The release of destructive thought impulses， alone，without the aid of words， produces also a “kickback” in more ways than one. First of all， and perhapsmost important to be remembered， the person whoreleases thoughts of a destructive nature， must sufferdamage through the breaking down of the faculty ofcreative imagination. Secondly， the presence in themind of any destructive emotion develops a negativepersonality which repels people， and often convertsthem into antagonists. The third source of damageto the person who entertains or releases negativethoughts， lies in this significant fact—these thoughtimpulsesare not only damaging to others， but theyIMBED THEMSELVES IN THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
OF THE PERSON RELEASING THEM， and there become a part of his character.
One is never through with a thought， merely byreleasing it. When a thought is released， it spreads inevery direction， through the medium of the ether， butit also plants itself permanently in the subconsciousmind of the person releasing it.
Your business in life is， presumably to achievesuccess. To be successful， you must find peace ofmind， acquire the material needs of life， and aboveall， attain HAPPINESS. All of these evidences ofsuccess begin in the form of thought impulses.
You may control your own mind， you have the power to feed it whatever thought impulsesyou choose. With this privilege goes also theresponsibility of using it constructively. You are themaster of your own earthly destiny just as surely asyou have the power to control your own thoughts.
You may influence， direct， and eventually controlyour own environment， making your life whatyou want it to be—or， you may neglect to exercisethe privilege which is yours， to make your life toorder， thus casting yourself upon the broad sea of“Circumstance” where you will be tossed hither andyon， like a chip on the waves of the ocean.
THE DEVIL’S WORKSHOP
THE SEVENTH BASIC EVIL
In addition to the Six Basic Fears， there is anotherevil by which people suffer. It constitutes a rich soilin which the seeds of failure grow abundantly. Itis so subtle that its presence often is not detected.
This affliction cannot properly be classed as a fear.
IT IS MORE DEEPLY SEATED AND MORE OFTEN FATAL THAN ALL OF THE SIX FEARS. For want of abetter name， let us call this evil SUSCEPTIBILITY TONEGATIVE INFLUENCES.
Men who accumulate great riches always protectthemselves against this evil！ The poverty strickennever do！ Those who succeed in any callingmust prepare their minds to resist the evil. If youare reading this philosophy for the purpose ofaccumulating riches， you should examine yourselfvery carefully， to determine whether you aresusceptible to negative influences. If you neglect thisself-analysis， you will forfeit your right to attain theobject of your desires.
Make the analysis searching. After you read the questions prepared for this self-analysis， holdyourself to a strict accounting in your answers. Goat the task as carefully as you would search for anyother enemy you knew to be awaiting you in ambushand deal with your own faults as you would with amore tangible enemy.
You can easily protect yourself against highwayrobbers， because the law provides organizedcooperation for your benefit， but the “seventh basicevil” is more difficult to master， because it strikeswhen you are not aware of its presence， when youare asleep， and while you are awake. Moreover， itsweapon is intangible， because it consists of merely—aSTATE OF MIND. This evil is also dangerous because itstrikes in as many different forms as there are humanexperiences. Sometimes it enters the mind throughthe well-meant words of one’s own relatives. Atother times， it bores from within， through one’s ownmental attitude. Always it is as deadly as poison，even though it may not kill as quickly.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
AGAINST NEGATIVE INFLUENCES
To protect yourself against negative influences，whether of your own making， or the result of theactivities of negative people around you， recognizethat you have a WILL-POWER， and put it intoconstant use， until it builds a wall of immunityagainst negative influences in your own mind.
Recognize the fact that you， and every other humanbeing， are， by nature， lazy， indifferent， and susceptibleto all suggestions which harmonize with yourweaknesses.
Recognize that you are， by nature， susceptibleto all the six basic fears， and set up habits for thepurpose of counteracting all these fears.
Recognize that negative influences often work onyou through your subconscious mind， therefore they aredifficult to detect， and keep your mind closed againstall people who depress or discourage you in any way.
Clean out your medicine chest， throw away all pillbottles， and stop pandering to colds， aches， pains andimaginary illness.
Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to THINK AND ACT FOR YOURSELF.
Do not EXPECT troubles as they have a tendencynot to disappoint.
Without doubt， the most common weakness of allhuman beings is the habit of leaving their mindsopen to the negative influence of other people. Thisweakness is all the more damaging， because mostpeople do not recognize that they are cursed by it，and many who acknowledge it， neglect or refuse tocorrect the evil until it becomes an uncontrollablepart of their daily habits.
To aid those who wish to see themselves as theyreally are， the following list of questions has beenprepared. Read the questions and state your answersaloud， so you can hear your own voice. This willmake it easier for you to be truthful with yourself.
SELF-ANALYSIS TEST QUESTIONS
Do you complain often of “feeling bad，” and if so，what is the cause？
Do you find fault with other people at the slightestprovocation？
Do you frequently make mistakes in your work，and if so， why？
Are you sarcastic and offensive in your conversation？
Do you deliberately avoid the association of anyone，and if so， why？
Do you suffer frequently with indigestion？ If so，what is the cause？