Full transcript
0:00Almost 100 years ago, a woman named Florence Scoville Shin wrote a tiny
0:04book that has quietly influenced millions of people. It predates modern manifestation. It
0:10predates the law of attraction movement. It predates neuroscience. And yet,
0:14many of the principles she taught are now being validated through psychology,
0:18behavioral science, and our understanding of identity. Today, I want to share the five most
0:23powerful distinctions I learned from her work and explain them through the lens of modern
0:27science and my own experience coaching tens of thousands of people. So, let's get into it.
0:36All right, guys. We hear a lot about other teachers like Napoleon Hill, Neville Goddard, but
0:41dare I say that I would put Florence Scovilleshin head-to-head with any great new thought teacher.
0:47She's definitely on my starting five. Her book, The Game of Life and How to Play It,
0:52is in my top five all-time reads. And she wrote a number of other amazing books like The Secret Door
0:57to Success, Your Word is Your Wand, The Power of the Spoken Word. I'm going to David Splain
1:01Florence Scoville Shin today because there's a good chance if you've been wanting to change your
1:05mind and change your reality that Florence has a key that can unlock the next level for you. So,
1:11distinction number one, life is a game governed by spiritual law. So Florence opens the game of
1:17life and how to play it with a powerful claim. She says most people consider life a battle, but it is
1:24not a battle. It is a game. So she consistently reframes the entire human experience as a game
1:32governed by a set of consistent laws. And this is a big deal because if life is a battle,
1:37then strength wins. But if life is a game, then understanding the rules wins. And she argues that
1:44every person is playing the game whether they know it or not. And that the laws governing this game
1:51are spiritual rather than merely material. And this is a complete break from today's industry
1:57of motivation and inspiration where you're told to hustle and grind or if you're not working hard
2:02enough, you need to just wake up earlier. The way Florence describes the game is played is so much
2:08more elegant and frankly so much more in alignment with the like the way that I would want to play
2:12the game of life. And one of her recurring themes is that people suffer not because the universe or
2:19God is withholding blessings but simply because they are unknowingly violating spiritual law.
2:25And that's a radically different way of looking at life because instead of asking why is this
2:29happening to me or what am I doing wrong she says we should be asking what law am I failing
2:34to understand. Throughout her book she tells stories of people whose external circumstances
2:39changed only after an internal realization. There's a woman who's struggling financially.
2:45She discovers that resentment and fear have dominated her consciousness. And the moment
2:50she lets that go her situation changes. Another person remains trapped until they stop fighting
2:56the circumstances that are showing up in their lives and they learn to let go, which allows a
3:01divine order to step in and solve their problems. And her stories are almost always following the
3:06same pattern. There's an internal correction, then an external change. And it's never the reverse.
3:12She is remarkably consistent about this. She says, "Consciousness comes first, experience follows."
3:19One of the things that I really like about how Florence teaches and that is that she's always
3:24referencing scripture and she says the Bible is a guide for understanding these laws. So for
3:29example, she references Isaiah, "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
3:35If you follow the laws, you'll prosper." That's basically what this is saying. So she interprets
3:40scripture all the time less as religious doctrine and more as how the mechanics of consciousness
3:46work. And this is one of the reasons I like her so much because she takes the seriousness out of life
3:51and she says it's a game. She removes the blocks and the impossibilities that we all experience
3:56and she says look the block is a misunderstanding of the law. Understand the law and you can remove
4:00the block. So everything that she talks about is how the internal creates the external. And she
4:05does it in such a lawbased framework driven way. Of course, I love frameworks that she presents
4:12reality as a structure that anyone can get good at learning. And I don't know about you, but
4:18that makes me excited. It makes me really want to get good at the game. So, distinction number two,
4:23your word is your wand. So, if there is one idea that Florence returns to over and over again,
4:28it is that speech is a powerful creative force. So, she wrote a whole book, two books actually,
4:34on the subject. She says, "Your words are never neutral and your words reveal your beliefs and
4:40your thought process and that they reinforce themselves into reality and that they have
4:45the ability to be creative or destructive." So, she talks about observing that most people are
4:49continually speaking against themselves without realizing it. People say they never have enough.
4:55They say nothing works out for them. They say they're unlucky. They say they always attract the
5:00wrong people. And then they become surprised when life continues to reflect those assumptions. So
5:06for Florence, your speech is not simply describing your life. Your speech is participating in the
5:12creation of your life. Again, this is why she devoted two entire books to the subject. So
5:17she believed that words impress themselves not only on the subconscious mind but on the field
5:24of reality itself. And one of her recurring themes is that the miracle that someone is often looking
5:30for often begins when someone changes the way that they speak. Not because saying different
5:35words is magical, but because different words are revealing a different consciousness. And
5:41so she's always showing that when someone stops speaking from fear and starts speaking from faith,
5:46their decisions change, their identity changes, their expectations change, and eventually their
5:51circumstances change. But she also says that words are magical. because they inform how
5:56coincidence and synchronicity show up for you. So the word becomes the outward evidence that
6:04an inward shift has already begun. And she's always referencing scripture. She says death
6:10and life are in the power of the tongue. And by thy words thou shalt be justified. By thy words,
6:16thou shalt be condemned. And so she reads these as spiritual instructions. Your speech is constantly
6:22setting the direction for your consciousness. And you know this just makes sense if we look
6:26at it from a modern perspective. Your words are more crystallized vibrations of your thoughts.
6:34Right? If your thoughts are vibrational, words are amplified frequency of your thoughts. So words are
6:41the first representation of your thoughts in the physical world. And so they become a very real
6:47creative force. It's like this idea of the word has now become flesh. The thought has now become
6:53physical through your speech and the stories that you repeatedly tell about yourself become
6:59the lens through which you perceive reality. And look, let's be honest, most people complain a lot,
7:05right? Try noticing for the next 24 hours when you say something negative. You'll probably be
7:10shocked at how frequently that happens. Or you speak something that's not in alignment
7:15with your desires, right? You say, "Ah, I just don't have enough time." Or, "My body hurts," or,
7:21"I'm tired," or, "It's going to be hard." Like, all of these words represent your
7:26current consciousness. And your consciousness creates your reality, right? Like Ford said,
7:30the man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right. And sometimes it's hard
7:35to notice your thoughts, but it's much easier to catch your words. And so if you just stop speaking
7:41your negative thoughts into the world, you choke off the sunlight to your mind and eventually the
7:47negative beliefs start to dry up. Right? That's how powerful your words are. They are the doorway
7:52between the inner and the outer world, between the visible and the invisible. And according to Shin,
7:57your speech is the gate that determines what you allow out into your physical reality.
8:03Distinction number three, non-resistance is the key to creation. Now, one of Florence's deepest
8:10teachings is that resistance strengthens the very thing resisted. And she repeatedly points her
8:17readers towards Christ's instruction to resist not evil. And at first glance, that sounds passive.
8:23But her interpretation is actually anything but passive. She suggests that emotional resistance
8:30binds consciousness to unwanted conditions. I'll say that one more time. Emotional resistance binds
8:38consciousness to unwanted conditions. In other words, fear keeps fear alive. Resentment keeps
8:46the past alive. Conflict perpetuates conflict. The energy that you invest in fighting something often
8:52becomes the energy that's actually sustaining it. So instead of forcing life into submission,
8:58she teaches non-resistance. Across her books, she tells numerous stories of people who finally get
9:05what they want only after letting go of fear or control or bitterness or desperation. The external
9:12breakthrough always follows an internal surrender. Again and again she demonstrates that letting
9:19go is not giving up. It is creating space for a higher order to enter the system which creates a
9:26resolution to the problem itself. In other words, non-resistance creates a space for solutions to
9:33emerge and resistance simply perpetuates the problem that you're trying to solve. And she's
9:38points to teachings in the Bible like agree with thine adversary quickly. Right? You first read
9:45of that and you're like agree with my adversary quickly. But what what that is indicating it's
9:51an instruction related to consciousness that you should be non-resistant. Right? She interprets
9:56these as instructions for consciousness. And the objective is not surrendering the circumstances.
10:01The objective is withdrawing your creative energy from what you no longer wish to perpetuate in your
10:08reality. Now, of course, I love this teaching. It's in alignment with one of my primary teachings
10:12I call the golden equation, which is desire plus non-resistance equals desired result. Right? If
10:18there was one equation that distilled down all of personal growth, success principles, spiritual
10:23law, it would be that whatever you desire can and will materialize itself if you can remain
10:31non-resistant to the desire itself. But just notice that so often the moment we want something,
10:37we start noticing the absence of it. Like the mind starts explaining why it's not here yet,
10:41right? There's not enough time. There's not enough money. I'm not worthy or deserving of
10:45it. The doctors say that nobody's ever recovered from it. He'll never change. So if your thoughts
10:51are creating your reality, then you must maintain a non-resistant state to the thing that you want.
10:57You have to ignore your current reality and hold the vision of the thing desired. Florence says
11:02this is one of the primary spiritual laws that's fundamental to overcoming challenges and achieving
11:07the vision and goals that you have for your life. And I'm all in with Florence on this one.
11:13Distinction number four, imagination precedes manifestation. So Florence consistently taught
11:20that the unseen precedes the scene. Of course, this is also a fundamental teaching of the great
11:25mystic Neville Goddard. She says the inner image precedes the outer condition. In other words, this
11:32is not a question of which came first, the chicken and the egg. Was it the inner vision or the outer
11:37manifestation? She says 100% of the time, the vision must be held first. the crystallization
11:43of it into reality then follows. So she encourages people to mentally occupy, I love that phrase,
11:51mentally occupy the fulfilled state long before physical evidence appears to hold the vision
11:58despite your current circumstances, which is easier said than done, but this is how the law
12:04works. And so she encourages what she calls living in anticipation or living in preparation assuming
12:12that what you desire already exists and living as if you were the person who had already received
12:16it. Right? This is another way of describing being your future self now. And she tells stories
12:22of a woman who sets her table every night in anticipation of her estranged husband coming back.
12:27back and then after two months of loyal consistent routine, right, living as if he suddenly reappears
12:34and they reunite. And she shares other stories of placing orders for the furnishing of a new home
12:38before the home had been found. And miraculously, a woman finds the home of her dreams. So,
12:43she's frequently tying imagination and faith together. She has a great quote. She says,
12:49"Man's supply is inexhaustible and unfailing when fully trusted, but faith or trust must precede the
12:57demonstration." She again references scripture where it is said, "According to your faith,
13:04be it unto you." Right? Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
13:10For faith holds the vision steady, and the adverse pictures are dissolved and dissipated, and in due
13:16season we shall reap. if we faint not. It's a word salad way of saying stay loyal to your decision
13:23and it must materialize into your reality. So modern neuroscience supports a lot of what
13:27Shin talked about in the 20s. Like we know that professional athletes can imagine playing their
13:32sport and their muscle fibers respond as if they were actually training. Pianists have been studied
13:37just imagining playing the piano and their brains become active as if they were actually playing the
13:41piano. So your mind is so powerful and both on a practical level and a vibrational level what
13:48you consistently hold in your imagination will given enough time out picture itself into your
13:54reality. But make no mistake imagination comes first manifestation follows. Distinction number
14:02five faith is not religious it is acceptance. And so Florence's understanding of faith is, I think,
14:10profoundly practical because faith is not a belief in some higher deity or a god or something really
14:17external to yourself. What she means by faith is acceptance, unconditional acceptance. Faith
14:24is what you believe. And so if you believe in scarcity, then that is what you have faith in. If
14:30you believe in abundance, then that is what your faith is placed in. So faith is belief. Period.
14:37Full stop. Do you believe in fear more or do you have faith in the certainty of the goodness of the
14:43future? And again and again she demonstrates that people receive after they have inwardly accepted
14:50the reality that they seek. In other words, you have a desire and you begin preparing, you begin
14:55expecting, you start acting, you begin embodying long before circumstances provide confirmation.
15:02She tells this story in the Bible of the kings of Israel, Judah and Adom, who've marched their
15:10armies into the desert to go to war, but they end up running out of water. And so,
15:13stranded in the scorching heat, their men and their livestock are dying of thirst. Desperate,
15:18they seek out the prophet Elisha for a message from God. And Elisha gives them a seemingly
15:23bizarre and physically exhausting instruction from the Lord. He says, "Make this wad full of ditches.
15:31For thus says the Lord, you shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain, yet that valley shall be
15:39filled with water so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink." So the soldiers already
15:44dehydrated and weak. They start manually digging deep trenches in this dry desert dust. There's no
15:50sign of a cloud. There's no wind. There's no rain. Yet they obey the command and they dig. And the
15:55next morning, a supernatural flash flood rushes in from a distance, fills every single ditch they've
16:02prepared. The water saves their lives, and the reflection of the morning sun on the pools trick
16:08their enemies into a tactical blender that ends up giving these two kings a total victory. And so,
16:14Florence highlights this story to prove that you cannot just wish for something. You must do all
16:19of the work as if you expect it. That's what true faith is. By digging the ditches, the armies gave
16:26the water a place to go. And so, in Shin's words, the average person asks for a demonstration or a
16:32miracle, but immediately checks the horizon to see if wind and rain are coming, looking for physical
16:37proof, or waiting for the economy or timing or circumstances to look favorable before they
16:43believe. Shin says, quote, "The average person is always looking for results. He wants to see the
16:50wind and the rain before he digs his ditches. But the law is dig your ditches first and then expect
16:57the water. How powerful is that? So Shin gives practical examples of how her students apply this
17:03law to materialize their vision. There's a woman who's seeking a position and she doesn't sit home
17:07worrying. She buys a new work bag and plans her commuting wardrobe and preparing her desk that she
17:13doesn't physically have yet and reorganizing her home. Right? There's a person wanting to
17:19go abroad. They buy a suitcase or they apply for a passport even though they currently have
17:23zero dollars in their bank account. Another guy shopping for a home buys a small little decorative
17:28piece or a keychain for the house, signaling to the subconscious mind that the move is already
17:32a done deal. And by performing these physical actions, you're digging your ditches deep with
17:38faith. And you're training your mind to stop looking at your current lack and begin focusing
17:44entirely on expected abundance. So the external world eventually catches up with these internal
17:51decisions and the faith and preparation that comes along with it. You dig the ditches and the
17:56rain must come. So for me after reading all four of Florence Scovilleshin's books I'm convinced
18:02she wasn't simply teaching manifestation. She was teaching that consciousness operates according to
18:08these laws. Right? Your understanding of reality, your words, your imagination, your resistance,
18:13your faith. These are not separate ideas. They are different expressions of the same principle.
18:18Your inner world continually crystallizes into your outer reality. And maybe that's why her work
18:24has endured for almost a century because while the language has changed, human consciousness hasn't,
18:31right? The game is still being played, the laws are still operating, and the invitation
18:36is the same as it was when Florence first wrote those words. Learn the rules. Learn the rules.
18:44master your consciousness and watch your life begin to reflect it. So, I hope you love this
18:49episode as much as I love sharing it with you. A couple of asks. Number one, if you haven't yet,
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19:31I love you so much. Thank you for being here with me, and I will see you in the next episode.