The Power of Concentration Index

CEO Courses: Executive Education

The Power of Concentration, by Theron Q. Dumont

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The Power of Concentration

By THERON Q. DUMONT
Author of "Personal Magnetism"; "Practical Memory
Training"; "Mental Therapeutics"; "Successful
Salesmanship"; "Master Mind"; etc., etc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION. It is of the utmost value to learn how to
concentrate. To make the greatest success of anything you must be
able to concentrate your entire thought upon the idea you are
working on. The person that is able to concentrate utilizes all
constructive thoughts and shuts out all destructive ones. The
greatest man would accomplish nothing if he lacked concentration.

LESSON 1. CONCENTRATION FINDS THE WAY. Our two natures; one wants
to advance; the other wants to pull us back. The one we
concentrate on and develop determines what we will become. How
you may change your whole career and accomplish miracles. We can
be completely controlled by our concentrated thought. How can you
make an "opportunity". One man's opportunity is usually another
man's loss. A very beneficial practice. Why we get back what we
give out. A wonderful encouraging tonic. Every man that is
willing to put forth the necessary effort can be a success. The
man that is best prepared to do things. How to make your services
always in demand. How to reach the top. The man selected to
manage is not usually a genius. He does not possess any more
talent than others. What he does possess that others do not. Why
a few succeed and so many fail.

LESSON 2. THE SELF-MASTERY. SELF-DIRECTION POWER OF
CONCENTRATION. Very few men possess the power to concentrate as
they should. The cause of poor concentration. A very good
practice. Concentration means strength of mind. The person unable
to concentrate never accomplished a great deal. How many weaken
their powers of concentration. How concentration can only be
developed. How to control your every thought, wish and plan. What
concentration is. The person that is able to concentrate gains
the Power to control others. Concentration makes the will and
intellect act in unison. Why some people are not magnetic. When a
powerful personal influence is generated. How to become
influential. The cause of spasmodic, erratic concentration. How
to centralize your attention. A quick way to develop
concentration. The development of physical and mental
concentration. How to learn a valuable lesson. One of the best
ways to influence another. A good exercise. The real benefit of
physical culture usually lost sight of. How to hold the
facilities at work.

LESSON 3. HOW TO GAIN WHAT YOU WANT THROUGH CONCENTRATION. The
mistake made by those that do not understand the power of mental
attraction. How to get what you want. We are not living in a
"fairy age." Not the age for a "dreamer." The secret of getting
what you concentrate on. How a messenger in a bank became its
president. "Power to him who power exerts."

LESSON 4. CONCENTRATION, THE SILENT FORCE THAT PRODUCES RESULTS
IN ALL BUSINESS. The power of thought. An experiment showing the
power of thought. By concentrated thought you can make yourself
what you please. How to greatly increase your efficiency. The
face reflects how a person has spent his life. How to awaken
possibilities within, you never dreamed of. How to inspire
confidence in those you deal with. The value of concentrating
your thoughts in the proper channels. How to attract the good
things without a, great effort. By concentration you can
revolutionize your life and gain happiness greater than you can
imagine.

LESSON 5. HOW CONCENTRATED THOUGHT LINKS ALL HUMANITY TOGETHER.
How you may become successful. The barriers to success can be
controlled. How to realize your fondest ambitions. How to
overcome destructive forces. How to become the master of
circumstances. Through concentration you can mold your
environment. You can get what you want. Sowing the thought seeds
of success. Mind forces that are hardly dreamed of at present. A
method for removing unfavorable conditions. Concentration makes
you happy and gives you plenty to do.

LESSON 6. THE TRAINING OF THE WILL TO DO. The great secret of any
accomplishment. Everything Is possible today. The inner energy
that controls all conscious acts. How you can become a genius. A
mighty force at your disposal. Rules that will make you a "man"
among men. The spirit that wins. Concentration develops
determination and perseverance. Some special instructions. What
will power is. You have as strong a will as anyone. You determine
your own fate. The importance of learning to use your will.

LESSON 7. THE CONCENTRATED MENTAL DEMAND. The attitude of the
mind affects the expression of the face. The wonderful power of
the concentrated mental demand. How to desire something and
exclude all distracting thoughts. The silent force of wonderful
power within all of us. How to make plans work out. The mightiest
power in the world is free for you to use. The motive power which
supplies the energies necessary for achievement.

LESSON 8. CONCENTRATION GIVES MENTAL POISE. The man that can
concentrate is well poised. What you must do to be successful
today. Concentration that is dangerous. How to make those you
come in contact with feel as you do. The man that becomes a power
in the world. You can control your life and actions. Successful
lives are the concentrated lives. Why people do not get what they
"concentrate" on.

LESSON 9. CONCENTRATION CAN OVERCOME BAD HABITS. Habit is but a
powerful enemy and wonderful ally of concentration. Most people
are controlled through the power of habit. Most people are
imitators and copiers of their past selves. All physical
impressions are the carrying out of the actions of the will and
intellect. How everyone could be made happier and successful.
Some wonderful maxims. Habit the deepest law of human nature. How
to overcome undesirable habits. Some special instructions by Dr.
Oppenheim.

LESSON 10. BUSINESS RESULTS GAINED THROUGH CONCENTRATION. A
successful business not the result of chance. Failure not caused
by luck. The intense desire that is necessary to make a business
a success. Those that achieve permanent success deserve it. The
man that is able to skilfully manage his business. How to realize
your ambition. The successful business attitude. Your opinion
should be as good as any one else. How many ruin their judgment.
The man that gets the best results. A successful business not
hard to build up; may be built up In a few years now whereas
formerly it took a lifetime. How to do more and better work. How
to attract the ideas thought out by others. Many attract forces
and Influences that they should not. Broaden the visions of those
you come in contact with.

LESSON 11. CONCENTRATE ON COURAGE. Lack of courage creates
financial, as well as mental and moral difficulties. The man
without courage attracts all that is contemptible, weakening,
demoralizing and destructive. It is just as easy to be courageous
as cowardly. Courage concentrates the mental forces on the task
at hand. Cowardice dissipates both mental and moral forces. How
to banish doubts. No one knows what they can do until they try.
Once you understand the law everything is possible. How to build
up courage to do as you wish. Difficulties soon melt away before
the courageous.

LESSON 12. CONCENTRATE ON WEALTH. No one was intended to be poor.
Through wealth we can uplift ourselves and humanity. Uncongenial
and unpleasant conditions are not conducive to proper thought.
First step toward acquiring wealth. Most men of all ages have
been comparatively rich. Wealth not altogether the result of
being industrious. No one can become wealthy from his earnings.
Why some have to be taught such painful lessons. How many attract
poverty instead of riches. Why it is necessary to give a fair
exchange for what we receive. How to make your society not only
agreeable to others but sought after.

LESSON 13. YOU CAN CONCENTRATE, BUT WILL YOU? All have the
ability to concentrate. More ability not used than is used.
Sometimes only a trifle keeps one from becoming a success. The
fault is all your own. How to discover the cause if you are not
making good. Make conditions favorable and do not expect them to
shape themselves. Stumbling blocks but stepping stones. Hard
Passages can be bridged if you just concentrate on them. Why more
people do not succeed. Don't be afraid of a rebuff. The man that
knows no such thing as failure. Be ready for an opportunity when
it comes, No circumstances can keep the determined man from
succeeding.

LESSON 14. ART OF CONCENTRATING WITH PRACTICAL EXERCISE. A daily
habit will wonderfully increase your concentration. Seeing
yourself as you would like to be. Instruction of the greatest
importance. The great creative spirit of the universe. Why things
manifest as they do. The cosmic intelligence. A most desired
state. How to receive messages from the universal mind. How to
develop power, unknown to you before. Make your mind a powerful
transmitter of thought. The best time to practice concentration
exercises. How to rejuvenate every cell of your brain and body.
An exercise that will give you a self-poised manner. Instead of a
nervous strained appearance. Concentrating on the powers within.
Concentration will save your energy. How to keep from getting
irritable or nervous. The Eastern way of concentrating. Exercise
in controlling desires.

LESSON 15. CONCENTRATE SO YOU WILL NOT FORGET. Why people forget.
An easy way to remember. How to deepen your impression. Exercise
in Memory Concentration.

LESSON 16. HOW CONCENTRATION CAN FULFILL YOUR DESIRE. The desire
to do implies the ability to do. Man has within him the power to
gratify his every wish. If you have been unable to satisfy your
longings, it is time you learn how to use your God-given powers.
Priceless knowledge and unlimited possibilities within you that
Is foreign to most people. How to concentrate on what you want
and get it. The miraculous help we apparently receive at times.
How one man started a business on thirteen cents and in six years
built up a business that pays him $6,000 a year. When you put
forth the necessary concentrated effort you will receive great
help from unknown sources.

LESSON 17. IDEALS DEVELOP BY CONCENTRATION. Your happiness and
success depends upon your ideals. A valuable lesson. Through
concentration we can work out our ideals In physical life. What a
different world this would be if we would build the right kind of
ideals. Every time you change your ideal you think differently.
Life is one continuous unfoldment. You can be happy every step of
its way or miserable as you please. How our grandest thoughts
come to us.

LESSON 18. MENTAL CONTROL THROUGH CREATION. An inventor's vision.
Why It is easy to project your thoughts to another. How your
mental powers can draw to you forces of a helpful nature. The big
business man must possess mental power of control. How to make a
friend or relative succeed. How to generate enthusiasm and the
spirit of success. Your environment is either helpful or harmful.
Mental starvation. How to instil your thoughts and ideas into
others. Influence that must be shaken off before you can advance.
Our attitude has more to do with success than you realize.

LESSON 19. A CONCENTRATED WILL DEVELOPMENT. A most effective and
practical method of developing the Will. Practical exercises.
Will training without exercises. Will-power can overcome big
obstacles. The Will to win. Man an unknown quality until his
powers are developed. Ability plentiful, but organizing,
initiative and creative power not so plentiful. The driving force
within.

LESSON 20. CONCENTRATION REVIEWED. Those unable to concentrate
will generally suffer from poverty and unhappiness, The best
instructor will only help you to the extent you put it into
practice. Gaining the mastery of your work, life powers and
forces. Concentrate the dominant quality that makes men
successful. Everyone can learn to concentrate better. An
experiment to try. Final instructions.

INTRODUCTORY

We all know that in order to accomplish a certain thing we must
concentrate. It is of the utmost value to learn how to
concentrate. To make a success of anything you must be able to
concentrate your entire thought upon the idea you are working
out.

Do not become discouraged, if you are unable to hold your thought
on the subject very long at first. There are very few that can.
It seems a peculiar fact that it is easier to concentrate on
something that is not good for us, than on something that is
beneficial. This tendency is overcome when we learn to
concentrate consciously.

If you will just practice a few concentration exercises each day
you will find you will soon develop this wonderful power.

Success is assured when you are able to concentrate for you are
then able to utilize for your good all constructive thoughts and
shut out all the destructive ones. It is of the greatest value to
be able to think only that which will be beneficial.

Did you ever stop to think what an important part your thoughts,
concentrated thoughts, play in your life? This book shows their
far-reaching and all-abiding effects.

These lessons you will find very practical. The exercises I have
thoroughly tested. They are arranged so that you will notice an
improvement from the very start, and this will give you
encouragement. They point out ways in which you can help
yourself.

Man is a wonderful creature, but he must be trained and developed
to be useful. A great work can be accomplished by every man if he
can be awakened to do his very best. But the greatest man would
not accomplish much if he lacked concentration and effort. Dwarfs
can often do the work of giants when they are transformed by the
almost magic power of great mental concentration. But giants will
only do the work of dwarfs when they lack this power.

We accomplish more by concentration than by fitness; the man that
is apparently best suited for a place does not always fill it
best. It is the man that concentrates on its every possibility
that makes an art of both his work and his life.

All your real advancement must come from your individual effort.

This course of lessons will stimulate and inspire you to achieve
success; it will bring you into perfect harmony with the laws of
success. It will give you a firmer hold on your duties and
responsibilities.

The methods of thought concentration given in this work if put
into practice will open up interior avenues that will connect you
with the everlasting laws of Being and their exhaustless
foundation of unchangeable truth.

As most people are very different it is impossible to give
instructions that will be of the same value to all. The author
has endeavored in these lessons to awaken that within the soul
which perhaps the book does not express. So study these lessons
as a means of awakening and training that which is within
yourself. Let all your acts and thoughts have the intensity and
power of concentration.

To really get the full benefit of these lessons you should read a
page, then close the book and thoughtfully recall its ideas. If
you will do this you will soon cultivate a concentrated mental
habit, which will enable you to read with ordinary rapidity and
remember all that you read.

LESSON I. CONCENTRATION FINDS THE WAY

Everyone has two natures. One wants us to advance and the other
wants to pull us back. The one that we cultivate and concentrate
on decides what we are at the end. Both natures are trying to
gain control. The will alone decides the issue. A man by one
supreme effort of the will may change his whole career and almost
accomplish miracles. You may be that man. You can be if you Will
to be, for Will can find a way or make one.

I could easily fill a book, of cases where men plodding along in
a matter-of-fact way, were all at once aroused and as if
awakening from a slumber they developed the possibilities within
them and from that time on were different persons. You alone can
decide when the turning point will come. It is a matter of choice
whether we allow our diviner self to control us or whether we
will be controlled by the brute within us. No man has to do
anything he does not want to do. He is therefore the director of
his life if he wills to be. What we are to do, is the result of
our training. We are like putty, and can be completely controlled
by our will power.

Habit is a matter of acquirement. You hear people say: "He comes
by this or that naturally, a chip off the old block," meaning
that he is only doing what his parents did. This is quite often
the case, but there is no reason for it, for a person can break a
habit just the moment he masters the "I will." A man may have
been a "good-for-nothing" all his life up to this very minute,
but from this time on he begins to amount to something. Even old
men have suddenly changed and accomplished wonders. "I lost my
opportunity," says one. That may be true, but by sheer force of
will, we can find a way to bring us another opportunity. There is
no truth in the saying that opportunity knocks at our door but
once in a lifetime. The fact is, opportunity never seeks us; we
must seek it. What usually turns out to be one man's opportunity,
was another man's loss. In this day one man's brain is matched
against another's. It is often the quickness of brain action that
determines the result. One man thinks "I will do it," but while
he procrastinates the other goes ahead and does the work. They
both have the same opportunity. The one will complain of his lost
chance. But it should teach him a lesson, and it will, if he is
seeking the path that leads to success.

Many persons read good books, but say they do not get much good
out of them. They do not realize that all any book or any lesson
course can do is to awaken them to their possibilities; to
stimulate them to use their will power. You may teach a person
from now until doom's day, but that person will only know what he
learns himself. "You can lead him to the fountain, but you can't
make him drink."

One of the most beneficial practices I know of is that of looking
for the good in everyone and everything, for there is good in all
things. We encourage a person by seeing his good qualities and we
also help ourselves by looking for them. We gain their good
wishes, a most valuable asset sometimes. We get back what we give
out. The time comes when most all of us need encouragement; need
buoying up. So form the habit of encouraging others, and you will
find it a wonderful tonic for both those encouraged and yourself,
for you will get back encouraging and uplifting thoughts.

Life furnishes us the opportunity to improve. But whether we do
it or not depends upon how near we live up to what is expected of
us. The first of each month, a person should sit down and examine
the progress he has made. If he has not come up to "expectations"
he should discover the reason, and by extra exertion measure up
to what is demanded next time. Every time that we fall behind
what we planned to do, we lose just so much for that time is gone
forever. We may find a reason for doing it, but most excuses are
poor substitutes for action. Most things are possible. Ours may
be a hard task, but the harder the task, the greater the reward.
It is the difficult things that really develop us, anything that
requires only a small effort, utilizes very few of our faculties,
and yields a scanty harvest of achievement. So do not shrink from
a hard task, for to accomplish one of these will often bring us
more good than a dozen lesser triumphs.

I know that every man that is willing to pay the price can be a
success. The price is not in money, but in effort. The first
essential quality for success is the desire to do--to be
something. The next thing is to learn how to do it; the next to
carry it into execution. The man that is the best able to
accomplish anything is the one with a broad mind; the man that
has acquired knowledge, that may, it is true, be foreign to this
particular case, but is, nevertheless, of some value in all
cases. So the man that wants to be successful must be liberal; he
must acquire all the knowledge that he can; he must be well
posted not only in one branch of his business but in every part
of it. Such a man achieves success.

The secret of success is to try always to improve yourself no
matter where you are or what your position. Learn all you can.
Don't see how little you can do, but how much you can do. Such a
man will always be in demand, for he establishes the reputation
of being a hustler. There is always room for him because
progressive firms never let a hustler leave their employment if
they can help it.

The man that reaches the top is the gritty, plucky, hard worker
and never the timid, uncertain, slow worker. An untried man is
seldom put in a position of responsibility and power. The man
selected is one that has done something, achieved results in some
line, or taken the lead in his department. He is placed there
because of his reputation of putting vigor and virility into his
efforts, and because he has previously shown that he has pluck
and determination.

The man that is chosen at the crucial time is not usually a
genius; he does not possess any more talent than others, but he
has learned that results can only be produced by untiring
concentrated effort. That "miracles," in business do not just
"happen." He knows that the only way they will happen is by
sticking to a proposition and seeing it through. That is the only
secret of why some succeed and others fail. The successful man
gets used to seeing things accomplished and always feels sure of
success. The man that is a failure gets used to seeing failure,
expects it and attracts it to him.

It is my opinion that with the right kind of training every man
could be a success. It is really a shame that so many men and
women, rich in ability and talent, are allowed to go to waste, so
to speak. Some day I hope to see a millionaire philanthropist
start a school for the training of failures. I am sure he could
not put his money to a better use. In a year's time the science
of practical psychology could do wonders for him. He could have
agencies on the lookout for men that had lost their grip on
themselves; that had through indisposition weakened their will;
that through some sorrow or misfortune had become discouraged. At
first all they need is a little help to get them back on their
feet, but usually they get a knock downwards instead. The result
is that their latent powers never develop and both they and the
world are the losers. I trust that in the near future, someone
will heed the opportunity of using some of his millions in
arousing men that have begun to falter. All they need to be shown
is that there is within them an omnipotent source that is ready
to aid them, providing they will make use of it. Their minds only
have to be turned from despair to hope to make them regain their
hold.

When a man loses his grip today, he must win his redemption by
his own will. He will get little encouragement or advice of an
inspiring nature. He must usually regain the right road alone. He
must stop dissipating his energies and turn his attention to
building a useful career. Today we must conquer our weakening
tendencies alone. Don't expect anyone to help you. Just take one
big brace, make firm resolutions, and resolve to conquer your
weaknesses and vices. Really none can do this for you. They can
encourage you; that is all.

I can think of nothing, but lack of health, that should interfere
with one becoming successful. There is no other handicap that you
should not be able to overcome. To overcome a handicap, all that
it is necessary to do is to use more determination and grit and
will.

The man with grit and will, may be poor today and wealthy in a
few years; will power is a better asset than money; Will will
carry you over chasms of failure, if you but give it the chance.

The men that have risen to the highest positions have usually had
to gain their victories against big odds. Think of the hardships
many of our inventors have gone through before they became a
success. Usually they have been very much misunderstood by
relatives and friends. Very often they did not have the bare
necessities of life, yet, by sheer determination and resolute
courage, they managed to exist somehow until they perfected their
inventions, which afterwards greatly helped in bettering the
condition of others.

Everyone really wants to do something, but there are few that
will put forward the needed effort to make the necessary
sacrifice to secure it. There is only one way to accomplish
anything and that is to go ahead and do it. A man may accomplish
almost anything today, if he just sets his heart on doing it and
lets nothing interfere with his progress. Obstacles are quickly
overcome by the man that sets out to accomplish his heart's
desire. The "bigger" the man, the smaller the obstacle appears.
The "smaller" the man the greater the obstacle appears. Always
look at the advantage you gain by overcoming obstacles, and it
will give you the needed courage for their conquest.

Do not expect that you will always have easy sailing. Parts of
your journey are likely to be rough. Don't let the rough places
put you out of commission. Keep on with the journey. Just the way
you weather the storm shows what material you are made of. Never
sit down and complain of the rough places, but think how nice the
pleasant stretches were. View with delight the smooth plains that
are in front of you.

Do not let a setback stop you. Think of it as a mere incident
that has to be overcome before you can reach your goal.

LESSON II. THE SELF-MASTERY: SELF-DIRECTION POWER OF
CONCENTRATION

Man from a psychological standpoint of development is not what he
should be. He does not possess the self-mastery, the
self-directing power of concentration that is his by right.

He has not trained himself in a way to promote his self-mastery.
Every balanced mind possesses the faculties whose chief duties
are to engineer, direct and concentrate the operations of the
mind, both in a mental and physical sense. Man must learn to
control not only his mind but his bodily movements.

When the controlling faculties (autonomic) are in an untrained
condition, the impulses, passions, emotions, thoughts, actions
and habits of the person suffer from lack of regulation, and the
procedure of mental concentration is not good, not because the
mind is necessarily weak in the autonomic department of the
faculties, but because the mind is not properly trained.

When the self-regulating faculties are not developed the
impulses, appetites, emotions and passions have full swing to do
as they please and the mind becomes impulsive, restless,
emotional and irregular in its action. This is what makes mental
concentration poor.

When the self-guiding faculties are weak in development, the
person always lacks the power of mental concentration. Therefore
you cannot learn to concentrate until you develop those very
powers that qualify you to be able to concentrate. So if you
cannot concentrate one of the following is the cause:

1. "Deficiency of the motor centers."
2. "An impulsive and emotional mind."
3. "An untrained mind."

The last fault can soon be removed by systematic practice. It is
easiest to correct.

The impulsive and emotional state of mind can best be corrected
by restraining anger, passion and excitement, hatred, strong
impulses, intense emotions, fretfulness, etc. It is impossible to
concentrate when you are in any of these excited states.

These can be naturally decreased by avoiding such food and drinks
as have nerve weakening or stimulating influences, or a tendency
to stir up the passions, the impulses and the emotions; it is a
very good practice to watch and associate with those persons that
are steady, calm, controlled and conservative.

Correcting the deficiency of the motor centers is harder because
as the person's brain is undeveloped he lacks will power.

To cure this takes some time. Persons so afflicted may benefit by
reading and studying my course, "The Master Mind."[*]

[*] To be published by Advanced Thought Publishing Co., Chicago,
Ill.

Many have the idea that when they get into a negative state they
are concentrating, but this is not so. They may be meditating,
though not concentrating. Those that are in a negative state a
good deal of the time cannot, as a rule, concentrate very well;
they develop instead abstraction of the mind, or absence of mind.
Their power of concentration becomes weaker and they find it
difficult to concentrate on anything. They very often injure the
brain, if they keep up this state. To be able to concentrate you
must possess strength of mind. The person that is feeble-minded
cannot concentrate his mind, because of lack of will. The mind
that cannot center itself on a special subject, or thought, is
weak; also the mind that cannot draw itself from a subject or
thought is weak. But the person that can center his mind on any
problem, no matter what it is, and remove any unharmonious
impressions has strength of mind. Concentration, first, last and
all the time, means strength of mind.

Through concentration a person is able to collect and hold his
mental and physical energies at work. A concentrated mind pays
attention to thoughts, words, acts and plans. The person who
allows his mind to roam at will will never accomplish a great
deal in the world. He wastes his energies. If you work, think,
talk and act aimlessly, and allow your brain to wander from your
subject to foreign fields, you will not be able to concentrate.
You concentrate at the moment when you say, "I want to, I can, I
will."

Some Mistakes Some People Make. If you waste your time reading
sensational stories or worthless newspaper items, you excite the
impulsive and the emotional faculties, and this means you are
weakening your power of concentration. You will not be a free
engineer, able to pilot yourself to success.

Concentration of the mind can only be developed by watching
yourself closely. All kinds of development commence with close
attention. You should regulate your every thought and feeling.
When you commence to watch yourself and your own acts and also
the acts of other people, you use the faculties of autonomy, and,
as you continue to do so, you improve your faculties, until in
time you can engineer your every thought, wish and plan. To be
able to focalize the mind on the object at hand in a conscious
manner leads to concentration. Only the trained mind can
focalize. To hold a thought before it until all the faculties
shall have had time to consider that thought is concentration.

The person that cannot direct his thoughts, wishes, plans,
resolutions and studies cannot possibly succeed to the fullest
extent. The person that is impulsive one moment and calm the next
has not the proper control over himself. He is not a master of
his mind, nor of his thoughts, feelings and wishes. Such a person
cannot be a success. When he becomes irritated, he irritates
others and spoils all chances of any concerned doing their best.
But the person that can direct his energies and hold them at work
in a concentrated manner controls his every work and act, and
thereby gains power to control others. He can make his every move
serve a useful end and every thought a noble purpose.

In this day the man that gets excited and irritable should be
looked upon as an undesirable person. The person of good breeding
now speaks with slowness and deliberation. He is cultivating more
and more of a reposeful attitude. He is consciously attentive and
holds his mind to one thing at a time. He shuts out everything
else. When you are talking to anyone give him your sole and
undivided attention. Do not let your attention wander or be
diverted. Give no heed to anything else, but make your will and
intellect act in unison.

Start out in the morning and see how self-poised you can remain
all day. At times take an inventory of your actions during the
day and see if you have kept your determination. If not, see that
you do tomorrow. The more self-poised you are the better will
your concentration be. Never be in too much of a hurry; and,
remember, the more you improve your concentration, the greater
are your possibilities. Concentration means success, because you
are better able to govern yourself and centralize your mind; you
become more in earnest in what you do and this almost invariably
improves your chances for success.

When you are talking to a person have your own plans in mind.
Concentrate your strength upon the purpose you are talking about.
Watch his every move, but keep your own plans before you. Unless
you do, you will waste your energy and not accomplish as much as
you should.

I want you to watch the next person you see that has the
reputation of being a strong character, a man of force. Watch and
see what a perfect control he has over his body. Then I want you
to watch just an ordinary person. Notice how he moves his eyes,
arms, fingers; notice the useless expenditure of energy. These
movements all break down the vital cells and lessen the person's
power in vital and nerve directions. It is just as important for
you to conserve your nervous forces as it is the vital forces. As
an example we see an engine going along the track very smoothly.
Some one opens all the valves and the train stops. It is the same
with you. If you want to use your full amount of steam, you must
close your valves and direct your power of generating mental
steam toward one end. Center your mind on one purpose, one plan,
one transaction.

There is nothing that uses up nerve force so quickly as
excitement. This is why an irritable person is never magnetic; he
is never admired or loved; he does not develop those finer
qualities that a real gentleman possesses. Anger, sarcasm and
excitement weaken a person in this direction. The person that
allows himself to get excited will become nervous in time,
because he uses up his nerve forces and his vital energies. The
person that cannot control himself and keep from becoming excited
cannot concentrate.

When the mind can properly concentrate, all the energy of every
microscopic cell is directed into one channel and then there is a
powerful personal influence generated. Everyone possesses many
millions of little trembling cells, and each one of these has a
center where life and energy are stored up and generated. If this
energy is not wasted but conserved and controlled, this person is
influential, but when it is the opposite, he is not influential
or successful.

Just as it is impossible for a steam engine to run with all its
valves open, so is it impossible for you to waste your energy and
run at your top speed. Each neuron in the gray layers of the
brain is a psychic center of thought and action, each one is
pulsating an intelligent force of some kind, and when this force,
your thoughts and motions, are kept in cheek by a conservative,
systematic and concentrated mind, the result will be magnetism,
vitality and health. The muscles, bones, ligaments, feet, hands
and nerves, etc., are agents for carrying out the mandates of the
mind. The sole purpose of the volitional faculties is to move the
physical mechanism as the energy travels along the wires of
nerves and muscles. Just for that reason, if you throw a
voluntary control over these messages, impulses, thoughts,
emotions, physical movements and over these physical instruments
you develop your faculties of self-mastery and to the extent you
succeed here in proportion will you develop the power of
concentration.

Any exercise or work that excites the mind, stimulates the
senses, calls the emotions and appetites into action, confuses,
terrifies or emotionalizes, weakens the power of concentration.
This is why all kind of excitement is bad. This is the reason why
persons who drink strong drinks, who allow themselves to get into
fits of temper, who fight, who eat stimulating food, who sing and
dance and thus develop their emotions, who are sudden, vehement
and emotional, lack the power to concentrate. But those whose
actions are slower and directed by their intelligence develop
concentration. Sometimes dogmatic, wilful, excitable persons can
concentrate, but it is spasmodic, erratic concentration instead
of controlled and uniform concentration. Their energy works by
spells; sometimes they have plenty, other times very little; it
is easily excited; easily wasted. The best way to understand it
is to compare it with the discharge of a gun. If the gun goes off
when you want it to, it accomplishes the purpose, but if it goes
off before you are ready for it, you will not only waste
ammunition, but it is also likely to do some damage. That is just
what most persons do. They allow their energy to explode, thus
not only wasting it but endangering others. They waste their
power, their magnetism and so injure their chance of success.
Such persons are never well liked and never will be until they
gain control over themselves.

It will be necessary for them to practice many different kinds of
concentration exercises, and to keep them up for some time. They
must completely overcome their sudden, erratic thoughts, and
regulate their emotions and movements. They must from morning to
night train the mind to be steady, and direct and keep the
energies at work.

The lower area of the brain is the store house of the energy.
Most all persons have all the dynamic energy they need if they
would concentrate it. They have the machine, but they must also
have the engineer, or they will not go very far. The engineer is
the self-regulating, directing power. The person that does not
develop his engineering qualities will not accomplish much in
life. The good engineer controls his every act. All work assists
in development. By what you do you either advance or degenerate.
This is a good idea to keep always in mind. When you are
uncertain whether you should do something or not, just think
whether by doing it you will grow or deteriorate, and act
accordingly.

I am a firm believer in "work when you work, and play when you
play." When you give yourself up to pleasure you can develop
concentration by thinking of nothing else but pleasure; when your
mind dwells on love, think of nothing but this and you will find
you can develop a more intense love than you ever had before.
When you concentrate your mind on the "you" or real self, and its
wonderful possibilities, you develop concentration and a higher
opinion of yourself. By doing this systematically, you develop
much power, because you cannot be systematic without
concentrating on what you are doing. When you walk out into the
country and inhale the fresh air, studying vegetation, trees,
etc., you are concentrating. When you see that you are at your
place of business at a certain time each morning you are
developing steadiness of habit and becoming systematic. If you
form the habit of being on time one morning, a little late the
next, and still later the following one, you are not developing
concentration, but whenever you fix your mind on a certain
thought and hold your mind on it at successive intervals, you
develop concentration.

If you hold your mind on some chosen object, you centralize your
attention, just like the lens of the camera centralizes on a
certain landscape. Therefore always hold your mind on what you
are doing, no matter what it is. Keep a careful watch over
yourself, for unless you do your improvement will be very slow.

Practice inhaling long, deep breaths, not simply for the
improvement of health, although that is no small matter, but also
for the purpose of developing more power, more love, more life.
All work assists in development.

You may think it foolish to try to develop concentration by
taking muscular exercises, but you must not forget that the mind
is associated with muscle and nerve. When you steady your nerves
and muscles, you steady your mind, but let your nerves get out of
order and your mind will become erratic and you will not possess
the power of direction, which, in other words, is concentration.
Therefore you understand how important exercises that steady the
nerves and muscles are in developing concentration.

Everyone is continually receiving impulses that must be directed
and controlled if one is to lead a successful life. That is the
reason why a person must control the movements of his eyes, feet,
fingers, etc.; this is another reason why it is important to
control his breathing. The slow, deep, prolonged exhalations are
of wonderful value. They steady the circulation, the heart
action, muscles and nerves of the mind. If the heart flutters,
the circulation is not regular, and when the lung action is
uneven, the mind becomes unsteady and not fit for concentration.
This is why controlled breathing is very important as a
foundation for physical health.

You must not only concentrate your mind, but also the action of
the eyes, ears and fingers. Each of these contain miniature minds
that are controlled by the master engineer. You will develop much
quicker if you thoroughly realize this.

If you have ever associated with big men, or read their
biographies, you will find that they usually let the others do
the talking. It is much easier to talk than it is to listen.
There is no better exercise for concentration than to pay close
attention when some one is talking. Besides learning from what
they have to say, you may develop both mental and physical
concentration.

When you shake hands with some one just think of your hand as
containing hundreds of individual minds, each having an
intelligence of its own. When you put this feeling into your hand
shake it shows personality. When you shake hands in a listless
way, it denotes timidity, lack of force and power of personality.
When the hand grip is very weak and stiff, the person has little
love in his nature, no passion and no magnetism. When the hand
shake is just the opposite, you will find that the nature is
also. The loveless person is non-magnetic and he shows that he is
by his non-magnetic hand shake. When two developed souls shake
hands, their clasps are never light. There is a thrill that goes
through both when the two currents meet. Love arouses the
opposite currents of the positive and negative natures. When
there is no love, life loses its charm. The hand quickly shows
when love is being aroused. This is why you should study the art
of hand shaking and develop your social affections. A person that
loves his kind reflects love, but a person that hates reflects
hate. The person with a bad nature, a hateful disposition, evil
thoughts and feeling is erratic, freakish and fitful. When you
allow yourself to become irritable, watch how you breathe and you
will learn a valuable lesson. Watch how you breathe when you are
happy. Watch your breathing when you harbor hate. Watch how you
breathe when you feel in love with the whole world and noble
emotions thrill you. When filled with good thoughts, you breathe
a plentiful supply of oxygen into your lungs and love fills your
soul. Love develops a person, physically, mentally and socially.
Breathe deeply when you are happy and you will gain life and
strength; you will steady your mind and you will develop your
power of concentration and become magnetic and powerful.

If you want to get more out of life you must think more of love.
Unless you have real affection for something, you have no
sentiment, no sweetness, no magnetism. So arouse your love
affections by your will and enter into a fuller life.

The hand of love always magnetizes, but it must be steady and
controlled. Love can be concentrated in your hand shake, and this
is one of the best ways to influence another.

The next time you feel yourself becoming irritable, use your will
and be patient. This is a very good exercise in self-control. It
will help you to keep patient if you will breathe slowly and
deeply. If you find you are commencing to speak fast, just
control yourself and speak slowly and clearly. Keep from either
raising or lowering your voice and concentrate on the fact that
you are determined to keep your poise, and you will improve your
power of concentration.

When you meet people of some consequence, assume a reposeful
attitude before them. Do this at all times. Watch both them and
yourself. Static exercises develop the motor faculties and
increase the power of concentration. If you feel yourself getting
irritable, nervous or weak, stand squarely on your feet with your
chest up and inhale deeply and you will see that your
irritability will disappear and a silent calm will pass over you.

If you are in the habit of associating with nervous, irritable
people, quit it until you grow strong in the power of
concentration, because irritable, angry, fretful, dogmatic and
disagreeable people will weaken what powers of resistance you
have.

Any exercises that give you better control of the ears, fingers,
eyes, feet, help you to steady your mind; when your eye is
steady, your mind is steady. One of the best ways to study a
person is to watch his physical movements, for, when we study his
actions, we are studying his mind. Because actions are the
expressions of the mind. As the mind is, so is the action. If it
is uneasy, restless, erratic, unsteady, its actions are the same.
When it is composed, the mind is composed. Concentration means
control of the mind and body. You cannot secure control over one
without the other.

Many people who seem to lack ambition have sluggish minds. They
are steady, patient and seemingly have good control, but this
does not say they are able to concentrate. These people are
indolent, inactive, slow and listless, because they lack energy;
they do not lose control because they have little force to
control. They have no temper and it therefore cannot disturb
them. Their actions are steady because they possess little
energy. The natural person is internally strong, energetic and
forceful, but his energy, force and strength, thoughts and
physical movements are well under his control.

If a person does not have energy, both mental and physical, he
must develop it. If he has energy which he cannot direct and hold
to a point he must learn to do so. A man may be very capable,
but, unless he Wills to control his abilities, they will not do
him any good.

We hear so much talk about the benefit of physical culture, but
the real benefit of this is really lost sight of. There is
nothing that holds the faculties at work in a sustained and
continuous manner as static exercises do. For, as stated before,
when you learn to control the body, you are gaining control over
the mind.

LESSON III. HOW TO GAIN WHAT YOU WANT THROUGH CONCENTRATION

The ignorant person may say, "How can you get anything by merely
wanting it? I say that through concentration you can get anything
you want. Every desire can be gratified. But whether it is, will
depend upon you concentrating to have that desire fulfilled.
Merely wishing for something will not bring it. Wishing you had
something shows a weakness and not a belief that you will really
get it. So never merely wish, as we are not living in a "fairy
age." You use up just as much brain force in "vain imaginings" as
you do when you think of something worth while.

Be careful of your desires, make a mental picture of what you
want and set your will to this until it materializes. Never allow
yourself to drift without helm or rudder. Know what you want to
do, and strive with all your might to do it, and you will
succeed.

Feel that you can accomplish anything you undertake. Many
undertake to do things, but feel when they start they are going
to fail and usually they do. I will give an illustration. A man
goes to a store for an article. The clerk says, "I am sorry, we
have not it." But the man that is determined to get that thing
inquires if he doesn't know where he can get it. Again receiving
an unsatisfactory answer the determined buyer consults the
manager and finally he finds where the article can be bought.

That is the whole secret of concentrating on getting what you
want. And, remember, your soul is a center of all-power, and you
can accomplish what you will to. "I'll find a way or make one!"
is the spirit that wins. I know a man that is now head of a large
bank. He started there as a messenger boy. His father had a
button made for him with a "P" on it and put it on his coat. He
said, "Son, that 'P' is a reminder that some day you are to be
the president of your bank. I want you to keep this thought in
your mind. Every day do something that will put you nearer your
goal." Each night after supper he would say, "Son, what did you
do today?" In this way the thought was always kept in mind. He
concentrated on becoming president of that bank, and he did. His
father told him never to tell anyone what that "P" stood for. A
good deal of fun was made of it by his associates. And they tried
to find out what it stood for, but they never did until he was
made president and then he told the secret.

Don't waste your mental powers in wishes. Don't dissipate your
energies by trying to satisfy every whim. Concentrate on doing
something really worth while. The man that sticks to something is
not the man that fails.

"Power to him who power exerts."--Emerson.

Success to-day depends largely on concentrating on the Interior
law of force, for when you do this you awaken those thought
powers or forces, which, when used in business, insures permanent
results.

Until you are able to do this you have not reached your limit in
the use of your forces. This great universe is interwoven with
myriads of forces. You make your own place, and whether it is
important depends upon you. Through the Indestructible and
Unconquerable Law you can in time accomplish all right things and
therefore do not be afraid to undertake whatever you really
desire to accomplish and are willing to pay for in effort.
Anything that is right is possible. That which is necessary will
inevitably take place. If something is right it is your duty to
do it, though the whole world thinks it to be wrong. "God and one
are always a majority," or in plain words, that omnipotent
interior law which is God, and the organism that represents you
is able to conquer the whole world if your cause is absolutely
just. Don't say I wish I was a great man. You can do anything
that is proper and you want to do. Just say: You can. You will.
You must. Just realize this and the rest is easy. You have the
latent faculties and forces to subdue anything that tries to
interfere with your plans.

"Let-the-troubles-and-responsibilities-of-life-come-thick-and-fas
t. I-am-ready-for-them. My-soul-is-unconquerable.
I-represent-the-Infinite-law-of-force,-or-of-all-power.
This-God-within-is-my-all-sufficient-strength-and-ever-present-he
lp-in-time-of-trouble.
The-more-difficulties-the-greater-its-triumphs-through-me.
The-harder-my-trials,-the-faster-I-go-in-the-development-of-my-in
herent-strength. Let-all-else-fail-me.
This-interior-reliance-is-all-sufficient. The-right-must-prevail.
I-demand-wisdom-and-power-to-know-and-follow-the-right.
My-higher-self-is-all-wise. I-now-draw-nearer-to-it."

LESSON IV. CONCENTRATION, THE SILENT FORCE THAT PRODUCES RESULTS
IN ALL BUSINESS

I want you first to realize how powerful thought is. A thought of
fear has turned a person's hair gray in a night. A prisoner
condemned to die was told that if he would consent to an
experiment and lived through it he would be freed. He consented.
They wanted to see how much blood a person could lose and still
live. They arranged that blood would apparently drop from a cut
made in his leg. The cut made was very slight, from which
practically no blood escaped. The room was darkened, and the
prisoner thought the dropping he heard was really coming from his
leg. The next morning he was dead through mental fear.

The two above illustrations will give you a little idea of the
power of thought. To thoroughly realize the power of thought is
worth a great deal to you.

Through concentrated thought power you can make yourself whatever
you please. By thought you can greatly increase your efficiency
and strength. You are surrounded by all kinds of thoughts, some
good, others bad, and you are sure to absorb some of the latter
if you do not build up a positive mental attitude.

If you will study the needless moods of anxiety, worry,
despondency, discouragement and others that are the result of
uncontrolled thoughts, you will realize how important the control
of your thoughts are. Your thoughts make you what you are.

When I walk along the street and study the different people's
faces I can tell how they spent their lives. It all shows in
their faces, just like a mirror reflects their physical
countenances. In looking in those faces I cannot help thinking
how most of the people you see have wasted their lives.

The understanding of the power of thought will awaken
possibilities within you that you never dreamed of. Never forget
that your thoughts are making your environment, your friends, and
as your thoughts change these will also. Is this not a practical
lesson to learn? Good thoughts are constructive. Evil thoughts
are destructive. The desire to do right carries with it a great
power. I want you to thoroughly realize the importance of your
thoughts, and how to make them valuable, to understand that your
thoughts come to you over invisible wires and influence you.

If your thoughts are of a high nature, you become connected with
people of the same mental caliber and you are able to help
yourself. If your thoughts are tricky, you will bring tricky
people to deal with you, who will try to cheat you.

If your thoughts are right kind, you will inspire confidence in
those with whom you are dealing.

As you gain the good will of others your confidence and strength
will increase. You will soon learn the wonderful value of your
thoughts and how serene you can become even when circumstances
are the most trying.

Such thoughts of Right and Good Will bring you into harmony with
people that amount to something in the world and that are able to
give you help if you should need it, as nearly everyone does at
times.

You can now see why it is so important to concentrate your
thoughts in the proper channels. It is very necessary that people
should have confidence in you. When two people meet they have not
the time to look each other up. They accept each other according
to instinct which can usually be relied on.

You meet a person and his attitude creates a suspicion in you.
The chances are you cannot tell why, but something tells you,
"Have no dealings with him, for if you do, you will be sorry."
Thoughts produce actions. Therefore be careful of your thoughts.
Your life will be molded by the thoughts you have. A spiritual
power is always available to your thought, and when you are
worthy you can attract all the good things without a great effort
on your part.

The sun's rays shine down on our gardens, but we can plant trees
that will interfere with the sun light. There are invisible
forces ready to help you if you do not think and act to intercept
these. These forces work silently. "You reap what you sow."

You have concentrated within powers that if developed will bring
you happiness greater than you can even imagine. Most people go
rushing through life, literally driving away the very things they
seek. By concentration you can revolutionize your life,
accomplish infinitely more and without a great effort.

Look within yourself and you will find the greatest machine ever
made.

How to Speak Wisely. In order to speak wisely you must secure at
least a partial concentration of the faculties and forces upon
the subject at hand. Speech interferes with the focusing powers
of the mind, as it withdraws the attention to the external and
therefore is hardly to be compared with that deep silence of the
subconscious mind, where deep thoughts, and the silent forces of
high potency are evolved. It is necessary to be silent before you
can speak wisely. The person that is really alert and well poised
and able to speak wisely under trying circumstances, is the
person that has practiced in the silence. Most people do not know
what the silence is and think it is easy to go into the silence,
but this is not so. In the real silence we become attached to
that interior law and the forces become silent, because they are
in a state of high potency, or beyond the vibratory sounds to
which our external ears are attuned. He who desires to become
above the ordinary should open up for himself the interior
channels which lead to the absolute law of the omnipotent. You
can only do this by persistently and intelligently practicing
thought concentration. Hold the thought:

In-silence-I-will-allow-my-higher-self-to-have-complete-control.
I-will-be-true-to-my-higher-self.
I-will-live-true-to-my-conception-of-what-is-right.
I-realize-that-it-is-to-my-self-interest-to-live-up-to-my-best.
I-demand-wisdom-so that-I-may-act-wisely-for-myself-and-others.

In the next chapter I will tell you of the mysterious law, which
links all humanity together, by the powers of co-operative
thought, and chooses for us companionship and friends.

LESSON V. HOW CONCENTRATED THOUGHT LINKS ALL HUMANITY TOGETHER

It is within your power to gratify your every wish. Success is
the result of the way you think. I will show you how to think to
be successful.

The power to rule and attract success is within yourself. The
barriers that shut these off from you are subject to your
control. You have unlimited power to think and this is the link
that connects you with your omniscient source.

Success is the result of certain moods of mind or ways of
thinking. These moods can be controlled by you and produced at
will.

You have been evolved to what you are from a lowly atom because
you possessed the power to think. This power will never leave
you, but will keep urging you on until you reach perfection. As
you evolve, you create new desires and these can be gratified.
The power to rule lies within you. The barriers that keep you
from ruling are also within you. These are the barriers of
ignorance.

Concentrated thought will accomplish seemingly impossible results
and make you realize your fondest ambitions. At the same time
that you break down barriers of limitation new ambitions will be
awakened. You begin to experience conscious thought
constructions.

If you will just realize that through deep concentration you
become linked with thoughts of omnipotence, you will kill out
entirely your belief in your limitations and at the same time
will drive away all fear and other negative and destructive
thought forces which constantly work against you. In the place of
these you will build up a strong assurance that your every
venture will be successful. When you learn thus how to
concentrate and reinforce your thought, you control your mental
creations; they in turn help to mould your physical environment,
and you become the master of circumstances and the ruler of your
kingdom.

It is just as easy to surround your life with what you want as it
is with what you don't want. It is a question to be decided by
your will. There are no walls to prevent you from getting what
you want, providing you want what is right. If you choose
something that is not right, you are in opposition to the
omnipotent plans of the universe and deserve to fail. But, if you
will base your desires on justice and good will, you avail
yourself of the helpful powers of universal currents, and instead
of having a handicap to work against, can depend upon ultimate
success, though the outward appearances may not at first be
bright.

Never stop to think of temporary appearances, but maintain an
unfaltering belief in your ultimate success. Make your plans
carefully, and see that they are not contrary to the tides of
universal justice. The main thing for you to remember is to keep
at bay the destructive and opposing forces of fear and anger and
their satellites.

There is no power so great as the belief which comes from the
knowledge that your thought is in harmony with the divine laws of
thought and the sincere conviction that your cause is right. You
may be able seemingly to accomplish results for a time even if
your cause is unjust, but the results will be temporary, and, in
time, you will have to tear down your thought edifice and build
on the true foundation of Right.

Plans that are not built on truth produce discordant vibrations
and are therefore self-destructive. Never try to build until you
can build right. It is a waste of time to do anything else. You
may temporarily put aside your desire to do right, but its true
vibrations will interfere with your unjust plans until you are
forced back into righteous paths of power.

All just causes succeed in time, though temporarily they may
fail. So if you should face the time when everything seems
against you, quiet your fears, drive away all destructive
thoughts and uphold the dignity of your moral and spiritual life.

"Where There Is A Will There Is A Way." The reason this is so is
that the Will can make a way if given the chance to secure the
assistance of aiding forces. The more it is developed the higher
the way to which it will lead.

When everything looks gloomy and discouraging, then is the time
to show what you are made of by rejoicing that you can control
your moods by making them as calm, serene and bright as if
prosperity were yours.

"Be faithful in sowing the thought seeds of success, in perfect
trust that the sun will not cease to shine and bring a generous
harvest in one season."

It is not always necessary to think of the success of a venture
when you are actually engaged in it. For when the body is
inactive the mind is most free to catch new ideas that will
further the opportunity you are seeking. When you are actually
engaged in doing something, you are thinking in the channels you
have previously constructed and the work does not have to be done
over again.

When you are in a negative mood the intuitions are more active,
for you are not then controlling your thoughts by the will.
Everything we do. should have the approval of the intuition.

When you are in a negative mood you attract thoughts of similar
nature through the law of affinity. That is why it is so
important to form thoughts of a success nature to attract similar
ones. If you have never made a study of this subject, you may
think this is all foolishness, but it is a fact that there are
thought currents that unerringly bring thoughts of a similar
nature. Many persons who think of failure actually attract
failure by their worries, their anxieties, their overactivity.
These thoughts are bound to bring failure. When you once learn
the laws of thought and think of nothing but Good, Truth,
Success, you will make more progress with less effort than you
ever made before.

There are forces that can aid the mind that are hardly dreamed of
by the average person. When you learn to believe more in the
value of thought and its laws you will be led aright and your
business gains will multiply.

The following method may assist you in gaining better thought
control. If you are unable to control your fears, just say to
your faulty determination, "Do not falter or be afraid, for I am
not really alone. I am surrounded by invisible forces that will
assist me to remove the unfavorable appearances." Soon you will
have more courage. The only difference between the fearless man
and the fearful one is in his will, his hope. So if you lack
success, believe in it, hope for it, claim it. You can use the
same method to brace up your thoughts of desire, aspiration,
imagination, expectation, ambition, understanding, trust and
assurance.

If you get anxious, angry, discouraged, undecided or worried, it
is because you are not receiving the co-operation of the higher
powers of your mind. By your Will you can so organize the powers
of the mind that your moods change only as you want them to
instead of as circumstances affect you.

I was recently asked if I advised concentrating on what you eat,
or what you see while walking. My reply was that no matter what
you may be doing, when in practice think of nothing else but that
act at the time. The idea is to be able to control your
unimportant acts, otherwise you set up a habit that it will be
hard to overcome, because your faculties have not been in the
habit of concentrating. Your faculties cannot be disorganized one
minute and organized the next. If you allow the mind to wander
while you are doing small things, it will be likely to get into
mischief and make it hard to concentrate on the important act
when it comes.

The man that is able to concentrate is the happy, busy man. Time
does not drag with him. He always has plenty to do. He does not
have time to think over past mistakes, which would make him
unhappy.

If despite our discouragement and failures, we claim our great
heritage, "life and truth and force, like an electric current,"
will permeate our lives until we enter into our "birthright in
eternity."

The will does not act with clearness, decision and promptness
unless it is trained to do so. There are comparatively few that
really know what they are doing every minute of the day. This is
because they do not observe with sufficient orderliness and
accuracy to know what they are doing. It is not difficult to know
what you us doing all the time, if you will just practice
concentration and with a reposeful deliberation, and train
yourself to think clearly, promptly, and decisive. If you allow
yourself to worry or hurry in what you are doing, this will not
be clearly photographed upon the sensitized plate of the
subjective mind, and you therefore will not be really conscious
of your actions. So practice accuracy and concentration of
thought, and also absolute truthfulness and you will soon be able
to concentrate.

LESSON VI. THE TRAINING OF THE WILL TO DO

The Will To Do is the greatest power in the world that is
concerned with human accomplishment and no one can in advance
determine its limits.

The things that we do now would have been a few ages ago
impossibilities. Today the safe maxim is: "All things are
possible."

The Will To Do is a force that is strictly practical, yet it is
difficult to explain just what it is. It can be compared to
electricity because we know it only through its cause and
effects. It is a power we can direct and to just the extent we
direct it do we determine our future. Every time you accomplish
any definite act, consciously or unconsciously, you use the
principle of the Will. You can Will to do anything whether it is
right or wrong, and therefore the way you use your will makes a
big difference in your life.

Every person possesses some "Will To Do." It is the inner energy
which controls all conscious acts. What you will to do directs
your life forces. All habits, good or bad, are the result of what
you will to do. You improve or lower your condition in life by
what you will to do. Your will has a connection with all avenues
of knowledge, all activities, all accomplishment.

You probably know of cases where people have shown wonderful
strength under some excitement, similar to the following: The
house of a farmer's wife caught on fire. No one was around to
help her move anything. She was a frail woman, and ordinarily was
considered weak. On this occasion she removed things from the
house that it later took three men to handle. It was the "Will To
Do" that she used to accomplish her task.

Genius Is But A Will To Do Little Things With Infinite Pains.
Little Things Well Done Open The Door Of Opportunity For Bigger
Things.

The Will accomplishes its greater results through activities that
grow out of great concentration in acquiring the power of
voluntary attention to such an extent that we can direct it where
we will and hold it steadily to its task until our aim is
accomplished. When you learn so to use it, your Will Power
becomes a mighty force. Almost everything can be accomplished
through its proper use. It is greater than physical force because
it can be used to control not only physical but mental and moral
forces.

There are very few that possess perfectly developed and balanced
Will Power, but those who do easily crush out their weak
qualities. Study yourself carefully. Find out your greatest
weakness and then use your will power to overcome it. In this way
eradicate your faults, one by one, until you have built up a
strong character and personality.

Rules for Improvement. A desire arises. Now think whether this
would be good for you. If it is not, use your Will Power to kill
out the desire, but, on the other hand, if it is a righteous
desire, summon all your Will Power to your aid, crush all
obstacles that confront you and secure possession of the coveted
Good.

Slowness in Making Decisions. This is a weakness of Will Power.
You know you should do something, but you delay doing it through
lack of decision. It is easier not to do a certain thing than to
do it, but conscience says to do it. The vast majority of persons
are failures because of the lack of deciding to do a thing when
it should be done. Those that are successful have been quick to
grasp opportunities by making a quick decision. This power of
will can be used to bring culture, wealth and health.

Some Special Pointers. For the next week try to make quicker
decisions in your little daily affairs. Set the hour you wish to
get up and arise exactly at the fixed time. Anything that you
should accomplish, do on or ahead of time. You want, of course,
to give due deliberation to weighty matters, but by making quick
decisions on little things you will acquire the ability to make
quick decisions in bigger things. Never procrastinate. Decide
quickly one way or the other even at the risk of deciding wrong.
Practice this for a week or two and notice your improvement.

The Lack of Initiative. This, too, keeps many men from
succeeding. They have fallen into the way of imitating others in
all that they do. Very often we hear the expression, "He seems
clever enough, but he lacks initiative." Life for them is one
continuous grind. Day after day they go through the same
monotonous round of duties, while those that are "getting along"
are using their initiative to get greater fullness of life. There
is nothing so responsible for poverty as this lack of initiative,
this power to think and do for ourselves.

You Are as Good as Anyone. You have will power, and if you use
it, you will get your share of the luxuries of life. So use it to
claim your own. Don't depend on anyone else to help you. We have
to fight our own battles. All the world loves a fighter, while
the coward is despised by all.

Every person's problems are different, so I can only say "analyze
your opportunities and conditions and study your natural
abilities." Form plans for improvement and then put them into
operation. Now, as I said before, don't just say, "I am going to
do so and so," but carry your plan into execution. Don't make an
indefinite plan, but a definite one, and then don't give up until
your object has been accomplished. Put these suggestions into
practice with true earnestness, and you will soon note
astonishing results, and your whole life will be completely
changed. An excellent motto for one of pure motives is: Through
my will power I dare do what I want to. You will find this
affirmation has a very strengthening effect.

The Spirit of Perseverance. The spirit of "sticktoitiveness" is
the one that wins. Many go just so far and then give up, whereas,
if they had persevered a little longer, they would have won out.
Many have much initiative, but instead of concentrating it into
one channel, they diffuse it through several, thereby dissipating
it to such an extent that its effect is lost.

Develop more determination, which is only the Will To Do, and
when you start out to do something stick to it until you get
results. Of course, before starting anything you must look ahead
and see what the "finish leads to." You must select a road that
will lead to "somewhere," rather than "nowhere." The journey must
be productive of some kind of substantial results. The trouble
with so many young men is that they launch enterprises without
any end in sight. It is not so much the start as the finish of a
journey that counts. Each little move should bring you nearer the
goal which you planned to reach before the enterprise began.

Lack of Perseverance is nothing but the lack of the Will To Do.
It takes the same energy to say, "I will continue," as to say, "I
give up." Just the moment you say the latter you shut off your
dynamo, and your determination is gone. Every time you allow your
determination to be broken you weaken it. Don't forget this. Just
the instant you notice your determination beginning to weaken,
concentrate on it and by sheer Will Power make it continue on the
"job."

Never try to make a decision when you are not in a calm state of
mind. If in a "quick temper," you are likely to say things you
afterwards regret. In anger, you follow impulse rather than
reason. No one can expect to achieve success if he makes
decisions when not in full control of his mental forces.

Therefore make it a fixed rule to make decisions only when at
your best. If you have a "quick temper," you can quickly gain
control over it by simple rule of counting backwards. To count
backwards requires concentration, and you thus quickly regain a
calm state. In this way you can break the "temper habit."

It will do you a lot of good to think over what you said and
thought the last time you were angry. Persevere until you see
yourself as others see you. It would do no harm to write the
scene out in story form and then sit in judgment of the character
that played your part.

Special Instructions to Develop the Will To Do. This is a form of
mental energy, but requires the proper mental attitude to make it
manifest. We hear of people having wonderful will power, which
really is wrong. It should be said that they use their will power
while with many it is a latent force. I want you to realize that
no one has a monopoly on will power. There is plenty for all.
What we speak of as will power is but the gathering together of
mental energy, the concentration power at one point. So never
think of that person as having a stronger will than yours. Each
person will be supplied with just that amount of will power that
he demands. You don't have to develop will power if you
constantly make use of all you have, and remember the way in
which you use it determines your fate, for your life is moulded
to great extent by the use you make of your will. Unless you make
proper use of it you have neither independence nor firmness. You
are unable to control yourself and become a mere machine for
others to use. It is more important to learn to use your will
than to develop your intellect. The man that has not learned how
to use his will rarely decides things for himself, but allows his
resolutions to be changed by others. He fluctuates from one
opinion to another, and of course does not accomplish anything
out of the ordinary, while his brother with the trained will
takes his place among the world's leaders.

LESSON VII. THE CONCENTRATED MENTAL DEMAND

The Mental Demand is the potent force in achievement. The
attitude of the mind affects the expression of the face,
determines action, changes our physical condition and regulates
our lives.

I will not here attempt to explain the silent force that achieves
results. You want to develop your mental powers so you can effect
the thing sought, and that is what I want to teach you. There is
wonderful power and possibility in the concentrated Mental
Demand. This, like all other forces, is controlled by laws. It
can, like all other forces, be wonderfully increased by
consecutive, systematized effort.

The mental demand must be directed by every power of the mind and
every possible element should be used to make the demand
materialize. You can so intently desire a thing that you can
exclude all distracting thoughts. When you practice this
singleness of concentration until you attain the end sought, you
have developed a Will capable of accomplishing whatever you wish.

As long as you can only do the ordinary things you will be
counted in the mass of mediocrity. But just as quick as you
surpass others by even comparatively small measure, you are
classed as one of life's successes. So, if you wish to emerge
into prominence, you must accomplish something more than the
ordinary man or woman. It is easy to do this if you will but
concentrate on what you desire, and put forth your best effort.
It is not the runner with the longest legs or the strongest
muscles that wins the race, but the one that can put forth the
greatest desire force. You can best understand this by thinking
of an engine. The engine starts up slowly, the engineer gradually
extending the throttle to the top notch. It is then keyed up to
its maximum speed. The same is true of two runners. They start
off together and gradually they increase their desire to go
faster. The one that has the greatest intensity of desire will
win. He may outdistance the other by only a fraction of an inch,
yet he gets the laurels.

The men that are looked upon as the world's successes have not
always been men of great physical power, nor at the start did
they seem very well adapted to the conditions which encompassed
them. In the beginning they were not considered men of superior
genius, but they won their success by their resolution to achieve
results in their undertakings by permitting no set-back to
dishearten them; no difficulties to daunt them. Nothing could
turn them or influence them against their determination. They
never lost sight of their goal. In all of us there is this silent
force of wonderful power. If developed, it can overcome
conditions that would seem insurmountable. It is constantly
urging us on to greater achievement. The more we become
acquainted with it the better strategists we become, the more
courage we develop and the greater the desire within us for
self-expression in activity along many lines.

No one will ever be a failure if he becomes conscious of this
silent force within that controls his destiny. But without the
consciousness of this inner force, you will not have a clear
vision, and external conditions will not yield to the power of
your mind. It is the mental resolve that makes achievement
possible. Once this has been formed it should never be allowed to
cease to press its claim until its object is attained. To make
plans work out it will, at times, be necessary to use every power
of your mind. Patience, perseverance and all the indomitable
forces within one will have to be mustered and used with the
greatest effectiveness.

Perseverance is the first element of success. In order to
persevere you must be ceaseless in your application. It requires
you to concentrate your thoughts upon your undertaking and bring
every energy to bear upon keeping them focused upon it until you
have accomplished your aim. To quit short of this is to weaken
all future efforts.

The Mental Demand seems an unreal power because it is intangible;
but it is the mightiest power in the world. It is a power that is
free for you to use. No one can use it for you. The Mental Demand
is not a visionary one. It is a potent force, which you can use
freely without cost. When you are in doubt it will counsel you.
It will guide you when you are uncertain. When you are in fear it
will give you courage. It is the motive power which supplies the
energies necessary to the achievement of the purpose. You have a
large store house of possibilities. The Mental Demand makes
possibilities realities. It supplies everything necessary for the
accomplishment, It selects the tools and instructs how to use
them. It makes you understand the situation. Every time you make
a Mental Demand you strengthen the brain centers by drawing to
you external forces.

Few realize the power of a Mental Demand. It is possible to make
your demand so strong that you can impart what you have to say to
another without speaking to him. Have you ever, after planning to
discuss a certain matter with a friend, had the experience of
having him broach the subject before you had a chance to speak of
it? Have you ever, in a letter, made a suggestion to a friend
that he carried out before your letter reached him? Have you ever
wanted to speak to a person who, just then walked in or
telephoned. I have had many such responses to thought and you and
your friends have doubtless experienced them, too.

These two things are neither coincidences nor accidents, but are
the results of mental demand launched by strong concentration.

The person that never wants anything gets little. To demand
resolutely is the first step toward getting what you want.

The power of the Mental Demand seems absolute, the supply
illimitable. The mental demand projects itself and causes to
materialize the conditions and opportunities needed to accomplish
the purpose. Do not think I over estimate the value of the Mental
Demand. It brings the fuller life if used for only righteous
purposes. Once the Mental Demand is made, however, never let it
falter. If you do the current that connects you with your desire
is broken. Take all the necessary time to build a firm
foundation, so that there need not be even an element of doubt to
creep in. Just the moment you entertain "doubt" you lose some of
the demand force, and force once lost is hard to regain. So
whenever you make a mental demand hold steadfastly to it until
your need is supplied.

I want to repeat again that Power of Mental Demand is not a
visionary one. It is concentrated power only, and can be used by
you. It is not supernatural power, but requires a development of
the brain centers. The outcome is sure when it is given with a
strong resolute determination.

No person will advance to any great extent, until he recognizes
this force within him. If you have not become aware of it, you
have not made very much of a success of your life. It is this
"something" that distinguishes that "man" from other men. It is
this subtle power that develops strong personality.

If you want a great deal you must demand a great deal. Once you
make your demand, anticipate its fulfillment. It depends upon us.
We are rewarded according to our efforts. The Power of Mental
Demand can bring us what we want. We become what we determine to
be. We control our own destiny.

Get the right mental attitude, then in accordance with your
ability you can gain success.

And every man of AVERAGE ability, the ordinary man that you see
about you, can be really successful, independent, free of worry,
HIS OWN MASTER, if he can manage to do just two things.

First, remain forever dissatisfied with what he IS doing and with
what he HAS accomplished.

Second, develop in his mind a belief that the word impossible was
not intended or him. Build up in his mind the confidence that
enables the mind to use its power.

Many, especially the older men, will ask:

"How can I build up that self-confidence in my brain? How can I,
after months and years of discouragement, of dull plodding,
suddenly conceive and carry out a plan for doing something that
will mike life worth while and change the monotonous routine?

"How can a man get out of a rut after he has been in it for years
and has settled down to the slow jog-trot that leads to the
grave?"

The answer is the thing can be done, and millions have done it.

One of the names most honored among the great men of France is
that of Littre, who wrote and compiled the great French
dictionary--a monument of learning. He is the man whose place
among the forty immortals of France was taken by the great
Pasteur, when the latter was elected to the Academy.

Littre BEGAN the work that makes him famous when he was more than
sixty years old.

LESSON VIII. CONCENTRATION GIVES MENTAL POISE

You will find that the man that concentrates is well poised,
whereas the man that allows his mind to wander is easily upset.
When in this state wisdom does not pass from the subconscious
storehouse into the consciousness. There must be mental quiet
before the two consciousnesses can work in harmony. When you are
able to concentrate you have peace of mind.

If you are in the habit of losing your poise, form the habit of
reading literature that has a quieting power. Just the second you
feel your poise slipping, say, "Peace," and then hold this
thought in mind and you will never lose your self-control.

There cannot be perfect concentration until there is peace of
mind. So keep thinking peace, acting peace, until you are at
peace with all the world. For when once you have reached this
state there will be no trouble to concentrate on anything you
wish.

When you have peace of mind you are not timid or anxious, or
fearful, or rigid and you will not allow any disturbing thought
to influence you. You cast aside all fears, and think of yourself
as a spark of the Divine Being, as a manifestation of the "One
Universal Principle" that fills all space and time. Think of
yourself thus as a child of the infinite, possessing infinite
possibilities.

Write on a piece of paper, "I have the power to do and to be
whatever I wish to do and be." Keep this mentally before you, and
you will find the thought will be of great help to you.

The Mistake of Concentrating on Your Business While Away. In
order to be successful today, you must concentrate, but don't
become a slave to concentration, and carry your business cares
home. Just as sure as you do you will be burning the life forces
at both ends and the fire will go out much sooner than was
intended.

Many men become so absorbed in their business that when they go
to church they do not hear the preacher because their minds are
on their business. If they go to the theater they do not enjoy it
because their business is on their minds. When they go to bed
they think about business instead of sleep and wonder why they
don't sleep. This is the wrong kind of concentration and is
dangerous. It is involuntary. When you are unable to get anything
out of your mind it becomes unwholesome as any thought held
continuously causes weariness of the flesh. It is a big mistake
to let a thought rule you, instead of ruling it. He who does not
rule himself is not a success. If you cannot control your
concentration, your health will suffer.

So never become so absorbed with anything that you cannot lay it
aside and take up another. This is self-control.

Concentration Is Paying Attention to a Chosen Thought. Everything
that passes before the eye makes an impression on the
subconscious mind, but unless you pay attention to some certain
thing you will not remember what you saw. For instance if you
walked down a busy street without seeing anything that attracted
your particular attention, you could not recall anything you saw.
So you see only what attracts your attention. If you work you
only see and remember what you think about. When you concentrate
on something it absorbs your whole thought.

Self-Study Valuable. Everyone has some habits that can be
overcome by concentration. We will say for instance, you are in
the habit of complaining, or finding fault with yourself or
others; or, imagining that you do not possess the ability of
others; or feeling that you are not as good as someone else; or
that you cannot rely on yourself; or harboring any similar
thoughts or thoughts of weakness. These should be cast aside and
instead thoughts of strength should be put in their place. Just
remember every time you think of yourself as being weak, in some
way you are making yourself so by thinking you are. Our mental
conditions make us what we are. Just watch yourself and see how
much time you waste in worrying, fretting and complaining. The
more of it you do the worse off you are.

Just the minute you are aware of thinking a negative thought
immediately change to a positive one. If you start to think of
failure, change to thinking of success. You have the germ of
success within you. Care for it the same as the setting hen
broods over the eggs and you can make it a reality.

You can make those that you come in contact with feel as you do,
because you radiate vibrations of the way you feel and your
vibrations are felt by others. When you concentrate on a certain
thing you turn all the rays of your vibrations on this. Thought
is the directing power of all Life's vibrations. If a person
should enter a room with a lot of people and feel as if he were a
person of no consequence no one would know he was there unless
they saw him, and even if they did, they would not remember
seeing him, because they were not attracted towards him. But let
him enter the room feeling that he was magnetic and concentrating
on this thought, others would feel his vibration. So remember the
way you feel you can make others feel. This is the law. Make
yourself a concentrated dynamo from which your thoughts vibrate
to others. Then you are a power in the world. Cultivate the art
of feeling, for as I said before you can only make others feel
what you feel.

If you will study all of the great characters of history you will
find that they were enthusiastic. First they were enthusiastic
themselves, and then they could arouse others' enthusiasm. It is
latent in everyone. It is a wonderful force when once aroused.
All public men to be a success have to possess it. Cultivate it
by concentration. Set aside some hour of the day, wherein to hold
rapt converse with the soul. Meditate with sincere desire and
contrite heart and you will be able to accomplish that which you
have meditated on. This is the keynote of success.

"Think, speak and act just as you wish to be, And you will be
that which you wish to be."

You are just what you think you are and not what you may appear
to be. You may fool others but not yourself. You may control your
life and actions just as you can control your hands. If you want
to raise your hand you must first think of raising it. If you
want to control your life you must first control your thinking.
Easy to do, is it not? Yes it is, if you will but concentrate on
what you think about.

For he only can
That says he will.

How can we secure concentration? To this question, the first and
last answer must be: By interest and strong motive. The stronger
the motive the greater the concentration.--Eustace Miller, M. D.

The Successful Lives Are the Concentrated Lives. The utterly
helpless multitude that sooner or later have to be cared for by
charity, are those that were never able to concentrate, and who
have become the victims of negative ideas.

Train yourself so you will be able to centralize your thought and
develop your brain power, and increase your mental energy, or you
can be a slacker, a drifter, a quitter or a sleeper. It all
depends on how you concentrate, or centralize your thoughts. Your
thinking then becomes a fixed power and you do not waste time
thinking about something that would not be good for you. You pick
out the thoughts that will be the means of bringing you what you
desire, and they become a material reality. Whatever we create in
the thought world will some day materialize. That is the law.
Don't forget this.

In the old days men drifted without concentration but this is a
day of efficiency and therefore all of our efforts must be
concentrated, if we are to win any success worth the name.

Why People Often Do Not Get What They Concentrate On. Because
they sit down in hopeless despair and expect it to come to them.
But if they will just reach out for it with their biggest effort
they will find it is within their reach. No one limits us but
ourselves. We are what we are today as the result of internal
conditions. We can control the external conditions. They are
subject to our will.

Through our concentration we can attract what we want, because we
became enrapport with the Universal forces, from which we can get
what we want.

You have watched races no doubt. They all line up together. Each
has his mind set on getting to the goal before the others. This
is one kind of concentration. A man starts to think on a certain
subject. He has all kinds of thoughts come to him, but by
concentration he shuts out all these but the one he has chosen.
Concentration is just a case of willing to do a certain thing and
doing it.

If you want to accomplish anything first put yourself in a
concentrating, reposeful, receptive, acquiring frame of mind. In
tackling unfamiliar work make haste slowly and deliberately and
then you will secure that interior activity, which is never
possible when you are in a hurry or under a strain. When you
"think hard" or try to hurry results too quickly, you generally
shut off the interior flow of thoughts and ideas. You have often
no doubt tried hard to think of something but could not, but just
as soon as you stopped trying to think of it, it came to you.

LESSON IX. CONCENTRATION CAN OVERCOME BAD HABITS

Habits make or break us to a far greater extent than we like to
admit. Habit is both a powerful enemy and wonderful ally of
concentration. You must learn to overcome habits which are
injurious to concentration, and to cultivate those which increase
it.

The large majority of people are controlled by their habits and
are buffeted around by them like waves of the ocean tossing a
piece of wood. They do things in a certain way because of the
power of habit. They seldom ever think of concentrating on why
they do them this or that way, or study to see if they could do
them in a better way. Now my object in this chapter is to get you
to concentrate on your habits so you can find out which are good
and which are bad for you. You will find that by making a few
needed changes you can make even those that are not good for you,
of service; the good habits you can make much better.

The first thing I want you to realize is that all habits are
governed consciously or unconsciously by the will. Most of us are
forming new habits all the time. Very often, if you repeat
something several times in the same way, you will have formed the
habit of doing it that way. But the oftener you repeat it the
stronger that habit grows and the more deeply it becomes embedded
in your nature. After a habit has been in force for a long time,
it becomes almost a part of you, and is therefore hard to
overcome. But you can still break any habit by strong
concentration on its opposite.

"All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of
habits--practical, emotional, and intellectual--systematically
organized, for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly
toward our destiny whatever the latter may be."

We are creatures of habits, "imitators and copiers of our past
selves." We are liable to be "bent" or "curved" as we can bend a
piece of paper, and each fold leaves a crease, which makes it
easier to make the fold there the next time. "The intellect and
will are spiritual functions; still they are immersed in matter,
and to every movement of theirs, corresponds a movement in the
brain, that is, in their material correlative." This is why
habits of thought and habits of willing can be formed. All
physical impressions are the carrying out of the actions of the
will and intellect. Our nervous systems are what they are today,
because of the way they have been exercised.

As we grow older most of us become more and more like automatic
machines. The habits we have formed increase in strength. We work
in our old characteristic way. Your associates learn to expect
you to do things in a certain way. So you see that your habits
make a great difference in your life, and as it is just about as
easy to form good habits as it is bad, you should form only the
former. No one but yourself is responsible for your habits. You
are free to form the habits that you should and if everyone could
realize the importance of forming the right kind of habits what a
different world this would be. How much happier everyone would
be. Then all instead of the few might win success.

Habits are formed more quickly when we are young, but if we have
already passed the youthful plastic period the time to start to
control our habits is right now, as we will never be any younger.

You will find the following maxims worth remembering.

First Maxim:

"We must make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy."

Second Maxim:

"In the acquisition of a new habit as in the leaving off of an
old one, we must take care to launch ourselves with as strong and
decided an initiative as possible."

The man that is in the habit of doing the right thing from
boyhood, has only good motives, so it is very important for you
that you concentrate assiduously on the habits that reinforce
good motives. Surround yourself with every aid you can. Don't
play with fire by forming bad habits. Make a new beginning today.
Study why you have been doing certain things. If they are not for
your good, shun them henceforth. Don't give in to a single
temptation for every time you do, you strengthen the chain of bad
habits. Every time you keep a resolution you break the chain that
enslaves you.

Third Maxim:

"Never allow an exception to occur till the new habit is securely
rooted in your life." Here is the idea, you never want to give
in, until the new habit is fixed else you undo all that has been
accomplished by previous efforts. There are two opposing
inclinations. One wants to be firm, and the other wants to give
in. By your will you can become firm, through repetition. Fortify
your will to be able to cope with any and all opposition.

Fourth Maxim:

"Seize the very first possible opportunity to act on every
resolution you make, and on every emotional prompting you may
experience in the direction of the habits you aspire to gain."

To make a resolve and not to keep it is of little value. So by
all means keep every resolution you make, for you not only profit
by the resolution, but it furnishes you with an exercise that
causes the brain cells and physiological correlatives to form the
habit of adjusting themselves to carry out resolutions. "A
tendency to act, becomes effectively engrained in us in
proportion to the uninterrupted frequency with which the actions
actually occur, and the brain `grows' to their use. When a
resolve or a fine glow of feeling is allowed to evaporate without
bearing fruit, it is worse than a chance lost."

If you keep your resolutions you form a most valuable habit. If
you break them you form a most dangerous one. So concentrate on
keeping them, whether important or unimportant, and remember it
is just as important for this purpose to keep the unimportant,
for by so doing you are forming the habit.

Fifth Maxim:

"Keep the faculty of effort alive in you by a little gratuitous
exercise every day."

The more we exercise the will, the better we can control our
habits. "Every few days do something for no other reason than its
difficulty, so that when the hour of dire need draws nigh, it may
find you not unnerved or untrained to stand the test. Asceticism
of this sort is like the insurance which a man pays on his house
and goods. The tax does him no good at the time, and possibly may
never bring him a return, but if the fire does come, his having
paid it will be his salvation from ruin. So with the man who has
daily insured himself to habits of concentrated attention,
energetic volation, and self-denial in unnecessary things. "He
will stand like a tower when everything rocks around him and his
softer fellow-mortals are winnowed like chaff in the blast."

The young should be made to concentrate on their habits and be
made to realize that if they don't they become walking bundles of
injurious habits. Youth is the plastic state, and should be
utilized in laying the foundation for a glorious future.

The great value of habit for good and evil cannot be
overestimated. "Habit is the deepest law of human nature." No man
is stronger than his habits, because his habits either build up
his strength or decrease it.

Why We Are Creatures of Habits. Habits have often been called a
labor-saying invention, because when they are formed they require
less of both mental and material strength. The more deeply the
habit becomes ingrained the more automatic it becomes. Therefore
habit is an economizing tendency of our nature, for if it were
not for habit we should have to be more watchful. We walk across
a crowded street; the habit of stopping and looking prevents us
from being hurt. The right kind of habits keeps us from making
mistakes and mishaps. It is a well known fact that a chauffeur is
not able to master his machine safely until he has trained his
body in a habitual way. When an emergency comes he instantly
knows what to do. Where safety depends on quickness the operator
must work automatically. Habits mean less risk, less fatigue, and
greater accuracy.

"You do not want to become a slave to habits of a trivial nature.
For instance, Wagner required a certain costume before he could
compose corresponding parts of his operas. Schiller could never
write with ease unless there were rotten apples in the drawer of
his desk from which he could now and then obtain an odor which
seemed to him sweet. Gladstone had different desks for his
different activities, so that when he worked on Homer he never
sat among habitual accompaniments of his legislative labors."

In order to overcome undesirable habits, two things are
necessary. You must have trained your will to do what you want it
to do, and the stronger the will the easier it will be to break a
habit. Then you must make a resolution to do just the opposite of
what the habit is. Therefore one habit must replace another. If
you have a strong will, you can tenaciously and persistently
concentrate on removing the bad habit and in a very short time
the good habit will gain the upper hand. I will bring this
chapter to a close by giving Doctor Oppenheim's instructions for
overcoming a habit:

"If you want to abolish a habit, and its accumulated
circumstances as well, you must grapple with the matter as
earnestly as you would with a physical enemy. You must go into
the encounter with all tenacity of determination, with all
fierceness of resolve--yea, even with a passion for success that
may be called vindictive. No human enemy can be as insidious, so
persevering, as unrelenting as an unfavorable habit. It never
sleeps, it needs no rest.

"It is like a parasite that grows with the growth of the
supporting body, and, like a parasite, it can best be killed by
violent separation and crushing.

When life is stormy and all seems against us, that is when we
often acquire wrong habits, and it is then, that we have to make
a gigantic effort to think and speak as we should; and even
though we may feel the very reverse at that moment the tiniest
effort will be backed up by a tremendous Power and will lift us
to a realization never felt before. It is not in the easy,
contented moments of our life that we make our greatest progress,
for then it requires, no special effort to keep in tune. But it
is when we are in the midst of trials and misfortunes, when we
think we are sinking, being overwhelmed, then it is important for
us to realize that we are linked to a great Power and if we live
as we should, there is nothing that can occur in life, which
could permanently injure us, nothing can happen that should
disturb us. So always remember you have within you unlimited
power, ready to manifest itself in the form which fills our need
at the moment. If, when we have something difficult to solve, we
would be silent like the child, we can get the inspiration when
it comes; we will know how to act, we will find there is no need
to hurry or disturb ourselves, that it is always wiser to wait
for guidance from within, than to act on impulse from Without.

LESSON X. BUSINESS RESULTS THROUGH CONCENTRATION

A successful business is not usually the result of chance.
Neither is a failure the result of luck. Most failures could be
determined in advance if the founders had been studied. It is not
always possible to start a money-making business at the start.
Usually a number of changes have to be made. Plans do not work
out as their creators thought they would. They may have to be
changed a little, broadened it may be, here and there, and as you
broaden your business you broaden your power to achieve. You gain
an intense and sustained desire to make your business a success.

When you start a business you may have but a vague notion of the
way you will conduct it. You must fill in the details as you go
along. You must concentrate on these details. As you straighten
out one after another, others will require attention. In this way
you cover the field of "the first endeavor" and new opportunities
open up for you.

When you realize one desire, another comes. But if you do not
fulfill the first desire, you will not the second. The person
that does not carry his desires into action is only a dreamer.
Desire is a great creative force, if it is pure, intense and
sustained. It is our desires that keep stirring us up to action
and they will strengthen and broaden you if you make them
materialize.

Every man who achieves success deserves it. When he first started
out he did not understand how to solve the problems that
afterwards presented themselves, but he did each thing as it came
up in the very best way that he could, and this developed his
power of doing bigger things. We become masters of business by
learning to do well whatever we attempt. The man that has a
thorough knowledge of his business can of course direct it much
more easily and skillfully than the man who lacks that knowledge.
The skilled business director can sit in his private office and
still know accurately what is actually being done. He knows what
should be done in any given time and if it is not accomplished he
knows that his employees are not turning out the work that they
should. It is then easy to apply the remedy.

Business success depends on well-concentrated efforts. You must
use every mental force you can master. The more these are used
the more they increase. Therefore the more you accomplish today
the more force you will have at your disposal with which to solve
your problems tomorrow.

If you are working for someone else today and wish to start in a
business for yourself, think over carefully what you would like
to do. Then when you have resolved what you want to do, you will
be drawn towards it. There is a law that opens the way to the
fulfillment of your desires. Of course back of your desire you
must put forward the necessary effort to carry out your purpose;
you must use your power to put your desires into force. Once they
are created and you keep up your determination to have them
fulfilled you both consciously and unconsciously work toward
their materialization. Set your heart on your purpose,
concentrate your thought upon it, direct your efforts with all
your intelligence and in due time you will realize your ambition.

Feel yourself a success, believe you are a success and thus put
yourself in the attitude that demands recognition and the thought
current draws to you what you need to make you a success. Don't
be afraid of big undertakings. Go at them with grit, and pursue
methods that you think will accomplish your purpose. You may not
at first meet with entire success, but aim so high that if you
fall a little short you will still have accomplished much.

What others have done you can do. You may even do what others
have been unable to do. Always keep a strong desire to succeed in
your mind. Be in love with your aim and work, and make them, as
far as possible, square with the rule of the greatest good to the
greatest number and your life cannot be a failure.

The successful business attitude must be cultivated to make the
most out of your life, the attitude of expecting great things
from both yourself and others. It alone will often cause men to
make good; to measure up to the best that is in them.

It is not the spasmodic spurts that count on a long journey, but
the steady efforts. Spurts fatigue and make it hard for you to
continue.

Rely on your own opinion. It should be as good as anyone's else.
When once you reach a conclusion abide by it. Let there be no
doubt, or wavering in your judgment. If you are uncertain about
every decision you make, you will be subject to harassing doubts
and fears which will render your judgment of little value. The
man that decides according to what he thinks right and who learns
from every mistake acquires a well balanced mind that gets the
best results. He gains the confidence of others. He is known as
the man that knows what he wants, and not as one that is as
changeable as the weather. The man of today wants to do business
with the man that he can depend upon. Uncertainties in the
business world are meeting with more disfavor. Reliable firms
want to do business with men of known qualities, with men of
firmness, judgment and reliability.

So if you wish to start in business for yourself your greatest
asset, with the single exception of a sound physique, is that of
a good reputation.

A successful business is not hard to build if we can concentrate
all our men

CEO Books
Online Executive Education Resources

Books and Education Resources on
Business Strategy. Management. Economy. Government. Politics and Executive Development

CEO Books Online Executive Education Resources

Books and Education Resources on Business Strategy. Management. Economy. Government. Politics and Executive Development

CEO Books
Online Executive Education Resources

Books and Education Resources on
Business Strategy. Management. Economy. Government. Politics and Executive Development