Why people won't self-help

Now we start seeing the tie-ins between the various turn-of-the-(last)-century data and modern discoveries such as quantum physics. Coue's autosuggestion was mentioned at length by Hill in both his Law of Success and also Think and Grow Rich (chapter 4). However, Hill shortchanged the subject just a bit - it was routinely and successfully used to cure all manner of illnesses (long before the FDA said only quacks could "cure" anything).

I just published his book (free download) on Lulu so you can access this data for yourself. Most of his key data is available on the linked blog post.

But this section below also says why some people won't improve, no matter how many books, tapes, and seminars they consume - either (1) they can't get it, or (2) they won't believe it.

A Modern View: "After what has just been said it would seem that nobody ought to be ill. That is quite true. Every illness, whatever it may be, can yield to autosuggestion, daring and unlikely as my statement may seem; I do not say does always yield, but can yield, which is a different thing.

But in order to lead people to practice conscious autosuggestion they must be taught how, just as they are taught to read or write or play the piano.

Autosuggestion is, as I said above, an instrument that we possess at birth, and with which we play unconsciously all our life, as a baby plays with its rattle. It is however a dangerous instrument; it can wound or even kill you if you handle it imprudently and unconsciously. It can on the contrary save your life when you know how to employ it consciously. One can say of it as Aesop said of the tongue: 'It is at the same time the best and the worst thing in the world'.

I am now going to show you how everyone can profit by the beneficent action of autosuggestion consciously applied. In saying 'every one', I exaggerate a little, for there are two classes of persons in whom it is difficult to arouse conscious autosuggestion:

1. The mentally undeveloped who are not capable of understanding what you say to them.

2. Those who are unwilling to understand."