuals who are trained for their perfection. For that, the individual should learn to think and experiment. For that, he does not have to visit a laboratory, or fitness studio or psychiatrist. His self is with him and within him. He has to learn how to use the arms, hands, legs and brain. A person is not a car in which a mechanic will perform the maintenance operation. A person is a mechanic for himself. He has to develop faith in himself and improve his skills of a mechanic who can correct his body and mind machine. All the gyms, doctors, laboratories and psychiatrist can be a help. However, the deciding factor is the self.

The need is to develop the man in the man by the man.

---

---

---

CONFIDENCE: HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS AND ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS by Martin Meadows

---

---

The post is a review of the book 'CONFIDENCE: HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS AND ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS' by Martin Meadows. It was an obvious choice as I have collected two books by Martin Meadows which are free of cost. I have already written a post on his earlier 'How to Think Bigger' under the title 'All Free Books are not a Stupid Act or Marketing Gimmick'. I have also collected another free book directly from the author titled 'Grit: How to keep going when you want to give up'. It is in a pdf format. I have not located this book on Amazon portal.

The book contains five chapters and an epilogue. It is spread over 73 pages. One can quickly read this book in less than two hours. The language is smooth and straightforward as it is in case of the earlier book by the same author titled as "How to Think Bigger". There are many references given as endnotes.

The book begins with a chapter on Self-Efficacy. If you have not read or listened about this term, which is probably not in the dictionary which I am using, then you may resolve the issue by accepting that it is the word coined by the author. The second way out is that you replace it with your own preconceived term which is The Self. However, he has not talked about the term Confidence. 

The writer has explained the term by giving some features of the Self Efficacy.

While reading the reviews on the book on the Amazon portal, I located a reviewer who has given five stars. He was highly impressed by his summary subsection to each of the chapters. Now, those who have read titles on a similar topic that is Self Help or Self Improvement books, they might have found that this is a standard feature among such writers. 

Chapter 2 titled The Experience of Mastery.

This chapter is incomplete. The author has not given the complete list of the steps of suggestions to reduce weight. He may be suggesting a thing. He expects that the reader may visualise it. He provides 5 steps. Then, he wrote the 10^th stage. Four levels are missing. Did he forget to write it? Had he left it to write it later but did not remember to complete the list before publishing the book?

I have found an impressive way of telling a thing in his writings. In chapter 2, section on Rejection Therapy, he tries to emphasise a rule of that therapy. He states the first practice. Then in the second rule writes that there are no further rules. This is quite an efficient way to emphasise a point.

However, an issue arises on the topic of Rejection Therapy. It also raises questions about the efficacy and utility of the self-help books. They are suggestions. They may work for you or they may not. The author may be good at writing an essay, but he may not be an expert in a particular field. I raise this question to myself, Why do I read Self Help Books?

Are they really worth the time spend on it?

How far can it be stated with a responsibility that the talks are approved by the scientific fraternity?

Can a Self Help Book replace the work of a qualified psychologist?

Do we have to seek the help of others for doing experiments with the Self to bring changes to it?

Comment on Chapter 4.

I am excluding chapter 3 which is social modelling. For me, the idea is a creation of the writer. I support the argument which the author gives but I am not assured of the choice of the title as Social Modelling. It has forced me to rethink the term 'Social'.

In chapter 4, he has talked on the issue of "Social Persuasion and Psychological Responses". The contents are simple and straightforward. However, with every line, I was reminded about the messages provided by the Vedantists. I was specifically reminded of the writings of Swami Vivekananda. It again brings in the issue of relating everything to research, scientific observations, the issue of the real meaning of being scientific and how far all these things relates to the Self. The self-help books are mainly advice. It may work for you or it may not. You may be receptive or not. In the same chapter, there is a subsection titled "Find a Mentor". Why did he try to say that? Look out for a Guru and some underlying philosophy. Is it not that? That is where this raga of being scientific and research-based claims fail to make the impact. It is the interpretation which matters. The analysis requires some guiding philosophy or a priori. Here, the mumbo jumbo of being scientific and research-based narrative collapses.

However, in this section, the writer comes out with his own solution. Many people will find it a practical suggestion.

“Yeah, the man talks sense.”

I hear this growling sound coming back from past when someone had read his book up to that point.

For me, that is merely a materialistic approach to a life devoid of morality and ethics. I now listen to the disapproving and disparaging sounds. Such responses are equally welcomed, but I write what I wish to write.

In the same chapter 4, he has talked about the psychological responses. Surprisingly, he is not referring to any research-based finding there. He is instead directing the attention of the readers to his other manuals.

In the summary of chapter 4, he gives a different direction to his narrative. He has dealt with the problem of some negative psychological. He has given a very pragmatic solution for that. However, in his summary, he has provided the core point in a manner that some readers may like to have more elaboration on that. I doubt if qualified psychologists will approve his observations on this issue.

The Chapter 5.

The writer gives great importance to this chapter. He has called it the actual and independent part of his book. In other words, he has presented it as the only chapter which is meant to be followed. The preceding sections were merely the build-up to this chapter. This is what he made it out while introducing chapter.

Let me emphasise that in this chapter I have come across a thing about which I did not know earlier. I did not have even a smallest possible glimpse. I believe that there is a reason that in the very opening lines of this chapter, the writer has confidently confined it to his readers that it is the penultimate chapter. Here is the reason.

The Writer introduces the use of the software for mind mapping.

I did not know about it. I explored this software which is registered in Hongkong.

However, it repeats the issue about the most efficacious method to deal with the Self. I believe that the best practice is to deal inside. If you keep on going out for finding solutions, then, it will end up in a vicious circle of seeking a solution outside. You get elated to see it. But soon you get a new problem and get stuck there. You again move out and then seek further. It is actually inside you. Get inside and find a solution there.

I accept I use software to correct my spelling and grammar. But, it is a minor problem. It is small assistance. Gradually, I use such resources only to see alternatives. My actual skills of developing narrative are inside me. Secondly, these outside aids do not have an answer for every related problem. The grammar software will splash instruction to change the style of a sentence from Passive voice to Active voice. It is you who have to decide that if it is required or not. The Grammar Software works on AI. You may not find a narrative as corrected by the Grammar software for your type of an audience. It is your understanding and skill which matters. The outside help can be assistance but not a remedy. For Self improvement, the target is to improve the Self. The outside help is one solution. But, if such answers add up to a horde of assistants, then you become their slave. Go to a barber for a haircut. Got to a tailor for stitching. Go to a dress designer for selection of the dress. Go to the nutritionist for designing your diet plan. Go to Nursery Gardner for raising your garden. Go to the interior designer for arranging your house. Go to yoga expert to learn the right way of breathing. That is no guidance for self-improvement.

The Epilogue is of a general nature. It has the tone of the humility which generally the author display about the utility of their book nurturing a wish that their book will positively be received by some discerning readers and rest of the lot is a bunch of fools.

Concluding Remarks:

I may have given some negative remarks. I write what I want to write. Those observations are not about the quality of the content in specific. Those views are about the narrative which is generally found in our day to day talks. In non-fiction literature, we deal with such issues which are of highly significant nature, but we never understand them. However, we develop a narrative without caring to know the direction in which those narratives are carrying us. They are generally directing us to the dead ends. Then, such narratives are mixed with the spice mixture of scientific and research-based talks, and the attempt is made to make sense out of them. I am trying to address that issue. As far as the writer is concerned, he has definitely done a great job. His book will definitely work for many readers.

People like me, who read and then write as per their own whims are influenced by numerous sets of thought sets, theories and philosophies. We evaluate a piece of work from many angles. Therefore, the contents of our review may look like negative criticism. But, they are not adverse criticisms. They are intentional bashing of the material to squeeze more out of it and add a dimension to it. If the core of stream of the logic underlying the comments is touched, then it can be appreciated. However, in simpler terms, one can go through this book. It is not bad to acquire this book when it is free. It contains only 70 pages. It can be read in less than two hours with a little bit of musing where you find this book touching some chord in you or communicating something that is required by you.

Push the Buy Button. It is free. It is worth spending some time on it. At least, I have found it interesting.

---

---

Attention Advertisements:

---

---

   

All Free Books are not a Stupid Act or Marketing Gimmick

The post is a review of the book titled, "How to Think Bigger: Aim Higher, Get More Motivated and Accomplish Big Things" by Martin Meadows.

The very title is quite long. It contains 13 words and 78 characters. However, total pages as per the Amazon counts are merely 106 pages and 1031 locations. It includes seven chapters and an Appendix. A list of books for further reading is included there. It is free and ready for download.

There is a need for, to begin with, a comment on the title of this post itself and the idea of getting this book.

There are numerous books which are available free of cost not only on Amazon but elsewhere also. It is not a researched based conclusion but an experiential observation that such offers are just a Marketing Gimmick. The marketing people are making use of indie-publishing paradigm as a part of the craft of their profession. It is even taught in business schools to write brochure in the form of books or comics to introduce your product and then present it as a book. The booklet is also advertised to promote the selling. The game plan is to tell the world that the book which is a brochure, is free, free and free. A greedy person like me will collect it. If you are sincere and posses my kind of psyche, you may also obtain such free things. Now, if you happen to read the contents, you learn that it was an advertisement for some product. The task of the advertiser was to apprise you of his product, and he had achieved his job if you had fallen into the trap.

I had fallen for such a bait on many occasions. The title was simple. The name of the title attracted me. It was free of cost. I pushed the "Buy It" button and the rest followed.

I have collected this title in the manner stated above. Now, it was not the only title which I had obtained. There are a good number of titles which I have collected. I receive such titles from Hourly History series. I have written about some of their books on this blog. I have read a large number of their other titles. However, I have not written posts on all those books which I have gone through that I have received from Hourly History publication. I am not suggesting that Hourly History series is also a gimmick. I will emphasise that the actual import of the title of the present post in their support. I mean to say that every free book is not a marketing gimmick. I repeat that all free books are not stupid acts. The Hourly History series is doing a good job. I will come out with more posts on their titles. On the other hand, I have found some such free books as a mere gimmick or Stupid Act.

I may be a greedy person. I do not feel shy to accept it. However, I am a reader also. I read. It is next to breathing for me. If I do not read, I feel suffocated. Therefore, I read. I write also. I write with fountain pens. If I write on the computer, I blog. However, many registers are piling up with me which contain all the pages blackened with black Parker Ink written with Parker, Hero (Chinese) and Elegante Camlin. Some of the pages are also in gel and ballpoint blue ink. Whenever I read, I write too. Now in case of this title, I did not pick my fountain pen. I came to the computer and wrote this post.

I must say that the author is sincere. He wrote about what he had experienced. He is not someone like Napoleon Hill or Dale Carnegie or Joseph Murphy or even Swami Vivekananda or Devadutta Patanik asking you to follow some Christian or Vedanta ethics. He seeks references from research-based observations of psychologists, sports trainers and contemporary corporate winners like Jeff Bezos (I am not advertising for Amazon), Richard Branson, Elon Musk and many such celebrities. He refers to his experiential observations. No doubt it is his ultra selling point that he stands as an example of the efficacy of the methods which he propounds. No doubt he also advertises about his writings. He tells about his other books. He has made some of his titles available free of cost, and now I will read his title 'Confidence: How to Overcome Your Limiting Beliefs and Achieve Goals'. The book is also available free of cost, and it is already in my collection. I hope that I may not change my view after reading his second title. I may buy some of his other titles by paying the cost of the title. If these two free books are his marketing gimmick, then he is a success.

He writes well. His narration is smooth. He does not use intricate terms or flowery language or difficult technical terms in his pursuit to get references from scientific research.

One of the statements made by the author about the ways to improve your Self is to give importance to reading. It is the most responsible statement of the author which is a practical and result oriented (Kindly do not ask the evidence of any research here. Continue to read, and you will get the answer). I do not know about the views of psychologist and neuropsychologist. However, this is something which anyone can verify on his own. It is an experiment which one can perform on his own and learn the benefits. However, in this world of Whats-app, Facebook, Instagram and other social media, (kindly exclude blogging out of it as it turns up as an archaic activity), the humanity is denying itself one of the most straightforward exercises and the methods of self-improvement.

His book is also a teaser for me. He has published this e-book on Amazon. He has used endnotes which works immaculately. I am of the impression that the footnotes or endnotes do not work while formatting on Kindle Direct Publishing. However, in this book, there is a good demonstration of this feature. It means that I have yet to learn about formatting a manuscript on KDP. I believe that the problem exists in the use of the word processor software. I use OO, and most of the writer use MS Word. In short, the success of the feature of the endnotes suggests that I do not fully understand the use of word processor and formatting of an e-book.

It is a continuation of above paragraph. The writer has used a simple title. It is not gaudy or flashy. I differ on this issue with some of the authors and publishers. In case of Fiction genre, there is too much stress on this feature. You can grab the attention by a flashy title, but if the content is not worth the salt, then you are in the business of cheating.

However, there are some irritants also. Who is "Martin Meadows"? It is a pen name of an author as per his claim in the book. Even on the author page of Amazon portable, he or she has not written anything more than that. He has not shown any photograph of self. He talks about his achievements, but he does not introduce himself. That is not fair Martin Meadows.

The second irritant is that he keeps on referring to other titles authored by him to elaborate his point and expect the reader to read them for further clarification. He has mentioned titles authored by some established authors. He has even suggested a list of titles. He has done it in the form of an essay termed as Appendix A. The fascinating thing is that the writer has not found the urge or need of claiming evidence in its favour based on research.

The use of the phrase that "The research I conducted" is a norm, a fad and the buzz words presently. In India, even a Yogi, covering his torso with saffron coloured sheets, is making claims that he has researched for 25 years on the herbs and produced a pill for Blood Pressure or discovered a formulation of toothpaste or face cream to look white like a European or American research institute demonstrates that mineral oils are not safe in hair oils, therefore, his herbal hair oil is research approved because it does not contain mineral oil. I accept the value of research. However, I hate it because everyone uses it without actually understanding the meaning of research. A research claim without pondering, without contemplating, without thinking, and merely using ratios, the sum of the total, beta charts, technical charts, mean, median and mode is not research. Every data procured from experiment preceded by the right type of questioning on the issue in hand demands an interpretation. You say everything with some responsibility. It has to be researched. You write and claim with responsibility. However, why is this insistence of repeating every time that whatever is being said is based on research? I hate the day when a poet will say; I have researched and written this poem. What will happen if tomorrow a research paper says that Cambridge University has proved that Oxford University has produced more politicians and a lesser number of Nobel Prize winners?

Further, it is my observation, that all such Self Help and Self Improvement Books are personal statements of each author. If a book has become popular, then it is because of the writing skills of the author. If you face some problem with the Self, then one of the ways is to seek the help of a psychologist. The second method is to meet your self on your own. Accept your self. Then do experiments with it. You may seek clues and advice, but ultimately you have to deal with it on your own. Your methods may not work for others. At the most, it may divert the attention of a reader for a time. However, if one faces a problem with Self, then remember, the Self is with you and in you. You are the master and the director. You learn cycling on your own. No manual can teach you cycling. It is your body, your muscles, your self. If there is some physical problem, then consult a doctor. However, kindly keep your Self in your ownership. Accept it and deal with it.

A Parting Message:

This book is also an advertisement. It will ask you to download the next free book. You click the link. You will receive the instruction to register by providing your email. You will get a confirmation email which includes the catalogue of his books. It will ask to buy one of his books. It is a quite deal. But my question remains. Who is this Martin Meadow from Portland, Oregon, USA?

---

---

Attention Please: It is an Advertisement. It includes the books of Martin Meadows which are free.

---

---

The Art of Expression and the Principles of Discourse by William Walker Atkinson

Ultimately, I have read the first book in the compilation which is titled 'The Art of Expression and the Principles of Discourse' by William Walker Atkinson.

If, someone, reading the opening line of the post, is surprised at the expression, tone and diction of the sentence, then, kindly continue to read the next paragraph which explains the reason for framing such a sentence.

A Report:

I have a compilation of the unabridged works of William Walker Atkinson. I had virtually discovered it for myself. I was trying to find a good work on Patanjali. When I was searching it on the internet, I was attracted towards a portrait on a title. The title of the book was The Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism. The name of the author was Yogi Ramacharak.

It was Patanjali who first gave the idea of Yoga. It was from his Yoga, the idea of Yogi developed. I was seeking knowledge on Patanjali. The desire to know Patanjali is basically a quest to know Yoga. A person who knows Yoga is called a Yogi. The price of the book by Yogi Ramacharak was also around ₹ 60/-. It was the amount which I could afford to spend. When I was able to find a book on Patanjali, which was by Swami Vivekananda and it was also available in a form of a compilation, I bought that book for ₹300/-. It was like getting a bonus when I also bought this unknown author Yogi Ramacharak, at least to me, along with the anthology of the works of Swami Vivekananda. I did not read Swami Vivekananda. I started reading Yogi Ramacharak. The narration was such that it grabbed my attention. Gradually I learned that the author knew about the Christian religion. He was also referring to numerous English authors. I developed a doubt about the learning of the author Ramacharak. I started searching for him on the internet. Soon, I learned that the name was an adopted name of William Walker Atkinson.

In the Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy, W. W. Atkinson had referred to many of his other titles. He had talked about the title of Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga etc. In between, whenever I browsed the internet, I was attentive about the titles by William Walker Atkinson. Soon, I located this compilation by the publisher e-artnow (I do not know who are they.). It was priced at ₹ 48.23/-. It included the title The Fourteen Lessons. It also contained the title 'The Advance Course in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism'. In the book, the Fourteen Lessons, the author had repeatedly mentioned that he would elaborate on different points in his next book and he specifically mentioned it as the Advance Course. Therefore, after completing the reading of the book, I started the book the Advance Course. Again, in that book, he mentioned some of his other titles and suggested that one should also consult them in order to fully understand his elaboration in his book on The Advance course. Therefore, a sequence developed. I read the book and then shifted to another book as suggested in the course. I could do that because all those books were available to me in the compilation. Gradually I found that there is no sequence in my selection of the next title. After reading nearly 20 books out of that compilation, I thought of starting the compilation from the very first book as given in the compilation by the publisher.

The first book in the compilation by e-artnow is "The Art of Expression and the Principles of Discourse".

Now, let us review the experience which I had undergone while reading the earlier titles by W. W. Atkinson. In every book, he was suggesting and recommending a name of his other title which should also be read. I experienced that if you followed his suggestions, you could appreciate the contents of his books. I decided upon a plan that I should read the compilation from the beginning. Now, these two thought-sets worked together. I picked the first book which is 'The Art of Expression'. I read the first page. On the first page he suggested that one should read his book on Thought Culture and Logic in order to fully appreciate the contents of the book. I left the reading there and by following his instructions, I picked the book as suggested by him. I read the book on Logic. I read the book on Thought Culture. There were some more titles dealing with Thought Cutlure. However, in these two books, that was on Logic and Thought Culture, he talked about the aspects of Memory. He suggested that one should also read his book on Memory Development. I then read his books on Memory Training and Memory Culture. After reading these four books, ultimately, I read this book.

The Review of the Book:

There are fifteen chapters in this book.

Among all the chapter, I will like to emphasise that the Chapter X, The Argumentative Discourse, the Chapter XI, Argumentation and the Chapter XII, Evidence and Proof have attracted my attention and interest. William Walker Atkinson was a lawyer by profession. The ideas which he has taken up in the selected chapters has an imprint of his training and professional experience. The contents and topics are also relevant to my subject of History. I have virtually found a set of notes which I am going to use for my students. Let me take up a particular topic.

He has discussed the Cause and Effect relations. I had been teaching about the Cause and Effect relations to my students. I use the elaboration by E. H. Carr in "What is History" and also the Idea of History by R. G. Collingwood. It is substantiated by the book by an Indian author B. Sheik Ali. E. H. Carr had discussed it in his chapter on Causation. He has his style of explaining the topic. But, somewhere, I felt as if, E. H. Carr might have read his book. No, I do not pass any judgement here. I am just sharing by impression. Atkinson might have published this book before 1920. He had his bookseller agent based in London. E. H. Carr wrote essay somewhere around 1950 and his book was first published in 1954. Collingwood wrote his draft for the Oxford University Press in 1935 and it was later that his incomplete work was published. Now I am going to use them in my class.

I read those chapters with great interest. I believe that these chapters can be included in his title on Logic also. He made his book as logic as per the elaboration by William Stanely Jevons and other Logicians. No doubt, while talking about Logic, you must understand the core rules and principles. But, by incorporating it in that book, the rules and principles can be substantiated for the better understanding of the common reader. It can definitely be made a part of the book on Thought Culture.

On the sideline, I will also like to discuss a similar feature concerning one of his elaboration. In his Advance course, he has discussed about the features of the Absolute. While giving the features of the Absolute, he has written an essay which is as good as a note on Japaji Sahib, an Utterance of Guru Nanak Dev. I teach Sikh history also. We have to explain the features of the concept of the Absolute as given by Guru Nanak Dev. I have read many textbooks because of my professional needs for that topic. All the text books give a similar elaboration. Somewhere, I felt as if, all those text book had been borrowing from a common source and among them, the perfect elaboration is given by Atkinson. In his elaboration, nowhere, Atkinson has mentioned about Sikhism or Guru Nanak Dev. It is a feature of his writings that while discussing the Indian Mystic thoughts, he does not mention a single Indian name associated with scriptures or any Sanskrit work. He refers to Latin and Grecian origin of English words. He referred to words like Gyan, Raja, Hatha, Prana etc. But, he uses only those terms which are now readily included in the English dictionaries.

The topics of the first three chapters are Expression, Languages: It Beginnings and the Evolution of Language. It makes a fascinating reading. If one knows about the history of these topics, then it can be appreciated with great admiration that how these topics had dominated the intellectual circle of the world at the beginning of the twentieth century. I will suggest that in order to appreciate these topics in historical context, one should read this essay  titled Philosophy of Language on Internet Encylopedia on Philosophy, 

From chapter IV to Chapter IX, the topics are the Words, the Building of Vocabulary, The Choice of Words, the Figurative Speech and the Discursive Expression. While I was reading these chapters, I felt that he should have also given a chapter on Grammar or suggested the need for the grammar. I am a native of India. I live in Punjab. My dialect is Punjabi. But, I generally write and think in Hindi. I keep a grammar of English by Wren and Martin even today. I consult it again and again. But, suddenly, I realized that I do not have any grammar book of Hindi. If somebody asks me about the forms of Verbs or Kriya, or Adjectives or Vianjan, I will not able to tell. I do not even remember the alphabets of Hindi. I believe, because Atkinson was an English speaking native of America, therefore, he did not feel the need to suggest it. It is taken for granted that you know the rules of grammar in a natural way. It is another thing, that in his book on developing Memory, he has given a doggerel rhyme on Parts of Speech. It seems there is a difference in teaching methods at school level between India and Western World. One of my elders had told me that in his times, the history was always taught in the form of doggerel rhymes. Now a day, it is all that research based history and no one remembers the history.

In the chapter on the Expression, he has given the central idea of this book. He says there that the art of expression is concerned with oral expression or speaking and the rules and principles that can also be used for writing and composition. He has laid the limits in his explanation itself that the extent of the discourse in the book is limited. He has not talked about the skills of uttering a word, the stress on the different part of speech, the modulation of voice while explaining the elocution etc. On the whole, whatsoever he has given, can be made a good starting point to learn about elocution, speaking, oration and also the writing methods.

I end by repeating that I liked the chapters on Argumentative Discourse and Argumentation.

---

---

Attention: Advertisement: Use Discretion

---

---

---

---

Memory Culture: The Science of Observing, Remembering and Recalling by William Walker Atkinson

Memory Culture: The Science of Observing Remembering and Recalling by William Walker Atkinson is the book which I read after reading his other book titled Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It.

In the compilation by e-artnow.com, this book on Memory Culture is listed before the book Memory: How to Develop. I read the book Memory: How to Develop first and then read Memory Culture. If you just try to ponder and reflect upon the title, you may be amused and think that both the titles convey the same thing. Well, there is a little bit of difference. If you focus on the meaning of each title, you may yourself identify that there is a little bit of fine difference in the meaning and motive of the titles. You should develop the ability of Memory to remember, recall and recognise. Yes, this can be achieved. I do not know that what the qualified Psychologists and Neurologists have to say about that. They have developed drugs and processes which can make any person to reveal out his or her thought and memory under their observation. But, as a common man, when you are not under the observation of a psychologist or neurologist, you have to deal with your memory on your own. It is there, that you need it, that you must have the ability to remember, recall and recognise your knowledge. Now, How can you do that? What type of activities should be performed by the mind? What type of culture should one adopt to use his or her memory? These questions give you these two titles.

Now, I will not call that one book is an adjunct to other. It is not that it supplement each other. They exist as a separate identity. They are not two eyes of the same man. They are heart and brain of the same man. That is it. They are rather two heads of the same body. They synchronised their activity and the body achieves its full potential. You can not have a memory culture without developing memory. You can not do much by developing memory without having a memory culture. That is the relation.

When you read this author, somewhere you feel that he ends a chapter abruptly and carves out a fresh chapter to continue his narration. You desire that he should have said the thing in the same chapter, there and then. You adjust to his writing by giving a view that it is his style. However, it is not simple as that.

I just wonder that he was a contemporary of Mark Twain. The USA feels proud of Mark Twain and considers him its icon. However, Atkinson may have been popular for his writings. One can judge that from the fact that it is stated at a number of places on the internet that his titles are still in publication. I have come across them because of that. I am not a person from a literary background. I read and read a lot. But that does not make me qualified for being a literary person. But, for me, he has done a good job. My criticism and sarcasm of his writing is my way to deal with the information which I gather. I have an admiration for his work.

Now, Let us see the contents of the title.

He deals with this topic by alluding to the importance of subconsciousness in the first chapter. In the case of Memory development title, he has emphasised the importance of having a good memory.

After that chapter, he again takes up the topics on sense organs based information, abstraction, perception, developing ideas and using logic. He repeats the chapters on the ear and the eye use. All these aspects have been mentioned as separate chapters in the Memory Development. However, here, he has tried to tell that there is a culture which one should develop while dealing with memory.

I am interested in emphasising the contents of the last chapter which is titled Artificial Systems. In this chapter, he has tried to give the history of the development of the artificial systems. He has covered a number of methods of artificial systems to develop the memory. You may come across books and paid courses which try to help you to learn such artificial methods of developing the memory. However, in between, Atkinson has remarked that many people get frustrated with such type of methods. They feel cheated when they fail to maintain the practices taught in such courses and books. He is not against these methods. He has suggested that if you get to benefit from them, then incorporate them into your practice of developing memory. It is there, he has also raised a question. He has tried to emphasise that the feature of memory is a natural thing. One should make efforts to develop and harness that natural ability first. It is just like developing your muscles. You go to gym for that. You can do it at your home. But it is you who have to do it. He has a point.

I do not want to say that he has given the ultimate truth on the development of memory. I do not undervalue the achievements of scientific psychology. It is a result of scientific psychology that we know today that generally, we try to remember things in a set of three facts. You remember a long number by remembering them in a set of three figures. The neurologist has come with many such drugs which can make a person a captive of a neurologist. The intelligence agencies use the work of their outcome. The drug addicts can be treated only by the expert. In their cases, the works of Atkinson will not be a help. But, it is for the common man, that he is more relevant.

A Suggestion:

One should read the following combination of his titles in order to fully get the benefit on the subject which he has taken up. The subject is the use and development of Memory.

Set One:

The Subconsciousness and Superconsciousness Planes of Mind

Suggestion and Auto Suggestion (I have to add to the contents of the review of these titles. However it will be a good plan if someone follows my suggestion and read these books. After that, he read my reviews.)

Thought Culture, Or, Practical Mind Training.

Set Two:

Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use it

Memory Culture: The Science of Observing, Remembering and Recalling

The Art of Logical Thinking; Or, The Laws of Reasoning

It is my suggestion that they may be read in that order.

I would like to add. You can download the Kindle Software which is a freeware. It can be downloaded on a tablet, mobile phone and PC. You can buy the compilation from the Kindle store. It cost you ₹48. 23/-. If you are in India, I do not think, this combination can be any issue. I have used e.artnow compilation. There are many more compilations and individual titles by the same author available on the internet on Google Books also. The free copies can also be downloaded from Internet Archive or Guttenberg project. However, I find the compilation by the e-artnow as the cheapest possible option. There are some flaws in this compilation but if you have visualised and accepted the game plan, then it is the right set that can be adopted.

Ending Message:

I have started the reading of The Art of Expression.

---

---

Attention: Advertisements: Use Discretion

---

---

Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It by William Walker Atkinson

Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It by William Walker Atkinson

The Idea of Selecting This Title for Reading:

It is a repetition of that which I have already explained as the reasons to read the titles by William Walker Atkinson. I have a collection of the works by Atkinson. I have already read some of its titles. Now, I have decided to read the compilation from the first title in the list. The title is "The Art of Expression and The Principle of Discourse".

Atkinson had written numerous books. In every book, he alluded to his other books and suggested to his reader to consult the other book in order to explore the full benefit of the title. I had read his different books without any plan or sequence. But, in between, I have developed this view that his suggestions should be followed. Therefore, when I started his book on the Art of Expression, I found that there was a suggestion that one should read his book on logic and also the thought culture. In his book on thought culture, he advised that one should read his book on memory culture. There were two books on memory topic. One of the book is this one which is the subject of this review and the second one is titled "Memory Culture: The Science of Observing, Remembering and Recalling". I am on the verge of completing the reading of that book. Now, here is the review on Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It.

The Book Structure:

The book has twenty chapters. The chapters can be safely divided into two sections. The section one may contain first nine chapters. The second section, which may contain chapters from Chapter X to the end, can be called the section of practical suggestions and instructions.

In the first section, he has emphasised those aspect of psychology which I believe should be taught to every student. In schools, reading and writing are taught. These aspects, which are explained in this book, should also be incorporated in the instructions and made the part of the practice of study as the sports and other co-curricle activities are emphasised as the part of schooling.

If you are a student, you must go through this book. It will benefit you in your studies. You have to study the titles which are suggested in the first paragraph of this post. You may find it cumbersome. However, it is more result oriented if you read the combination of the titles as suggested in the first paragraph. I am also amused when I find that in his every book, the author suggests another book. But, I feel, that if he has taken up all the topics in one single title, it would have not been that attractive and useful.

Let me now take up some aspects of the contents. The author is again perfect and best in his art of writing. He has written a simple English. You do not have to consult a dictionary to understand his discourse. You do not encounter any Latin or other archaic or technical terms. Well, in the case of these titles, he has not quoted numerous authorities as he has done in the case of the titles on esoteric and mystic topics.

Kindly check this list.

You have Five sense organs viz. Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue, and Touch sense and their corresponding sensations. 

You get information on your surroundings through your sense organs.

You gather the information guided by following mind features. They are

Your Desire
Your Interest

Your Attention

Your Concentration.

The information which you gather through your senses is confined to and restricted by your ability to Abstract the data from the sensation of your sense organs. You can learn to polish your ability to Abstract in this book.

The Abstraction is kept in your brain or rather the abstraction gives you the Perception.

The Perception is utilized by the brain to develop the Idea.

An Idea is identified with the help of terms and images. The book tells about the simple methods to develop this process consciously. The extra thing that is required is your consistency and ability to utilize it with a commitment.

Now if you are interested in this elaboration and it conveys you some meaningful talk, then, this book can be used to develop your memory.

I have full regards for the Psychologists and Neurologists. If they are there to tell that their field of research has progressed far ahead than the content of this book, then I will definitely like them to suggested me the titles of the books which they want to recommend.

---

---

Attention: Advertisements: Use Discretion:

---

---

---

---

Finis

Thought Culture, Or, Practical Mental Training by William Walker Atkinson

Thought Culture, Or, Practical Mental Training by William Walker Atkinson

After reading sixteen titles written by W. W. Atkinson, I thought of reading the first title in the compilation. The first book in the compilation is the "Art of Expression". On the first page, it is recommended that one should first read a book on Logic and then on Thought Training in order to fully utilize the content of the title. I have read the book on Logic. A review is already on this blog. This is the next book.

A Reminisance:

The books or the titles which I have already reviewed and commented upon on this blog, were mostly on esoteric sciences. There is a story behind it. I wanted to read about Patanjali. On the basis of my prior knowledge, I tried to acquire the book written by Swami Vivekananda on Patanjali. While I was searching for that on the Internet, I came across a book on Philosophy of a Yogi by Yogi Ramcharaka. The discourse in that book was written in such a manner that I was highly impressed by the thought process that it was inducing in my perception and understanding. Gradually, I observed that it was written by a person who had good knowledge of Christianity and Western literature. I directed my attention and efforts to learn about Yogi Ramcharak. In due course, I discovered that the real author was W. W. Atkinson. Soon, I was able to find a compilation of his writings for a very small amount.

One of the supporting factor in facilitating this reading was the free software of Kindle. I had learned about Kindle when it was not available in India. As it is a general response of most of the people, that when something new is introduced, the people tends to pass a judgement without caring to know that whether they are really genuine, right, and they are fully qualified to pass that judgement. I am no different from such people. Therefore, I did not care to look into the Kindle. I had learnt there were many more e-book reader softwares. However, in between, I was able to collect PDF format books from Google Books ( When I started, it was called Google Print). They were free. They were related to my subject of History. They were providing me such documents which I could have acquired only from archives. If I had ever tried that, at the maximum, I would have been declared a good research scholar and obtained a PhD. I have not done that. The technology has proved itself a blessing for the creatures like me. I was happy and content in realing PDFs of old books provided by Google Books. I even bought some google books also. But there I encountered a problem. I needed internet when I desired to read them. I could read them offline as I could do in case of PDF books. In India, the continuity of electricity supply and consistency of the internet are an issue. No doubt, it is gradually improving but, it is still there. I do not know what actually is the situation in the developed countries. But anyhow, let me come back to my topic of this post. When I was able to locate, Swami Viveknanda on Kindle store, then came the issue of getting that software. The bait was that the price was very less. Soon, I learnt that I could get the Kindle software free of cost. I downloaded it. Then I bought the books of Swami Vivekananda and also the book by Yogi Ramchakara. Till this day I have not read the books by Swami Vivekananda which I have downloaded. I had been reading W. W. Atkinson.

The guiding query, interest and motive were to read about Patanjali and Yoga and what he had told about Yoga. The books by Yogi Ramchakara was on Yogic practices. From there on, the event of reading on Kindle continued. The features on Kindle, like highlighting, which I had been doing on PDF also, the online dictionary, the facility to read it offline etc, all these facilitated my reading urge. But I was hooked to Ramchakara. My discovery of Atkinson behind that Yogi, was an award to me by my ownself. My topic was study of Yoga Philosophy. I knew little bit before hand. Therefore, there was enough grounds to explore the compilation which I had obtained as a lottery. However, I gradully learned about the method and style of writing by Atkinson. I found that he had developed numerous titles on different Ideas related to Yoga. There was no sequence. Therefore, I had then decided to read the compilation from the first title itself. I had an experience of the style of title making by Atkinson. I picked the first title called "The Art of Expression". In the first chapter itself, rather on the very first page, he had suggeted that one should read his book on Logic before fully appreciating his title. I did not continue with the Art of Expression book. I picked the title which he had suggested on Logic and immediately shifted to the book of Logic. I have posted the review on it on my blog already. It was in the book on the Logic,that, he suggested that one should also read his book on "Thought Culture". I, then, started that book. In the book on Thought Culture, he suggested that one should read his book on developing Memory. I completed the book on Thought Culture and started the reading of Memory Development. But, here I did not fulfill my commitement with this blog. I have completed the reading of book on Memory Development but had not written the review on Thought Culture. Now I am trying to do that.

The Review:

Thought Culture; or, Practical Mental Training is one of the title in which the smooth English of the writer is well demonstrated. I read it within few hours. In this book, it is suggested that one should also read his book on Memory development. I started that book after completing the reading of this book without posting my first impression on the blog. It was the attractiveness of the writing which was the motivation to learn about the memory development. Memory development is one issue which is cherished by people from all age group. Therefore, I should eagerness to read that book without writing any post.

No doubt, I had highlighted many lines within the book. I also recorded some comments. But, I did not write anything on the register which I usually did while reading. I even tried to look towards other titles also, which carried the term 'thought' in its title. However, I moved to the title of Memory development and then later to Memory Culture.

This book is definitely required to be read if you want to fully explore and get benefit out of his book on Logic titled the Art of Logical thinking about which I have already posted my comment.

The book contains fourteen chapters. In this way, it is one of the smaller book as compared to other books. It is a smaller book because it has a lesser number of chapters.

The firt four chapters are merely an introduction type chapters. He introduces you to the ides of Thought and Thought Culture or motivate to go for Mental Training.

The substantial topic begins in Chapter 5 titled Attention. Kindly look into the following list.

Senses

Sensation

Attention, concentration and Desire

Perception

Representation

Abstraction

Association of Ideas

Generalization

Judgement

Derived Judgement (A difficult and technical chapter probably based on the hypothesis of William Stanely Jevons.)

Reasoning.

If you are student and want to improve enjoyment of study, then learn the meanings of the terms given in the above list. You may learn the meaning of these terms from a dictionary or the Internet. However, I will suggest you to learn their meaning from this book written by William Walker Atkinson. Each term is a heading of a chapter. You can now make it out the actual nature of the suggestion. Those of you, who may have some training in psychology, may join in to talk about these topics in reference to the content in the book. It is a request that kindly do not give your modern research narrative here. Kindly come up with a narrative which everyone could understand in a way that it may benefit them without paying any fees to an expert. After all, everyone has his mind and owner of his or her mind. Help them to use it without imposing your intitutionalised degree on the society. I am not here to hurt some one but everyone owns his or her brain and mind. If you help to get optimum benefit of it, then it is right of the society of to get it as it is the society which has provided to you a setup in which you acquired your degree.

Now I will talk about "Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It" as explained by W. W. Atkinson, in the next post.

---

---

Attention: Advertisements: Use Discretion:

---

---