Comment

The first important fact to consider in connection with the study of thought is that every thought does not possess power. In modern times, when thinking has been studied so closely, many have come to the conclusion that every thought is itself a force and that it invariably produces certain definite results; but this is not true, and it is well, for if every thought had power we could not last very long as the larger part of ordinary human thinking is chaotic and destructive.

When we proceed to determine what kinds of thought have power and what kinds have not, we find two distinct forms. The one we call objective, the other subjective. Objective thought is the result of general thinking, such as reasoning, intellectual research, analysis, study, the process of recollection, mind-picturing where there is no feeling, and the usual activities of the intellect.

In brief, any mental process that calls forth the activities of the intellect is objective, and such thinking does not affect the conditions of mind and body to any extent. It does not immediately affectyour health, your happiness, your physical condition
or your mental condition. It may, however, affect these things in the long run, and for that reason must not be ignored.

Subjective thinking is any form of thinking that has depth of feeling, that goes beneath the surface in its action, that moves through the undercurrents, that acts in and through the psychological field.

Subjective thought is synonymous with the thought of the heart, and it is subjective thought that is referred to in the statement, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.”

Subjective thought proceeds from the very heart of mental existence; that is, it is always in contact with everything that is vital in life. It is always alive with feeling, and originates, so to speak, in the heart of the mind.

—From Your Forces and How to Use Them by Christian D Larson