The Magic of Believing

The Magic of Believing

Some years ago I worked for a guy that had overcome a lot of obstacles in his life to reach a pretty sweet spot. He went from no car or job to an ocean view mansion with a Bentley in the driveway. If you ask him how he got there his answer would be that he believed in himself and tried to always stay positive regardless of the challenges.

We worked together for 4 years and shared similar views and feelings about the metaphysical notions of life and how thinking something can make it come to life. He introduced me to a book by Claude Bristol entitled The Magic of Believing. It was written in the late 40’s early 50’s and not so much new age as it was simple positive thinking and its attendant power.

One year, to celebrate a major birthday, he was planning a pretty significant party. He was inviting a cast of thousands and no one could say no to his invitation. At the time I struggled with a gift idea. I mean he had everything that he wanted and although I would shop and see some very nice opulent options, a recent divorce had pinched my pocketbook a bit and I simply wasn’t in the splurge mode.

A week before the party while with my boys, they coaxed me to a donut shop by their Mom’s house and even though it was not on my list of places to visit that day, I couldn’t say no. It was in a little strip mall with the usual stores like a cleaners and tailor, a beauty supply store and right next to the donut shop was a used and rare books store. Since I had still not found the proper birthday gift, I gave the guys a few bucks to get their donuts and ventured into the book store. Like many used books stores, things were packed onto the shelves and only vague headings told you what the subject matter may be.

I gravitated toward the back of the store where books were piled on the floor and shelves were in disarray. I noticed a hand-written scotch taped label that brought me to a half shelf of books on self-help and new age thinking. The very first book I was drawn to was a hard cover edition of The Magic of Believing. The book had been out of print for a while and I had only ever seen a paperback version. I opened it and was amazed to see that the author himself had signed the book with the words “Best Wishes”. I had found my birthday present for the man who had everything. The total cost with tax was $1.27. The card and gift wrapping would cost more but I felt satisfied and quite lucky to have stumbled into a place I’d never been to, to find a prize amidst its shelves.

As predicted, the party was awesome. No expense was spared and the place was packed and bustling with excitement. And as if to remind me that there is no such thing as coincidence, the theme of the party turned out to be all about the Magic of Believing. There were little signs of positive affirmations from the book sprinkled throughout the house and as each guest left they received an audio tape of the book.

The next morning I got a call and heard this shout of shear joy and gratitude. He had just opened my gift which it seems was the hit of the party. I had no idea that he had been searching book stores all over the country for a hard copy original of his favorite “how to live” book. I was smiling as I listened to his exploits on searching for the book that I had found so easily and unexpectedly. He was going to have a special case made and display it in his home and was so appreciative. He told me that I must have spent a long time and a lot of money to find his gift. I simply answered: “You’ll never know”.

Gary

From the Book of Szen