You must form a clear and definite mental picture of what you want; you cannot transmit an idea unless you have it yourself. You must have it before you give it; and many people fail […] because they have themselves only a vague and misty concept of the things they want to do, to have, or to become. It is not enough that you should have a general desire for wealth “to do good with”; everybody has that desire.

It is not enough that you should have a wish for travel, see things, live more, etc. Everybody has those desires also. If you were going to send a wireless message to a friend, you would not send the letters of the alphabet in their order, and let him construct the message for himself; nor would you take words at random from the dictionary. You would send a coherent sentence; one which meant something. When you try to impress your wants upon Substance, remember that it must be done by a coherent statement; you must know what you want, and be definite. You can never get rich, or start the creative power into action, by sending out unformed longings and vague desires.

Wallace D. Wattles — The Science of Getting Rich