Has anyone ever read the mini-book, As a Man Thinketh? I read it this week for one of my classes and it is jam-packed with little insights that I love. The author James Allen wrote it in the early 1900's and I see it as the precursor to The Secret. You can find it online for free if you think it would suit your fancy. I'm going to post some of his thoughts for a bit because I liked it so much.
"In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not."