Back in December, a reader posted this comment to a post here (What's the Difference Between... ?):
"Hi Tony,
I have a question, which has been bothering me for many years and started after reading 'The Science of getting rich'. In it, Wallace D. Wattles exclaims about 'doing Things in the Certain Way', yet I have not been able to find a proper explanation of the 'Certain Way' in any of the books (perhaps I've missed it). Can you elaborate on this for me??
Thank you,
Kurt."
To which I replied:
"Maybe I'll address this in a little more detail at some point in a blog post of its own, but let me give you my short answer. Essentially, it's doing things in the way that gets you the result you're seeking. Hope that helps for now Kurt. Thanks for your comment!"
Well, as I said I might, I thought I'd take the time today to address this in a little more detail.
First of all, don't feel bad. To be perfectly honest with you, I couldn't quite grasp its meaning either for the longest time after I first started reading The Science of Getting Rich. I'd think I had it, then I'd reread the book and some little thing would leave me questioning my interpretation.
Note: Mr. Wattles never really explained his use of the term directly in any of his books (it wasn't until his The Science of... series, The Science of Getting Rich, The Science of Being Well, and The Science of Being Great, that he even used the term), and, in them, he often used it in more than one context, which, I think, is what leads to the confusion.
It wasn't until I found copies of his book The Personal Power Course and his Lessons in Constructive Science articles (both of which, in one form or another, predate The Science of Getting Rich) that I really understood his use of the term.
Two passages in particular were helpful...
The first, this one from The Personal Power Course:
"... every act of force is either constructive or destructive in its tendency. Nature is always working along two general lines; integrating atoms, drawing them together into forms, and scattering and dispersing the same atoms; dissolving the forms. The same agencies are employed in construction and destruction; there is no duality, and we do not find two sets of forces at work. Nature, working with the chemistry of life, with oxygen and the food particles of matter, builds a great oak tree; but when it is finished it is already dead at the heart, and Nature goes on with the same agencies - oxygen and the chemical processes - to disintegrate its form. The same oxygen, which is the principal agent in building our living bodies, is the chief agency in disintegrating them when dead. It is a matter of constructive or of destructive use of the same things whether we have health or sickness, success or failure."
That last sentence:
"It is a matter of constructive or of destructive use of the same things whether we have health or sickness, success or failure."
Being of particular importance.
The second, this one from Lessons in Constructive Science:
"There is a constructive, or integrating principle in nature, and a destructive, or disintegrating principle. - Power applied through the constructive principle builds, forms and integrates; it draws atoms and forms together. - Power applied through the destructive principle dissolves and disintegrates; it disperses atoms and forms, and throws them apart. - To learn how to make every thought and action constructive, is to master the secret of all attainment."
That last sentence:
"To learn how to make every thought and action constructive, is to master the secret of all attainment."
Being the one that did it for me.
So, going back to my short answer:
"Essentially, it's doing things in the way that gets you the result you're seeking."
The "Certain Way" is, essentially, doing things (thinking and acting) in the way (constructively) that gets you (builds or creates) the result you're seeking.
Think about it this way...
If your every thought and action is constructive (in that it contributes to the building or creation) of the end result your seeking (what you want), how could you not possibly attain it?
The answer is... you can't!
And therein lies, as Mr. Wattles put it so nicely...
"... the secret of all attainment."
Thus making your getting what you want absolutely "certain".
For detailed instructions on how to make your every thought and action constructive (for the attainment of health, wealth, talent, marital happiness, and more), I highly recommend your reading The Personal Power Course by Wallace D. Wattles and the fifteen articles of his Lessons of Constructive Science series, which, together, have long served as my personal blueprint for successfully applying Mr. Wattles' strategies to my life. Click or tap the links below to get your copies today.
Click or tap here to get The Personal Power Course on Amazon Kindle.
Click or tap here to get Lessons in Constructive Science on Amazon Kindle.
Click or tap here to get The Personal Power Course and Lessons in Constructive Science along with sixty-eight other rare books and articles by Wallace D. Wattles on Amazon Kindle.
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Click or tap here to get The Personal Power Course along with eleven other rare books and articles by Wallace D. Wattles in paperback on Amazon.
Click or tap here to get Lessons in Constructive Science along with fifty-seven other rare books and articles by Wallace D. Wattles in paperback on Amazon.
Related Pages:
Lessons in Constructive Science by Wallace D. Wattles
The Personal Power Course by Wallace D. Wattles
Related Post:
Tony, thank you, for..... "It is a matter of constructive or of destructive use of the same things whether we have health or sickness, success or failure." Very well stated. My grandson had asked a time or two, " Okay, I read the book and really, what in the heck is the 'certain way'? We were looking for something difficult and you explained it simply and perfectly. Isn't that the way of life in general? Life really is simple and we seem to try and make it difficult. It brings to my mind a scripture...:"Because of the simpleness of the way, many perish..."
So thanks again and we enjoy your Blog!
Cindy
Posted by: Cindy Yates | 08/30/2015 at 06:09 PM
You're most welcome. I'm so glad to hear that. Thank you for your comment!
Posted by: Tony Mase | 08/31/2015 at 09:25 AM
Tony, this is amazing... First of all thank you for commenting on "the certain way". I've been listening to the The Science of Getting Rich audio book now for nearly three years, and I always discover something new!... The other day I wrote a post about "the certain way" on my fb fan page, interpreting it my own way and now I read your blog: synchronicity at its best!!THANK YOU SO MUCH, this is the confirmation I needed.
My post in Italian: "Ci sono persone che lavorano in modo efficiente, che fanno ogni cosa, anche la più piccola, "in un certo modo"... Sono persone di successo!! (da The Science of Getting Rich - W D Wattles) TRANSLATION: There are people who work in an efficient manner, who do everything, even the smallest of tasks "in a certain way"... These are successful people!" What do you think? :) I will find the time to read your blog more often, it's a promise!... Graziana
Posted by: Graziana | 09/01/2015 at 06:25 PM
You're most welcome Graziana. I look forward to it. Thank you so much for your comment!
Posted by: Tony Mase | 09/02/2015 at 09:28 AM
Actually, Wallace was quite clever in the way he disguised the true and simple meaning of the message he conveyed in The Science of Getting Rich.
The "way" is hidden in plain sight and yet so subtle that most, including myself, take a while to grasp it's true meaning.
It is hidden in his oft repeated phrase " by doing things in a certain way".
That "way" is ... Certainty. I was mind blown when I realized how wise he was to turn his message into a riddle for us to decipher.
When we act and feel with Certainty, with Conviction, with Confidence, and Without Doubt, manifestation happens almost effortlessly.
It is acting with absolute belief and without doubt that our desires will manifest.
As was written in the scriptures, in Mark 11:23...
"Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.
Mark 11:24... "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
I hope this helps many of you understand what doing things in a Certain Way truly means.
Posted by: David Polanco | 06/15/2019 at 11:06 PM
An interesting way of looking at it. I think there's a wee bit more to it than that (see my answer to the question above), but it's an interesting way of looking at it nonetheless. Thanks for your comment!
Posted by: Tony Mase | 06/16/2019 at 04:03 AM