 Wattles, who had formerly been a Methodist, ran for office as a Socialist candidate in Indiana in 1916.He included the word science in the title, reflecting a secular approach to New Thought though also thereby borrowing from the then widespread popularity of Christian Science and its offshoots as he wrote about business prosperity, mind training, and success in the material world.The mental technique that he called "thinking in the Certain Way," was intended to establish a state of positivity and self-affirmation.