Thinking positively does not always come automatically in Scotland, a

country where the put-down is much

more common. Colin McSeveny meets the man determined to defeat the 'Ah

kent his faither' syndrome

JACK Black reckons that if he can succeed in Scotland, the rest of the

world will be a piece of cake. ''If any other people can match the Scots

for moaning-faced 'Ah kent his faither' under-achievers then I have yet

to come across them,'' he says. And this is even when he is feeling

relatively positive towards his compatriots.

Feeling positive is what Black is all about. In only three years he

has established his MindStore company as one of the UK's leading

personal development firms.

His evangelical crusades on both sides of the Border are designed not

to convert the audiences to religion, but to fulfil what he sees as the

grossly under-used potential in all aspects of their lives.

Americans have enjoyed a near-monopoly of this kind of ''I can and I

will'' self-help philosophy since it first emerged in the twenties. It

is, therefore, something of a shock to hear Black working a crowd in

classic fashion -- in a strong Glaswegian accent.

In fact it probably adds to his credibility on this side of the

Atlantic, as his platform style is direct and down-to-earth. Slightly

frenetic, but relaxing at the same time. A bit like Billy Connolly on

Valium.

The spiel is also thankfully free of the cringe-inducing schmaltz and

pseudo-religious jargon that often accompanies the American versions.

''But does it work or is it just a con designed to make Black a rich

man?'' the archetypal ultra-sceptical Scot will ask.

In terms of wealth, he is probably well on his way.

Whether his mental fitness programme works or not is a trickier

question, though MindStore's popularity -- both with companies not

renowned for throwing their money away and with successful sports stars

-- suggests there is something in it.

Allied Dunbar, Texaco, Glaxo, Compaq, Thorn EMI, Scottish Enterprise,

and the Metropolitan Police all feature in a long list of heavyweight

companies and organisations that commission Black to give regular

lectures to their executives.

Sports stars include Gavin Hastings and Liz McColgan, while Rangers,

Aberdeen, and Dundee United are among the football clubs to have called

on MindStore's services.

Black, a Celtic fan, admits that he is still awaiting the call from

his favourites.

One businessman unstinting in his praise of him is Jim McColl, the

young chief executive of the revitalised Clyde Blowers. He makes sure

all his executives take the MindStore programme.

''The course instils a motivation and self-belief that can make all

the difference between running a successful and an unsuccessful

company,'' McColl says.

MindStore's turnover has rocketed from #100,000 to nearly #1m as

companies queue up to pay #250 a head for a two-day business-orientated

session. The public pay #150 for a similar stint.

The seminars are held regularly in most parts of the country and

anyone who has attended one can take free refresher courses.

The programme, devised after almost a decade in the business of

personal development, is not a great deal different from the others.

The main focus is on controlling your life rather than letting life

control you. According to Black, ''comfort zones'' are where most of us

spend our days, vaguely aware that we could probably do better but

convincing ourselves that it would not be worth the bother.

''Right from school days, particularly in Scotland, we sub-consciously

learn not to rock the boat by becoming too clever or too successful,''

he tells an audience of 300 in an introductory lecture held in a Glasgow

hotel.

''In other words, we learn from an early age to sabotage ourselves

because of peer pressure.''

Such negative thinking is holding back not only most individuals but

also the country as a whole, as business executives are happy to accept

what cannot be done rather than raise their expectations.

The MindStore programme teaches the participants a battery of

psychological ploys to increase self-confidence, lessen stress, improve

communication, and widen problem-solving ability.

At the core of the method is the theory of self-fulfilling

projections. In other words, the individual faced with a problem or

challenge imprints on his mind's eye an image of himself succeeding.

Thus, he vastly increases his chances of success in reality.

Black himself is no doubt busily imprinting on his mind the successful

completion of his first book, due to be published by Collins later this

year. If the popularity of his tours and of previous best-selling works

by authors such as Anthony Robbins and Dale Carnegie are anything to go

by, he should be on to a winner.

A dapper, compact figure, Black, 38, exudes all the health and

vitality his position demands.

Yet in a true psychological rag-to-riches story, he maintains he was

once a neurotic hypochondriac, driven to nervous collapse by stress

after a decade working as a social worker in Easterhouse.

His conversion came shortly after two close friends in the social work

department died in their early 40s -- ''basically because of stress''.

He swore he was not going to follow the same path.

A growing interest in personal development and business techniques led

him to set himself up as a small tour operator, drawing on his

experience arranging trips for youth clubs.

By the late-eighties, he was working as the UK representative of a

leading American mental and emotional fitness group. ''After a few years

I began to develop my own ideas and decided that the best way forward

would be to set up my own company.''

MindStore was established in Cumbernauld as a one-man operation in

1990 and, mainly through word-of-mouth recommendations, has now grown to

employ seven people.

Aside from the planned book, the company produces instructional tapes

and has compiled a special Discovery programme for children, using the

expertise of Black's wife Norma, a former primary teacher.

Black has held seminars, public and privately commissioned, in every

major British city, occasionally addressing as many as 400 people. But

he points out that Anthony Robbins attracted 3000-strong audiences

during a recent visit to the UK.

''Just as most people now accept the idea of healthy eating, so I am

in the business of convincing them there is such a thing as healthy

thinking,'' he says. ''And one of my ambitions will be achieved when I

fill the Royal Concert Hall here in Glasgow.''

Not if, it should be noted, but when.