Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking
~Report by Madison Nef~
About the author
Norman Vincent Peale was a minister and author. He graduated high school and earned degrees in the Boston University School of Theology and the Ohio Wesleyan School. He became the pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church and quickly became New York’s most famed pastor when the church’s crowd turned from 600 into 5000 people.
Peale published his first and most notable book, “The Power of Positive Thinking”, in 1952 and got a great deal of criticism from many people. The main reason for the criticisms was a few reasons. Because Peale was a Methodist, many people believed the “techniques” he used was just a form of hypnosis to switch their religion. The book also got criticism because many sources referred to in the book and many of the people are anonymous.
Another criticism thrown against the book was that Peale did not allow his followers to see the bad side of things- only the good. To him there is no suffering, nothing wrong. I do not agree with this at all, because to be able to help people you have to have a sense of their pain yourself. Otherwise you are thoughtlessly blabbering untruths. And if you were trying to help someone, wouldn’t you want to block out negatives too, rather than focus on them?
Peale himself got a lot of criticism as he caused a lot of trouble with politicians. When JFK was elected, Peale criticized him because he was Catholic, saying that naturally he would help the Catholic Church rather than run the country properly. However, upon his passing, Bill Clinton spoke good words about him, saying he was an optimist who believed any problem could be fixed by the power of God.
He also got caught up in a fight with politician Adlai Stevenson… Stevenson was a presidential candidate and was told by a news reporter that Peale had been calling him “unfit for presidency” because he was divorced. When Stevenson stepped up to the podium to make one of his speeches, he said: “Speaking as a Christian, I find the Apostle Paul appealing and Peale appalling.” Many times he replied with this quote when asked about Peale.
However, Peale was very close to the Nixon family, and officiated the Nixon/Eisenhower wedding. During the Watergate crisis he continuously called the White House. In 1984, Ronald Reagan awarded him the highest civilian honor in the United States- the presidential medal of freedom- to thank him for his contributions to theology.
“The problem with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism” – Norman Vincent Peale
I read the book, and I personally loved it. Methodist or not I like that Peale believes that God can solve anything- because it is absolutely true. Sometimes we might not know it and get fed up with God, not understanding why certain things are happening until it smacks us in the face- literally. I find it amazing that just prayer could solve SO MANY problems… and it inspires me. I am going to start praying a little more myself.
My favorite instance is probably the story about the traveling salesman who can’t sell anything because he has no confidence in himself. He is so used to not selling anything that he has become discouraged, feeling that he can’t sell anything. With the help of prayer, he learns to put his troubles into the hands of God and everything will work out. In the end he becomes very successful.
I like that story because it is so relatable… all of us have days, sometimes weeks when we just feel like giving up. Peale reminds us with this story that if we just pray and put our problems into prayer, God will guide us and help us all. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” – Norman Vincent Peale
There are many short stories like that in the book. Each teaches a lesson about how the Lord helps those who ask him, and who devote their time to him. One of his main techniques is to carry a prayer verse that you like around with you, and when you start feeling down, look at it, read it, and say a prayer to the Lord.
I do not think that the book deserved all the criticisms it received. I do not think that Peale meant any wrong to come from the book, just to help people understand God’s ways better. I saw no signs of the so-called “brainwashing” in the book, just a minister trying to help people with their problems and get through life easier.
In fact, the only problem I really had with that book was that it was repetitive- the stories got to be boring after awhile. But I got through it, and in the end it was well worth the read. I am going to try to spend a LITTLE more time praying now and maybe my life will go a bit better. There was another story in the book about confidence- a boy whose mother was smart and expected him to be smart like her.
He was always compared to other people, and so he built no self confidence. He was constantly yelled at for not doing well on tests. Peale helped him by telling him to let go of all the harsh remarks and to pray to the Lord before and after each test. Sure enough, it worked and the boy started getting higher marks.
“It’s always too early to quit.” – Norman Vincent Peale
Some inspiring quotes from Peale:
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
This quote is so true… If you have consistently negative thoughts then naturally your day will seem moody and grey. Look at things with a brighter perspective and your day suddenly opens up… even the cruddiest day can look brighter with cheerful thoughts.
“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty minds and empty hearts can do that.”
I disagree with this- empty pockets CAN hold you back- at least for a little bit. However you do also need an open mind and heart to go anywhere with your life- close everything out and you’ll go nowhere and be LEFT with empty pockets!
“Four things for success- work and pray, think and believe.”
And also have a loving, caring family who has your back, and good friends… Peale left some of the finer things in life out in this quote. One cannot succeed without happiness, and no one can be very happy alone.
“It is of practical value to learn to like you. Since you must spend so much time with yourself you might as well get some satisfaction out of the relationship.”
Well, if you have a bent image of yourself, you should fix it. Peale completely right- and on top of you having to spend every living, breathing second with yourself, how about other people!? If YOU don’t even like yourself, why should anyone else? And if you have negative thoughts as such, then you likely won’t ever feel comfortable with people.
“Be interesting, be enthusiastic… and don’t talk too much.”
I think that EVEYONE needs to learn this lesson- sometimes you need to leave things be and just know when to shut up. (Says me, who can NEVER stop talking.)
“Don’t take tomorrow to bed with you.”
Don’t anticipate- as Peale says in another quote, “We tend to get what we expect.” Expect a grey, rainy, gloomy day, and while your weather prediction might not come true, your mood will hang over you all day.
“Drop the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders. The world would go on without you; don’t take yourself so seriously.”
Some people ARE really full of themselves. I think everyone is, a little bit. But Peale speaks the truth- even if someone who is full of him/her self died, the world would go on because unless they really WERE someone important the only people they were important to were the ones in their life. The world wouldn’t care.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
This is kind of a silly quote in my opinion. It only applies to certain instances. Kind of like: Well, you may not have lost ALL the weight that you wanted but you are that much closer! This is not the case for all goals- sometimes you aim for a goal and miss and end up WORSE OFF!
“Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only the best, be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.”
Before Peale wrote “The Power of Positive Thinking”, he and psychoanalyst Smiley Blanton started a religious/outpatient clinic next to Peale’s church. Blanton, having earned a medical degree, handled mental cases and Peale handled religious ones. Together they wrote a book, Peale writing one chapter, Blanton writing another. However when Peale published his second book and it came under fire, Blanton withdrew from Peale, not allowing him to put his name on the book and pretty much shutting him out, sheltering himself from bad publicity.
Peale had always said that Blanton and himself were close friends and authors and got along well, but this was obviously not the case if Blanton so quickly stepped away to cover his own rear. In fact, Blanton himself published a book a few years later that completely contradicted everything Peale’s book said.
“When you pray for someone, you tend to modify your personal attitude towards him.” – Norman Vincent Peale
Hypnosis?
Peale was criticized for “The Power of Positive Thinking” because many people thought of it as a hypnotism- one critic even going as far as to say: “Peale’s book would be better named: The Bible of American autohypnosis” claiming that the book itself contained words that if you looked over them seemed normal such as prescription, method, technique, and etc… Albert Ellis even went as far as to compare Peale’s techniques with that of a hypnotist, stating that persistent use of the techniques could be harmful.
“We tend to get what we expect” – Norman Vincent Peale
Norman Vincent Peale believed that changing your perspective could change anything, and really, it can. I don’t like how HARD it is sometimes to change your perspective… once you’ve set something as horrible, it is very hard to change it into something good. Kind of like having to WRITE this paper- I already had a bad outlook on it and I CAN’T change now. It’s too awful. Peale makes changing your perspective sound so easy when in reality it isn’t.
Oh, just change your perspective and pray- things will get better! No, not necessarily! Looking at things differently may make it seem easier, but it doesn’t change reality! Yeah, you can imagine that green beans are chocolate, but at the end of the day, what are they? GREEN BEANS. Looking at things with a different attitude DOES NOT help everyone. Some people, like me, have a hard time changing perspective- and to them “The Power of Positive Thinking” isn’t very helpful at all.
But the book IS a good one. To some people I am sure it is a great help- Peale has MANY examples in the book and many different scenarios on how to change your perspective. Some of his techniques include taking a few minutes of peaceful time for you each day, or simply picturing yourself in a calm environment and praying before a big test. Giving yourself credit for the things that you are privileged enough to have, rather than moping about what you don’t. Writing down the things that you have in life to remind yourself that YOU ARE GREAT.
All these techniques, while I don’t find them to be a help, have actually helped THOUSANDS of people. Peale said that he actually designed the techniques to help himself- admitting that when he was younger, he had a very bad inferiority complex. When he saw how successful his technique was, he decided to share it with others by writing the Power of Positive Thinking. The clinic that he originally opened with Blanton is now the Institute of Religion and Health, and til his death Peale was a main contributor and was on the board of directors.
He and his wife also started a newspaper called Guideposts magazine- currently it has 4.5 million subscribers, making it the most subscribed religious magazine. While both he and his wife are long dead, their legacy still lives on through the magazine, through the IRH, and through Peale’s numerous religious self-help books.
On top of having a best selling book, Peale’s sermons were also mailed to 750,000 people per month, his radio show aired on NBC for 54 years, and he was also the subject of the 1964 movie One Man’s Way. He basically BEGAN Christian psychology and brought psychology to the attention of many Christian churches. As I mentioned above- Peale really left a mark on the world… his book is loved by millions, has helped thousands, and his work is classic and even 50 years later is still being read and cherished.
“Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.” – Norman Vincent Peale
Childhood Years
When Peale was younger, he mentions being tall, lanky, and very skinny. Being skinny bothered Peale as a child- he wanted to be fat, but as hard as he tried and as much as he ate he COULD NOT GAIN WEIGHT. Another thing that bothered Peale was being a preacher’s son, as preacher’s sons were supposed to be nice and good. Peale wanted to be known as hard boiled. He also came from a family of speakers who stood on stages and gave speeches- the last two things Peale EVER wanted to do was become a preacher or a lector. In the end, however- he became both and it made him famous.
Before his fame, in his childhood Peale worked as a young boy selling the newspaper, working at the grocery store and going door to door selling pots and pans to help support his poor family. He was born on May 31st of 1898, the first of 3 sons born to Charles and Anna Peale. He graduated from Bellefontaine High School.
Synopsis of Chapters
Chapter 1: Believe in Yourself
During this chapter, Peale describes his meeting with a business man in his late forties who tells him his concern of not achieving anything in life. He says “If I succeed, it means everything to me. If I fail, I am done for.” Peale tells him to calm down and that if he succeeds, great. If he fails, tomorrow is another day to try again. The man has very little disbelief in himself. Peale gives him a few words of prayer to repeat and shows him the brighter side of his situation, and in just a few weeks, the man is back on track and not gloomy.
Another man meets Peale, telling him how he used to be popular when he was younger, but now he is old and washed up. Peale sits and tells him that while he might not be the life of the party anymore, to think of all the things that he has achieved and DOES have. He and Peale make a list of “assets” that the man has in his life- a strong marriage with his wife, strong and supportive friends, loving children. The man realizes that he has a lot to be thankful for, and turns his life around.
I think that making a list to remind you of how good you are is a great idea…. People should do it more often. Sometimes all you need to get yourself out of a rut is a little reminder to yourself of what you have and…. Not to sound egotistical but how GREAT you are!
Chapter 2: A Peaceful Mind Generates Power
In this chapter, Peale helps a restless man find sleep by the help of prayer- and another man’s tip. The men begin talking about how they slept the previous night, and while one man barely slept, having heard trouble before closing his eyes, the other man slept soundly- he had read the same troubling news as the first man, but had given himself time to digest it, and then had prayed before bed. Peale talked to the man and prayed with him over the phone, explaining that it is best to relax before bed, rather than intercept troubling news.
A technique used in this chapter is a very good one- talk calmly and things will be calm. Talk about calming things and you will feel calm. It’s actually very good- and true. When I talk about baking, or cool, relaxing place, I tend to feel calm and cool. However, when I am yelling about something stupid, like whether or not I should go outside, I tend to get hot under the collar and annoyed.
It makes sense- talk about good things, be in a good mood. Talk about crappy, pointless things and yell, be in a crappy mood.
Chapter 3: How to Have Constant Energy
Like our emotions have an effect on our mood, they also affect our energy levels. Have you ever had one of those days where you just feel entirely unproductive and like you have just sat around all day doing ABOSLUTELY NOTHING? According to Peale, it has to do with our outlook and attitude about the day.
If you convince yourself that you are tired, and aren’t going to get anything done, your brain will believe it after awhile. And once your brain believes that you ACTUALLY ARE tired, it sends signals to your muscles, and you wind up doing nothing all day but slouching around complaining. If you are going to send signals to your brain, make them productive ones at least.
The final technique taught in this chapter goes hand in hand with the first- if you start feeling your energy drain, remind yourself with a passage from the bible: “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” “Recharge” yourself with prayer- read the bible and calm yourself, then try working again.
Chapter 4: Try Prayer Power
This chapter basically goes over prayer, and how powerful it is… to the right person. Peale describes prayer as the most powerful thing in the universe- “You’re not using a kerosene lamp for illumination, you’re using the most up to date lighting when you pray.” He describes basically what he has been through in the previous chapters.
Prayer is refreshing, it digs you out of SO many ruts in life, it gives you strength, confidence and energy to live your life to the fullest… as long as you use it right and keep doing it.
Chapter 5: How to Create Your Own Happiness
Peale talks about the simplicity of happiness in this chapter- how easy it is to just- BE HAPPY. He talks of a television show host who has an old man on the show as a guest. The old man is very happy, and upon being asked why he is so happy, he responds with: “I just am. When I roll out of bed in the morning, I have a choice- to be happy or unhappy. And I choose to be happy.” That is literally as simple as it is too..
Happiness IS indeed a choice. Only we can cause our own feelings, and only we are in charge of them. Whether you decide upon happiness at the start of your day affects the outcome of your day- gloominess will give you a miserable day, while looking at things with a bit of light may give you are happier day. Once again- it all depends on YOUR perspective.
Peale asked his young daughter what made her happy. She replied: “I don’t know, I just am. My schoolmates make me happy, going to Sunday school makes me happy, being with my family and brothers and sister makes me happy.” Only such simple things are needed to be happy: Friends, family, prayer… not big things like money, or cars, or anything fancy. Just small things can make a day- like a beautiful sunset. It costs nothing but yet can mean everything.
Chapter 6: Stop Fuming and Fretting
We ALL have those days where EVERYTHING “sets us off”. Peale says that our emotions get the best of us and we act foolishly- fussing and, well, fuming over every little thing. Peale tells of taking a relaxing walk in the woods with his wife to let go off some of his troubles. Finding a quiet place, they sit down and relax, listening to nature when they are disrupted by young people walking through the woods blasting music on a radio.
Him and his wife were trying to enjoy nature and were interrupted by the group of young people. They were nice enough, but the music was annoying. Presently they carried on, leaving Peale and his wife to wonder why they didn’t just sit back and enjoy nature’s music- birds chirping, the wind whistling through the trees, the sounds in the faint distance…
Peale then tells of a trip to visit his son in New England, and how his wife pointed out beautiful sights that he sped by. He felt so guilty that he drove a mile back to enjoy the beautiful scenery with her. I think that the lesson in this chapter is- don’t waste your time being angry about little things… don’t waste beautiful moments in life. Life goes so fast, and we go with it, and if we don’t stop, we miss all of the best sights… kind of like Peale. The only difference is, you can’t go back.
Chapter 7: Expect the Best and Get it
In this chapter, Peale tells about expectations. Take me going into a tournament, for example… If I go into my tournament expecting to lose, it de-motivates me and triggers my brain (like in previous chapters). Then, by the time I am ready to compete, I have deflated myself SO much that I don’t give my performance my all, and end up losing because of it… so technically, if you expect the worst, you will get the worst.
However, expecting the best is a different story. Expecting the best doesn’t guarantee you’ll GET the best- it just gives you more hope and more incentive, which often times motivates you enough where you get the best anyway. The lesson taught in this chapter is what Peale calls “God’s Beauty Parlor”.
One day, a beautiful woman came to see Peale. She had a sharp attitude and a prim, tight face. She demanded an answer to her dilemma- she wished to be married. Peale talked with her for a bit, and finally gave her her answer. He told her she had to loosen up a bit- no man wanted to feel dominated. She also needed to lose the tightened lines in her face, which were not complimenting at all, and dress up a bit. She thanked him for his strange but thoughtful advice and left.
Some 12 years later after a speech, Peale was approached by a beautiful woman with a little boy and a husband on her arm. It was the very same woman Peale had helped so many years ago, and she was so changed that he didn’t even recognize her at first. She took his advice and lightened up a bit, and changed her appearance- and she soon found a husband and she now had a 10 year old boy. It just goes to show what a LITTLE change can do… and a little expectance.
Chapter 8: I Don’t Believe in Defeat
This is a very interesting and encouraging chapter- Peale tells the readers to let go of any challenges standing in their way, and not to think about them repeatedly and bring yourself down. He tells of a boy with a very smart mother who strives for her son to be intelligent like her… but gets annoyed when he doesn’t get good grades.
The boy tells Peale how he stresses constantly over tests and assignments, brought down by his low self esteem and his mother’s harsh words. Peale tells the boy to forget all about the criticism and ignore all the barriers blocking him from good grades- just say a prayer before a test or exam and after to help. The boy, after practicing what Peale told him for a few weeks, got much better marks on his homework.
Honestly, it is good advice- if something is challenging you, go at it open mindedly! Don’t constantly think about how you can’t- because after all, can’t is only “can” with a t!
Chapter 9: How to Break the Worry Habit
In this chapter, Peale teaches you how to handle worry. He describes worry as “just a bad habit”, and habits can be as easily broken as they are to fall into. This habit is actually deadly- tests have been done, and it is shown that people who worry too much tend to live shorter lives than people who have learned to let go of all their troubles.
Surveys have also showed that churchgoers and married couples live longer too… I guess that having a partner to ease your worries takes them away, little by little, and if that doesn’t work, just give your troubles to the Lord! Peale’s method in this chapter is quite simple: Picture yourself in your head with no worries. Clear your mind of any stress, and imagine yourself as having no worries at all.
But your mind will not stay worry-free for a very long time, so you must fill it with something else- prayer and words of the Lord. Pray and let your troubles go free- and live a worry-free life.
Chapter 10: Power to Solve Personal Problems
Peale tells in this chapter of a successful business man and his wife. The man, Bill, was very successful and was at the top of the ladder in his company below the president, and was very happy- but then a new president took his place. The new president was quite different from the old one, and had different rules.
Peale had dinner with the family- the wife was FUMING over the switch, while Bill was quiet about it and not too troubled. Peale suggested that they give their troubles to the Lord, and sit in prayer for a minute about the situation. They prayed, and just a few months later, things got better. Bill liked the new president better than the old one, and his wife got to being friends with the president’s wife.
3 years later, Peale received a call from Bill’s wife, excited as could be- the old president had retired and in his place, Bill was going to be the new president! They all got together once more in prayer and thanked God for all he had done to help them… Basically, if you truly pray and believe, God WILL help you… though it may not be right away.
This draws to a close my paper… Norman Vincent Peale was a wonderful man with a great faith and a great mind. He helped many in his lifetime and through his writings is still helping people today. I would definitely recommend the Power of Positive Thinking to an avid reader and/or prayer.
Maddie
