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Lesson I -
Concentration Finds the Way
By Theron
Q. Dumont
Everyone has two
natures. One
wants us to advance and the other wants to pull us back. The one that
we cultivate and concentrate on decides what we are at the end. Both
natures are trying to gain control. The will alone decides the issue. A
man by one supreme effort of the will may change his whole career and
almost accomplish miracles. You may be that man. You can be if you Will
to be, for Will can find a way or make one.
I could easily fill a book, of cases where men plodding along in a
matter-of-fact way, were all at once aroused and as if awakening from a
slumber they developed the possibilities within them and from that time
on were different persons. You alone can decide when the turning point
will come. It is a matter of choice whether we allow our diviner self
to control us or whether we will be controlled by the brute within us.
No man has to do anything he does not want to do. He is therefore the
director of his life if he wills to be. What we are to do, is the
result of our training. We are like putty, and can be completely
controlled by our will power.
Habit is a matter of acquirement. You hear people say: "He comes by
this or that naturally, a chip off the old block," meaning that he is
only doing what his parents did. This is quite often the case, but
there is no reason for it, for a person can break a habit just the
moment he masters the "I will." A man may have been a
"good-for-nothing" all his life up to this very minute, but from this
time on he begins to amount to something. Even old men have suddenly
changed and accomplished wonders. "I lost my opportunity," says one.
That may be true, but by sheer force of will, we can find a way to
bring us another opportunity. There is no truth in the saying that
opportunity knocks at our door but once in a lifetime. The fact is,
opportunity never seeks us; we must seek it. What usually turns out to
be one man's opportunity was another man's loss. In this day one man's
brain is matched against another's. It is often the quickness of brain
action that determines the result. One man thinks "I will do it," but
while he procrastinates the other goes ahead and does the work. They
both have the same opportunity. The one will complain of his lost
chance. But it should teach him a lesson, and it will, if he is seeking
the path that leads to success.
Many persons read good books, but say they do not get much good out of
them. They do not realize that all any book or any lesson course can do
is to awaken them to their possibilities; to stimulate them to use
their will power. You may teach a person from now until doom's day, but
that person will only know what he learns himself. "You can lead him to
the fountain, but you can't make him drink."
One of the most beneficial practices I know of is that of looking for
the good in everyone and everything, for there is good in all things.
We encourage a person by seeing his good qualities and we also help
ourselves by looking for them. We gain their good wishes, a most
valuable asset sometimes. We get back what we give out. The time comes
when most all of us need encouragement; need buoying up. So form the
habit of encouraging others, and you will find it a wonderful tonic for
both those encouraged and yourself, for you will get back encouraging
and uplifting thoughts.
Life furnishes us the opportunity to improve. But whether we do it or
not depends upon how near we live up to what is expected of us. The
first of each month, a person should sit down and examine the progress
he has made. If he has not come up to "expectations" he should discover
the reason, and by extra exertion measure up to what is demanded next
time. Every time that we fall behind what we planned to do, we lose
just so much for that time is gone forever. We may find a reason for
doing it, but most excuses are poor substitutes for action. Most things
are possible. Ours may be a hard task, but the harder the task, the
greater the reward. It is the difficult things that really develop us,
anything that requires only a small effort, utilizes very few of our
faculties, and yields a scanty harvest of achievement. So do not shrink
from a hard task, for to accomplish one of these will often bring us
more good than a dozen lesser triumphs.
I know that every man that is willing to pay the price can be a
success. The price is not in money, but in effort. The first essential
quality for success is the desire to do or to be something. The next
thing is to learn how to do it; the next to carry it into execution.
The man that is the best able to accomplish anything is the one with a
broad mind; the man that has acquired knowledge, that may, it is true,
be foreign to this particular case, but is, nevertheless, of some value
in all cases. So the man that wants to be successful must be receptive;
he must acquire all the knowledge that he can; he must be well informed
not only in one branch of his business but in every part of it. Such a
man achieves success.
The secret of success is to try always to improve yourself no matter
where you are or what your position. Learn all you can. Don't see how
little you can do, but how much you can do. Such a man will always be
in demand, for he establishes the reputation of being a hustler. There
is always room for him because progressive firms never let a hustler
leave their employment if they can help it.
The man that reaches the top is the gritty, plucky, hard worker and
never the timid, uncertain, slow worker. An untried man is seldom put
in a position of responsibility and power. The man selected is one that
has done something, achieved results in some line, or taken the lead in
his department. He is placed there because of his reputation of putting
vigor and virility into his efforts, and because he has previously
shown that he has pluck and determination.
The man that is chosen at the crucial time is not usually a genius; he
does not possess any more talent than others, but he has learned that
results can only be produced by untiring concentrated effort. That
"miracles," in business do not just "happen." He knows that the only
way they will happen is by sticking to a proposition and seeing it
through. That is the only secret of why some succeed and others fail.
The successful man gets used to seeing things accomplished and always
feels sure of success. The man that is a failure gets used to seeing
failure, expects it and attracts it to him.
It is my opinion that with the right kind of training every man could
be a success. It is really a shame that so many men and women, rich in
ability and talent, are allowed to go to waste, so to speak. Some day I
hope to see a millionaire philanthropist start a school for the
training of failures. I am sure he could not put his money to a better
use. In a year's time the science of practical psychology could do
wonders for him. He could have agencies on the lookout for men that had
lost their grip on themselves; that had through indisposition weakened
their will; that through some sorrow or misfortune had become
discouraged. At first all they need is a little help to get them back
on their feet, but usually they get a knock downwards instead. The
result is that their latent powers never develop and both they and the
world are the losers. I trust that in the near future, someone will
heed the opportunity of using some of his millions in arousing men that
have begun to falter. All they need to be shown is that there is within
them an omnipotent source that is ready to aid them, providing they
will make use of it. Their minds only have to be turned from despair to
hope to make them regain their hold.
When a man loses his grip today, he must win his redemption by his own
will. He will get little encouragement or advice of an inspiring
nature. He must usually regain the right road alone. He must stop
dissipating his energies and turn his attention to building a useful
career. Today we must conquer our weakening tendencies alone. Don't
expect anyone to help you. Just take one big brace, make firm
resolutions, and resolve to conquer your weaknesses and vices. Really
none can do this for you. They can encourage you; that is all.
I can think of nothing, but lack of health that should interfere with
one becoming successful. There is no other handicap that you should not
be able to overcome. To overcome a handicap, all that it is necessary
to do is to use more determination and grit and will.
The man with grit and will may be poor today and wealthy in a few
years; will power is a better asset than money; Will will carry you
over chasms of failure, if you but give it the chance.
The men that have risen to the highest positions have usually had to
gain their victories against big odds. Think of the hardships many of
our inventors have gone through before they became a success. Usually
they have been very much misunderstood by relatives and friends. Very
often they did not have the bare necessities of life, yet, by sheer
determination and resolute courage, they managed to exist somehow until
they perfected their inventions, which afterwards greatly helped in
bettering the condition of others.
Everyone really wants to do something, but there are few that will put
forward the needed effort to make the necessary sacrifice to secure it.
There is only one way to accomplish anything and that is to go ahead
and do it. A man may accomplish almost anything today; if he just sets
his heart on doing it and lets nothing interfere with his progress.
Obstacles are quickly overcome by the man that sets out to accomplish
his heart's desire. The "bigger" the man, the smaller the obstacle
appears. The "smaller" the man the greater the obstacle appears. Always
look at the advantage you gain by overcoming obstacles, and it will
give you the needed courage for their conquest.
Do not expect that you will always have easy sailing. Parts of your
journey are likely to be rough. Don't let the rough places put you out
of commission. Keep on with the journey. Just the way you weather the
storm shows what material you are made of. Never sit down and complain
of the rough places, but think how nice the pleasant stretches were.
View with delight the smooth plains that are in front of you.
Do not let a setback stop you. Think of it as a mere incident that has
to be overcome before you can reach your goal.
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