Dr Norman Vincent Peale

The Power Of Positive Thinking

Dr Norman Vincent Peale, who is perhaps most famous for his book The Power Of Positive Thinking, could be considered one of the founding fathers of the self help movement. Dr Peale initially developed his positive thinking philosophy to help overcome what he described as "the worst inferiority complex of all." As it turned out the world needed his philosophy just as much as he did.

After he experienced the transformative power of faith combined with positive self talk, Norman Vincent Peale made it his life mission to share its healing qualities with the American public.

The Early Days
Dr Norman Vincent Peale was born on May 31, 1898 in Bowersville, Ohio. He completed most of his education there before going on to study at Boston University's School of Theology. In 1922, Peale was ordained a Methodist Minister, however 10 years later he shifted his religious affiliations to the Reformed Church in America.

Reaching The American Public
In the 1940s, Dr Norman Vincent Peale and his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale, founded the Guideposts organization which today describes itself as "A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hope, encouragement, and inspiration to millions across America and the world." Guideposts became best known for its magazine by the same name, which is today one of the 25 largest publications in the U.S.

At the center of Peale's life was his role as pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan, New York, where he was pastor for 52 years. During his tenure, he grew the congregation from under 1000 parishioners to well over 5000.

His unique approach combined Christianity with positive thinking. He shared this through his many books, his weekly radio program, The Art Of Living which ran on NBC for more than 50 years, and through monthly mailings of his sermons. Today he's best remembered for his book, The Power Of Positive Thinking which provides compelling evidence of the power of faith to shape a positive mind.

Dr Norman Vincent Peale died in 1993, at the age of 95.

Norman Vincent Peale Quotes To Remember
Here are some of my favorite Norman Vincent Peale quotes:

"Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all."

"Drop the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders. The world would go on even without you. Don't take yourself so seriously."

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."

"Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds."

"Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture... Do not build up obstacles in your imagination."

"If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind."

"If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal."

Want To Know More About Dr Norman Vincent Peale?
I can heartily recommend The Power of Positive Thinking. I picked up a copy during a very dark period in my life and it gave me a lot of support and helped me turn a corner. You might also like to try his Thought Conditioners. Norman Vincent Peale publicized these forty versus from the Bible as having transformative powers when repeated frequently with sincerity and positive intent. I tried out these thought conditioners for myself and I have to say, they were also very beneficial.