,the ,power of ,concentration1 by ,theron ,q4 ,dumont ,scanned by ,charles ,keller with ,omni,page ,professional ,,ocr software ,the ,power of ,concentration ,by ,,theron ,q4 ,,dumont ,author of ,personal ,magnetism2 ,practical ,memory ,training2 ,mental ,therapeutics2 ,successful ,salesmanship2 ,master ,mind2 etc41 etc4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,,introduction4 ,it is of the utmost value to learn how to concentrate4 ,to make the greatest success of anything you must be able to concentrate your entire thought upon the idea you are working on4 ,the person that is able to concentrate utilizes all constructive thoughts and shuts out all destructive ones4 ,the greatest man would accomplish nothing if he lacked concentration4 ,,lesson #a4 ,,concentration ,,finds ,,the ,,way4 ,our two natures2 one wants to advance2 the other wants to pull us back4 ,the one we concentrate on and develop determines what we will become4 ,how you may change your whole career and accomplish miracles4 ,we can be completely controlled by our concentrated thought4 ,how can you make an opportunity4 ,one man's opportunity is usually another man's loss4 ,a very beneficial practice4 ,why we get back what we give out4 ,a wonderful encouraging tonic4 ,every man that is willing to put forth the necessary effort can be a success4 ,the man that is best prepared to do things4 ,how to make your services always in demand4 ,how to reach the top4 ,the man selected to manage is not usually a genius4 ,he does not possess any more talent than others4 ,what he does possess that others do not4 ,why a few succeed and so many fail4 ,,lesson #b4 ,,the ,,self-,,mastery4 ,,self-,,direction ,,power ,,of ,,concentration4 ,very few men possess the power to concentrate as they should4 ,the cause of poor concentration4 ,a very good practice4 ,concentration means strength of mind4 ,the person unable to concentrate never accomplished a great deal4 ,how many weaken their powers of concentration4 ,how concentration can only be developed4 ,how to control your every thought1 wish and plan4 ,what concentration is4 ,the person that is able to concentrate gains the ,power to control others4 ,concentration makes the will and intellect act in unison4 ,why some people are not magnetic4 ,when a powerful personal influence is generated4 ,how to become influential4 ,the cause of spasmodic1 erratic concentration4 ,how to centralize your attention4 ,a quick way to develop concentration4 ,the development of physical and mental concentration4 ,how to learn a valuable lesson4 ,one of the best ways to influence another4 ,a good exercise4 ,the real benefit of physical culture usually lost sight of4 ,how to hold the facilities at work4 ,,lesson #c4 ,,how ,,to ,,gain ,,what ,,you ,,want ,,through ,,concentration4 ,the mistake made by those that do not understand the power of mental attraction4 ,how to get what you want4 ,we are not living in a fairy age4 ,not the age for a dreamer4 ,the secret of getting what you concentrate on4 ,how a messenger in a bank became its president4 ,power to him who power exerts4 ,,lesson #d4 ,,concentration1 ,,the ,,silent ,,force ,,that ,,produces ,,results ,,in ,,all ,,business4 ,the power of thought4 ,an experiment showing the power of thought4 ,by concentrated thought you can make yourself what you please4 ,how to greatly increase your efficiency4 ,the face reflects how a person has spent his life4 ,how to awaken possibilities within1 you never dreamed of4 ,how to inspire confidence in those you deal with4 ,the value of concentrating your thoughts in the proper channels4 ,how to attract the good things without a1 great effort4 ,by concentration you can revolutionize your life and gain happiness greater than you can imagine4 ,,lesson #e4 ,,how ,,concentrated ,,thought ,,links ,,all ,,humanity ,,together4 ,how you may become successful4 ,the barriers to success can be controlled4 ,how to realize your fondest ambitions4 ,how to overcome destructive forces4 ,how to become the master of circumstances4 ,through concentration you can mold your environment4 ,you can get what you want4 ,sowing the thought seeds of success4 ,mind forces that are hardly dreamed of at present4 ,a method for removing unfavorable conditions4 ,concentration makes you happy and gives you plenty to do4 ,,lesson #f4 ,,the ,,training ,,of ,,the ,,will ,,to ,,do4 ,the great secret of any accomplishment4 ,everything ,is possible today4 ,the inner energy that controls all conscious acts4 ,how you can become a genius4 ,a mighty force at your disposal4 ,rules that will make you a man among men4 ,the spirit that wins4 ,concentration develops determination and perseverance4 ,some special instructions4 ,what will power is4 ,you have as strong a will as anyone4 ,you determine your own fate4 ,the importance of learning to use your will4 ,,lesson #g4 ,,the ,,concentrated ,,mental ,,demand4 ,the attitude of the mind affects the expression of the face4 ,the wonderful power of the concentrated mental demand4 ,how to desire something and exclude all distracting thoughts4 ,the silent force of wonderful power within all of us4 ,how to make plans work out4 ,the mightiest power in the world is free for you to use4 ,the motive power which supplies the energies necessary for achievement4 ,,lesson #h4 ,,concentration ,,gives ,,mental ,,poise4 ,the man that can concentrate is well poised4 ,what you must do to be successful today4 ,concentration that is dangerous4 ,how to make those you come in contact with feel as you do4 ,the man that becomes a power in the world4 ,you can control your life and actions4 ,successful lives are the concentrated lives4 ,why people do not get what they concentrate on4 ,,lesson #i4 ,,concentration ,,can ,,overcome ,,bad ,,habits4 ,habit is but a powerful enemy and wonderful ally of concentration4 ,most people are controlled through the power of habit4 ,most people are imitators and copiers of their past selves4 ,all physical impressions are the carrying out of the actions of the will and intellect4 ,how everyone could be made happier and successful4 ,some wonderful maxims4 ,habit the deepest law of human nature4 ,how to overcome undesirable habits4 ,some special instructions by ,dr4 ,oppenheim4 ,,lesson #aj4 ,,business ,,results ,,gained ,,through ,,concentration4 ,a successful business not the result of chance4 ,failure not caused by luck4 ,the intense desire that is necessary to make a business a success4 ,those that achieve permanent success deserve it4 ,the man that is able to skilfully manage his business4 ,how to realize your ambition4 ,the successful business attitude4 ,your opinion should be as good as any one else4 ,how many ruin their judgment4 ,the man that gets the best results4 ,a successful business not hard to build up2 may be built up ,in a few years now whereas formerly it took a lifetime4 ,how to do more and better work4 ,how to attract the ideas thought out by others4 ,many attract forces and ,influences that they should not4 ,broaden the visions of those you come in contact with4 ,,lesson #aa4 ,,concentrate ,,on ,,courage4 ,lack of courage creates financial1 as well as mental and moral difficulties4 ,the man without courage attracts all that is contemptible1 weakening1 demoralizing and destructive4 ,it is just as easy to be courageous as cowardly4 ,courage concentrates the mental forces on the task at hand4 ,cowardice dissipates both mental and moral forces4 ,how to banish doubts4 ,no one knows what they can do until they try4 ,once you understand the law everything is possible4 ,how to build up courage to do as you wish4 ,difficulties soon melt away before the courageous4 ,,lesson #ab4 ,,concentrate ,,on ,,wealth4 ,no one was intended to be poor4 ,through wealth we can uplift ourselves and humanity4 ,uncongenial and unpleasant conditions are not conducive to proper thought4 ,first step toward acquiring wealth4 ,most men of all ages have been comparatively rich4 ,wealth not altogether the result of being industrious4 ,no one can become wealthy from his earnings4 ,why some have to be taught such painful lessons4 ,how many attract poverty instead of riches4 ,why it is necessary to give a fair exchange for what we receive4 ,how to make your society not only agreeable to others but sought after4 ,,lesson #ac4 ,,you ,,can ,,concentrate1 ,,but ,,will ,,you8 ,all have the ability to concentrate4 ,more ability not used than is used4 ,sometimes only a trifle keeps one from becoming a success4 ,the fault is all your own4 ,how to discover the cause if you are not making good4 ,make conditions favorable and do not expect them to shape themselves4 ,stumbling blocks but stepping stones4 ,hard ,passages can be bridged if you just concentrate on them4 ,why more people do not succeed4 ,don't be afraid of a rebuff4 ,the man that knows no such thing as failure4 ,be ready for an opportunity when it comes1 ,no circumstances can keep the determined man from succeeding4 ,,lesson #ad4 ,,art ,,of ,,concentrating ,,with ,,practical ,,exercise4 ,a daily habit will wonderfully increase your concentration4 ,seeing yourself as you would like to be4 ,instruction of the greatest importance4 ,the great creative spirit of the universe4 ,why things manifest as they do4 ,the cosmic intelligence4 ,a most desired state4 ,how to receive messages from the universal mind4 ,how to develop power1 unknown to you before4 ,make your mind a powerful transmitter of thought4 ,the best time to practice concentration exercises4 ,how to rejuvenate every cell of your brain and body4 ,an exercise that will give you a self-poised manner4 ,instead of a nervous strained appearance4 ,concentrating on the powers within4 ,concentration will save your energy4 ,how to keep from getting irritable or nervous4 ,the ,eastern way of concentrating4 ,exercise in controlling desires4 ,,lesson #ae4 ,,concentrate ,,so ,,you ,,will ,,not ,,forget4 ,why people forget4 ,an easy way to remember4 ,how to deepen your impression4 ,exercise in ,memory ,concentration4 ,,lesson #af4 ,,how ,,concentration ,,can ,,fulfill ,,your ,,desire4 ,the desire to do implies the ability to do4 ,man has within him the power to gratify his every wish4 ,if you have been unable to satisfy your longings1 it is time you learn how to use your ,god-given powers4 ,priceless knowledge and unlimited possibilities within you that ,is foreign to most people4 ,how to concentrate on what you want and get it4 ,the miraculous help we apparently receive at times4 ,how one man started a business on thirteen cents and in six years built up a business that pays him #f1jjj a year4 ,when you put forth the necessary concentrated effort you will receive great help from unknown sources4 ,,lesson #ag4 ,,ideals ,,develop ,,by ,,concentration4 ,your happiness and success depends upon your ideals4 ,a valuable lesson4 ,through concentration we can work out our ideals ,in physical life4 ,what a different world this would be if we would build the right kind of ideals4 ,every time you change your ideal you think differently4 ,life is one continuous unfoldment4 ,you can be happy every step of its way or miserable as you please4 ,how our grandest thoughts come to us4 ,,lesson #ah4 ,,mental ,,control ,,through ,,creation4 ,an inventor's vision4 ,why ,it is easy to project your thoughts to another4 ,how your mental powers can draw to you forces of a helpful nature4 ,the big business man must possess mental power of control4 ,how to make a friend or relative succeed4 ,how to generate enthusiasm and the spirit of success4 ,your environment is either helpful or harmful4 ,mental starvation4 ,how to instil your thoughts and ideas into others4 ,influence that must be shaken off before you can advance4 ,our attitude has more to do with success than you realize4 ,,lesson #ai4 ,a ,,concentrated ,,will ,,development4 ,a most effective and practical method of developing the ,will4 ,practical exercises4 ,will training without exercises4 ,will-power can overcome big obstacles4 ,the ,will to win4 ,man an unknown quality until his powers are developed4 ,ability plentiful1 but organizing1 initiative and creative power not so plentiful4 ,the driving force within4 ,,lesson #bj4 ,,concentration ,,reviewed4 ,those unable to concentrate will generally suffer from poverty and unhappiness1 ,the best instructor will only help you to the extent you put it into practice4 ,gaining the mastery of your work1 life powers and forces4 ,concentrate the dominant quality that makes men successful4 ,everyone can learn to concentrate better4 ,an experiment to try4 ,final instructions4 ,,introductory ,we all know that in order to accomplish a certain thing we must concentrate4 ,it is of the utmost value to learn how to concentrate4 ,to make a success of anything you must be able to concentrate your entire thought upon the idea you are working out4 ,do not become discouraged1 if you are unable to hold your thought on the subject very long at first4 ,there are very few that can4 ,it seems a peculiar fact that it is easier to concentrate on something that is not good for us1 than on something that is beneficial4 ,this tendency is overcome when we learn to concentrate consciously4 ,if you will just practice a few concentration exercises each day you will find you will soon develop this wonderful power4 ,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 ones4 ,it is of the greatest value to be able to think only that which will be beneficial4 ,did you ever stop to think what an important part your thoughts1 concentrated thoughts1 play in your life8 ,this book shows their far-reaching and all-abiding effects4 ,these lessons you will find very practical4 ,the exercises ,i have thoroughly tested4 ,they are arranged so that you will notice an improvement from the very start1 and this will give you encouragement4 ,they point out ways in which you can help yourself4 ,man is a wonderful creature1 but he must be trained and developed to be useful4 ,a great work can be accomplished by every man if he can be awakened to do his very best4 ,but the greatest man would not accomplish much if he lacked concentration and effort4 ,dwarfs can often do the work of giants when they are transformed by the almost magic power of great mental concentration4 ,but giants will only do the work of dwarfs when they lack this power4 ,we accomplish more by concentration than by fitness2 the man that is apparently best suited for a place does not always fill it best4 ,it is the man that concentrates on its every possibility that makes an art of both his work and his life4 ,all your real advancement must come from your individual effort4 ,this course of lessons will stimulate and inspire you to achieve success2 it will bring you into perfect harmony with the laws of success4 ,it will give you a firmer hold on your duties and responsibilities4 ,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 truth4 ,as most people are very different it is impossible to give instructions that will be of the same value to all4 ,the author has endeavored in these lessons to awaken that within the soul which perhaps the book does not express4 ,so study these lessons as a means of awakening and training that which is within yourself4 ,let all your acts and thoughts have the intensity and power of concentration4 ,to really get the full benefit of these lessons you should read a page1 then close the book and thoughtfully recall its ideas4 ,if you will do this you will soon cultivate a concentrated mental habit1 which will enable you to read with ordinary rapidity and remember all that you read4 ,,lesson ,i4 ,,concentration ,,finds ,,the ,,way ,everyone has two natures4 ,one wants us to advance and the other wants to pull us back4 ,the one that we cultivate and concentrate on decides what we are at the end4 ,both natures are trying to gain control4 ,the will alone decides the issue4 ,a man by one supreme effort of the will may change his whole career and almost accomplish miracles4 ,you may be that man4 ,you can be if you ,will to be1 for ,will can find a way or make one4 ,i could easily fill a book1 of cases where men plodding along in a matter-of-fact way1 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 persons4 ,you alone can decide when the turning point will come4 ,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 us4 ,no man has to do anything he does not want to do4 ,he is therefore the director of his life if he wills to be4 ,what we are to do1 is the result of our training4 ,we are like putty1 and can be completely controlled by our will power4 ,habit is a matter of acquirement4 ,you hear people say3 ,he comes by this or that naturally1 a chip off the old block1 meaning that he is only doing what his parents did4 ,this is quite often the case1 but there is no reason for it1 for a person can break a habit just the moment he masters the ,i will4 ,a man may have been a good-for-nothing all his life up to this very minute1 but from this time on he begins to amount to something4 ,even old men have suddenly changed and accomplished wonders4 ,i lost my opportunity1 says one4 ,that may be true1 but by sheer force of will1 we can find a way to bring us another opportunity4 ,there is no truth in the saying that opportunity knocks at our door but once in a lifetime4 ,the fact is1 opportunity never seeks us2 we must seek it4 ,what usually turns out to be one man's opportunity1 was another man's loss4 ,in this day one man's brain is matched against another's4 ,it is often the quickness of brain action that determines the result4 ,one man thinks ,i will do it1 but while he procrastinates the other goes ahead and does the work4 ,they both have the same opportunity4 ,the one will complain of his lost chance4 ,but it should teach him a lesson1 and it will1 if he is seeking the path that leads to success4 ,many persons read good books1 but say they do not get much good out of them4 ,they do not realize that all any book or any lesson course can do is to awaken them to their possibilities2 to stimulate them to use their will power4 ,you may teach a person from now until doom's day1 but that person will only know what he learns himself4 ,you can lead him to the fountain1 but you can't make him drink4 ,one of the most beneficial practices ,i know of is that of looking for the good in everyone and everything1 for there is good in all things4 ,we encourage a person by seeing his good qualities and we also help ourselves by looking for them4 ,we gain their good wishes1 a most valuable asset sometimes4 ,we get back what we give out4 ,the time comes when most all of us need encouragement2 need buoying up4 ,so form the habit of encouraging others1 and you will find it a wonderful tonic for both those encouraged and yourself1 for you will get back encouraging and uplifting thoughts4 ,life furnishes us the opportunity to improve4 ,but whether we do it or not depends upon how near we live up to what is expected of us4 ,the first of each month1 a person should sit down and examine the progress he has made4 ,if he has not come up to expectations he should discover the reason1 and by extra exertion measure up to what is demanded next time4 ,every time that we fall behind what we planned to do1 we lose just so much for that time is gone forever4 ,we may find a reason for doing it1 but most excuses are poor substitutes for action4 ,most things are possible4 ,ours may be a hard task1 but the harder the task1 the greater the reward4 ,it is the difficult things that really develop us1 anything that requires only a small effort1 utilizes very few of our faculties1 and yields a scanty harvest of achievement4 ,so do not shrink from a hard task1 for to accomplish one of these will often bring us more good than a dozen lesser triumphs4 ,i know that every man that is willing to pay the price can be a success4 ,the price is not in money1 but in effort4 ,the first essential quality for success is the desire to do--to be something4 ,the next thing is to learn how to do it2 the next to carry it into execution4 ,the man that is the best able to accomplish anything is the one with a broad mind2 the man that has acquired knowledge1 that may1 it is true1 be foreign to this particular case1 but is1 nevertheless1 of some value in all cases4 ,so the man that wants to be successful must be liberal2 he must acquire all the knowledge that he can2 he must be well posted not only in one branch of his business but in every part of it4 ,such a man achieves success4 ,the secret of success is to try always to improve yourself no matter where you are or what your position4 ,learn all you can4 ,don't see how little you can do1 but how much you can do4 ,such a man will always be in demand1 for he establishes the reputation of being a hustler4 ,there is always room for him because progressive firms never let a hustler leave their employment if they can help it4 ,the man that reaches the top is the gritty1 plucky1 hard worker and never the timid1 uncertain1 slow worker4 ,an untried man is seldom put in a position of responsibility and power4 ,the man selected is one that has done something1 achieved results in some line1 or taken the lead in his department4 ,he is placed there because of his reputation of putting vigor and virility into his efforts1 and because he has previously shown that he has pluck and determination4 ,the man that is chosen at the crucial time is not usually a genius2 he does not possess any more talent than others1 but he has learned that results can only be produced by untiring concentrated effort4 ,that miracles1 in business do not just happen4 ,he knows that the only way they will happen is by sticking to a proposition and seeing it through4 ,that is the only secret of why some succeed and others fail4 ,the successful man gets used to seeing things accomplished and always feels sure of success4 ,the man that is a failure gets used to seeing failure1 expects it and attracts it to him4 ,it is my opinion that with the right kind of training every man could be a success4 ,it is really a shame that so many men and women1 rich in ability and talent1 are allowed to go to waste1 so to speak4 ,some day ,i hope to see a millionaire philanthropist start a school for the training of failures4 ,i am sure he could not put his money to a better use4 ,in a year's time the science of practical psychology could do wonders for him4 ,he could have agencies on the lookout for men that had lost their grip on themselves2 that had through indisposition weakened their will2 that through some sorrow or misfortune had become discouraged4 ,at first all they need is a little help to get them back on their feet1 but usually they get a knock downwards instead4 ,the result is that their latent powers never develop and both they and the world are the losers4 ,i trust that in the near future1 someone will heed the opportunity of using some of his millions in arousing men that have begun to falter4 ,all they need to be shown is that there is within them an omnipotent source that is ready to aid them1 providing they will make use of it4 ,their minds only have to be turned from despair to hope to make them regain their hold4 ,when a man loses his grip today1 he must win his redemption by his own will4 ,he will get little encouragement or advice of an inspiring nature4 ,he must usually regain the right road alone4 ,he must stop dissipating his energies and turn his attention to building a useful career4 ,today we must conquer our weakening tendencies alone4 ,don't expect anyone to help you4 ,just take one big brace1 make firm resolutions1 and resolve to conquer your weaknesses and vices4 ,really none can do this for you4 ,they can encourage you2 that is all4 ,i can think of nothing1 but lack of health1 that should interfere with one becoming successful4 ,there is no other handicap that you should not be able to overcome4 ,to overcome a handicap1 all that it is necessary to do is to use more determination and grit and will4 ,the man with grit and will1 may be poor today and wealthy in a few years2 will power is a better asset than money2 ,will will carry you over chasms of failure1 if you but give it the chance4 ,the men that have risen to the highest positions have usually had to gain their victories against big odds4 ,think of the hardships many of our inventors have gone through before they became a success4 ,usually they have been very much misunderstood by relatives and friends4 ,very often they did not have the bare necessities of life1 yet1 by sheer determination and resolute courage1 they managed to exist somehow until they perfected their inventions1 which afterwards greatly helped in bettering the condition of others4 ,everyone really wants to do something1 but there are few that will put forward the needed effort to make the necessary sacrifice to secure it4 ,there is only one way to accomplish anything and that is to go ahead and do it4 ,a man may accomplish almost anything today1 if he just sets his heart on doing it and lets nothing interfere with his progress4 ,obstacles are quickly overcome by the man that sets out to accomplish his heart's desire4 ,the bigger the man1 the smaller the obstacle appears4 ,the smaller the man the greater the obstacle appears4 ,always look at the advantage you gain by overcoming obstacles1 and it will give you the needed courage for their conquest4 ,do not expect that you will always have easy sailing4 ,parts of your journey are likely to be rough4 ,don't let the rough places put you out of commission4 ,keep on with the journey4 ,just the way you weather the storm shows what material you are made of4 ,never sit down and complain of the rough places1 but think how nice the pleasant stretches were4 ,view with delight the smooth plains that are in front of you4 ,do not let a setback stop you4 ,think of it as a mere incident that has to be overcome before you can reach your goal4 ,,lesson ,,ii4 ,,the ,,self-,,mastery3 ,,self-,,direction ,,power ,,of ,,concentration ,man from a psychological standpoint of development is not what he should be4 ,he does not possess the self-mastery1 the self-directing power of concentration that is his by right4 ,he has not trained himself in a way to promote his self-mastery4 ,every balanced mind possesses the faculties whose chief duties are to engineer1 direct and concentrate the operations of the mind1 both in a mental and physical sense4 ,man must learn to control not only his mind but his bodily movements4 ,when the controlling faculties 7autonomic7 are in an untrained condition1 the impulses1 passions1 emotions1 thoughts1 actions and habits of the person suffer from lack of regulation1 and the procedure of mental concentration is not good1 not because the mind is necessarily weak in the autonomic department of the faculties1 but because the mind is not properly trained4 ,when the self-regulating faculties are not developed the impulses1 appetites1 emotions and passions have full swing to do as they please and the mind becomes impulsive1 restless1 emotional and irregular in its action4 ,this is what makes mental concentration poor4 ,when the self-guiding faculties are weak in development1 the person always lacks the power of mental concentration4 ,therefore you cannot learn to concentrate until you develop those very powers that qualify you to be able to concentrate4 ,so if you cannot concentrate one of the following is the cause3 #a4 ,deficiency of the motor centers4 #b4 ,an impulsive and emotional mind4 #c4 ,an untrained mind4 ,the last fault can soon be removed by systematic practice4 ,it is easiest to correct4 ,the impulsive and emotional state of mind can best be corrected by restraining anger1 passion and excitement1 hatred1 strong impulses1 intense emotions1 fretfulness1 etc4 ,it is impossible to concentrate when you are in any of these excited states4 ,these can be naturally decreased by avoiding such food and drinks as have nerve weakening or stimulating influences1 or a tendency to stir up the passions1 the impulses and the emotions2 it is a very good practice to watch and associate with those persons that are steady1 calm1 controlled and conservative4 ,correcting the deficiency of the motor centers is harder because as the person's brain is undeveloped he lacks will power4 ,to cure this takes some time4 ,persons so afflicted may benefit by reading and studying my course1 ,the ,master ,mind499 99 ,to be published by ,advanced ,thought ,publishing ,co41 ,chicago1 ,ill4 ,many have the idea that when they get into a negative state they are concentrating1 but this is not so4 ,they may be meditating1 though not concentrating4 ,those that are in a negative state a good deal of the time cannot1 as a rule1 concentrate very well2 they develop instead abstraction of the mind1 or absence of mind4 ,their power of concentration becomes weaker and they find it difficult to concentrate on anything4 ,they very often injure the brain1 if they keep up this state4 ,to be able to concentrate you must possess strength of mind4 ,the person that is feeble-minded cannot concentrate his mind1 because of lack of will4 ,the mind that cannot center itself on a special subject1 or thought1 is weak2 also the mind that cannot draw itself from a subject or thought is weak4 ,but the person that can center his mind on any problem1 no matter what it is1 and remove any unharmonious impressions has strength of mind4 ,concentration1 first1 last and all the time1 means strength of mind4 ,through concentration a person is able to collect and hold his mental and physical energies at work4 ,a concentrated mind pays attention to thoughts1 words1 acts and plans4 ,the person who allows his mind to roam at will will never accomplish a great deal in the world4 ,he wastes his energies4 ,if you work1 think1 talk and act aimlessly1 and allow your brain to wander from your subject to foreign fields1 you will not be able to concentrate4 ,you concentrate at the moment when you say1 ,i want to1 ,i can1 ,i will4 ,some ,mistakes ,some ,people ,make4 ,if you waste your time reading sensational stories or worthless newspaper items1 you excite the impulsive and the emotional faculties1 and this means you are weakening your power of concentration4 ,you will not be a free engineer1 able to pilot yourself to success4 ,concentration of the mind can only be developed by watching yourself closely4 ,all kinds of development commence with close attention4 ,you should regulate your every thought and feeling4 ,when you commence to watch yourself and your own acts and also the acts of other people1 you use the faculties of autonomy1 and1 as you continue to do so1 you improve your faculties1 until in time you can engineer your every thought1 wish and plan4 ,to be able to focalize the mind on the object at hand in a conscious manner leads to concentration4 ,only the trained mind can focalize4 ,to hold a thought before it until all the faculties shall have had time to consider that thought is concentration4 ,the person that cannot direct his thoughts1 wishes1 plans1 resolutions and studies cannot possibly succeed to the fullest extent4 ,the person that is impulsive one moment and calm the next has not the proper control over himself4 ,he is not a master of his mind1 nor of his thoughts1 feelings and wishes4 ,such a person cannot be a success4 ,when he becomes irritated1 he irritates others and spoils all chances of any concerned doing their best4 ,but the person that can direct his energies and hold them at work in a concentrated manner controls his every work and act1 and thereby gains power to control others4 ,he can make his every move serve a useful end and every thought a noble purpose4 ,in this day the man that gets excited and irritable should be looked upon as an undesirable person4 ,the person of good breeding now speaks with slowness and deliberation4 ,he is cultivating more and more of a reposeful attitude4 ,he is consciously attentive and holds his mind to one thing at a time4 ,he shuts out everything else4 ,when you are talking to anyone give him your sole and undivided attention4 ,do not let your attention wander or be diverted4 ,give no heed to anything else1 but make your will and intellect act in unison4 ,start out in the morning and see how self-poised you can remain all day4 ,at times take an inventory of your actions during the day and see if you have kept your determination4 ,if not1 see that you do tomorrow4 ,the more self-poised you are the better will your concentration be4 ,never be in too much of a hurry2 and1 remember1 the more you improve your concentration1 the greater are your possibilities4 ,concentration means success1 because you are better able to govern yourself and centralize your mind2 you become more in earnest in what you do and this almost invariably improves your chances for success4 ,when you are talking to a person have your own plans in mind4 ,concentrate your strength upon the purpose you are talking about4 ,watch his every move1 but keep your own plans before you4 ,unless you do1 you will waste your energy and not accomplish as much as you should4 ,i want you to watch the next person you see that has the reputation of being a strong character1 a man of force4 ,watch and see what a perfect control he has over his body4 ,then ,i want you to watch just an ordinary person4 ,notice how he moves his eyes1 arms1 fingers2 notice the useless expenditure of energy4 ,these movements all break down the vital cells and lessen the person's power in vital and nerve directions4 ,it is just as important for you to conserve your nervous forces as it is the vital forces4 ,as an example we see an engine going along the track very smoothly4 ,some one opens all the valves and the train stops4 ,it is the same with you4 ,if you want to use your full amount of steam1 you must close your valves and direct your power of generating mental steam toward one end4 ,center your mind on one purpose1 one plan1 one transaction4 ,there is nothing that uses up nerve force so quickly as excitement4 ,this is why an irritable person is never magnetic2 he is never admired or loved2 he does not develop those finer qualities that a real gentleman possesses4 ,anger1 sarcasm and excitement weaken a person in this direction4 ,the person that allows himself to get excited will become nervous in time1 because he uses up his nerve forces and his vital energies4 ,the person that cannot control himself and keep from becoming excited cannot concentrate4 ,when the mind can properly concentrate1 all the energy of every microscopic cell is directed into one channel and then there is a powerful personal influence generated4 ,everyone possesses many millions of little trembling cells1 and each one of these has a center where life and energy are stored up and generated4 ,if this energy is not wasted but conserved and controlled1 this person is influential1 but when it is the opposite1 he is not influential or successful4 ,just as it is impossible for a steam engine to run with all its valves open1 so is it impossible for you to waste your energy and run at your top speed4 ,each neuron in the gray layers of the brain is a psychic center of thought and action1 each one is pulsating an intelligent force of some kind1 and when this force1 your thoughts and motions1 are kept in cheek by a conservative1 systematic and concentrated mind1 the result will be magnetism1 vitality and health4 ,the muscles1 bones1 ligaments1 feet1 hands and nerves1 etc41 are agents for carrying out the mandates of the mind4 ,the sole purpose of the volitional faculties is to move the physical mechanism as the energy travels along the wires of nerves and muscles4 ,just for that reason1 if you throw a voluntary control over these messages1 impulses1 thoughts1 emotions1 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 concentration4 ,any exercise or work that excites the mind1 stimulates the senses1 calls the emotions and appetites into action1 confuses1 terrifies or emotionalizes1 weakens the power of concentration4 ,this is why all kind of excitement is bad4 ,this is the reason why persons who drink strong drinks1 who allow themselves to get into fits of temper1 who fight1 who eat stimulating food1 who sing and dance and thus develop their emotions1 who are sudden1 vehement and emotional1 lack the power to concentrate4 ,but those whose actions are slower and directed by their intelligence develop concentration4 ,sometimes dogmatic1 wilful1 excitable persons can concentrate1 but it is spasmodic1 erratic concentration instead of controlled and uniform concentration4 ,their energy works by spells2 sometimes they have plenty1 other times very little2 it is easily excited2 easily wasted4 ,the best way to understand it is to compare it with the discharge of a gun4 ,if the gun goes off when you want it to1 it accomplishes the purpose1 but if it goes off before you are ready for it1 you will not only waste ammunition1 but it is also likely to do some damage4 ,that is just what most persons do4 ,they allow their energy to explode1 thus not only wasting it but endangering others4 ,they waste their power1 their magnetism and so injure their chance of success4 ,such persons are never well liked and never will be until they gain control over themselves4 ,it will be necessary for them to practice many different kinds of concentration exercises1 and to keep them up for some time4 ,they must completely overcome their sudden1 erratic thoughts1 and regulate their emotions and movements4 ,they must from morning to night train the mind to be steady1 and direct and keep the energies at work4 ,the lower area of the brain is the store house of the energy4 ,most all persons have all the dynamic energy they need if they would concentrate it4 ,they have the machine1 but they must also have the engineer1 or they will not go very far4 ,the engineer is the self-regulating1 directing power4 ,the person that does not develop his engineering qualities will not accomplish much in life4 ,the good engineer controls his every act4 ,all work assists in development4 ,by what you do you either advance or degenerate4 ,this is a good idea to keep always in mind4 ,when you are uncertain whether you should do something or not1 just think whether by doing it you will grow or deteriorate1 and act accordingly4 ,i am a firm believer in work when you work1 and play when you play4 ,when you give yourself up to pleasure you can develop concentration by thinking of nothing else but pleasure2 when your mind dwells on love1 think of nothing but this and you will find you can develop a more intense love than you ever had before4 ,when you concentrate your mind on the you or real self1 and its wonderful possibilities1 you develop concentration and a higher opinion of yourself4 ,by doing this systematically1 you develop much power1 because you cannot be systematic without concentrating on what you are doing4 ,when you walk out into the country and inhale the fresh air1 studying vegetation1 trees1 etc41 you are concentrating4 ,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 systematic4 ,if you form the habit of being on time one morning1 a little late the next1 and still later the following one1 you are not developing concentration1 but whenever you fix your mind on a certain thought and hold your mind on it at successive intervals1 you develop concentration4 ,if you hold your mind on some chosen object1 you centralize your attention1 just like the lens of the camera centralizes on a certain landscape4 ,therefore always hold your mind on what you are doing1 no matter what it is4 ,keep a careful watch over yourself1 for unless you do your improvement will be very slow4 ,practice inhaling long1 deep breaths1 not simply for the improvement of health1 although that is no small matter1 but also for the purpose of developing more power1 more love1 more life4 ,all work assists in development4 ,you may think it foolish to try to develop concentration by taking muscular exercises1 but you must not forget that the mind is associated with muscle and nerve4 ,when you steady your nerves and muscles1 you steady your mind1 but let your nerves get out of order and your mind will become erratic and you will not possess the power of direction1 which1 in other words1 is concentration4 ,therefore you understand how important exercises that steady the nerves and muscles are in developing concentration4 ,everyone is continually receiving impulses that must be directed and controlled if one is to lead a successful life4 ,that is the reason why a person must control the movements of his eyes1 feet1 fingers1 etc42 this is another reason why it is important to control his breathing4 ,the slow1 deep1 prolonged exhalations are of wonderful value4 ,they steady the circulation1 the heart action1 muscles and nerves of the mind4 ,if the heart flutters1 the circulation is not regular1 and when the lung action is uneven1 the mind becomes unsteady and not fit for concentration4 ,this is why controlled breathing is very important as a foundation for physical health4 ,you must not only concentrate your mind1 but also the action of the eyes1 ears and fingers4 ,each of these contain miniature minds that are controlled by the master engineer4 ,you will develop much quicker if you thoroughly realize this4 ,if you have ever associated with big men1 or read their biographies1 you will find that they usually let the others do the talking4 ,it is much easier to talk than it is to listen4 ,there is no better exercise for concentration than to pay close attention when some one is talking4 ,besides learning from what they have to say1 you may develop both mental and physical concentration4 ,when you shake hands with some one just think of your hand as containing hundreds of individual minds1 each having an intelligence of its own4 ,when you put this feeling into your hand shake it shows personality4 ,when you shake hands in a listless way1 it denotes timidity1 lack of force and power of personality4 ,when the hand grip is very weak and stiff1 the person has little love in his nature1 no passion and no magnetism4 ,when the hand shake is just the opposite1 you will find that the nature is also4 ,the loveless person is non-magnetic and he shows that he is by his non-magnetic hand shake4 ,when two developed souls shake hands1 their clasps are never light4 ,there is a thrill that goes through both when the two currents meet4 ,love arouses the opposite currents of the positive and negative natures4 ,when there is no love1 life loses its charm4 ,the hand quickly shows when love is being aroused4 ,this is why you should study the art of hand shaking and develop your social affections4 ,a person that loves his kind reflects love1 but a person that hates reflects hate4 ,the person with a bad nature1 a hateful disposition1 evil thoughts and feeling is erratic1 freakish and fitful4 ,when you allow yourself to become irritable1 watch how you breathe and you will learn a valuable lesson4 ,watch how you breathe when you are happy4 ,watch your breathing when you harbor hate4 ,watch how you breathe when you feel in love with the whole world and noble emotions thrill you4 ,when filled with good thoughts1 you breathe a plentiful supply of oxygen into your lungs and love fills your soul4 ,love develops a person1 physically1 mentally and socially4 ,breathe deeply when you are happy and you will gain life and strength2 you will steady your mind and you will develop your power of concentration and become magnetic and powerful4 ,if you want to get more out of life you must think more of love4 ,unless you have real affection for something1 you have no sentiment1 no sweetness1 no magnetism4 ,so arouse your love affections by your will and enter into a fuller life4 ,the hand of love always magnetizes1 but it must be steady and controlled4 ,love can be concentrated in your hand shake1 and this is one of the best ways to influence another4 ,the next time you feel yourself becoming irritable1 use your will and be patient4 ,this is a very good exercise in self-control4 ,it will help you to keep patient if you will breathe slowly and deeply4 ,if you find you are commencing to speak fast1 just control yourself and speak slowly and clearly4 ,keep from either raising or lowering your voice and concentrate on the fact that you are determined to keep your poise1 and you will improve your power of concentration4 ,when you meet people of some consequence1 assume a reposeful attitude before them4 ,do this at all times4 ,watch both them and yourself4 ,static exercises develop the motor faculties and increase the power of concentration4 ,if you feel yourself getting irritable1 nervous or weak1 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 you4 ,if you are in the habit of associating with nervous1 irritable people1 quit it until you grow strong in the power of concentration1 because irritable1 angry1 fretful1 dogmatic and disagreeable people will weaken what powers of resistance you have4 ,any exercises that give you better control of the ears1 fingers1 eyes1 feet1 help you to steady your mind2 when your eye is steady1 your mind is steady4 ,one of the best ways to study a person is to watch his physical movements1 for1 when we study his actions1 we are studying his mind4 ,because actions are the expressions of the mind4 ,as the mind is1 so is the action4 ,if it is uneasy1 restless1 erratic1 unsteady1 its actions are the same4 ,when it is composed1 the mind is composed4 ,concentration means control of the mind and body4 ,you cannot secure control over one without the other4 ,many people who seem to lack ambition have sluggish minds4 ,they are steady1 patient and seemingly have good control1 but this does not say they are able to concentrate4 ,these people are indolent1 inactive1 slow and listless1 because they lack energy2 they do not lose control because they have little force to control4 ,they have no temper and it therefore cannot disturb them4 ,their actions are steady because they possess little energy4 ,the natural person is internally strong1 energetic and forceful1 but his energy1 force and strength1 thoughts and physical movements are well under his control4 ,if a person does not have energy1 both mental and physical1 he must develop it4 ,if he has energy which he cannot direct and hold to a point he must learn to do so4 ,a man may be very capable1 but1 unless he ,wills to control his abilities1 they will not do him any good4 ,we hear so much talk about the benefit of physical culture1 but the real benefit of this is really lost sight of4 ,there is nothing that holds the faculties at work in a sustained and continuous manner as static exercises do4 ,for1 as stated before1 when you learn to control the body1 you are gaining control over the mind4 ,,lesson ,,iii4 ,,how ,,to ,,gain ,,what ,,you ,,want ,,through ,,concentration ,the ignorant person may say1 ,how can you get anything by merely wanting it8 ,i say that through concentration you can get anything you want4 ,every desire can be gratified4 ,but whether it is1 will depend upon you concentrating to have that desire fulfilled4 ,merely wishing for something will not bring it4 ,wishing you had something shows a weakness and not a belief that you will really get it4 ,so never merely wish1 as we are not living in a fairy age4 ,you use up just as much brain force in vain imaginings as you do when you think of something worth while4 ,be careful of your desires1 make a mental picture of what you want and set your will to this until it materializes4 ,never allow yourself to drift without helm or rudder4 ,know what you want to do1 and strive with all your might to do it1 and you will succeed4 ,feel that you can accomplish anything you undertake4 ,many undertake to do things1 but feel when they start they are going to fail and usually they do4 ,i will give an illustration4 ,a man goes to a store for an article4 ,the clerk says1 ,i am sorry1 we have not it4 ,but the man that is determined to get that thing inquires if he doesn't know where he can get it4 ,again receiving an unsatisfactory answer the determined buyer consults the manager and finally he finds where the article can be bought4 ,that is the whole secret of concentrating on getting what you want4 ,and1 remember1 your soul is a center of all-power1 and you can accomplish what you will to4 ,i'll find a way or make one6 is the spirit that wins4 ,i know a man that is now head of a large bank4 ,he started there as a messenger boy4 ,his father had a button made for him with a ,p on it and put it on his coat4 ,he said1 ,son1 that ',p' is a reminder that some day you are to be the president of your bank4 ,i want you to keep this thought in your mind4 ,every day do something that will put you nearer your goal4 ,each night after supper he would say1 ,son1 what did you do today8 ,in this way the thought was always kept in mind4 ,he concentrated on becoming president of that bank1 and he did4 ,his father told him never to tell anyone what that ,p stood for4 ,a good deal of fun was made of it by his associates4 ,and they tried to find out what it stood for1 but they never did until he was made president and then he told the secret4 ,don't waste your mental powers in wishes4 ,don't dissipate your energies by trying to satisfy every whim4 ,concentrate on doing something really worth while4 ,the man that sticks to something is not the man that fails4 ,power to him who power exerts4--,emerson4 ,success to-day depends largely on concentrating on the ,interior law of force1 for when you do this you awaken those thought powers or forces1 which1 when used in business1 insures permanent results4 ,until you are able to do this you have not reached your limit in the use of your forces4 ,this great universe is interwoven with myriads of forces4 ,you make your own place1 and whether it is important depends upon you4 ,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 effort4 ,anything that is right is possible4 ,that which is necessary will inevitably take place4 ,if something is right it is your duty to do it1 though the whole world thinks it to be wrong4 ,god and one are always a majority1 or in plain words1 that omnipotent interior law which is ,god1 and the organism that represents you is able to conquer the whole world if your cause is absolutely just4 ,don't say ,i wish ,i was a great man4 ,you can do anything that is proper and you want to do4 ,just say3 ,you can4 ,you will4 ,you must4 ,just realize this and the rest is easy4 ,you have the latent faculties and forces to subdue anything that tries to interfere with your plans4 ,let-the-troubles-and-responsibilities-o f-life-come-thick-and-fas t4 ,i-am-ready-for-them4 ,my-soul-is-unconquerable4 ,i-represent-the-,infinite-law-of-force1 -or-of-all-power4 ,this-,god-within-is-my-all-sufficient-s trength-and-ever-present-he lp-in-time-of-trouble4 ,the-more-difficulties-the-greater-its-t riumphs-through-me4 ,the-harder-my-trials1-the-faster-,i-go- in-the-development-of-my-in herent-strength4 ,let-all-else-fail-me4 ,this-interior-reliance-is-all-sufficien t4 ,the-right-must-prevail4 ,i-demand-wisdom-and-power-to-know-and-f ollow-the-right4 ,my-higher-self-is-all-wise4 ,i-now-draw-nearer-to-it4 ,,lesson ,,iv4 ,,concentration1 ,,the ,,silent ,,force ,,that ,,produces ,,results ,,in ,,all ,,business ,i want you first to realize how powerful thought is4 ,a thought of fear has turned a person's hair gray in a night4 ,a prisoner condemned to die was told that if he would consent to an experiment and lived through it he would be freed4 ,he consented4 ,they wanted to see how much blood a person could lose and still live4 ,they arranged that blood would apparently drop from a cut made in his leg4 ,the cut made was very slight1 from which practically no blood escaped4 ,the room was darkened1 and the prisoner thought the dropping he heard was really coming from his leg4 ,the next morning he was dead through mental fear4 ,the two above illustrations will give you a little idea of the power of thought4 ,to thoroughly realize the power of thought is worth a great deal to you4 ,through concentrated thought power you can make yourself whatever you please4 ,by thought you can greatly increase your efficiency and strength4 ,you are surrounded by all kinds of thoughts1 some good1 others bad1 and you are sure to absorb some of the latter if you do not build up a positive mental attitude4 ,if you will study the needless moods of anxiety1 worry1 despondency1 discouragement and others that are the result of uncontrolled thoughts1 you will realize how important the control of your thoughts are4 ,your thoughts make you what you are4 ,when ,i walk along the street and study the different people's faces ,i can tell how they spent their lives4 ,it all shows in their faces1 just like a mirror reflects their physical countenances4 ,in looking in those faces ,i cannot help thinking how most of the people you see have wasted their lives4 ,the understanding of the power of thought will awaken possibilities within you that you never dreamed of4 ,never forget that your thoughts are making your environment1 your friends1 and as your thoughts change these will also4 ,is this not a practical lesson to learn8 ,good thoughts are constructive4 ,evil thoughts are destructive4 ,the desire to do right carries with it a great power4 ,i want you to thoroughly realize the importance of your thoughts1 and how to make them valuable1 to understand that your thoughts come to you over invisible wires and influence you4 ,if your thoughts are of a high nature1 you become connected with people of the same mental caliber and you are able to help yourself4 ,if your thoughts are tricky1 you will bring tricky people to deal with you1 who will try to cheat you4 ,if your thoughts are right kind1 you will inspire confidence in those with whom you are dealing4 ,as you gain the good will of others your confidence and strength will increase4 ,you will soon learn the wonderful value of your thoughts and how serene you can become even when circumstances are the most trying4 ,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 it1 as nearly everyone does at times4 ,you can now see why it is so important to concentrate your thoughts in the proper channels4 ,it is very necessary that people should have confidence in you4 ,when two people meet they have not the time to look each other up4 ,they accept each other according to instinct which can usually be relied on4 ,you meet a person and his attitude creates a suspicion in you4 ,the chances are you cannot tell why1 but something tells you1 ,have no dealings with him1 for if you do1 you will be sorry4 ,thoughts produce actions4 ,therefore be careful of your thoughts4 ,your life will be molded by the thoughts you have4 ,a spiritual power is always available to your thought1 and when you are worthy you can attract all the good things without a great effort on your part4 ,the sun's rays shine down on our gardens1 but we can plant trees that will interfere with the sun light4 ,there are invisible forces ready to help you if you do not think and act to intercept these4 ,these forces work silently4 ,you reap what you sow4 ,you have concentrated within powers that if developed will bring you happiness greater than you can even imagine4 ,most people go rushing through life1 literally driving away the very things they seek4 ,by concentration you can revolutionize your life1 accomplish infinitely more and without a great effort4 ,look within yourself and you will find the greatest machine ever made4 ,how to ,speak ,wisely4 ,in order to speak wisely you must secure at least a partial concentration of the faculties and forces upon the subject at hand4 ,speech interferes with the focusing powers of the mind1 as it withdraws the attention to the external and therefore is hardly to be compared with that deep silence of the subconscious mind1 where deep thoughts1 and the silent forces of high potency are evolved4 ,it is necessary to be silent before you can speak wisely4 ,the person that is really alert and well poised and able to speak wisely under trying circumstances1 is the person that has practiced in the silence4 ,most people do not know what the silence is and think it is easy to go into the silence1 but this is not so4 ,in the real silence we become attached to that interior law and the forces become silent1 because they are in a state of high potency1 or beyond the vibratory sounds to which our external ears are attuned4 ,he who desires to become above the ordinary should open up for himself the interior channels which lead to the absolute law of the omnipotent4 ,you can only do this by persistently and intelligently practicing thought concentration4 ,hold the thought3 ,in-silence-,i-will-allow-my-higher-self -to-have-complete-control4 ,i-will-be-true-to-my-higher-self4 ,i-will-live-true-to-my-conception-of-wh at-is-right4 ,i-realize-that-it-is-to-my-self-interes t-to-live-up-to-my-best4 ,i-demand-wisdom-so that-,i-may-act-wisely-for-myself-and-ot hers4 ,in the next chapter ,i will tell you of the mysterious law1 which links all humanity together1 by the powers of co-operative thought1 and chooses for us companionship and friends4 ,,lesson ,v4 ,,how ,,concentrated ,,thought ,,links ,,all ,,humanity ,,together ,it is within your power to gratify your every wish4 ,success is the result of the way you think4 ,i will show you how to think to be successful4 ,the power to rule and attract success is within yourself4 ,the barriers that shut these off from you are subject to your control4 ,you have unlimited power to think and this is the link that connects you with your omniscient source4 ,success is the result of certain moods of mind or ways of thinking4 ,these moods can be controlled by you and produced at will4 ,you have been evolved to what you are from a lowly atom because you possessed the power to think4 ,this power will never leave you1 but will keep urging you on until you reach perfection4 ,as you evolve1 you create new desires and these can be gratified4 ,the power to rule lies within you4 ,the barriers that keep you from ruling are also within you4 ,these are the barriers of ignorance4 ,concentrated thought will accomplish seemingly impossible results and make you realize your fondest ambitions4 ,at the same time that you break down barriers of limitation new ambitions will be awakened4 ,you begin to experience conscious thought constructions4 ,if you will just realize that through deep concentration you become linked with thoughts of omnipotence1 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 you4 ,in the place of these you will build up a strong assurance that your every venture will be successful4 ,when you learn thus how to concentrate and reinforce your thought1 you control your mental creations2 they in turn help to mould your physical environment1 and you become the master of circumstances and the ruler of your kingdom4 ,it is just as easy to surround your life with what you want as it is with what you don't want4 ,it is a question to be decided by your will4 ,there are no walls to prevent you from getting what you want1 providing you want what is right4 ,if you choose something that is not right1 you are in opposition to the omnipotent plans of the universe and deserve to fail4 ,but1 if you will base your desires on justice and good will1 you avail yourself of the helpful powers of universal currents1 and instead of having a handicap to work against1 can depend upon ultimate success1 though the outward appearances may not at first be bright4 ,never stop to think of temporary appearances1 but maintain an unfaltering belief in your ultimate success4 ,make your plans carefully1 and see that they are not contrary to the tides of universal justice4 ,the main thing for you to remember is to keep at bay the destructive and opposing forces of fear and anger and their satellites4 ,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 right4 ,you may be able seemingly to accomplish results for a time even if your cause is unjust1 but the results will be temporary1 and1 in time1 you will have to tear down your thought edifice and build on the true foundation of ,right4 ,plans that are not built on truth produce discordant vibrations and are therefore self-destructive4 ,never try to build until you can build right4 ,it is a waste of time to do anything else4 ,you may temporarily put aside your desire to do right1 but its true vibrations will interfere with your unjust plans until you are forced back into righteous paths of power4 ,all just causes succeed in time1 though temporarily they may fail4 ,so if you should face the time when everything seems against you1 quiet your fears1 drive away all destructive thoughts and uphold the dignity of your moral and spiritual life4 ,where ,there ,is ,a ,will ,there ,is ,a ,way4 ,the reason this is so is that the ,will can make a way if given the chance to secure the assistance of aiding forces4 ,the more it is developed the higher the way to which it will lead4 ,when everything looks gloomy and discouraging1 then is the time to show what you are made of by rejoicing that you can control your moods by making them as calm1 serene and bright as if prosperity were yours4 ,be faithful in sowing the thought seeds of success1 in perfect trust that the sun will not cease to shine and bring a generous harvest in one season4 ,it is not always necessary to think of the success of a venture when you are actually engaged in it4 ,for when the body is inactive the mind is most free to catch new ideas that will further the opportunity you are seeking4 ,when you are actually engaged in doing something1 you are thinking in the channels you have previously constructed and the work does not have to be done over again4 ,when you are in a negative mood the intuitions are more active1 for you are not then controlling your thoughts by the will4 ,everything we do4 should have the approval of the intuition4 ,when you are in a negative mood you attract thoughts of similar nature through the law of affinity4 ,that is why it is so important to form thoughts of a success nature to attract similar ones4 ,if you have never made a study of this subject1 you may think this is all foolishness1 but it is a fact that there are thought currents that unerringly bring thoughts of a similar nature4 ,many persons who think of failure actually attract failure by their worries1 their anxieties1 their overactivity4 ,these thoughts are bound to bring failure4 ,when you once learn the laws of thought and think of nothing but ,good1 ,truth1 ,success1 you will make more progress with less effort than you ever made before4 ,there are forces that can aid the mind that are hardly dreamed of by the average person4 ,when you learn to believe more in the value of thought and its laws you will be led aright and your business gains will multiply4 ,the following method may assist you in gaining better thought control4 ,if you are unable to control your fears1 just say to your faulty determination1 ,do not falter or be afraid1 for ,i am not really alone4 ,i am surrounded by invisible forces that will assist me to remove the unfavorable appearances4 ,soon you will have more courage4 ,the only difference between the fearless man and the fearful one is in his will1 his hope4 ,so if you lack success1 believe in it1 hope for it1 claim it4 ,you can use the same method to brace up your thoughts of desire1 aspiration1 imagination1 expectation1 ambition1 understanding1 trust and assurance4 ,if you get anxious1 angry1 discouraged1 undecided or worried1 it is because you are not receiving the co-operation of the higher powers of your mind4 ,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 you4 ,i was recently asked if ,i advised concentrating on what you eat1 or what you see while walking4 ,my reply was that no matter what you may be doing1 when in practice think of nothing else but that act at the time4 ,the idea is to be able to control your unimportant acts1 otherwise you set up a habit that it will be hard to overcome1 because your faculties have not been in the habit of concentrating4 ,your faculties cannot be disorganized one minute and organized the next4 ,if you allow the mind to wander while you are doing small things1 it will be likely to get into mischief and make it hard to concentrate on the important act when it comes4 ,the man that is able to concentrate is the happy1 busy man4 ,time does not drag with him4 ,he always has plenty to do4 ,he does not have time to think over past mistakes1 which would make him unhappy4 ,if despite our discouragement and failures1 we claim our great heritage1 life and truth and force1 like an electric current1 will permeate our lives until we enter into our birthright in eternity4 ,the will does not act with clearness1 decision and promptness unless it is trained to do so4 ,there are comparatively few that really know what they are doing every minute of the day4 ,this is because they do not observe with sufficient orderliness and accuracy to know what they are doing4 ,it is not difficult to know what you are doing all the time1 if you will just practice concentration and with a reposeful deliberation1 and train yourself to think clearly1 promptly1 and decisively4 ,if you allow yourself to worry or hurry in what you are doing1 this will not be clearly photographed upon the sensitized plate of the subjective mind1 and you therefore will not be really conscious of your actions4 ,so practice accuracy and concentration of thought1 and also absolute truthfulness and you will soon be able to concentrate4 ,,lesson ,,vi4 ,,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 limits4 ,the things that we do now would have been a few ages ago impossibilities4 ,today the safe maxim is3 ,all things are possible4 ,the ,will ,to ,do is a force that is strictly practical1 yet it is difficult to explain just what it is4 ,it can be compared to electricity because we know it only through its cause and effects4 ,it is a power we can direct and to just the extent we direct it do we determine our future4 ,every time you accomplish any definite act1 consciously or unconsciously1 you use the principle of the ,will4 ,you can ,will to do anything whether it is right or wrong1 and therefore the way you use your will makes a big difference in your life4 ,every person possesses some ,will ,to ,do4 ,it is the inner energy which controls all conscious acts4 ,what you will to do directs your life forces4 ,all habits1 good or bad1 are the result of what you will to do4 ,you improve or lower your condition in life by what you will to do4 ,your will has a connection with all avenues of knowledge1 all activities1 all accomplishment4 ,you probably know of cases where people have shown wonderful strength under some excitement1 similar to the following3 ,the house of a farmer's wife caught on fire4 ,no one was around to help her move anything4 ,she was a frail woman1 and ordinarily was considered weak4 ,on this occasion she removed things from the house that it later took three men to handle4 ,it was the ,will ,to ,do that she used to accomplish her task4 ,genius ,is ,but ,a ,will ,to ,do ,little ,things ,with ,infinite ,pains4 ,little ,things ,well ,done ,open ,the ,door ,of ,opportunity ,for ,bigger ,things4 ,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 accomplished4 ,when you learn so to use it1 your ,will ,power becomes a mighty force4 ,almost everything can be accomplished through its proper use4 ,it is greater than physical force because it can be used to control not only physical but mental and moral forces4 ,there are very few that possess perfectly developed and balanced ,will ,power1 but those who do easily crush out their weak qualities4 ,study yourself carefully4 ,find out your greatest weakness and then use your will power to overcome it4 ,in this way eradicate your faults1 one by one1 until you have built up a strong character and personality4 ,rules for ,improvement4 ,a desire arises4 ,now think whether this would be good for you4 ,if it is not1 use your ,will ,power to kill out the desire1 but1 on the other hand1 if it is a righteous desire1 summon all your ,will ,power to your aid1 crush all obstacles that confront you and secure possession of the coveted ,good4 ,slowness in ,making ,decisions4 ,this is a weakness of ,will ,power4 ,you know you should do something1 but you delay doing it through lack of decision4 ,it is easier not to do a certain thing than to do it1 but conscience says to do it4 ,the vast majority of persons are failures because of the lack of deciding to do a thing when it should be done4 ,those that are successful have been quick to grasp opportunities by making a quick decision4 ,this power of will can be used to bring culture1 wealth and health4 ,some ,special ,pointers4 ,for the next week try to make quicker decisions in your little daily affairs4 ,set the hour you wish to get up and arise exactly at the fixed time4 ,anything that you should accomplish1 do on or ahead of time4 ,you want1 of course1 to give due deliberation to weighty matters1 but by making quick decisions on little things you will acquire the ability to make quick decisions in bigger things4 ,never procrastinate4 ,decide quickly one way or the other even at the risk of deciding wrong4 ,practice this for a week or two and notice your improvement4 ,the ,lack of ,initiative4 ,this1 too1 keeps many men from succeeding4 ,they have fallen into the way of imitating others in all that they do4 ,very often we hear the expression1 ,he seems clever enough1 but he lacks initiative4 ,life for them is one continuous grind4 ,day after day they go through the same monotonous round of duties1 while those that are getting along are using their initiative to get greater fullness of life4 ,there is nothing so responsible for poverty as this lack of initiative1 this power to think and do for ourselves4 ,you ,are as ,good as ,anyone4 ,you have will power1 and if you use it1 you will get your share of the luxuries of life4 ,so use it to claim your own4 ,don't depend on anyone else to help you4 ,we have to fight our own battles4 ,all the world loves a fighter1 while the coward is despised by all4 ,every person's problems are different1 so ,i can only say analyze your opportunities and conditions and study your natural abilities4 ,form plans for improvement and then put them into operation4 ,now1 as ,i said before1 don't just say1 ,i am going to do so and so1 but carry your plan into execution4 ,don't make an indefinite plan1 but a definite one1 and then don't give up until your object has been accomplished4 ,put these suggestions into practice with true earnestness1 and you will soon note astonishing results1 and your whole life will be completely changed4 ,an excellent motto for one of pure motives is3 ,through my will power ,i dare do what ,i want to4 ,you will find this affirmation has a very strengthening effect4 ,the ,spirit of ,perseverance4 ,the spirit of sticktoitiveness is the one that wins4 ,many go just so far and then give up1 whereas1 if they had persevered a little longer1 they would have won out4 ,many have much initiative1 but instead of concentrating it into one channel1 they diffuse it through several1 thereby dissipating it to such an extent that its effect is lost4 ,develop more determination1 which is only the ,will ,to ,do1 and when you start out to do something stick to it until you get results4 ,of course1 before starting anything you must look ahead and see what the finish leads to4 ,you must select a road that will lead to somewhere1 rather than nowhere4 ,the journey must be productive of some kind of substantial results4 ,the trouble with so many young men is that they launch enterprises without any end in sight4 ,it is not so much the start as the finish of a journey that counts4 ,each little move should bring you nearer the goal which you planned to reach before the enterprise began4 ,lack of ,perseverance is nothing but the lack of the ,will ,to ,do4 ,it takes the same energy to say1 ,i will continue1 as to say1 ,i give up4 ,just the moment you say the latter you shut off your dynamo1 and your determination is gone4 ,every time you allow your determination to be broken you weaken it4 ,don't forget this4 ,just the instant you notice your determination beginning to weaken1 concentrate on it and by sheer ,will ,power make it continue on the job4 ,never try to make a decision when you are not in a calm state of mind4 ,if in a quick temper1 you are likely to say things you afterwards regret4 ,in anger1 you follow impulse rather than reason4 ,no one can expect to achieve success if he makes decisions when not in full control of his mental forces4 ,therefore make it a fixed rule to make decisions only when at your best4 ,if you have a quick temper1 you can quickly gain control over it by simple rule of counting backwards4 ,to count backwards requires concentration1 and you thus quickly regain a calm state4 ,in this way you can break the temper habit4 ,it will do you a lot of good to think over what you said and thought the last time you were angry4 ,persevere until you see yourself as others see you4 ,it would do no harm to write the scene out in story form and then sit in judgment of the character that played your part4 ,special ,instructions to ,develop the ,will ,to ,do4 ,this is a form of mental energy1 but requires the proper mental attitude to make it manifest4 ,we hear of people having wonderful will power1 which really is wrong4 ,it should be said that they use their will power while with many it is a latent force4 ,i want you to realize that no one has a monopoly on will power4 ,there is plenty for all4 ,what we speak of as will power is but the gathering together of mental energy1 the concentration power at one point4 ,so never think of that person as having a stronger will than yours4 ,each person will be supplied with just that amount of will power that he demands4 ,you don't have to develop will power if you constantly make use of all you have1 and remember the way in which you use it determines your fate1 for your life is moulded to great extent by the use you make of your will4 ,unless you make proper use of it you have neither independence nor firmness4 ,you are unable to control yourself and become a mere machine for others to use4 ,it is more important to learn to use your will than to develop your intellect4 ,the man that has not learned how to use his will rarely decides things for himself1 but allows his resolutions to be changed by others4 ,he fluctuates from one opinion to another1 and of course does not accomplish anything out of the ordinary1 while his brother with the trained will takes his place among the world's leaders4 ,,lesson ,,vii4 ,,the ,,concentrated ,,mental ,,demand ,the ,mental ,demand is the potent force in achievement4 ,the attitude of the mind affects the expression of the face1 determines action1 changes our physical condition and regulates our lives4 ,i will not here attempt to explain the silent force that achieves results4 ,you want to develop your mental powers so you can effect the thing sought1 and that is what ,i want to teach you4 ,there is wonderful power and possibility in the concentrated ,mental ,demand4 ,this1 like all other forces1 is controlled by laws4 ,it can1 like all other forces1 be wonderfully increased by consecutive1 systematized effort4 ,the mental demand must be directed by every power of the mind and every possible element should be used to make the demand materialize4 ,you can so intently desire a thing that you can exclude all distracting thoughts4 ,when you practice this singleness of concentration until you attain the end sought1 you have developed a ,will capable of accomplishing whatever you wish4 ,as long as you can only do the ordinary things you will be counted in the mass of mediocrity4 ,but just as quick as you surpass others by even comparatively small measure1 you are classed as one of life's successes4 ,so1 if you wish to emerge into prominence1 you must accomplish something more than the ordinary man or woman4 ,it is easy to do this if you will but concentrate on what you desire1 and put forth your best effort4 ,it is not the runner with the longest legs or the strongest muscles that wins the race1 but the one that can put forth the greatest desire force4 ,you can best understand this by thinking of an engine4 ,the engine starts up slowly1 the engineer gradually extending the throttle to the top notch4 ,it is then keyed up to its maximum speed4 ,the same is true of two runners4 ,they start off together and gradually they increase their desire to go faster4 ,the one that has the greatest intensity of desire will win4 ,he may outdistance the other by only a fraction of an inch1 yet he gets the laurels4 ,the men that are looked upon as the world's successes have not always been men of great physical power1 nor at the start did they seem very well adapted to the conditions which encompassed them4 ,in the beginning they were not considered men of superior genius1 but they won their success by their resolution to achieve results in their undertakings by permitting no set-back to dishearten them2 no difficulties to daunt them4 ,nothing could turn them or influence them against their determination4 ,they never lost sight of their goal4 ,in all of us there is this silent force of wonderful power4 ,if developed1 it can overcome conditions that would seem insurmountable4 ,it is constantly urging us on to greater achievement4 ,the more we become acquainted with it the better strategists we become1 the more courage we develop and the greater the desire within us for self-expression in activity along many lines4 ,no one will ever be a failure if he becomes conscious of this silent force within that controls his destiny4 ,but without the consciousness of this inner force1 you will not have a clear vision1 and external conditions will not yield to the power of your mind4 ,it is the mental resolve that makes achievement possible4 ,once this has been formed it should never be allowed to cease to press its claim until its object is attained4 ,to make plans work out it will1 at times1 be necessary to use every power of your mind4 ,patience1 perseverance and all the indomitable forces within one will have to be mustered and used with the greatest effectiveness4 ,perseverance is the first element of success4 ,in order to persevere you must be ceaseless in your application4 ,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 aim4 ,to quit short of this is to weaken all future efforts4 ,the ,mental ,demand seems an unreal power because it is intangible2 but it is the mightiest power in the world4 ,it is a power that is free for you to use4 ,no one can use it for you4 ,the ,mental ,demand is not a visionary one4 ,it is a potent force1 which you can use freely without cost4 ,when you are in doubt it will counsel you4 ,it will guide you when you are uncertain4 ,when you are in fear it will give you courage4 ,it is the motive power which supplies the energies necessary to the achievement of the purpose4 ,you have a large store house of possibilities4 ,the ,mental ,demand makes possibilities realities4 ,it supplies everything necessary for the accomplishment1 it selects the tools and instructs how to use them4 ,it makes you understand the situation4 ,every time you make a ,mental ,demand you strengthen the brain centers by drawing to you external forces4 ,few realize the power of a ,mental ,demand4 ,it is possible to make your demand so strong that you can impart what you have to say to another without speaking to him4 ,have you ever1 after planning to discuss a certain matter with a friend1 had the experience of having him broach the subject before you had a chance to speak of it8 ,have you ever1 in a letter1 made a suggestion to a friend that he carried out before your letter reached him8 ,have you ever wanted to speak to a person who1 just then walked in or telephoned4 ,i have had many such responses to thought and you and your friends have doubtless experienced them1 too4 ,these two things are neither coincidences nor accidents1 but are the results of mental demand launched by strong concentration4 ,the person that never wants anything gets little4 ,to demand resolutely is the first step toward getting what you want4 ,the power of the ,mental ,demand seems absolute1 the supply illimitable4 ,the mental demand projects itself and causes to materialize the conditions and opportunities needed to accomplish the purpose4 ,do not think ,i over estimate the value of the ,mental ,demand4 ,it brings the fuller life if used for only righteous purposes4 ,once the ,mental ,demand is made1 however1 never let it falter4 ,if you do the current that connects you with your desire is broken4 ,take all the necessary time to build a firm foundation1 so that there need not be even an element of doubt to creep in4 ,just the moment you entertain doubt you lose some of the demand force1 and force once lost is hard to regain4 ,so whenever you make a mental demand hold steadfastly to it until your need is supplied4 ,i want to repeat again that ,power of ,mental ,demand is not a visionary one4 ,it is concentrated power only1 and can be used by you4 ,it is not supernatural power1 but requires a development of the brain centers4 ,the outcome is sure when it is given with a strong resolute determination4 ,no person will advance to any great extent1 until he recognizes this force within him4 ,if you have not become aware of it1 you have not made very much of a success of your life4 ,it is this something that distinguishes that man from other men4 ,it is this subtle power that develops strong personality4 ,if you want a great deal you must demand a great deal4 ,once you make your demand1 anticipate its fulfillment4 ,it depends upon us4 ,we are rewarded according to our efforts4 ,the ,power of ,mental ,demand can bring us what we want4 ,we become what we determine to be4 ,we control our own destiny4 ,get the right mental attitude1 then in accordance with your ability you can gain success4 ,and every man of ,,average ability1 the ordinary man that you see about you1 can be really successful1 independent1 free of worry1 ,,his ,,own ,,master1 if he can manage to do just two things4 ,first1 remain forever dissatisfied with what he ,,is doing and with what he ,,has accomplished4 ,second1 develop in his mind a belief that the word impossible was not intended or him4 ,build up in his mind the confidence that enables the mind to use its power4 ,many1 especially the older men1 will ask3 ,how can ,i build up that self-confidence in my brain8 ,how can ,i1 after months and years of discouragement1 of dull plodding1 suddenly conceive and carry out a plan for doing something that will make life worth while and change the monotonous routine8 ,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 grave8 ,the answer is the thing can be done1 and millions have done it4 ,one of the names most honored among the great men of ,france is that of ,littre1 who wrote and compiled the great ,french dictionary--a monument of learning4 ,he is the man whose place among the forty immortals of ,france was taken by the great ,pasteur1 when the latter was elected to the ,academy4 ,littre ,,began the work that makes him famous when he was more than sixty years old4 ,,lesson ,,viii4 ,,concentration ,,gives ,,mental ,,poise ,you will find that the man that concentrates is well poised1 whereas the man that allows his mind to wander is easily upset4 ,when in this state wisdom does not pass from the subconscious storehouse into the consciousness4 ,there must be mental quiet before the two consciousnesses can work in harmony4 ,when you are able to concentrate you have peace of mind4 ,if you are in the habit of losing your poise1 form the habit of reading literature that has a quieting power4 ,just the second you feel your poise slipping1 say1 ,peace1 and then hold this thought in mind and you will never lose your self-control4 ,there cannot be perfect concentration until there is peace of mind4 ,so keep thinking peace1 acting peace1 until you are at peace with all the world4 ,for when once you have reached this state there will be no trouble to concentrate on anything you wish4 ,when you have peace of mind you are not timid or anxious1 or fearful1 or rigid and you will not allow any disturbing thought to influence you4 ,you cast aside all fears1 and think of yourself as a spark of the ,divine ,being1 as a manifestation of the ,one ,universal ,principle that fills all space and time4 ,think of yourself thus as a child of the infinite1 possessing infinite possibilities4 ,write on a piece of paper1 ,i have the power to do and to be whatever ,i wish to do and be4 ,keep this mentally before you1 and you will find the thought will be of great help to you4 ,the ,mistake of ,concentrating on ,your ,business ,while ,away4 ,in order to be successful today1 you must concentrate1 but don't become a slave to concentration1 and carry your business cares home4 ,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 intended4 ,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 business4 ,if they go to the theater they do not enjoy it because their business is on their minds4 ,when they go to bed they think about business instead of sleep and wonder why they don't sleep4 ,this is the wrong kind of concentration and is dangerous4 ,it is involuntary4 ,when you are unable to get anything out of your mind it becomes unwholesome as any thought held continuously causes weariness of the flesh4 ,it is a big mistake to let a thought rule you1 instead of ruling it4 ,he who does not rule himself is not a success4 ,if you cannot control your concentration1 your health will suffer4 ,so never become so absorbed with anything that you cannot lay it aside and take up another4 ,this is self-control4 ,concentration ,is ,paying ,attention to a ,chosen ,thought4 ,everything that passes before the eye makes an impression on the subconscious mind1 but unless you pay attention to some certain thing you will not remember what you saw4 ,for instance if you walked down a busy street without seeing anything that attracted your particular attention1 you could not recall anything you saw4 ,so you see only what attracts your attention4 ,if you work you only see and remember what you think about4 ,when you concentrate on something it absorbs your whole thought4 ,self-,study ,valuable4 ,everyone has some habits that can be overcome by concentration4 ,we will say for instance1 you are in the habit of complaining1 or finding fault with yourself or others2 or1 imagining that you do not possess the ability of others2 or feeling that you are not as good as someone else2 or that you cannot rely on yourself2 or harboring any similar thoughts or thoughts of weakness4 ,these should be cast aside and instead thoughts of strength should be put in their place4 ,just remember every time you think of yourself as being weak1 in some way you are making yourself so by thinking you are4 ,our mental conditions make us what we are4 ,just watch yourself and see how much time you waste in worrying1 fretting and complaining4 ,the more of it you do the worse off you are4 ,just the minute you are aware of thinking a negative thought immediately change to a positive one4 ,if you start to think of failure1 change to thinking of success4 ,you have the germ of success within you4 ,care for it the same as the setting hen broods over the eggs and you can make it a reality4 ,you can make those that you come in contact with feel as you do1 because you radiate vibrations of the way you feel and your vibrations are felt by others4 ,when you concentrate on a certain thing you turn all the rays of your vibrations on this4 ,thought is the directing power of all ,life's vibrations4 ,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 him1 and even if they did1 they would not remember seeing him1 because they were not attracted towards him4 ,but let him enter the room feeling that he was magnetic and concentrating on this thought1 others would feel his vibration4 ,so remember the way you feel you can make others feel4 ,this is the law4 ,make yourself a concentrated dynamo from which your thoughts vibrate to others4 ,then you are a power in the world4 ,cultivate the art of feeling1 for as ,i said before you can only make others feel what you feel4 ,if you will study all of the great characters of history you will find that they were enthusiastic4 ,first they were enthusiastic themselves1 and then they could arouse others' enthusiasm4 ,it is latent in everyone4 ,it is a wonderful force when once aroused4 ,all public men to be a success have to possess it4 ,cultivate it by concentration4 ,set aside some hour of the day1 wherein to hold rapt converse with the soul4 ,meditate with sincere desire and contrite heart and you will be able to accomplish that which you have meditated on4 ,this is the keynote of success4 ,think1 speak and act just as you wish to be1 ,and you will be that which you wish to be4 ,you are just what you think you are and not what you may appear to be4 ,you may fool others but not yourself4 ,you may control your life and actions just as you can control your hands4 ,if you want to raise your hand you must first think of raising it4 ,if you want to control your life you must first control your thinking4 ,easy to do1 is it not8 ,yes it is1 if you will but concentrate on what you think about4 ,for he only can ,that says he will4 ,how can we secure concentration8 ,to this question1 the first and last answer must be3 ,by interest and strong motive4 ,the stronger the motive the greater the concentration4--,eustace ,miller1 ,m4 ,d4 ,the ,successful ,lives ,are the ,concentrated ,lives4 ,the utterly helpless multitude that sooner or later have to be cared for by charity1 are those that were never able to concentrate1 and who have become the victims of negative ideas4 ,train yourself so you will be able to centralize your thought and develop your brain power1 and increase your mental energy1 or you can be a slacker1 a drifter1 a quitter or a sleeper4 ,it all depends on how you concentrate1 or centralize your thoughts4 ,your thinking then becomes a fixed power and you do not waste time thinking about something that would not be good for you4 ,you pick out the thoughts that will be the means of bringing you what you desire1 and they become a material reality4 ,whatever we create in the thought world will some day materialize4 ,that is the law4 ,don't forget this4 ,in the old days men drifted without concentration but this is a day of efficiency and therefore all of our efforts must be concentrated1 if we are to win any success worth the name4 ,why ,people ,often ,do ,not ,get ,what ,they ,concentrate ,on4 ,because they sit down in hopeless despair and expect it to come to them4 ,but if they will just reach out for it with their biggest effort they will find it is within their reach4 ,no one limits us but ourselves4 ,we are what we are today as the result of internal conditions4 ,we can control the external conditions4 ,they are subject to our will4 ,through our concentration we can attract what we want1 because we became enrapport with the ,universal forces1 from which we can get what we want4 ,you have watched races no doubt4 ,they all line up together4 ,each has his mind set on getting to the goal before the others4 ,this is one kind of concentration4 ,a man starts to think on a certain subject4 ,he has all kinds of thoughts come to him1 but by concentration he shuts out all these but the one he has chosen4 ,concentration is just a case of willing to do a certain thing and doing it4 ,if you want to accomplish anything first put yourself in a concentrating1 reposeful1 receptive1 acquiring frame of mind4 ,in tackling unfamiliar work make haste slowly and deliberately and then you will secure that interior activity1 which is never possible when you are in a hurry or under a strain4 ,when you think hard or try to hurry results too quickly1 you generally shut off the interior flow of thoughts and ideas4 ,you have often no doubt tried hard to think of something but could not1 but just as soon as you stopped trying to think of it1 it came to you4 ,,lesson ,,ix4 ,,concentration ,,can ,,overcome ,,bad ,,habits ,habits make or break us to a far greater extent than we like to admit4 ,habit is both a powerful enemy and wonderful ally of concentration4 ,you must learn to overcome habits which are injurious to concentration1 and to cultivate those which increase it4 ,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 wood4 ,they do things in a certain way because of the power of habit4 ,they seldom ever think of concentrating on why they do them this or that way1 or study to see if they could do them in a better way4 ,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 you4 ,you will find that by making a few needed changes you can make even those that are not good for you1 of service2 the good habits you can make much better4 ,the first thing ,i want you to realize is that all habits are governed consciously or unconsciously by the will4 ,most of us are forming new habits all the time4 ,very often1 if you repeat something several times in the same way1 you will have formed the habit of doing it that way4 ,but the oftener you repeat it the stronger that habit grows and the more deeply it becomes embedded in your nature4 ,after a habit has been in force for a long time1 it becomes almost a part of you1 and is therefore hard to overcome4 ,but you can still break any habit by strong concentration on its opposite4 ,all our life1 so far as it has definite form1 is but a mass of habits--practical1 emotional1 and intellectual--systematically organized1 for our weal or woe1 and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny whatever the latter may be4 ,we are creatures of habits1 imitators and copiers of our past selves4 ,we are liable to be bent or curved as we can bend a piece of paper1 and each fold leaves a crease1 which makes it easier to make the fold there the next time4 ,the intellect and will are spiritual functions2 still they are immersed in matter1 and to every movement of theirs1 corresponds a movement in the brain1 that is1 in their material correlative4 ,this is why habits of thought and habits of willing can be formed4 ,all physical impressions are the carrying out of the actions of the will and intellect4 ,our nervous systems are what they are today1 because of the way they have been exercised4 ,as we grow older most of us become more and more like automatic machines4 ,the habits we have formed increase in strength4 ,we work in our old characteristic way4 ,your associates learn to expect you to do things in a certain way4 ,so you see that your habits make a great difference in your life1 and as it is just about as easy to form good habits as it is bad1 you should form only the former4 ,no one but yourself is responsible for your habits4 ,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 be4 ,how much happier everyone would be4 ,then all instead of the few might win success4 ,habits are formed more quickly when we are young1 but if we have already passed the youthful plastic period the time to start to control our habits is right now1 as we will never be any younger4 ,you will find the following maxims worth remembering4 ,first ,maxim3 ,we must make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy4 ,second ,maxim3 ,in the acquisition of a new habit as in the leaving off of an old one1 we must take care to launch ourselves with as strong and decided an initiative as possible4 ,the man that is in the habit of doing the right thing from boyhood1 has only good motives1 so it is very important for you that you concentrate assiduously on the habits that reinforce good motives4 ,surround yourself with every aid you can4 ,don't play with fire by forming bad habits4 ,make a new beginning today4 ,study why you have been doing certain things4 ,if they are not for your good1 shun them henceforth4 ,don't give in to a single temptation for every time you do1 you strengthen the chain of bad habits4 ,every time you keep a resolution you break the chain that enslaves you4 ,third ,maxim3 ,never allow an exception to occur till the new habit is securely rooted in your life4 ,here is the idea1 you never want to give in1 until the new habit is fixed else you undo all that has been accomplished by previous efforts4 ,there are two opposing inclinations4 ,one wants to be firm1 and the other wants to give in4 ,by your will you can become firm1 through repetition4 ,fortify your will to be able to cope with any and all opposition4 ,fourth ,maxim3 ,seize the very first possible opportunity to act on every resolution you make1 and on every emotional prompting you may experience in the direction of the habits you aspire to gain4 ,to make a resolve and not to keep it is of little value4 ,so by all means keep every resolution you make1 for you not only profit by the resolution1 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 resolutions4 ,a tendency to act1 becomes effectively engrained in us in proportion to the uninterrupted frequency with which the actions actually occur1 and the brain grows' to their use4 ,when a resolve or a fine glow of feeling is allowed to evaporate without bearing fruit1 it is worse than a chance lost4 ,if you keep your resolutions you form a most valuable habit4 ,if you break them you form a most dangerous one4 ,so concentrate on keeping them1 whether important or unimportant1 and remember it is just as important for this purpose to keep the unimportant1 for by so doing you are forming the habit4 ,fifth ,maxim3 ,keep the faculty of effort alive in you by a little gratuitous exercise every day4 ,the more we exercise the will1 the better we can control our habits4 ,every few days do something for no other reason than its difficulty1 so that when the hour of dire need draws nigh1 it may find you not unnerved or untrained to stand the test4 ,asceticism of this sort is like the insurance which a man pays on his house and goods4 ,the tax does him no good at the time1 and possibly may never bring him a return1 but if the fire does come1 his having paid it will be his salvation from ruin4 ,so with the man who has daily insured himself to habits of concentrated attention1 energetic volation1 and self-denial in unnecessary things4 ,he will stand like a tower when everything rocks around him and his softer fellow-mortals are winnowed like chaff in the blast4 ,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 habits4 ,youth is the plastic state1 and should be utilized in laying the foundation for a glorious future4 ,the great value of habit for good and evil cannot be overestimated4 ,habit is the deepest law of human nature4 ,no man is stronger than his habits1 because his habits either build up his strength or decrease it4 ,why ,we ,are ,creatures of ,habits4 ,habits have often been called a labor-saving invention1 because when they are formed they require less of both mental and material strength4 ,the more deeply the habit becomes ingrained the more automatic it becomes4 ,therefore habit is an economizing tendency of our nature1 for if it were not for habit we should have to be more watchful4 ,we walk across a crowded street2 the habit of stopping and looking prevents us from being hurt4 ,the right kind of habits keeps us from making mistakes and mishaps4 ,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 way4 ,when an emergency comes he instantly knows what to do4 ,where safety depends on quickness the operator must work automatically4 ,habits mean less risk1 less fatigue1 and greater accuracy4 ,you do not want to become a slave to habits of a trivial nature4 ,for instance1 ,wagner required a certain costume before he could compose corresponding parts of his operas4 ,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 sweet4 ,gladstone had different desks for his different activities1 so that when he worked on ,homer he never sat among habitual accompaniments of his legislative labors4 ,in order to overcome undesirable habits1 two things are necessary4 ,you must have trained your will to do what you want it to do1 and the stronger the will the easier it will be to break a habit4 ,then you must make a resolution to do just the opposite of what the habit is4 ,therefore one habit must replace another4 ,if you have a strong will1 you can tenaciously and persistently concentrate on removing the bad habit and in a very short time the good habit will gain the upper hand4 ,i will bring this chapter to a close by giving ,doctor ,oppenheim's instructions for overcoming a habit3 ,if you want to abolish a habit1 and its accumulated circumstances as well1 you must grapple with the matter as earnestly as you would with a physical enemy4 ,you must go into the encounter with all tenacity of determination1 with all fierceness of resolve--yea1 even with a passion for success that may be called vindictive4 ,no human enemy can be as insidious1 so persevering1 as unrelenting as an unfavorable habit4 ,it never sleeps1 it needs no rest4 ,it is like a parasite that grows with the growth of the supporting body1 and1 like a parasite1 it can best be killed by violent separation and crushing4 ,when life is stormy and all seems against us1 that is when we often acquire wrong habits1 and it is then1 that we have to make a gigantic effort to think and speak as we should2 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 before4 ,it is not in the easy1 contented moments of our life that we make our greatest progress1 for then it requires1 no special effort to keep in tune4 ,but it is when we are in the midst of trials and misfortunes1 when we think we are sinking1 being overwhelmed1 then it is important for us to realize that we are linked to a great ,power and if we live as we should1 there is nothing that can occur in life1 which could permanently injure us1 nothing can happen that should disturb us4 ,so always remember you have within you unlimited power1 ready to manifest itself in the form which fills our need at the moment4 ,if1 when we have something difficult to solve1 we would be silent like the child1 we can get the inspiration when it comes2 we will know how to act1 we will find there is no need to hurry or disturb ourselves1 that it is always wiser to wait for guidance from within1 than to act on impulse from ,without4 ,,lesson ,x4 ,,business ,,results ,,through ,,concentration ,a successful business is not usually the result of chance4 ,neither is a failure the result of luck4 ,most failures could be determined in advance if the founders had been studied4 ,it is not always possible to start a money-making business at the start4 ,usually a number of changes have to be made4 ,plans do not work out as their creators thought they would4 ,they may have to be changed a little1 broadened it may be1 here and there1 and as you broaden your business you broaden your power to achieve4 ,you gain an intense and sustained desire to make your business a success4 ,when you start a business you may have but a vague notion of the way you will conduct it4 ,you must fill in the details as you go along4 ,you must concentrate on these details4 ,as you straighten out one after another1 others will require attention4 ,in this way you cover the field of the first endeavor and new opportunities open up for you4 ,when you realize one desire1 another comes4 ,but if you do not fulfill the first desire1 you will not the second4 ,the person that does not carry his desires into action is only a dreamer4 ,desire is a great creative force1 if it is pure1 intense and sustained4 ,it is our desires that keep stirring us up to action and they will strengthen and broaden you if you make them materialize4 ,every man who achieves success deserves it4 ,when he first started out he did not understand how to solve the problems that afterwards presented themselves1 but he did each thing as it came up in the very best way that he could1 and this developed his power of doing bigger things4 ,we become masters of business by learning to do well whatever we attempt4 ,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 knowledge4 ,the skilled business director can sit in his private office and still know accurately what is actually being done4 ,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 should4 ,it is then easy to apply the remedy4 ,business success depends on well-concentrated efforts4 ,you must use every mental force you can master4 ,the more these are used the more they increase4 ,therefore the more you accomplish today the more force you will have at your disposal with which to solve your problems tomorrow4 ,if you are working for someone else today and wish to start in a business for yourself1 think over carefully what you would like to do4 ,then when you have resolved what you want to do1 you will be drawn towards it4 ,there is a law that opens the way to the fulfillment of your desires4 ,of course back of your desire you must put forward the necessary effort to carry out your purpose2 you must use your power to put your desires into force4 ,once they are created and you keep up your determination to have them fulfilled you both consciously and unconsciously work toward their materialization4 ,set your heart on your purpose1 concentrate your thought upon it1 direct your efforts with all your intelligence and in due time you will realize your ambition4 ,feel yourself a success1 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 success4 ,don't be afraid of big undertakings4 ,go at them with grit1 and pursue methods that you think will accomplish your purpose4 ,you may not at first meet with entire success1 but aim so high that if you fall a little short you will still have accomplished much4 ,what others have done you can do4 ,you may even do what others have been unable to do4 ,always keep a strong desire to succeed in your mind4 ,be in love with your aim and work1 and make them1 as far as possible1 square with the rule of the greatest good to the greatest number and your life cannot be a failure4 ,the successful business attitude must be cultivated to make the most out of your life1 the attitude of expecting great things from both yourself and others4 ,it alone will often cause men to make good2 to measure up to the best that is in them4 ,it is not the spasmodic spurts that count on a long journey1 but the steady efforts4 ,spurts fatigue and make it hard for you to continue4 ,rely on your own opinion4 ,it should be as good as anyone's else4 ,when once you reach a conclusion abide by it4 ,let there be no doubt1 or wavering in your judgment4 ,if you are uncertain about every decision you make1 you will be subject to harassing doubts and fears which will render your judgment of little value4 ,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 results4 ,he gains the confidence of others4 ,he is known as the man that knows what he wants1 and not as one that is as changeable as the weather4 ,the man of today wants to do business with the man that he can depend upon4 ,uncertainties in the business world are meeting with more disfavor4 ,reliable firms want to do business with men of known qualities1 with men of firmness1 judgment and reliability4 ,so if you wish to start in business for yourself your greatest asset1 with the single exception of a sound physique1 is that of a good reputation4 ,a successful business is not hard to build if we can concentrate all our mental forces upon it4 ,it is the man that is unsettled because he does not know what he wants that goes to the wall4 ,we hear persons say that business is trying on the nerves1 but it is the unsettling elements of fret and worry and suspense that are nerve-exhausting and not the business4 ,executing one's plans may cause fatigue1 enjoyment comes with rest4 ,if there has not been any unnatural strain1 the recuperative powers replace what energy has been lost4 ,by attending to each day's work properly you develop the capacity to do a greater work tomorrow4 ,it is this gradual development that makes possible the carrying out of big plans4 ,the man that figures out doing something each hour of the day gets somewhere4 ,at the end of each day you should be a step nearer your aim4 ,keep the idea in mind1 that you mean to go forward1 that each day must mark an advance and forward you will go4 ,you do not even have to know the exact direction so long as you are determined to find the way4 ,but you must not turn back once you have started4 ,even brilliant men's conceptions of the possibilities of their mental forces are so limited and below their real worth that they are far more likely to belittle their possibilities than they are to exaggerate them4 ,you don't want to think that an aim is impossible because it has never been realized in the past4 ,every day someone is doing something that was never done before4 ,we are pushing ahead faster4 ,formerly it took decades to build up a big business1 but today it is only but a matter of years1 sometimes of months4 ,plan each day's activities carefully and you can reach any height you aim at4 ,if each thing you do is done with concise and concentrated thought you will be able to turn out an excellent quality and a large quantity of work4 ,plan to do so much work during the day and you will be astonished to see how much more you will do1 than on other days1 when you had not decided on any certain amount4 ,i have demonstrated that the average business working force could do the same amount of work in six hours that they now do in eight1 without using up any more energy4 ,never start to accomplish anything in an indecisive1 indefinite1 uncertain way4 ,tackle everything with a positiveness and an earnestness that will concentrate your mind and attract the very best associated thoughts4 ,you will in a short time find that you will have extra time for planning bigger things4 ,the natural leader always draws to himself1 by the law of mental attraction1 ideas in his chosen subject that have ever been conceived by others4 ,this is of the greatest importance and help4 ,if you are properly trained you benefit much by others' thoughts1 and1 providing you generate from within yourself something of value1 they will benefit from yours4 ,we are heirs of all the ages1 but we must know how to use our inheritance4 ,the confident1 pushing1 hopeful1 determined man influences all with whom he associates1 and inspires the same qualities in them4 ,you feel that his is a safe example to follow and he rouses the same force within you that is pushing him onward and upward4 ,one seldom makes a success of anything that he goes at in a listless1 spiritless way4 ,to build up a business you must see it expanding in your mind before it actually takes tangible shape4 ,every great task that has ever been accomplished has first been merely a vision in the mind of its creator4 ,detail after detail has had to be worked out in his mind from his first faint idea of the enterprise4 ,finally a clear idea was formed and then the accomplishment1 which was only the material result of the mental concept1 followed4 ,the up-to-date business man is not content to build only for the present1 but is planning ahead4 ,if he does not he will fall behind his competitor1 who is4 ,what we are actually doing today was carefully thought out and planned by others in the past4 ,all progressive businesses are conducted this way4 ,that is why the young business man of today is likely to accomplish more in a few years than his father did in all his life4 ,there is no reason why your work or business should fag you out4 ,when it does there is something wrong4 ,you are attracting forces and influence that you should not1 because you are not in harmony with what you are doing4 ,there is nothing so tiring as to try to do the work for which we are unfitted1 both by temperament and training4 ,each one should be engaged in a business that he loves2 he should be furthering movements with which he is in sympathy4 ,he will then only do his best work and take intense pleasure in his business4 ,in this way1 while constantly growing and developing his powers1 he is at the same time rendering through his work1 genuine and devoted service to humanity4 ,business success is not the result of chance1 but of scientific ideas and plans carried out by an aggressive and progressive management4 ,use your mental forces so that they will grow and develop4 ,remember that everything you do is the result of mental action1 therefore you can completely control your every action4 ,nothing is impossible for you4 ,don't be afraid to tackle a difficult proposition4 ,your success will depend upon the use you make of your mind4 ,this is capable of wonderful development4 ,see that you make full use of it1 and not only develop yourself but your associates4 ,try to broaden the visions of those with whom you come in contact and you will broaden your own outlook of life4 ,are ,you ,afraid of ,responsibilities8 ,in order for the individual soul to develop1 you must have responsibilities4 ,you must manifest the omnipotence of the law of supply4 ,the whole world is your legitimate sphere of activity4 ,how much of a conqueror are you8 ,what have you done8 ,are you afraid of responsibility1 or are you ever dodging1 flinching1 or side stepping it4 ,if you are1 you are not a ,real ,man4 ,your higher self never winces1 so be a man and allow the powers of the higher self to manifest and you will find you have plenty of strength and you will feel better when you are tackling difficult propositions4 ,,lesson ,,xi4 ,,concentrate ,,on ,,courage ,courage is the backbone of man4 ,the man with courage has persistence4 ,he states what he believes and puts it into execution4 ,the courageous man has confidence4 ,he draws to himself all the moral qualities and mental forces which go to make up a strong man4 ,whereas1 the man without courage draws to himself all the qualities of a weak man1 vacillation1 doubt1 hesitancy1 and unsteadiness of purpose4 ,you can therefore see the value of concentration on courage4 ,it is a most vital element of success4 ,the lack of courage creates financial1 as well as mental and moral difficulties4 ,when a new problem comes1 instead of looking upon it as something to be achieved1 the man or woman without courage looks for reasons why it cannot be done and failure is naturally the almost inevitable result4 ,this is a subject well worthy of your study4 ,look upon everything within your power as a possibility instead of as merely a probability and you will accomplish a great deal more1 because by considering a thing as impossible1 you immediately draw to yourself all the elements that contribute to failure4 ,lack of courage destroys your confidence in yourself4 ,it destroys that forceful1 resolute attitude so important to success4 ,the man without courage unconsciously draws to himself all that is contemptible1 weakening1 demoralizing and destructive4 ,he then blames his luck when he does not secure the things he weakly desires4 ,we must first have the courage to strongly desire something4 ,a desire to be fulfilled must be backed by the strength of all our mental forces4 ,such a desire has enough commanding force to change all unfavorable conditions4 ,the man with courage commands1 whether he is on the battlefield or in business life4 ,what is courage8 ,it is the ,will ,to ,do4 ,it takes no more energy to be courageous than to be cowardly4 ,it is a matter of the right training in the right way4 ,courage concentrates the mental forces on the task at hand4 ,it then directs them thoughtfully1 steadily1 deliberately1 while attracting all the forces of success1 toward the desired end4 ,cowardice on the other hand1 dissipates both our mental and moral forces1 thereby inviting failure4 ,as we are creatures of habits1 we should avoid persons that lack courage4 ,they are easy to discover because of their habits of fear in attacking new problems4 ,the man with courage is never afraid4 ,start out today with the idea that there is no reason why you should not be courageous4 ,if any fear-thoughts come to you cast them off as you would the deadly viper4 ,form the habit of never thinking of anything unfavorable to yourself or anyone else4 ,in dealing with difficulties1 new or old1 hold ever the thought1 ,i am courageous4 ,whenever a doubt crosses the threshold of your mind1 banish it4 ,remember1 you as master of your mind control its every thought1 and here is a good one to often affirm1 ,i have courage because ,i desire it2 because ,i need it2 because ,i use it and because ,i refuse to become such a weakling as cowardice produces4 ,there is no justification for the loss of courage4 ,the evils by which you will almost certainly be overwhelmed without it are far greater than those which courage will help you to meet and overcome4 ,right1 then1 must be the moralist who says that the only thing to fear is fear4 ,never let another's opinion affect you2 he cannot tell what you are able to do2 he does not know what you can do with your forces4 ,the truth is you do not know yourself until you put yourself to the test4 ,therefore1 how can someone else know8 ,never let anyone else put a valuation on you4 ,almost all wonderful achievements have been accomplished after it had been thoroughly demonstrated that they were impossibilities4 ,once we understand the law1 all things are possible4 ,if they were impossibilities we could not conceive them4 ,just the moment you allow someone to influence you against what you think is right1 you lose that confidence in yourself that inspires courage and carries with it all the forces which courage creates4 ,just the moment you begin to swerve in your plan you begin to carry out another's thought and not your own4 ,you become the directed and not the director4 ,you forsake the courage and resolution of your own mind1 and you therefore lack the very forces that you need to sustain and carry out your work4 ,instead of being self-reliant you become timid and this invites failure4 ,when you permit yourself to be influenced from your plan by another1 you are unable to judge as you should1 because you have allowed another's influence to deprive you of your courage and determination without absorbing any of his in return so you are in much the same predicament1 as you would be in if you turned over all your worldly possessions to another without getting value received4 ,concentrate on just the opposite of fear1 want1 poverty1 sickness1 etc4 ,never doubt your own ability4 ,you have plenty1 if you will just use it4 ,a great many men are failures because they doubt their own capacity4 ,instead of building up strong mental forces which would be of the greatest use to them their fear thoughts tear them down4 ,fear paralyzes energy4 ,it keeps us from attracting the forces that go to make up success4 ,fear is the worst enemy we have4 ,there are few people that really know that they can accomplish much4 ,they desire the full extent of their powers1 but alas1 it is only occasionally that you find a man that is aware of the great possibilities within him4 ,when you believe with all your mind and heart and soul that you can do something1 you thereby develop the courage to steadily and confidently live up to that belief4 ,you have now gone a long way towards accomplishing it4 ,the chances are that there will be obstacles1 big and little1 in your way1 but resolute courage will overcome them and nothing else will4 ,strong courage eliminates the injurious and opposing forces by summoning their masters1 the yet stronger forces that will serve you4 ,courage is yours for the asking4 ,all you have to do is to believe in it1 claim it and use it4 ,to succeed in business believe that it will be successful1 assert that it is successful1 and work like a beaver to make it so4 ,difficulties soon melt away before the courageous4 ,one man of courage can fire with his spirit a whole army of men1 whether it be military or industrial1 because courage1 like cowardice1 is contagious4 ,the man of courage overcomes the trials and temptations of life2 he commands success2 he renders sound judgment2 he develops personal influence and a forceful character and often becomes the mentor of the community which he serves4 ,how to ,overcome ,depression and ,melancholia4 ,both of the former are harmful and make you unhappy4 ,these are states that can be quickly overcome through concentrating more closely on the higher self1 for when you do you cut off the connection with the harmful force currents4 ,you can also drive away moods by simply choosing and fully concentrating on an agreeable subject4 ,through will power and thought control we can accomplish anything we want to do4 ,there is wonderful inherent power within us all1 and there is never any sufficient cause for fear1 except ignorance4 ,every evil is but the product of ignorance1 and everyone that possesses the power to think has the power to overcome ignorance and evil4 ,the pain that we suffer from doing evil are but the lessons of experience1 and the object of the pain is to make us realize our ignorance4 ,when we become depressed ,it is evidence that our thought faculties are combining improperly and thereby attracting the wrong force-currents4 ,all that it is necessary to do is to exercise the will and concentrate upon happy subjects4 ,i will only think of subjects worthy of my higher self and its powers4 ,,lesson ,,xii4 ,,concentrate ,,on ,,wealth ,it was never intended that man should be poor4 ,when wealth is obtained under the proper conditions it broadens the life4 ,everything has its value4 ,everything has a good use and a bad use4 ,the forces of mind like wealth can be directed either for good or evil4 ,a little rest will re-create forces4 ,too much rest degenerates into laziness1 and brainless1 dreamy longings4 ,if you acquire wealth unjustly from others1 you are misusing your forces2 but if your wealth comes through the right sources you will be blessed4 ,through wealth we can do things to uplift ourselves and humanity4 ,wealth is many persons' goal4 ,it therefore stimulates their endeavor4 ,they long for it in order to dress and live in such a way as to attract friends4 ,without friends they would not be so particular of their surroundings4 ,the fact is the more attractive we make ourselves and our surroundings the more inspiring are their influences4 ,it is not conducive to proper thought to be surrounded by conditions that are uncongenial and unpleasant4 ,so the first step toward acquiring wealth is to surround yourself with helpful influences2 to claim for yourself an environment of culture1 place yourself in it and be molded by its influences4 ,most great men of all ages have been comparatively rich4 ,they have made or inherited money4 ,without money they could not have accomplished what they did4 ,the man engaged in physical drudgery is not likely to have the same high ideals as the man that can command comparative leisure4 ,wealth is usually the fruit of achievement4 ,it is not1 however1 altogether the result of being industrious4 ,thousands of persons work hard who never grow wealthy4 ,others with much less effort acquire wealth4 ,seeing possibilities is another step toward acquiring wealth4 ,a man may be as industrious as he can possibly be1 but if he does not use his mental forces he will be a laborer1 to be directed by the man that uses to good advantage his mental forces4 ,no one can become wealthy in an ordinary lifetime1 by mere savings from earnings4 ,many scrimp and economize all their lives2 but by so doing waste all their vitality and energy4 ,for example1 ,i know a man that used to walk to work4 ,it took him an hour to go and an hour to return4 ,he could have taken a car and gone in twenty minutes4 ,he saved ten cents a day but wasted an hour and a half4 ,it was not a very profitable investment unless the time spent in physical exercise yielded him large returns in the way of health4 ,the same amount of time spent in concentrated effort to overcome his unfavorable business environment might have firmly planted his feet in the path of prosperity4 ,one of the big mistakes made by many persons of the present generation is that they associate with those who fail to call out or develop the best that is in them4 ,when the social side of life is developed too exclusively1 as it often is1 and recreation or entertainment becomes the leading motive of a person's life1 he acquires habits of extravagance instead of economy2 habits of wasting his resources1 physical1 mental1 moral and spiritual1 instead of conserving them4 ,he is1 in consequence1 lacking in proper motivation1 his ,god-given powers and forces are undeveloped and he inevitably brings poor judgment to bear upon all the higher relationships of life1 while1 as to his financial fortunes1 he is ever the leaner2 often a parasite1 and always1 if opportunity affords1 as heavy a consumer as he is a poor producer4 ,it seems a part of the tragedy of life that these persons have to be taught such painful lessons before they can understand the forces and laws that regulate life4 ,few profit by the mistakes of others4 ,they must experience them for themselves and then apply the knowledge so gained in reconstructing their lives4 ,any man that has ever amounted to anything has never done a great deal of detail work for long periods at any given time4 ,he needs his time to reflect4 ,he does not do his duties today in the same way as yesterday1 but as the result of deliberate and concentrated effort1 constantly tries to improve his methods4 ,the other day ,i attended a lecture on ,prosperity4 ,i knew the lecturer had been practically broke for ten years4 ,i wanted to hear what he had to say4 ,he spoke very well4 ,he no doubt benefited some of his hearers1 but he had not profited by his own teachings4 ,i introduced myself and asked him if he believed in his maxims4 ,he said he did4 ,i asked him if they had made him prosperous4 ,he said not exactly4 ,i asked him why4 ,he answered that he thought he was fated not to experience prosperity4 ,in half an hour ,i showed that man why poverty had always been his companion4 ,he had dressed poorly4 ,he held his lectures in poor surroundings4 ,by his actions and beliefs he attracted poverty4 ,he did not realize that his thoughts and his surroundings exercised an unfavorable influence4 ,i said3 ,thoughts are moving forces2 great powers4 ,thoughts of wealth attract wealth4 ,therefore1 if you desire wealth you must attract the forces that will help you to secure it4 ,your thoughts attract a similar kind of thoughts4 ,if you hold thoughts of poverty you attract poverty4 ,if you make up your mind you are going to be wealthy1 you will instil this thought into all your mental forces1 and you will at the same time use every external condition to help you4 ,many persons are of the opinion that if you have money it is easy to make more money4 ,but this is not necessarily true4 ,ninety per cent of the men that start in business fail4 ,money will not enable one to accumulate much more1 unless he is trained to seek and use good opportunities for its investment4 ,if he inherits money the chances are that he will lose it4 ,while1 if he has made it1 he not only knows its value1 but has developed the power to use it as well as to make more if he loses it4 ,business success today depends on foresight1 good judgment1 grit1 firm resolution and settled purpose4 ,but never forget that thought is as real a force as electricity4 ,let your thoughts be such1 that you will send out as good as you receive2 if you do not1 you are not enriching others1 and therefore deserve not to be enriched4 ,the man that tries to get all he can from others for nothing becomes so selfish and mean that he does not even enjoy his acquisitions4 ,we see examples of this every day4 ,what we take from others1 will in turn1 be taken from us4 ,all obligations have to be met fairly and squarely4 ,we cannot reach perfection until we discharge every obligation of our lives4 ,we all realize this1 so why not willingly give a fair exchange for all that we receive8 ,again ,i repeat that the first as well as the last step in acquiring wealth is to surround yourself with good influences--good thought1 good health1 good home and business environment and successful business associates4 ,cultivate1 by every legitimate means1 the acquaintance of men of big caliber4 ,bring your thought vibrations in regard to business into harmony with theirs4 ,this will make your society not only agreeable1 but sought after1 and1 when you have formed intimate friendships with clean1 reputable men of wealth1 entrust to them1 for investment1 your surplus earnings1 however small1 until you have developed the initiative and business acumen to successfully manage your own investments4 ,by this time you will1 through such associations1 have found your place in life which1 if you have rightly concentrated upon and used your opportunities1 will not be among men of small parts4 ,with a competence secured1 you will take pleasure in using a part of it in making the road you traveled in reaching your position easier for those who follow you4 ,there is somewhere in every brain the energy that will get you out of that rut and put you far up on the mountain of success if you can only use the energy4 ,you know that gasoline in the engine of an automobile doesn't move the car until the spark comes to explode the gasoline4 ,so it is with the mind of man4 ,we are not speaking now of men of great genius1 but of average1 able citizens4 ,each one of them has in his brain the capacity to climb over the word impossible and get into the successful country beyond4 ,and hope1 self-confidence and the determination to do something supply the spark that makes the energy work4 ,,lesson ,,xiii4 ,,you ,,can ,,concentrate1 ,,but ,,will ,,you8 ,all have the ability to concentrate1 but will you8 ,you can1 but whether you will or not depends on you4 ,it is one thing to be able to do something1 and another thing to do it4 ,there is far more ability not used than is used4 ,why do not more men of ability make something of themselves8 ,there are comparatively few successful men but many ambitious ones4 ,why do not more get along8 ,cases may differ1 but the fault is usually their own4 ,they have had chances1 perhaps better ones than some others that have made good4 ,what would you like to do1 that you are not doing8 ,if you think you should be getting on better1 why don't you8 ,study yourself carefully4 ,learn your shortcomings4 ,sometimes only a mere trifle keeps one from branching out and becoming a success4 ,discover why you have not been making good--the cause of your failure4 ,have you been expecting someone to lead you1 or to make a way for you8 ,if you have1 concentrate on a new line of thought4 ,there are two things absolutely necessary for success--energy and the will to succeed4 ,nothing can take the place of either of these4 ,most of us will not have an easy path to follow so don't expect to find one4 ,the hard knocks develop our courage and moral stamina4 ,the persons that live in an indolent and slipshod way never have any4 ,they have never faced conditions and therefore don't know how4 ,the world is no better for their living4 ,we must make favorable conditions and not expect them to shape themselves4 ,it is not the man that says1 ,it can't be done1 but the man that goes ahead in spite of adverse advice1 and shows that it can be done that gets there today4 ,the ,lord helps those that help themselves1 is a true saying4 ,we climb the road to success by overcoming obstacles4 ,stumbling blocks are but stepping stones for the man that says1 ,i can and ,i ,will4 ,when we see cripples1 the deaf and dumb1 the blind and those with other handicaps amounting to something in the world1 the able-bodied man should feel ashamed of himself if he does not make good4 ,there is nothing that can resist the force of perseverance4 ,the way ahead of all of us is not clear sailing1 but all hard passages can be bridged1 if you just think they can and concentrate on how to do it4 ,but if you think the obstacles are unsurmountable1 you will not of course try1 and even if you do1 it will be in only a half-hearted way--a way that accomplishes nothing4 ,many men will not begin an undertaking unless they feel sure they will succeed in it4 ,what a mistake6 ,this would be right1 if we were sure of what we could and could not do4 ,but who knows8 ,there may be an obstruction there now that might not be there next week4 ,there may not be an obstruction there now that will be there next week4 ,the trouble with most persons is that just as soon as they see their way blocked they lose courage4 ,they forget that usually there is a way around the difficulty4 ,it's up to you to find it4 ,if you tackle something with little effort1 when the conditions call for a big effort1 you will of course not win4 ,tackle everything with a feeling that you will utilize all the power within you to make it a success4 ,this is the kind of concentrated effort that succeeds4 ,most people are beaten before they start4 ,they think they are going to encounter obstacles1 and they look for them instead of for means to overcome them4 ,the result is that they increase their obstacles instead of diminishing them4 ,have you ever undertaken something that you thought would be hard1 but afterwards found it to be easy8 ,that is the way a great many times4 ,the things that look difficult in advance turn out to be easy of conquest when once encountered4 ,so start out on your journey with the idea that the road is going to be clear for you1 and that if it is not you will clear the way4 ,all men that have amounted to anything have cleared their way and they did not have the assistance that you will have today4 ,the one great keynote of success is to do whatever you have decided on4 ,don't be turned from your path1 but resolve that you are going to accomplish what you set out to do4 ,don't be frightened at a few rebuffs1 for they cannot stop the man that is determined--the man that knows in his heart that success is only bought by tremendous resolution1 by concentrated and whole-hearted effort4 ,he who has a firm will1 says ,goethe1 molds the world to himself4 ,people do not lack strength1 says ,victor ,hugo2 they lack ,will4 ,it is not so much skill that wins victories as it is activity and great determination ,there is no such thing as failure for the man that does his best4 ,no matter what you may be working at1 at the present time1 don't let this make you lose courage4 ,the tides are continually changing1 and tomorrow or some other day they will turn to your advantage if you are a willing and are an ambitious worker4 ,there is nothing that develops you and increases your courage like work4 ,if it were not for work how monotonous life would at last become6 ,so ,i say to the man that wants to advance1 ,don't look upon your present position as your permanent one4 ,keep your eyes open1 and add those qualities to your makeup that will assist you when your opportunity comes4 ,be ever alert and on the watch for opportunities4 ,remember1 we attract what we set our minds on4 ,if we look for opportunities1 we find them4 ,if you are the man you should be1 some one is looking for you to fill a responsible position4 ,so when he finds you1 don't let your attention wander4 ,give it all to him4 ,show that you can concentrate your powers1 that you have the makeup of a real man4 ,show no signs of fear1 uncertainty or doubt4 ,the man that is sure of himself is bound to get to the front4 ,no circumstances can prevent him4 ,,lesson ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,concentrating ,,by ,,means ,,of ,,practical ,,exercises ,select some thought1 and see how long you can hold your mind on it4 ,it is well to have a clock at first and keep track of the time4 ,if you decide to think about health1 you can get a great deal of good from your thinking besides developing concentration4 ,think of health as being the greatest blessing there is1 in the world4 ,don't let any other thought drift in4 ,just the moment one starts to obtrude1 make it get out4 ,make it a daily habit of concentrating on this thought for1 say1 ten minutes4 ,practice until you can hold it to the exclusion of everything else4 ,you will find it of the greatest value to centralize your thoughts on health4 ,regardless of your present condition1 see yourself as you would like to be and be blind to everything else4 ,you will find it hard at first to forget your ailments1 if you have any1 but after a short while you can shut out these negative thoughts and see yourself as you want to be4 ,each time you concentrate you form a more perfect image of health1 and1 as you come into its realization1 you become healthy1 strong and wholesome4 ,i want to impress upon your mind that the habit of forming mental images is of the greatest value4 ,it has always been used by successful men of all ages1 but few realize its full importance4 ,do you know that you are continually acting according to the images you form8 ,if you allow yourself to mould negative images you unconsciously build a negative disposition4 ,you will think of poverty1 weakness1 disease1 fear1 etc4 ,just as surely as you think of these will your objective life express itself in a like way4 ,just what we think1 we will manifest in the external world4 ,in deep concentration you become linked with the great creative spirit of the universe1 and the creative energy then flows through you1 vitalizing your creations into form4 ,in deep concentration your mind becomes attuned with the infinite and registers the cosmic intelligence and receives its messages4 ,you become so full of the cosmic energy that you are literally flooded with divine power4 ,this is a most desired state4 ,it is then we realize the advantages of being connected with the supra-consciousness4 ,the supra-consciousness registers the higher cosmic vibrations4 ,it is often referred to as the wireless station1 the message recorded coming from the universal mind4 ,there are very few that reach this stage of concentration4 ,very few even know that it is possible4 ,they think concentration means limitation to one subject1 but this deeper concentration that brings us into harmony with the ,infinite is that which produces and maintains health4 ,when you have once come in contact with your supra-consciousness you become the controller of your human thoughts4 ,that which comes to you is higher than human thoughts4 ,it is often spoken of as ,cosmic ,consciousness4 ,once it is experienced it is never forgotten4 ,naturally it requires a good deal of training to reach this state1 but once you do1 it becomes easier each time to do1 and in the course of time you can become possessed of power which was unknown to you before4 ,you are able to direct the expression of almost ,infinite ,power while in this deeper state of concentration4 ,exercises ,in ,concentration4 ,the rays of the sun1 when focused upon an object by means of a sun glass1 produce a heat many times greater than the scattered rays of the same source of light and heat4 ,this is true of attention4 ,scatter it and you get but ordinary results4 ,but center it upon one thing and you secure much better results4 ,when you focus your attention upon an object your every action1 voluntary and involuntary1 is in the direction of attaining that object4 ,if you will focus your energies upon a thing to the exclusion of everything else1 you generate the force that can bring you what you want4 ,when you focus your thought1 you increase its strength4 ,the exercises that follow are tedious and monotonous1 but useful4 ,if you will persist in them you will find they are very valuable1 as they increase your powers of concentration4 ,before proceeding with the exercises ,i will answer a question that just comes to me4 ,this person says after he works all day he is too tired to practice any exercise4 ,but this is not true4 ,we will say he comes home all tired out1 eats his supper and sits down to rest4 ,if his work has been mental1 the thought which has been occupying his mind returns to him and this prevents him from securing the rest he needs4 ,it is an admitted fact that certain thoughts call into operation a certain set of brain cells2 the other cells1 of course1 are not busy at that time and are rested4 ,now if you take up something that is just different from what you have been doing during the day1 you will use the cells that have not done anything and give those that have had work to do a rest4 ,so you should regulate the evenings that you have and call forth an entirely different line of thought so as not to use the cells which you have tired out during the day4 ,if you will center your attention on a new thought1 you relieve the old cells from vibrating with excitement and they get their needed rest4 ,the other cells that have been idle all day want to work1 and you will find you can enjoy your evenings while securing needed rest4 ,when once you have learned to master your thoughts1 you will be able to change them just as easily as you change your clothes4 ,remember1 the real requisite of centering is to be able to shut out outside thoughts--anything foreign to the subject4 ,now1 in order to control your intention first gain control over the body4 ,this must be brought under direct control of the mind2 the mind under the control of the will4 ,your will is strong enough to do anything you wish1 but you must realize that it is4 ,the mind can be greatly strengthened by being brought under the direct influence of the will4 ,when the mind is properly strengthened by the impulse of the will it becomes a more powerful transmitter of thought1 because it has more force4 ,the ,best ,time to ,concentrate ,is after reading something that is inspiring1 as you are then mentally and spiritually exalted in the desired realm4 ,then is the time you are ready for deep concentration4 ,if you are in your room first see that your windows are up and the air is good4 ,lie down flat on your bed without a pillow4 ,see that every muscle is relaxed4 ,now breathe slowly1 filling the lungs comfortably full of fresh air2 hold this as long as you can without straining yourself2 then exhale slowly4 ,exhale in an easy1 rhythmic way4 ,breathe this way for five minutes1 letting the ,divine ,breath flow through you1 which will cleanse and rejuvenate every cell of brain and body4 ,you are then ready to proceed4 ,now think how quiet and relaxed you are4 ,you can become enthusiastic over your condition4 ,just think of yourself as getting ready to receive knowledge that is far greater than you have ever received before4 ,now relax and let the spirit work in and through you and assist you to accomplish what you wish4 ,don't let any doubts or fears enter4 ,just feel that what you wish is going to manifest4 ,just feel it already has1 in reality it has1 for just the minute you wish a thing to be done it manifests in the thought world4 ,whenever you concentrate just believe it is a success4 ,keep up this feeling and allow nothing to interfere and you will soon find you have become the master of concentration4 ,you will find that this practice will be of wonderful value to you1 and that rapidly you will be learning to accomplish anything that you undertake4 ,it will be necessary to first train the body to obey the commands of the mind4 ,i want you to gain control of your muscular movements4 ,the following exercise is especially good in assisting you to acquire perfect control of the muscles4 ,exercise #a ,sit in a comfortable chair and see how still you can keep4 ,this is not as easy as it seems4 ,you will have to center your attention on sitting still4 ,watch and see that you are not making any involuntary muscular movements4 ,by a little practice you will find you are able to sit still without a movement of the muscles for fifteen minutes4 ,at first ,i advise sitting in a relaxed position for five minutes4 ,after you are able to keep perfectly still1 increase the time to ten minutes and then to fifteen4 ,this is as long as it is necessary4 ,but never strain yourself to keep still4 ,you must be relaxed completely4 ,you will find this habit of relaxing is very good4 ,exercise #b ,sit in a chair with your head up and your chin out1 shoulders back4 ,raise your right arm until it is on the level with your shoulder1 pointing to your right4 ,look around1 with head only1 and fix your gaze on your fingers1 and keep the arm perfectly still for one minute4 ,do the same exercise with left arm4 ,when you are able to keep the arm perfectly steady1 increase the time until you are able to do this five minutes with each arm4 ,turn the palm of the hand downward when it is outstretched1 as this is the easiest position4 ,if you will keep your eyes fixed on the tips of the fingers you will be able to tell if you are keeping your arm perfectly still4 ,exercise #c ,fill a small glass full of water1 and grasp it by the fingers2 put the arm directly in front of you4 ,now fix the eyes upon the glass and try to keep the arm so steady that no movement will be noticeable4 ,do this first for one moment and then increase it to five4 ,do the exercise with first one arm and then the other4 ,exercise #d ,watch yourself during the day and see that your muscles do not become tense or strained4 ,see how easy and relaxed you can keep yourself4 ,see how poised you can be at all times4 ,cultivate a self-poised manner1 instead of a nervous1 strained appearance4 ,this mental feeling will improve your carriage and demeanor4 ,stop all useless gestures and movements of the body4 ,these mean that you have not proper control over your body4 ,after you have acquired this control1 notice how ill-at-ease people are that have not gained this control4 ,i have just been sizing up a salesman that has just left me4 ,part of his body kept moving all the time4 ,i just felt like saying to him1 ,do you know how much better appearance you would make if you would just learn to speak with your voice instead of trying to express what you say with your whole body8 ,just watch those that interview you and see how they lack poise4 ,get rid of any habit you have of twitching or jerking any part of your body4 ,you will find you make many involuntary movements4 ,you can quickly stop any of these by merely centering your attention on the thought1 ,i will not4 ,if you are in the habit of letting noises upset you1 just exercise control2 when the door slams1 or something falls1 etc41 just think of these as exercises in self-control4 ,you will find many exercises like this in your daily routine4 ,the purpose of the above exercises is to gain control over the involuntary muscular movement1 making your actions entirely voluntary4 ,the following exercises are arranged to bring your voluntary muscles under the control of the will1 so that your mental forces may control your muscular movements4 ,exercise #e ,move your chair up to a table1 placing your hands upon it1 clenching the fists1 keeping the back of the hand on the table1 the thumb doubled over the fingers4 ,now fix your gaze upon the fist for a while1 then gradually extend the thumb1 keeping your whole attention fixed upon the act1 just as if it was a matter of great importance4 ,then gradually extend your first finger1 then your second and so on until you open the rest4 ,then reverse the process1 closing first the last one opened and then the rest1 and finally you will have the fist again in the original position with the thumb closed over the finger4 ,do this exercise with the left hand4 ,keep up this exercise first with one hand and then the other until you have done it five times with each hand4 ,in a few days you can increase it to ten times4 ,the chances are that the above exercises will at first make you tired1 but it is important for you to practice these monotonous exercises so you can train your attention4 ,it also gives you control over your muscular movement4 ,the attention1 of course1 must be kept closely on each movement of the hand2 if it is not1 you of course lose the value of the exercise4 ,exercise #f ,put the right hand on knee1 both fingers and thumb closed1 except the first finger1 which points out in front of you4 ,then move the finger slowly from side to side1 keeping the attention fixed upon the end of the finger4 ,you can make up a variety of exercises like these4 ,it is good training to plan out different ones4 ,the main point you should keep in mind is that the exercise should be simple and that the attention should be firmly fixed upon the moving part of the body4 ,you will find your attention will not want to be controlled and will try to drift to something more interesting4 ,this is just where these exercises are of value1 and you must control your attention and see it is held in the right place and does not wander away4 ,you may think these exercises very simple and of no value1 but ,i promise you in a short time you will notice that you have a much better control over your muscular movements1 carriage and demeanor1 and you will find that you have greatly improved your power of attention1 and can center your thoughts on what you do1 which of course will be very valuable4 ,no matter what you may be doing1 imagine that it is your chief object in life4 ,imagine you are not interested in anything else in the world but what you are doing4 ,do not let your attention get away from the work you are at4 ,your attention will no doubt be rebellious1 but control it and do not let it control you4 ,when once you conquer the rebellious attention you have achieved a greater victory than you can realize at the time4 ,many times afterwards you will be thankful you have learned to concentrate your closest attention upon the object at hand4 ,let no day go by without practicing concentrating on some familiar object that is uninteresting4 ,never choose an interesting object1 as it requires less attention4 ,the less interesting it is the better exercise will it be4 ,after a little practice you will find you can center your attention on uninteresting subjects at will4 ,the person that can concentrate can gain full control over his body and mind and be the master of his inclinations2 not their slave4 ,when you can control yourself you can control others4 ,you can develop a ,will that will make you a giant compared with the man that lacks ,will ,power4 ,try out your ,will ,power in different ways until you have it under such control that just as soon as you decide to do a thing you go ahead and do it4 ,never be satisfied with the ,i did fairly well spirit1 but put forward your best efforts4 ,be satisfied with nothing else4 ,when you have gained this you are the man you were intended to be4 ,exercise #g ,concentration ,increases the ,sense of ,smell4 ,when you take a walk1 or drive in the country1 or pass a flower garden1 concentrate on the odor of flowers and plants4 ,see how many different kinds you can detect4 ,then choose one particular kind and try to sense only this4 ,you will find that this strongly intensifies the sense of smell4 ,this differentiation requires1 however1 a peculiarly attentive attitude4 ,when sense of smell is being developed1 you should not only shut out from the mind every thought but that of odor1 but you should also shut out cognizance of every odor save that upon which your mind1 for the time1 is concentrated4 ,you call find plenty of opportunity for exercises for developing the sense of smell4 ,when you are out in the air1 be on the alert for the different odors4 ,you will find the air laden with all kinds1 but let your concentration upon the one selected be such that a scent of its fragrance in after years will vividly recall the circumstances of this exercise4 ,the object of these exercises is to develop concentrated attention1 and you will find that you can1 through their practice1 control your mind and direct your thoughts just the same as you can your arm4 ,exercise #h ,concentration on the ,within4 ,lie down and thoroughly relax your muscles4 ,concentrate on the beating of your heart4 ,do not pay any attention to anything else4 ,think how this great organ is pumping the blood to every part of the body2 try to actually picture the blood leaving the great reservoir and going in one stream right down to the toes4 ,picture another going down the arms to the tips of the fingers4 ,after a little practice you can actually feel the blood passing through your system4 ,if1 at any time1 you feel weak in any part of the body1 will that an extra supply of blood shall go there4 ,for instance1 if your eyes feel tired1 picture the blood coming from the heart1 passing up through the head and out to the eyes4 ,you can wonderfully increase your strength by this exercise4 ,men have been able to gain such control over the heart that they have actually stopped it from beating for five minutes4 ,this1 however1 is not without danger1 and is not to be practiced by the novice4 ,i have found the following a very helpful exercise to take just before going to bed and on rising in the morning3 ,say to yourself1 ,every cell in my body thrills with life2 every part of my body is strong and healthy4 ,i have known a number of people to greatly improve their health in this way4 ,you become what you picture yourself to be4 ,if your mind thinks of sickness in connection with self you will be sick4 ,if you imagine yourself in strong1 vigorous health1 the image will be realized4 ,you will be healthy4 ,exercise #i ,concentrating on ,sleep4 ,what is known as the water method is1 although very simple1 very effective in inducing sleep4 ,put a full glass of clear water on a table in your sleeping room4 ,sit in a chair beside the table and gaze into the glass of water and think how calm it is4 ,then picture yourself 1 getting into just as calm a state4 ,in a short time you will find the nerves becoming quiet and you will be able to go to sleep4 ,sometimes it is good to picture yourself becoming drowsy to induce sleep1 and1 again1 the most persistent insomnia has been overcome by one thinking of himself as some inanimate object--for instance1 a hollow log in the depths of the cool1 quiet forest4 ,those who are troubled with insomnia will find these sleep exercises that quiet the nerves very effective4 ,just keep the idea in your mind that there is no difficulty in going to sleep2 banish all fear of insomnia4 ,practice these exercises and you will sleep4 ,by this time you should have awakened to the possibilities of concentration and have become aware of the important part it plays in your life4 ,exercise #aj ,concentration ,will ,save ,energy and ,appearance4 ,watch yourself and see if you are not in the habit of moving your hands1 thumping something with your fingers or twirling your mustache4 ,some have the habit of keeping their feet going1 as1 for instance1 tapping them on the floor4 ,practice standing before a mirror and see if you are in the habit of frowning or causing wrinkles to appear in the forehead4 ,watch others and see how they needlessly twist their faces in talking4 ,any movement of the face that causes the skin to wrinkle will eventually cause a permanent wrinkle4 ,as the face is like a piece of silk1 you can make a fold in it a number of times and it will straighten out of itself1 but1 if you continue to make a fold in it1 it will in time be impossible to remove it4 ,by ,concentration ,you ,can ,stop the ,worry ,habit4 ,if you are in the habit of worrying over the merest trifles1 just concentrate on this a few minutes and see bow needless it is2 if you are also in the habit of becoming irritable or nervous at the least little thing1 check yourself instantly when you feel yourself becoming so2 start to breathe deeply2 say1 ,i will not be so weak2 ,i am master of myself1 and you will quickly overcome your condition4 ,exercise #aa ,by ,concentration ,you ,can ,control ,your ,temper4 ,if you are one of those that flare up at the slightest provocation and never try to control yourself1 just think this over a minute4 ,does it do you any good8 ,do you gain anything by it8 ,doesn't it put you out of poise for some time8 ,don't you know that this grows on you and will eventually make you despised by all that have any dealings with you8 ,everyone makes mistakes and1 instead of becoming angry at their perpetrators1 just say to them1 ,be more careful next time4 ,this thought will be impressed on them and they will be more careful4 ,but1 if you continually complain about their making a mistake1 the thought of a mistake is impressed on them and they will be more likely to make mistakes in the future4 ,all lack of self-control can be conquered if you will but learn to concentrate4 ,many of you that read this may think you are not guilty of either of these faults1 but if you will carefully watch yourself you will probably find that you are1 and1 if so1 you will be greatly helped by repeating this affirmation each morning3 ,i am going to try today not to make a useless gesture or to worry over trifles1 or become nervous or irritable4 ,i intend to be calm1 and1 no difference what may be the circumstances1 ,i will control myself4 ,henceforth ,i resolve to be free from all signs that show lack of self-control4 ,at night quickly review your actions during the day and see how fully you realized your aim4 ,at first you will1 of course1 have to plead guilty of violation a few times1 but keep on1 and you will soon find that you can live up to your ideal4 ,after you have once gained self-control1 however1 don't relinquish it4 ,for some time it will still be necessary to repeat the affirmation in the morning and square your conduct with it in the evening4 ,keep up the good work until1 at last1 the habit of self-control is so firmly fixed that you could not break it even though you tried4 ,i have had many persons tell me that this affirmation and daily review made a wonderful difference in their lives4 ,you1 too1 will notice the difference if you live up to these instructions4 ,exercise #ab4 ,practice ,talking ,before a ,glass4 ,make two marks on your mirror on a level with your eyes1 and think of them as two human eyes looking into yours4 ,your eyes will probably blink a little at first4 ,do not move your head1 but stand erect4 ,concentrate all your thoughts on keeping your head perfectly still4 ,do not let another thought come into your mind4 ,then1 still keeping the head1 eyes and body still1 think that you look like a reliable man or woman should2 like a person that anyone would have confidence in4 ,do not let your appearance be such as to justify the remark1 ,i don't like his appearance4 ,i don't believe he can be trusted4 ,while standing before the mirror practice deep breathing4 ,see that there is plenty of fresh air in the room1 and that you are literally feasting on it4 ,you will find that1 as it permeates every cell1 your timidity will disappear4 ,it has been replaced by a sense of peace and power4 ,the one that stands up like a man and has control over the muscles of his face and eyes always commands attention4 ,in his conversation1 he can better impress those with whom he comes in contact4 ,he acquires a feeling of calmness and strength that causes opposition to melt away before it4 ,three minutes a day is long enough for the practice of this exercise4 ,look at the clock before you commence the exercise1 and if you find you can prolong the exercise for more than five minutes do so4 ,the next day sit in a chair and1 without looking at the picture1 concentrate on it and see if you cannot think of additional details concerning it4 ,the chances are you will be able to think of many more4 ,it might be well for you to write down all you thought of the first day1 and then add to the list each new discovery4 ,you will find that this is a very excellent exercise in concentration4 ,exercise #ac ,the ,control of ,sensations4 ,think how you would feel if you were cool2 then how you would feel if you were cold2 again1 how you would feel if it were freezing4 ,in this state you would be shivering all over4 ,now think of just the opposite conditions2 construct such a vivid image of heat that you are able to experience the sensation of heat even in the coldest atmosphere4 ,it is possible to train your imagination until you do this1 and it can then be turned to practical account in making undesirable conditions bearable4 ,you can think of many very good exercises like this4 ,for instance1 if you feel yourself getting hungry or thirsty and for any reason you do not wish to eat1 do not think of how hungry or thirsty you are1 but just visualize yourself as finishing a hearty meal4 ,again1 when you experience pain1 do not increase it by thinking about it1 but do something to divert your attention1 and the pain will seem to decrease4 ,if you will start practicing along this line systematically you will soon gain a wonderful control over the things that affect your physical comfort4 ,exercise #ad ,the ,eastern ,way of ,concentrating4 ,sit in a chair with a high back in upright position4 ,press one finger against the right nostril4 ,now take a long1 deep breath1 drawing the breath in gently as you count ten2 then expel the breath through the right nostril as you count ten4 ,repeat this exercise with the opposite nostril4 ,this exercise should be done at least twenty times at each sitting4 ,exercise #ae ,controlling ,desires4 ,desire1 which is one of the hardest forces to control1 will furnish you with excellent exercises in concentration4 ,it seems natural to want to tell others what you know2 but1 by learning to control these desires1 you can wonderfully strengthen your powers of concentration4 ,remember1 you have all you can do to attend to your own business4 ,do not waste your time in thinking of others or in gossiping about them4 ,if1 from your own observation1 you learn something about another person that is detrimental1 keep it to yourself4 ,your opinion may afterwards turn out to be wrong anyway1 but whether right or wrong1 you have strengthened your will by controlling your desire to communicate your views4 ,if you hear good news resist the desire to tell it to the first person you meet and you will be benefited thereby4 ,it will require the concentration of all your powers of resistance to prohibit the desire to tell4 ,after you feel that you have complete control over your desires you can then tell your news4 ,but you must be able to suppress the desire to communicate the news until you are fully ready to tell it4 ,persons that do not possess this power of control over desires are apt to tell things that they should not1 thereby often involving both themselves and others in needless trouble4 ,if you are in the habit of getting excited when you hear unpleasant news1 just control yourself and receive it without any exclamation of surprise4 ,say to yourself1 ,nothing is going to cause me to lose my self-control4 ,you will find from experience that this self-control will be worth much to you in business4 ,you will be looked upon as a cool-headed business man1 and this in time becomes a valuable business asset4 ,of course1 circumstances alter cases4 ,at times it is necessary to become enthused4 ,but be ever on the lookout for opportunities for the practice of self-control4 ,he that ruleth his spirit is greater than he that ruleth a city4 ,exercise #af ,when ,you ,read4 ,no one can think without first concentrating his thoughts on the subject in hand4 ,every man and woman should train himself to think clearly4 ,an excellent exercise is to read some short story and then write just an abridged statement4 ,read an article in a newspaper1 and see in how few words you can express it4 ,reading an article to get only the essentials requires the closest concentration4 ,if you are unable to write out what you read1 you will know you are weak in concentration4 ,instead of writing it out you can express it orally if you wish4 ,go to your room and deliver it as if you were talking to some one4 ,you will find exercises like this of the greatest value in developing concentration and learning to think4 ,after you have practiced a number of these simple exercises read a book for twenty minutes and then write down what you have read4 ,the chances are that at first you will not remember very many details1 but with a little practice you will be able to write a very good account of what you have read4 ,the closer the concentration the more accurate the account will be4 ,it is a good idea when time is limited to read only a short sentence and then try to write it down word for word4 ,when you are able to do this1 read two or more sentences and treat similarly4 ,the practice will produce very good results if you keep it up until the habit is fixed4 ,if you will just utilize your spare time in practicing exercises like those suggested you can gain wonderful powers of concentration4 ,you will find that in order to remember every word in a sentence you must keep out every thought but that which you wish to remember1 and this power of inhibition alone will more than compensate for the trouble of the exercise4 ,of course1 success in all of the above depends largely upon cultivating1 through the closest concentration1 the power to image or picture what you read2 upon the power1 as one writer expresses it1 of letting the mountains of which we hear loom before us and the rivers of which we read roll at our feet4 ,exercise #ag ,concentration ,overcomes ,bad ,habits4 ,if you have a habit that you want to get rid of1 shut your eyes and imagine that your real self is standing before you4 ,now try the power of affirmation2 say to yourself1 ,you are not a weakling2 you can stop this habit if you want to4 ,this habit is bad and you want to break it4 ,just imagine that you are some one else giving this advice4 ,this is very valuable practice4 ,you1 in time1 see yourself as others see you4 ,the habit loses its power over you and you are free4 ,if you will just form the mental image of controlling yourself as another person might1 you will take a delight in breaking bad habits4 ,i have known a number of men to break themselves of drinking in this way4 ,exercise #ah ,watch ,concentration4 ,sit in a chair and place a clock with a second hand on the table4 ,follow the second hand with your eyes as it goes around4 ,keep this up for five minutes1 thinking of nothing else but the second hand1 ,this is a very good exercise when you only have a few minutes to spare1 if you are able to keep every other thought in the stream of consciousness subordinate to it4 ,as there is little that is particularly interesting about the second hand1 it is hard to do this1 but in the extra effort of will power required to make it successful lies its value4 ,always try to keep as still as possible during these exercises4 ,in this way you can gain control over nerves and this quieting effect is very good for them4 ,exercise #ai ,faith ,concentration4 ,a belief in the power to concentrate is of course very important4 ,i purposely did not put this exercise in the beginning where it naturally belongs because ,i wanted you to know that you could learn to concentrate4 ,if you have practiced the above exercises you have now developed this concentration power to a considerable extent and therefore you have faith in the power of concentration1 but you can still become a much stronger believer in it4 ,we will say that you have some desire or wish you want fulfilled1 or that you need some special advice4 ,you first clearly picture what is wanted and then you concentrate on getting it4 ,have absolute faith that your desires will be realized4 ,believe that it will according to your belief be fulfilled4 ,never1 at this time1 attempt to analyze the belief4 ,you don't care anything about the whys and wherefores4 ,you want to gain the thing you desire1 and if you concentrate on it in the right way you will get it4 ,a ,caution4 ,never think you will not succeed1 but picture what is wanted as already yours1 and yours it surely will be4 ,self-,distrust4 ,do you ever feel distrust in yourself8 ,if ,you do1 just ask yourself1 which self do ,i mistrust8 ,then say3 my higher self cannot be affected4 ,then think of the wonderful powers of the higher self4 ,there is a way to overcome all difficulties1 and it is a delight for the human soul to do so4 ,instead of wasting precious thought-force by dreading or fearing a disagreeable interview or event1 instead devote the time and concentrated thought in how to make the best of the interview or event and you will find that it will not be as unpleasant as you thought it would be4 ,most of our troubles are but imaginary1 and it is the mental habit of so dreading them that really acts as a magnet in attracting those that really do come4 ,your evil circumstances are created or attracted by your own negative1 fears and wrong thoughts1 and are a means of teaching you to triumph over all evils1 by discovering that which is inherent within yourself4 ,you will find it helpful in overcoming self-distrust1 to stop and think1 why you are1 concentrating your forces1 and by so doing you become more closely attached to the higher self1 which never distrusts4 ,,lesson ,,xv4 ,,concentrate ,,so ,,you ,,will ,,not ,,forget ,a man forgets because he does not concentrate his mind on his purpose1 especially at the moment he conceives it4 ,we remember only that which makes a deep impression1 hence we must first deepen our impressions by associating in our minds certain ideas that are related to them4 ,we will say a wife gives her husband a letter to mail4 ,he does not think about it1 but automatically puts it in his pocket and forgets all about it4 ,when the letter was given to him had he said to himself1 ,i will mail this letter4 ,the box is at the next corner and when ,i pass it ,i must drop this letter1 it would have enabled him to recall the letter the instant he reached the mail box4 ,the same rule holds good in regard to more important things4 ,for example1 if you are instructed to drop in and see ,mr4 ,smith while out to luncheon today1 you will not forget it1 if1 at the moment the instruction is given1 you say to yourself something similar to the following3 ,when ,i get to the corner of ,blank street1 on my way to luncheon1 ,i shall turn to the right and call on ,mr4 ,smith4 ,in this way the impression is made1 the connection established and the sight of the associated object recalls the errand4 ,the important thing to do is to deepen the impression at the very moment it enters your mind4 ,this is made possible1 not only by concentrating the mind upon the idea itself1 but by surrounding it with all possible association of ideas1 so that each one will reinforce the others4 ,the mind is governed by laws of association1 such as the law that ideas which enter the mind at the same time emerge at the same time1 one assisting in recalling the others4 ,the reason why people cannot remember what they want to is that they have not concentrated their minds sufficiently on their purpose at the moment when it was formed4 ,you can train yourself to remember in this way by the concentration of the attention on your purpose1 in accordance with the laws of association4 ,when once you form this habit1 the attention is easily centered and the memory easily trained4 ,then your memory1 instead of failing you at crucial moments1 becomes a valuable asset in your every-day work4 ,exercise in ,memory ,concentration4 ,select some picture2 put it on a table and then look at it for two minutes4 ,concentrate your attention on this picture1 observe every detail2 then shut your eyes and see how much you can recall about it4 ,think of what the picture represents2 whether it is a good subject2 whether it looks natural4 ,think of objects in foreground1 middle ground1 background2 of details of color and form4 ,now open your eyes and hold yourself rigidly to the correction of each and every mistake4 ,close eyes again and notice how much more accurate your picture is4 ,practice until your mental image corresponds in every particular to the original4 ,nature is a ,wonderful ,instructor4 ,but there are very few who realize that when we get in touch with nature we discover ourselves4 ,that by listening to her voice1 with that curious1 inner sense of ours1 we learn the oneness of life and wake up to our own latent powers4 ,few realize that the simple act of listening and concentrating is our best interior power1 for it brings us into close contact with the highest1 just as our other senses bring us into touch with the coarser side of human nature4 ,the closer we live to nature the more developed is this sense4 ,so called civilization has over developed our other senses at the expense of this one4 ,children unconsciously realize the value of concentration--for instance3 ,when a ,child has a difficult problem to solve1 and gets to some knotty point which he finds himself mentally unable to do--though he tries his hardest--he will pause and keep quite still1 leaning on his elbow1 apparently listening2 then you will see1 if you are watching1 sudden illumination come and he goes on happily and accomplishes his task4 ,a child instinctively but unconsciously knows when he needs help1 he must be quiet and concentrate4 ,all great people concentrate and owe their success to it4 ,the doctor thinks over the symptoms of his patient1 waits1 listens for the inspiration1 though quite unconscious1 perhaps1 of doing so4 ,the one who diagnoses in this way seldom makes mistakes4 ,an author thinks his plot1 holds it in his mind1 and then waits1 and illumination comes4 ,if you want to be able to solve difficult problems you must learn to do the same4 ,,lesson ,,xvi4 ,,how ,,concentration ,,can ,,fulfill ,,your ,,desire ,it is a spiritual law that the desire to do necessarily implies the ability to do4 ,you have all read of ,aladdin's ,lamp1 which accomplished such wonderful things4 ,this1 of course1 is only a fairy story1 but it illustrates the fact that man has within him the power1 if he is able to use it1 to gratify his every wish4 ,if you are unable to satisfy your deepest longings it is time you learned how to use your ,god-given powers4 ,you will soon be conscious that you have latent powers within capable when once developed of revealing to you priceless knowledge and unlimited possibilities of success4 ,man should have plenty of everything and not merely substance to live on as so many have4 ,all natural desires can be realized4 ,it would be wrong for the ,infinite to create wants that could not be supplied4 ,man's very soul is in his power to think1 and it1 therefore1 is the essence of all created things4 ,every instinct of man leads to thought1 and in every thought there is great possibility because true thought development1 when allied to those mysterious powers which perhaps transcend it1 has been the cause of all the world's true progress4 ,in the silence we become conscious of that something which transcends thought and which uses thought as a medium for expression4 ,many have glimpses of that something1 but few ever reach the state where the mind is steady enough to fathom these depths4 ,silent1 concentrated thought is more potent than spoken words1 for speech distracts from the focusing power of the mind by drawing more and more attention to the without4 ,man must learn more and more to depend on himself2 to seek more for the ,infinite within4 ,it is from this source alone that he ever gains the power to solve his practical difficulties4 ,no one should give up when there is always the resources of ,infinity4 ,the cause of failure is that men search in the wrong direction for success1 because they are not conscious of their real powers that when used are capable of guiding them4 ,the ,infinite within is foreign to those persons who go through life without developing their spiritual powers4 ,but the ,infinite helps only he who helps himself4 ,there is no such thing as a ,special ,providence4 ,man will not receive help from the ,infinite except to the extent that he believes and hopes and prays for help from this great source4 ,concentrate on ,what ,you ,want and ,get ,it4 ,the weakling is controlled by conditions4 ,the strong man controls conditions4 ,you can be either the conqueror or the conquered4 ,by the law of concentration you can achieve your heart's desire4 ,this law is so powerful that that which at first seems impossible becomes attainable4 ,by this law what you at first see as a dream becomes a reality4 ,remember that the first step in concentration is to form a ,mental ,image of what you wish to accomplish4 ,this image becomes a thought-seed that attracts thoughts of a similar nature4 ,around this thought1 when it is once planted in the imagination or creative region of the mind1 you group or build associated thoughts which continue to grow as long as your desire is keen enough to compel close concentration4 ,form the habit of thinking of something you wish to accomplish for five minutes each day4 ,shut every other thought out of consciousness4 ,be confident that you will succeed2 make up your mind that all obstacles that are in your way will be overcome and you can rise above any environment4 ,you do this by utilizing the natural laws of the thought world which are all powerful4 ,a great aid in the development of concentration is to write out your thoughts on that which lies nearest your heart and to continue1 little by little1 to add to it until you have as nearly as possible exhausted the subject4 ,you will find that each day as you focus your forces on this thought at the center of the stream of consciousness1 new plans1 ideas and methods will flash into your mind4 ,there is a law of attraction that will help you accomplish your purpose4 ,an advertiser1 for instance1 gets to thinking along a certain line4 ,he has formed his own ideas1 but he wants to know what others think4 ,he starts out to seek ideas and he soon finds plenty of books1 plans1 designs1 etc41 on the subject1 although when he started he was not aware of their existence4 ,the same thing is true in all lines4 ,we can attract those things that will help us4 ,very often we seem to receive help in a miraculous way4 ,it may be slow in coming1 but once the silent unseen forces are put into operation1 they will bring results so long as we do our part4 ,they are ever present and ready to aid those who care to use them4 ,by forming a strong mental image of your desire1 you plant the thought-seed which begins working in your interest and1 in time1 that desire1 if in harmony with your higher nature1 will materialize4 ,it may seem that it would be unnecessary to caution you to concentrate only upon achievement that will be good for you and work no harm to another1 but there are many who forget others and their rights1 in their anxiety to achieve success4 ,all good things are possible for you to have1 but only as you bring your forces into harmony with that law that requires that we mete out justice to fellow travelers as we journey along life's road4 ,so first think over the thing wanted and if it would be good for you to have2 say1 ,i want to do this2 ,i am going to work to secure it4 ,the way will be open for me4 ,if you fully grasp mentally the thought of success and hold it in mind each day1 you gradually make a pattern or mold which in time will materialize4 ,but by all means keep free from doubt and fear1 the destructive forces4 ,never allow these to become associated with your thoughts4 ,at last you will create the desired conditions and receive help in many unlooked-for ways that will lift you out of the undesired environment4 ,life will then seem very different to you1 for you will have found happiness through awakening within yourself the power to become the master of circumstances instead of their slave4 ,to the beginner in this line of thought some of the things stated in this book may sound strange1 even absurd1 but1 instead of condemning them1 give them a trial4 ,you will find they will work out4 ,the inventor has to work out his idea mentally before he produces it materially4 ,the architect first sees the mental picture of the house he is to plan and from this works out the one we see4 ,every object1 every enterprise1 must first be mentally created4 ,i know a man that started in business with thirteen cents and not a dollar's worth of credit4 ,in ten years he has built up a large and profitable business4 ,he attributes his success to two things--belief that he would succeed and hard work4 ,there were times when it did not look like he could weather the storm4 ,he was being pressed by his creditors who considered him bankrupt4 ,they would have taken fifty cents on the dollar for his notes and considered themselves lucky4 ,but by keeping up a bold front he got an extension of time when needed4 ,when absolutely necessary for him to raise a certain sum at a certain time he always did it4 ,when he had heavy bills to meet he would make up his mind that certain people that owed him would pay by a certain date and they always did4 ,sometimes he would not receive their check until the last mail of the day of the extension1 and ,i have known him to send out a check with the prospect of receiving a check from one of his customers the following day4 ,he would have no reason other than his belief in the power of affecting the mind of another by concentration of thought for expecting that check1 but rarely has he been disappointed4 ,just put forth the necessary concentrated effort and you will be wonderfully helped from sources unknown to you4 ,remember the mystical words of ,jesus1 the ,master3 ,whatsoever thing ye desire when ye pray1 pray as if ye had already received and ye shall have4 ,,lesson ,,xvii4 ,,ideals ,,developed ,,by ,,concentration ,through our paltry stir and strife1 ,glows the wished ,ideal1 ,and longing molds in clay1 what life ,carves in the marble real4--,lowell4 ,we often hear people spoken of as idealists4 ,the fact is we are all idealists to a certain extent1 and upon the ideals we picture depends our ultimate success4 ,you must have the mental image if you are to produce the material thing4 ,everything is first created in the mind4 ,when you control your thoughts you become a creator4 ,you receive divine ideas and shape them to your individual needs4 ,all things of this world are to you just what you think they are4 ,your happiness and success depend upon your ideals4 ,you are responsible for every condition you go through1 either consciously or unconsciously4 ,the next step you take determines the succeeding step4 ,remember this2 it is a valuable lesson4 ,by concentrating on each step as you go along1 you can save a lot of waste steps and will be able to choose a straight path instead of a roundabout road4 ,concentrate ,upon ,your ,ideals and ,they ,will ,become ,material ,actualities4 ,through concentration we work out our ideals in physical life4 ,your future depends upon the ideals you are forming now4 ,your past ideals are determining your present4 ,therefore1 if you want a bright future1 you must begin to prepare for it today4 ,if persons could only realize that they can only injure themselves1 that when they are apparently injuring others they are really injuring themselves1 what a different world this would be6 ,we say a man is as changeable as the weather4 ,what is meant is his ideals change4 ,every time you change your ideal you think differently4 ,you become like a rudderless boat on an ocean4 ,therefore realize the importance of holding to your ideal until it becomes a reality4 ,you get up in the morning determined that nothing will make you lose your temper4 ,this is your ideal of a person of real strength and poise4 ,something takes place that upsets you completely and you lose your temper4 ,for the time being you forget your ideal4 ,if you had just thought a second of what a well-poised person implies you would not have become angry4 ,you lose your poise when you forget your ideal4 ,each time we allow our ideals to be shattered we also weaken our will-power4 ,holding to your ideals develops will-power4 ,don't forget this4 ,why do so many men fail8 ,because they don't hold to their ideal until it becomes a mental habit4 ,when they concentrate on it to the exclusion of all other things it becomes a reality4 ,i am that which ,i think myself to be4 ,ideals are reflected to us from the unseen spirit4 ,the laws of matter and spirit are not the same4 ,one can be broken1 but not the other4 ,to the extent that ideals are kept is your future assured4 ,it was never intended that man should suffer4 ,he has brought it upon himself by disobeying the laws of nature4 ,he knows them so cannot plead ignorance4 ,why does he break them8 ,because he does not pay attention to those ideals flashed to him from the ,infinite ,spirit4 ,life is but one continuous unfoldment1 and you can be happy every step of the way or miserable1 as you please2 it all depends upon how we entertain those silent whisperings that come from we know not where4 ,we cannot hear them with mortal ear1 but from the silence they come as if they were dreams1 not to you or me alone1 but to everyone4 ,in this way the grandest thoughts come to us1 to use or abuse4 ,so search not in treasured volumes for noble thoughts1 but within1 and bright and glowing vision will come to be realized now and hereafter4 ,you must give some hours to concentrated1 consistent1 persistent thought4 ,you must study yourself and your weaknesses4 ,no man gets over a fence by wishing himself on the other side4 ,he must climb4 ,no man gets out of the rut of dull1 tiresome1 monotonous life by merely wishing himself out of the rut4 ,he must climb4 ,if you are standing still1 or going backward1 there is something wrong4 ,you are the man to find out what is wrong4 ,don't think that you are neglected1 or not understood1 or not appreciated4 ,such thoughts are the thoughts of failure4 ,think hard about the fact that men who have got what you envy got it by working for it4 ,don't pity yourself1 criticise yourself4 ,you know that the only thing in the world that you have got to count upon is yourself4 ,,lesson ,,xviii4 ,,mental ,,control ,,through ,,creation ,i attended a banquet of inventors recently4 ,each inventor gave a short talk on something he thought would be accomplished in the future4 ,many very much needed things were spoken of4 ,one inventor spoke of the possibilities of wireless telephone4 ,distance1 he said1 would shortly be annihilated4 ,he thought we would soon be able to talk to the man in the submarine forty fathoms below the surface and a thousand miles away4 ,when he got through he asked if there were any that doubted what he said4 ,no one spoke up4 ,this was not a case of tactful politeness1 as inventors like to argue1 but a case where no one present really doubted that the inventor's vision would1 in the future1 materialize4 ,these shrewd men1 some real geniuses1 all thought we would in time be able to talk to those a thousand miles away without media4 ,now1 if we can make an instrument so wonderful that we can send wireless messages a thousand miles1 is there any reason why we should not through mental control transmit messages from one person to another8 ,the wireless message should not be as easy to send as the projected thought4 ,the day will come when all business will employ highly developed persons to send out influences4 ,these influences will be so dominating that employees will be partly controlled by them and so you will profit more and more by your mental powers and depend on them to draw to you all forces of a helpful nature4 ,you will be constantly sending out suggestions to your employees and friends4 ,they will receive these unconsciously1 but in case yours is the stronger personality they will carry them out the same as if you had spoken them4 ,this is being done even today4 ,a finely organized company secures the combined effort of all its men4 ,they may be each doing a different kind of work1 but all work to bring about the very best results4 ,the whole atmosphere is impregnated with a high standard of workmanship4 ,everyone feels he must do his best4 ,he could not be in such surroundings and be satisfied to do anything but his best work4 ,a business will succeed only to the extent that the efforts of all are co-ordinated towards one result4 ,at least one person is needed to direct all toward the desired end4 ,the person at the head does not have to exactly outline to the others what steps to take1 but he must possess the mental power of control over others4 ,an up-to-date business letter is not written in a casual1 commonplace way today4 ,the writer tries to convey something he thinks the receiver will be interested to know4 ,in this way he awakens a responsive spirit4 ,sometimes just the addition of a word or two will change a letter of the matter-of-fact style to one that compels a response4 ,it is not always what is actually in a letter1 but the spirit which it breathes that brings results4 ,that intangible something that defies analysis is the projected thought of the master that brings back the harvest that it claims4 ,but we should not always claim success for ourselves only4 ,if you are anxious that some friend or relative should succeed1 think of this person as becoming successful4 ,picture him in the position you would like to see him in4 ,if he has a weakness1 desire and command that it be strengthened2 think of his shortcomings which belong to his negative nature as being replaced by positive qualities4 ,take a certain part of the day to send him thoughts of an up-building nature4 ,you can in this way arouse his mental powers into activity1 and once aroused1 they will assert themselves and claim their own4 ,we can accomplish a great deal more than many of us are ready to believe by sending to another our direct1 positive and controlling suggestions of leadership1 but whether a man is a success or not is greatly determined by the way he acts on the suggestions he receives4 ,we either advance or decline4 ,we never stand still4 ,every time we accomplish something it gives us ability to do greater things4 ,the bigger the attempt undertaken1 the greater the things accomplished in the future4 ,as a business grows1 the head of the business also has to grow4 ,he must advance and be ever the guiding influence4 ,by his power to control1 he inspires confidence in those associated with him4 ,often employees are superior to their employers in some qualities1 and1 if they had studied1 instead of neglected their development1 they could have been employers of more commanding influence than those whom they serve4 ,through your mental power you can generate in another enthusiasm and the spirit of success1 which somehow furnishes an impetus to do something worth while4 ,in concentrated mental control1 there is a latent power more potent than physical force4 ,the person becomes aware that the attitude of the mind has a power of controlling1 directing and governing other forces4 ,he has been placed in an attitude capable of acquiring that which he desires4 ,all of us no matter how strong we are1 are affected by the mental forces of our environment4 ,there is no one that can remain neutral to influences4 ,the mind cannot be freed from the forces of a place4 ,if the environment of your place of business is not helpful1 it will be harmful4 ,that is why a change of position will often do a person a great deal of good4 ,no person was ever intended to live alone4 ,if you are shut up with only your own thoughts you suffer from mental starvation4 ,the mind becomes narrow2 the mental powers weaken4 ,living alone often causes some of the milder forms of insanity4 ,if children do not play with those their own age1 but associate with only older people1 they will take on the actions of the older people4 ,the same is true of older persons if they associate with people younger than they are4 ,they take on the spirit of youth4 ,if you wish to retain your youth you need the influences of youth4 ,like attracts like all over the world4 ,the thought element plays a great part in our lives4 ,every business must not only command physical effort but it must also command thought effort4 ,there must be co-ordination of thought4 ,all employers should aim to secure employees that think along similar lines4 ,they will work in fuller sympathy with each other4 ,they will better understand each other4 ,this enables them to help each other1 which would be utterly impossible if they were not in sympathy with each other4 ,it is this that goes to make up a perfect organization1 which directs and influences them toward the one end4 ,instead of each person being a separate unit1 each one is like a spoke in a big wheel4 ,each member carries his own load1 and he would not think of shirking4 ,anyone working in such an atmosphere could not help turning out his best work4 ,all great leaders must be able to inspire this co-operative spirit4 ,they first secure assistance through their mental control4 ,they then make their assistants realize the value of mental control4 ,soon there is a close bond between them2 they are working toward a single purpose4 ,they profit by their combined effort4 ,the result is that they accomplish much4 ,if your business is conducted in the right spirit1 you can instill your thoughts and your ideas into your employees4 ,your methods and ideas become theirs4 ,they don't know it1 but your mental forces are shaping their work4 ,they are just as certain to produce results as any physical force in nature4 ,the up-to-date business man of the future is going to take pains to get his employees to think and reason better4 ,he will not want them to become depressed or discouraged4 ,there is time that instead of being wasted he will endeavor to have them use in concentrated effort that will be profitable to both employer and employed4 ,there must be more of the spirit of justice enter into the business of the future4 ,there is a firm ,i know that will not hire an employee until he has filled out an application blank4 ,no doubt those that fill it out think it is foolishness1 but it is not4 ,a capable manager can look over this application blank and pretty nearly tell if this person will fit into his management4 ,the main thing he wants to know is the applicant's capacity for efficient co-operative effort4 ,he wants persons that have faith in themselves4 ,he wants them to realize that when they talk of misfortunes and become blue they are likely to communicate the same depressing influence to others4 ,the up-to-date manager wants to guard against hiring employees who will obstruct his success4 ,you must realize that every moment spent in thinking of your difficulties of the past1 every moment spent in bad company is attracting to you all that is bad2 is attracting influences that must be shaken off before you can advance4 ,many firms prefer to hire employees that never worked before so that they have nothing to unlearn4 ,they are then not trained1 but have no bad business habits to overcome4 ,they are more easily guided and grasp the new methods more effectively because they are not contrary to what they have already learned4 ,they are at once started on the right road1 and as they co-operate readily they receive the mental support of the management in learning the methods that have been perfected4 ,this inspires confidence in themselves and they soon become efficient and1 finally1 skilled workers4 ,most big business firms today employ efficiency experts4 ,each day or week they are in a different department4 ,they earn their money because they familiarize persons with very little business experience with plans that has taken the expert years of training and much money to perfect4 ,the attitude we take has a great deal more to do with our success than most of us realize4 ,we must be able to generate those forces that are helpful4 ,there is a wonderful power in the thought rightly controlled and projected and we must through concentration develop this power to the fullest possible extent4 ,we are surrounded by many forces of which we know but little at present4 ,our knowledge of these is to be wonderfully increased4 ,each year we learn more about these psychic forces which are full of possibilities of which we are not even dimly conscious4 ,we must believe in mental control1 learn more about it1 and use it1 if we want to command these higher powers and forces which will unquestionably direct the lives of countless future generations4 ,,lesson ,,xix4 ,a ,,concentrated ,,will ,,development ,new ,method4 ,you will find in this chapter a most effective and most practical method of developing the will4 ,you can develop a strong one if you want to4 ,you can make your ,will a dynamo to draw to you untold power4 ,exercises are given which will1 if practiced1 strengthen your will1 just as you would strengthen your muscles by athletic exercises4 ,in starting to do anything1 we must first commence with elementary principles4 ,simple exercises will be given4 ,it is impossible to estimate the ultimate good to be derived from the mental cultivation that comes through these attempts at concentration4 ,even the simple exercises are not to be thought useless4 ,in no respect1 writes ,doctor ,oppenheim1 can a man show a finer quality of will-power than in his own private1 intimate life4 ,we are all subjected to certain temptations4 ,the ,will decides whether we will be just1 or unjust2 pure of thought2 charitable in opinion2 forbearing in overlooking other's shortcomings2 whether we live up to our highest standard4 ,since these are all controlled by the ,will1 we should find time for plenty of exercises for training of the will in our daily life4 ,you1 of course1 realize that your will should be trained4 ,you must also realize that to do this requires effort that you alone can command4 ,no one can call it forth for you4 ,to be successful in these exercises you must practice them in a spirit of seriousness and earnestness4 ,i can show you how to train your will1 but your success depends upon your mastery and application of these methods4 ,new ,methods of ,will-,training4 ,select a quiet room where you will not be interrupted2 have a watch to determine the time1 and a note-book in which to enter observations4 ,start each exercise with date and time of day4 ,exercise #a ,time decided on4 ,select some time of the day when most convenient4 ,sit in a chair and look at the door-knob for ten minutes4 ,then write down what you experienced4 ,at first it will seem strange and unnatural4 ,you will find it hard to hold one position for ten minutes4 ,but keep as still as you can4 ,the time will seem long for it will probably be the first time you ever sat and did nothing for ten minutes4 ,you will find your thoughts wandering from the door-knob1 and you will wonder what there can be in this exercise4 ,repeat this exercise for six days4 #aj ,p4 ,m4 #bnd ,day4 ,notes4 ,you should be able to sit quieter1 and the time should pass more quickly4 ,you will probably feel a little stronger because of gaining a better control of your will4 ,it will brace you up1 as you have kept your resolution4 #aj ,p4 ,m4 #crd ,day4 ,notes4 ,it may be a little harder for you to concentrate on the door-knob as perhaps you had a very busy day and your mind kept trying to revert to what you had been doing during the day4 ,keep on trying and you will finally succeed in banishing all foreign thoughts4 ,then you should feel a desire to gain still more control4 ,there is a feeling of power that comes over you when you are able to carry out your will4 ,this exercise will make you feel bigger and it awakens a sense of nobility and manliness4 ,you will say1 ,i find that ,i can actually do what ,i want to and can drive foreign thoughts out4 ,the exercise1 ,i can now see1 is valuable4 #aj ,p4 ,m4 #dth ,day4 ,notes4 ,i found that ,i could look at the door-knob and concentrate my attention on it at once4 ,have overcome the tendency to move my legs4 ,no other thoughts try to enter as ,i have established the fact that ,i can do what ,i want to do and do not have to be directed4 ,i feel that ,i am gaining in mental strength1 ,i can now see the wonderful value of being the master of my own will-force4 ,i know now if ,i make a resolution ,i will keep it4 ,i have more self-confidence and can feel my self-control increasing4 #aj ,p4 ,m4 #eth ,day4 ,notes4 ,each day ,i seem to increase the intensity of my concentration4 ,i feel that ,i can center my attention on anything ,i wish4 #aj ,p4 ,m4 #fth ,day4 ,notes4 ,i can instantly center my whole attention on the door-knob4 ,feel that ,i have thoroughly mastered this exercise and that ,i am ready for another4 ,you have practiced this exercise enough1 but before you start another ,i want you to write a summary of just how successful you were in controlling the flitting impulses of the mind and will4 ,you will find this an excellent practice4 ,there is nothing more beneficial to the mind than to pay close attention to its own wonderful1 subtle activities4 ,exercise #b ,secure a package of playing cards4 ,select some time to do the exercise4 ,each day at the appointed time1 take the pack in one hand and then start laying them down on top of each other just as slowly as you can1 with an even motion4 ,try to get them as even as possible4 ,each card laid down should completely cover the under one4 ,do this exercise for six days4 #ast ,day4 ,notes4 ,task will seem tedious and tiresome4 ,requires the closest concentration to make each card completely cover the preceding one4 ,you will probably want to lay them down faster4 ,it requires patience to lay them down so slowly1 but benefit is lost if not so placed4 ,you will find that at first your motions will be jerky and impetuous4 ,it will require a little practice before you gain an easy control over your hands and arms4 ,you probably have never tried to do anything in such a calm way4 ,it will require the closest attention of your will4 ,but you will find that you are acquiring a calmness you never had before4 ,you are gradually acquiring new powers4 ,you recognize how impulsive and impetuous you have been1 and how1 by using your will1 you can control your temperament4 #bnd ,day4 ,notes4 ,you start laying the cards down slowly4 ,you will find that by practice you can lay them down much faster4 ,but you want to lay them down slowly and therefore you have to watch yourself4 ,the slow1 steady movement is wearisome4 ,you have to conquer the desire of wanting to hurry up4 ,soon you will find that you can go slowly or fast at will4 #crd ,day4 ,notes4 ,you still find it hard to go slowly4 ,your will urges you to go faster4 ,this is especially true if you are impulsive1 as the impulsive character finds it very difficult to do anything slowly and deliberately4 ,it goes against the grain4 ,this exercise still is tiresome4 ,but when you do it1 it braces you up mentally4 ,you are accomplishing something you do not like to do4 ,it teaches you how to concentrate on disagreeable tasks4 ,writing these notes down you will find very helpful4 #dth ,day4 ,notes4 ,i find that ,i am beginning to place the cards in a mathematical way4 ,i find one card is not completely covering another4 ,i am getting a little careless and must be more careful4 ,i command my will to concentrate more4 ,it does not seem so hard to bring it under control4 #eth ,day4 ,notes4 ,i find that ,i am overcoming my jerky movements1 that ,i can lay the cards down slowly and steadily4 ,i feel that ,i am rapidly gaining more poise4 ,i am getting better control over my will each day1 and my will completely controls my movements4 ,i begin to look on my will as a great governing power4 ,i would not think of parting with the knowledge of will ,i have gained4 ,i find it is a good exercise and know it will help me to accomplish my tasks4 #fth ,day4 ,notes4 ,i begin to feel the wonderful possibilities of the will4 ,it gives me strength to think of the power of will4 ,i am able to do so much more and better work now1 that ,i realize that ,i can control my will action4 ,whatever my task1 my will is concentrated on it4 ,i am to keep my will centered there until the task is finished4 ,the more closely and definitely ,i determine what ,i shall do1 the more easily the will carries it out4 ,determination imparts compelling force to the will4 ,it exerts itself more4 ,the will and the end act and react on each other4 #gth ,day4 ,notes4 ,now try to do everything you do today faster4 ,don't hurry or become nervous4 ,just try to do everything faster1 but in a steady manner4 ,you will find that the exercises you have practiced in retardation have steadied your nerves1 and thereby made it possible to increase your speed4 ,the will is under your command4 ,make it carry out resolutions rapidly4 ,this is how you build up your self-control and your self-command4 ,it is then that the human machine acts as its author dictates4 ,you certainly should now be able to judge of the great benefit that comes from writing out your introspections each day4 ,of course you will not have the exact experiences given in these examples1 but some of these will fit your case4 ,be careful to study your experiences carefully and make as true a report as you can4 ,describe your feelings just as they seem to you4 ,allow your fancies to color your report and it will be worthless4 ,you have pictured conditions as you see them4 ,in a few months1 if you again try the same exercises1 you will find your report very much better4 ,by these introspections1 we learn to know ourselves better and with this knowledge can wonderfully increase our efficiency4 ,as you become used to writing out your report1 it will be more accurate4 ,you thus learn how to govern your impulses1 activities and weaknesses4 ,each person should try to plan exercises that will best fit his needs4 ,if not convenient for you to practice exercises every day1 take them twice or three times a week4 ,but carry out any plan you decide to try4 ,if you cannot devote ten minutes a day to the experiments start with five minutes and gradually increase the time4 ,the exercises given are only intended for examples4 ,will ,training ,without ,exercise4 ,there are many people that do not want to take the time to practice exercises1 so the following instructions for training the will are given to them4 ,by willing and realizing1 the will grows4 ,therefore the more you will1 the more it grows1 and builds up power4 ,no matter whether your task is big or small1 make it a rule to accomplish it in order to fortify your will4 ,form the habit of focusing your will in all its strength upon the subject to be achieved4 ,you form in this way the habit of getting a thing done1 of carrying out some plan4 ,you acquire the feeling of being able to accomplish that which lies before you1 no matter what it is4 ,this gives you confidence and a sense of power that you get in no other way4 ,you know when you make a resolution that you will keep it4 ,you do not tackle new tasks in a half-hearted way1 but with a bold1 brave spirit4 ,we know that the will is able to carry us over big obstacles4 ,knowing this despair never claims us for a victim4 ,we have wills and are going to use them with more and more intensity1 thus giving us the power to make our resolutions stronger1 our actions freer and our lives finer and better4 ,the education of the will should not be left to chance4 ,it is only definite tasks that will render it energetic1 ready1 persevering and consistent4 ,the only way it can be done is by self-study and self-discipline4 ,the cost is effort1 time and patience1 but the returns are valuable4 ,there are no magical processes leading to will development1 but the development of your will works wonders for you because it gives you self-mastery1 personal power and energy of character4 ,concentration of the ,will to ,win4 ,the adaptability of persons to their business environment is more a matter of determination than anything else4 ,in this age we hear a good deal of talk about a man's aptitudes4 ,some of his aptitudes1 some of his powers1 may be developed to a wonderful extent1 but he is really an unknown quality until all his latent powers are developed to their highest possible extent4 ,he may be a failure in one line and a big success in another4 ,there are many successful men1 that did not succeed well at what they first undertook1 but they profited by their efforts in different directions1 and this fitted them for higher things1 whereas had they refused to adjust themselves to their environment1 the tide of progress would have swept them into oblivion4 ,my one aim in all my works is to try and arouse in the individual the effort and determination to develop his full capacities1 his highest possibilities4 ,one thing ,i want you to realize at the start1 that it is not so much ability1 as it is the will to do that counts4 ,ability is very plentiful1 but organizing initiative and creative power are not plentiful4 ,it is easy to get employees1 but to get someone to train them is harder4 ,their abilities must be directed to the work they can do4 ,they must be shown how1 while at this work1 to conserve their energy and they must be taught to work in harmony with others1 for most business concerns are dominated by a single personality4 ,concentrating on ,driving ,force ,within4 ,we are all conscious1 at times1 that we have somewhere within us an active driving force that is ever trying to push us onward to better deeds4 ,it is that force that makes us feel determined at times to do something worth while4 ,it is not thought1 emotion or feeling4 ,this driving force is something distinct from thought or emotion4 ,it is a quality of the soul and therefore it has a consciousness all its own4 ,it is the ,i will do of the will4 ,it is the force that makes the will concentrate4 ,many have felt this force working within them1 driving them on to accomplish their tasks4 ,all great men and women become conscious that this supreme and powerful force is their ally in carrying out great resolutions4 ,this driving force is within all1 but until you reach a certain stage you do not become aware of it4 ,it is most useful to the worthy4 ,it springs up naturally without any thought of training4 ,it comes unprovoked and leaves unnoticed4 ,just what this force is we do not know1 but we do know that it is what intensifies the will in demanding just and harmonious action4 ,the ordinary human being1 merely as merchandise1 if he could be sold as a slave1 would be worth ten thousand dollars4 ,if somebody gave you a five thousand dollar automobile you would take very good care of it4 ,you wouldn't put sand in the carburetor1 or mix water with the gasoline1 or drive it furiously over rough roads1 or leave it out to freeze at night4 ,are you quite sure that you take care of your own body1 your own health1 your only real property1 as well as you would take care of a five thousand dollar automobile if it were given to you8 ,the man who mixes whiskey with his blood is more foolish than a man would be if he mixed water with gasoline in his car4 ,you can get another car2 you cannot get another body4 ,the man who misses sleep lives irregularly--bolts his food so that his blood supply is imperfect4 ,that is a foolish man treating himself as he would not treat any other valuable piece of property4 ,do you try to talk with men and women who know more than you do1 and do you ,,listen rather than try to tell them what you know8 ,there are a hundred thousand men of fifty1 and men of sixty1 running along in the old rut1 any one of whom could get out of it and be counted among the successful men if only the spark could be found to explode the energy within them now going to waste4 ,each man must study and solve his own problem4 ,,lesson ,,xx4 ,,concentration ,,reviewed ,in bringing this book to a close1 ,i again want to impress you with the inestimable value of concentration1 because those that lack this great power or1 rather that fail to develop it1 will generally suffer from poverty and unhappiness and their life's work will most often be a failure1 while those that develop and use it will make the most of life's opportunities1 ,i have tried to make these lessons practical and ,i am sure that many will find them so4 ,of course the mere reading of them will not do you a great deal of good1 but1 if the exercises are practiced and worked out and applied to your own individual case1 you should be able to acquire the habit of concentration in such measure as to greatly improve your work and increase your happiness4 ,but remember the best instruction can only help you to the extent to which you put it into practice4 ,i have found it an excellent idea to read a book through first1 and then re-read it1 and when you come to an idea that appeals to you1 stop and think about it1 then if applicable to you1 repeat it over and over1 that you will be impressed by it4 ,in this way you can form the habit of picking out all the good things you read and these will have a wonderful influence on your character4 ,in this closing chapter1 ,i want to impress you to concentrate on what you do1 instead of performing most of your work unconsciously or automatically1 until you have formed habits that give you the mastery of your work and your life powers and forces4 ,very often the hardest part of work is thinking about it4 ,when you get right into it1 it does not seem so disagreeable4 ,this is the experience of many when they first commence to learn how to concentrate4 ,so never think it a difficult task1 but undertake it with the ,i ,will ,spirit and you will find that its acquirement will be as easy as its application will be useful4 ,read the life of any great man1 and you will generally find that the dominant quality that made him successful was the ability to concentrate4 ,study those that have been failures and you will often find that lack of concentration was the cause4 ,one thing at a time1 and that done will ,is a good rule as ,i can tell4 ,all men are not born with equal powers1 but it is the way they are used that counts4 ,opportunity knocks at every man's door4 ,those that are successful hear the knock and grasp the chance4 ,the failures believe that luck and circumstances are against them4 ,they always blame someone else instead of themselves for their lack of success4 ,we get what is coming to us1 nothing more or less4 ,anything within the universe is within your grasp4 ,just use your latent powers and it is yours4 ,you are aided by both visible and invisible forces when you concentrate on either to do or to be4 ,everyone is capable of some concentration1 for without it you would be unable to say or do anything4 ,people differ in the power to concentrate because some are unable to ,will to hold the thought in mind for the required time4 ,the amount of determination used determines who has the strongest will4 ,no one's is stronger than yours4 ,think of this whenever you go against a strong opponent4 ,never say ,i can't concentrate today4 ,you can do it just the minute you say ,i will4 ,you can keep your thoughts from straying1 just the same as you can control your arms4 ,when once you realize this fact1 you can train the will to concentrate on anything you wish4 ,if it wanders1 it is your fault4 ,you are not utilizing your will4 ,but1 don't blame it on your will and say it is weak4 ,the will is just the same whether you act as if it were weak or as if it were strong4 ,when you act as if your will is strong you say1 ,i can4 ,when you act as if it were weak you say1 ,i can't4 ,it requires the same amount of effort1 in each case4 ,some men get in the habit of thinking ,i can't and they fail4 ,others think ,i can and succeed4 ,so remember1 it is for you to decide whether you will join the army of ,i can't or ,i can4 ,the big mistake with so many is that they don't realize that when they say ,i can't1 they really say1 ,i won't try4 ,you can not tell what you can do until you try4 ,can't means you will not try4 ,never say you cannot concentrate1 for1 when you do1 you are really saying that you refuse to try4 ,whenever you feel like saying1 ,i can't1 say instead1 ,i possess all will and ,i can use as much as ,i wish4 ,you only use as much as you have trained yourself to use4 ,an ,experiment to ,try4 ,before going to bed tonight1 repeat1 ,i am going to choose my own thoughts1 and to hold them as long as ,i choose4 ,i am going to shut out all thoughts that weaken or interfere2 that make me timid4 ,my ,will is as strong as anyone's else4 ,while going to work the next morning1 repeat this over4 ,keep this up for a month and you will find you will have a better opinion of yourself4 ,these are the factors that make you a success4 ,hold fast to them always4 ,concentration is nothing but willing to do a certain thing4 ,all foreign thoughts can be kept out by willing that they stay out4 ,you cannot realize your possibilities until you commence to direct your mind4 ,you then do consciously what you have before done unconsciously4 ,in this way you note mistakes1 overcome bad habits and perfect your conduct4 ,you have at times been in a position that required courage and you were surprised at the amount you showed4 ,now1 when once you arouse yourself1 you have this courage all the time and it is not necessary to have a special occasion reveal it to you4 ,my object in so strongly impressing this on your mind is to make you aware that the same courage1 the same determination that you show at certain exceptionable times you have at your command at all times4 ,it is a part of your vast resources4 ,use it often and well1 in working out the highest destiny of which you are capable4 ,final ,concentration ,instruction4 ,you now realize that1 in order to make your life worthy1 useful and happy1 you must concentrate4 ,a number of exercises and all the needed instruction has been given4 ,it now remains for you to form the highest ideal that you can in the present and live up to that ideal1 and try to raise it4 ,don't waste your time in foolish reading4 ,select something that is inspiring1 that you may become enrapport with those that think thoughts that are worth while4 ,their enthusiasm will inspire and enlighten you4 ,read slowly and concentrate on what you are reading4 ,let your spirit and the spirit of the author commune1 and you will then sense what is between the lines--those great things which words cannot express4 ,pay constant attention to one and one thing only for a given time and you will soon be able to concentrate4 ,hang on to that thought ceaselessly until you have attained your object4 ,when you work1 let your mind dwell steadily on your task4 ,think before you speak and direct your conversation to the subject under discussion4 ,do not ramble4 ,talk slowly1 steadily and connectedly4 ,never form the hurry habit1 but be deliberate in all you do4 ,assume static attitudes without moving a finger or an eyelid1 or any part of your body4 ,read books that treat of but one continuous subject4 ,read long articles and recall the thread of the argument4 ,associate yourself with people who are steady1 patient and tireless in their thought1 action and work4 ,see how long you can sit still and think on one subject without interruption4 ,concentrating on the ,higher ,self4 ,father ,time keeps going on and on4 ,every day he rolls around means one less day for you on this planet4 ,most of us only try to master the external conditions of this world4 ,we think our success and happiness depends on us doing so4 ,these are of course important and ,i don't want you to think they are not1 but ,i want you to realize that when death comes1 only those inherent and acquired qualities and conditions within the mentality--your character1 conduct and soul growth--will go with you4 ,if these are what they should be1 you need not be afraid of not being successful and happy1 for with these qualities you can mold external materials and conditions4 ,study yourself4 ,find ,your ,strong ,points ,and ,make ,them ,stronger ,as ,well ,as ,your ,weak ,ones ,and ,strengthen ,them4 ,study yourself carefully and you will see yourself as you really are4 ,the secret of accomplishment is concentration1 or the art of turning all your power upon just one point at a time4 ,if you have studied yourself carefully you should have a good line on yourself1 and should be able to make the proper interior re-adjustments4 ,remember first1 last1 and always1 ,right thinking and right ,living necessarily results in happiness1 and it is therefore within your power to obtain happiness4 ,anyone that is not happy does not claim their birthright4 ,keep in mind that some day you are going to leave this world and think of what you will take with you4 ,this will assist you to concentrate on the higher forces4 ,now start from this minute1 to act according to the advice of the higher self in everything you do4 ,if you do1 its ever harmonious forces will necessarily insure to you a successful fulfilment of all your life purposes4 ,whenever you feel tempted to disobey your higher promptings1 hold the thought ,my-higher-self-insures-to-me-the-happin ess-of-doing-that-which -best-answers-my-true-relations-to-all-o thers4 ,you possess latent talents1 that when developed and utilized are of assistance to you and others4 ,but if you do not properly use them1 you shirk your duty1 and you will be the loser and suffer from the consequences4 ,others will also be worse off if you do not fulfil your obligations4 ,when you have aroused into activity your thought powers you will realize the wonderful value of these principles in helping you to carry out your plans4 ,the right in the end must prevail4 ,you can assist in the working out of the great plan of the universe and thereby gain the reward1 or you can work against the great plan and suffer the consequences4 ,the all consuming fires are gradually purifying all discordant elements4 ,if you choose to work contrary to the law you will burn in its crucible1 so ,i want you to learn to concentrate intelligently on becoming in harmony with your higher self4 ,hold the thought3 ,i-will-live-for-my-best4 ,i-seek-wisdom1 self-knowledge1 happiness-and-power-to-help-others4 ,i-act-from-the-higher-self1 therefore-only-the-best-can-come-to-me4 ,the more we become conscious of the presence of the higher self the more we should try to become a true representative of the human soul in all its wholeness and holiness1 instead of wasting our time dwelling on some trifling external quality or defect4 ,we should try to secure a true conception of what we really are so as not to over value the external furnishings4 ,you will then not surrender your dignity or self respect1 when others ignorantly make a display of material things to show off4 ,only the person that realizes that he is a permanent ,being knows what the true self is4