It’s February so I get to write about the other side of health: Love and Success.
This year I found myself immersed in Florence Scovel Shinn’s book, The Complete Game of Life and How to Play It. Filled with ageless wisdom for obtaining prosperity, love, health, and success in every aspect of life, I knew immediately that it was something I wanted to share with my patients and readers.
The standard definition of health says that it’s not merely the lack of disease and infirmity, but 100% physical, mental and emotional well-being. This is an important concept to understand in evaluating your own health, especially if it’s somehow lacking. To get somewhere or achieve something, it’s proven that a plan or a formula ensures the greatest success. Shinn’s book outlines the perfect plans to help us experience greater health and happiness throughout life.
Published in 1925, The Game of Life and How to Play It is the first of four books written by Shinn. Utilizing many of the same principles I had already encountered in my studies, Shinn describes how to best overcome failure, find joy, and embrace a successful life.
Shinn says that most people consider life a battle but it’s really a game. And in order to win, you must know the rules. She contends that all of the laws to help us play the game of life most successfully may be found in books, such as the Bible. Shinn’s writings caught my attention primarily because of her ability to translate scriptural laws into action. The fact that anyone can apply these scriptural laws to attract more love, success, and prosperity in their life no matter what their religious background or affiliation makes this book earn its reputation as a “game-changer.”
The first rule in playing the game of life is in understanding that life is about giving and receiving. “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7). Whatever we send out in word or deed will return to us. What we give, we will receive. If you send hate, you will receive hate. If you give love, love will be returned…
Shinn makes a case for the idea that God is ever ready to carry out our smallest or greatest demands. She explains that the caveat is that we must make the first move — brought into manifestation through desire, faith or the spoken word. And most important is having perfect faith in the spoken word. To illustrate, she provides many examples of how we’ll always get what we ask for. If we ask for success and we prepare for failure, we’ll get what we’ve prepared for. So when we prepare for failure, we’ll get failure.
Prov.4:23 states, “Keep thy heart (or imagination) with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” This means that we must be aware of what we ponder or think about — because sooner or later it appears in our affairs.
Another theme carried throughout the book is that our conditions are changed by changing our words. “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov.18.21). This refers to the power of the spoken word. Perhaps you’ve heard that words should be used for only three purposes, to heal, bless, or prosper. When we understand the power of the word, we learn how important it is to be careful in all of our conversations, both in speaking to others as well as in speaking to ourselves.
Many people have heard reference to “the law of attraction.” This concept was popularized by Esther and Jerry Hicks in the movie, The Secret, in 2006, but the term was around long before the movie. According to Wikipedia, it first appeared in print in 1877. Since the law of attraction works for good as well as evil, we should not give our attention to things we do not desire or we will attract them into our life. We will materialize our internal demons without fail unless we’re willing to confront them. This was my experience until I understood this law. Shinn says to walk up to the thing you are afraid of and show fearlessness.
She says we must completely erase fear from our consciousness. Fear is inverted faith and that fear is faith in evil. Mathew 8:26 speaks to this when Jesus Christ said, “Why are ye fearful, oh ye of little faith?” “All things are possible to him that believeth.”
Each chapter in The Game of Life builds upon the preceding chapter, each filled with so many useful ideas that it’s hard to choose what to share with you. To provide an idea of what’s contained in this little book, I’ve listed the chapter titles which include: The Game, The Law of Prosperity, The Power of the Word, The Law of Nonresistance, The Law of Karma and The Law of Forgiveness, Casting the Burden (Impressing the Subconscious), Love, Intuition or Guidance, Perfect Self-Expression or The Divine Design, and Denials and Affirmations.
After publishing The Game of Life in 1925, Shinn published Your Word is Your Wand in 1928, The Secret Door to Success in 1940, and The Power of the Spoken Word in 1945. Some publications contain a compilation of all four books, and certain versions include additional quotes, study questions, meditations, and suggestions for incorporating Shinn’s principles into your life.
Each book is packed with a surprising amount of universal laws and examples of how to use them successfully. In the many references to religious text, we are reminded that God wants us to be successful. Shinn says that freedom (from all unhappy conditions) comes through knowledge — knowledge of Spiritual Law. Expand your knowledge when you attend our workshop to learn how to become more successful, happier, and healthier. Attract exactly what you want in your life by learning the rules for winning in the game of life!
Dr. William H. Karl, D.C., is a Brimhall Certified Wellness Doctor with over 35 years of experience helping people to improve their health. Learn how to support that awesome body of yours by attending his FREE workshops! Join Dr. William H. Karl, D.C. Thursday, February 11 at 7 pm to learn about “Rules for Winning in the Game of Life.” Please register for this workshop at 734-425-8220. For more information, see www.KarlWellnessCenter.com
