Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was an American minister and author who is best known for his work in popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking. He served as the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, New York, from 1932 until 1984,[1] leading a Reformed Church in America congregation.

 

Peale was a personal friend of President Richard Nixon and has influenced other US presidents as well.

 

 

A Short Preview from The Power of Positive Thinking - By Normal Vincent Peale

 

Now what I want to talk to you tonight is why positive thinker gets positive results.

And they do too and that’s for sure.

One reason that the positive thinker gets positive result is he is not afraid of a problem.

As a matter of fact, he finds problem exciting.

He likes to take a tough naughty problem, and ripe it apart and put it together again in the right manner. He doesn’t run away from the problem, he doesn’t complain about the problem. He likes problem.

 

Now this phenomenal known as a problem isn’t what you might call the most popular in this land of the free and home of the brave.

 

I rather get the notion that the average person thinks that life would be simply wonderful if we have fewer problem or easier problems or better still no problems whatsoever.

 

Now I like to ask you, “Would you actually be better off if you have fewer problems?

Or easier problems? Or no problems at all?

 

Let me answer that question by telling you of an incident.

 

I was walking down fifth avenue in New York City not so long ago when I saw approaching me a friend of mine from out of town by the name of George.

 

That he wasn’t, you might say, feel the over flowing with the ecstasy and exuberant of human existence which in high class way of saying that George was drag in the bottom, he was really low.

 

Well this excited my natural sympathy so I asked him “How are you, George?”

 

How I would get down to it but it was a routine inquiry.          

 

But it represented an abnormal mistake on my part.

 

And George took me seriously and for 15 minutes, he enlightened me materialistically how badly he felt. And the more he talked, the worst I felt.

 

So finally I said, well George what seems to be the troubles? What is bothering you?

 

I like to help you if I could. This really set him off.

 

All he said “Problems, Problems, nothing but Problems. I am fed up with problems”.

 

And he got so exercise about the matter that he quite forgot who he was talking to.

 

And he began to castigate these problems victoriocally.

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Using in the process that I am sad to relate in a great many theological terms.

 

Though he did not put them together in theological manner that’s for sure.

 

But I know what he meant “Alright”.

 

He had what the superior called the power to communicate.

 

So I said George you like to get rid of these problems and he said then how and I would like to get rid of every problem.

 

Well I always like to help people I can so I can concentrate on the situation,,,,

 

And came out with a solution which I personally thought it wasn’t that bad at least it was truth.

 

I said George, the other day I was at the northern part of New York City, in the woodland branch on professional business if I may categorised it and I was in the area up there where the head man told me by actual count, there were 150,000 people, and not a single one has a problem.

 

The first enthusiasm I saw George lighted up his eyes as he said to me “Boy, lead me to this place”.

 

I said ok you asked for it and it is at Woodland Cemetery.

 

And this is the fact.

Nobody there has a problem.

For them, life has fulfilled and is over. They rest ,,,,,

 

They couldn’t care less what you and I will see on TV the night or read the morning newspapers.

 

They have no problem at all but they are dead.

 

If therefore as I believe in the logical sequence, that problem constitutes a sign of life.

 

In fact, I would go so far to say that the more problems you have, the more ALIVE you are!

 

A man who has, let’s says 10 good man-size problems is twice as Alive than as the poor miserable apathetic character person who has only has 5 problems.

 

And if you have no problem at all, then I warn you,

You Are in Great Jeopardy.

You are on the way out you don’t know.

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What you better do is, the minute this meeting is over, don’t fool around.

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Head for home, and go to your room and shut the door, get on to your kneel by the bed and pray to the lord. And say to the lord,

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“Lord, please what’s the matter? Don’t you trust me anymore? Give me some problems!”

 

And I wonder sometime what comes over such country.

 

The philosopher, thinker, psychiatrist,,,,  

They knew every problem contain a solution.

The world has so many problems.

Why we have so many problems?

Why do you have so many problems?

 

There is only one answer to that.

It is that you will go strong and more capable of handling problems.

The only way to make it strong man is through resistant.

Struggle, pain, frustration, disappointment, this makes man.

 

I would go so far to say that I don’t believe any individual can really be mentally healthy who hasn’t got a proper philosophy of a problem. Mental health is the very precarious things.

 

 

Continue the speech on youtube above,,,,

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