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Think & Grow Rich
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CHAPTER 15
HOW TO OUTWIT THE SIX GHOSTS OF FEAR
Take Inventory of Yourself, As You
Read This Closing Chapter, and Find
Out How Many of the "Ghosts" Are
Standing in Your Way
BEFORE you can put any portion of
this philosophy into successful use, your mind must be prepared to receive
it. The preparation is not difficult. It begins with study, analysis, and
understanding of three enemies which you shall have to clear out. These are
INDECISION, DOUBT, and FEAR!
The Sixth Sense will never function while these three negatives, or any of
them remain in your mind. The members of this unholy trio are closely
related; where one is found, the other two are close at hand.
INDECISION is the seedling of FEAR! Remember this, as you read. Indecision
crystalizes into DOUBT, the two blend and become FEAR! The "blending"
process often is slow. This is one reason why these three enemies are so
dangerous. They germinate and grow without their presence being observed.
The remainder of this chapter describes an end which must be attained before
the philosophy, as a whole, can be put into practical use. It also analyzes
a condition which has, but lately, reduced huge numbers of people to
poverty, and it states a truth which must be understood by all who
accumulate riches, whether measured in terms of money or a state of mind of
far greater value than money. The purpose of this chapter is to turn the
spotlight of attention upon the cause and the cure of the six basic fears.
Before we can master an enemy, we must know its name, its habits, and its
place of abode. As you read, analyze yourself carefully, and determine
which, if any, of the six common fears have attached themselves to you.
Do not be deceived by the habits of these subtle enemies. Sometimes they
remain hidden in the subconscious mind, where they are difficult to locate,
and still more difficult to eliminate.
THE SIX
BASIC FEARS
There are six basic fears, with
some combination of which every human suffers at one tune or another. Most
people are fortunate if they do not suffer from the entire six. Named in the
order of their most common appearance, they are:—
The fear of
POVERTY } at the bottom of
The fear of CRITICISM } most of one's
The fear of ILL HEALTH } worries
The fear of LOSS OF LOVE OF SOMEONE
The fear of OLD AGE
The fear of DEATH
All other fears are of minor
importance, they can be grouped under these six headings.
The prevalence of these fears, as a curse to the world, runs in cycles. For
almost six years, while the depression was on, we floundered in the cycle of
FEAR OF POVERTY. During the world-war, we were in the cycle of FEAR OF
DEATH. Just following the war, we were in the cycle of FEAR OF ILL HEALTH,
as evidenced by the epidemic of disease which spread itself all over the
world.
Fears are nothing more than states of mind. One's state of mind is
subject to control and direction. Physicians, as everyone knows, are less
subject to attack by disease than ordinary laymen, for the reason that
physicians DO NOT FEAR DISEASE. Physicians, without fear or hesitation, have
been known to physically contact hundreds of people, daily, who were
suffering from such contagious diseases as small-pox, without becoming
infected. Their immunity against the disease consisted, largely, if not
solely, in their absolute lack of FEAR.
Man can create nothing which he does not first conceive in the form of an
impulse of thought. Following this statement, comes another of still greater
importance, namely, MAN'S THOUGHT IMPULSES BEGIN IMMEDIATELY TO TRANSLATE
THEMSELVES INTO THEIR PHYSICAL EQUIVALENT, WHETHER THOSE THOUGHTS ARE
VOLUNTARY OR INVOLUNTARY. Thought impulses which are picked up through the
ether, by mere chance (thoughts which have been released by other minds) may
determine one's financial, business, professional, or social destiny just as
surely as do the thought impulses which one creates by intent and design.
We are here laying the foundation for the presentation of a fact of great
importance to the person who does not understand why some people appear to
be "lucky" while others of equal or greater ability, training, experience,
and brain capacity, seem destined to ride with misfortune. This fact may be
explained by the statement that every human being has the ability to
completely control his own mind, and with this control, obviously, every
person may open his mind to the tramp thought impulses which are being
released by other brains, or close the doors tightly and admit only thought
impulses of his own choice.
Nature has endowed man with absolute control over but one thing, and that is
THOUGHT. This fact, coupled with the additional fact that everything which
man creates, begins in the form of a thought, leads one very near to the
principle by which FEAR may be mastered.
If it is true that ALL THOUGHT HAS A TENDENCY TO CLOTHE ITSELF IN ITS
PHYSICAL EQUIVALENT (and this is true, beyond any reasonable room for
doubt), it is equally true that thought impulses of fear and poverty cannot
be translated into terms of courage and financial gain.
The people of America began to think of poverty, following the Wall Street
crash of 1929. Slowly, but surely that mass thought was crystalized into its
physical equivalent, which was known as a "depression." This had to happen,
it is in conformity with the laws of Nature.
THE FEAR
OF POVERTY
There can be no compromise
between POVERTY and RICHES! The two roads that lead to poverty and riches
travel in opposite directions. If you want riches, you must refuse to accept
any circumstance that leads toward poverty. (The word "riches" is here used
in its broadest sense, meaning financial, spiritual, mental and material
estates). The starting point of the path that leads to riches is DESIRE. In
chapter one, you received full instructions for the proper use of DESIRE. In
this chapter, on FEAR, you have complete instructions for preparing your
mind to make practical use of DESIRE.
Here, then, is the place to give yourself a challenge which will definitely
determine how much of this philosophy you have absorbed. Here is the point
at which you can turn prophet and foretell, accurately, what the future
holds in store for you. If, after reading this chapter, you are willing to
accept poverty, you may as well make up your mind to receive poverty. This
is one decision you cannot avoid.
If you demand riches, determine what form, and how much will be required to
satisfy you. You know the road that leads to riches. You have been given a
road map which, if followed, will keep you on that road. If you neglect to
make the start, or stop before you arrive, no one will be to blame, but YOU.
This responsibility is yours. No alibi will save you from accepting the
responsibility if you now fail or refuse to demand riches of Life, because
the acceptance calls for but one thing— incidentally, the only thing you can
control—and that is a STATE OF MIND. A state of mind is something that one
assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.
Fear of poverty is a state of mind, nothing else! But it is sufficient to
destroy one's chances of achievement in any undertaking, a truth which
became painfully evident during the depression.
This fear paralyzes the faculty of reason, destroys the faculty of
imagination, kills off self-reliance, undermines enthusiasm, discourages
initiative, leads to uncertainty of purpose, encourages procrastination,
wipes out enthusiasm and makes self-control an impossibility. It takes the
charm from one's personality, destroys the possibility of accurate thinking,
diverts concentration of effort, it masters persistence, turns the
will-power into nothingness, destroys ambition, beclouds the memory and
invites failure in every conceivable form; it kills love and assassinates
the finer emotions of the heart, discourages friendship and invites disaster
in a hundred forms, leads to sleeplessness, misery and unhappiness— and all
this despite the obvious truth that we live in a world of over-abundance of
everything the heart could desire, with nothing standing between us and our
desires, excepting lack of a definite purpose.
The Fear of Poverty is, without doubt, the most destructive of the six basic
fears. It has been placed at the head of the list, because it is the most
difficult to master. Considerable courage is required to state the truth
about the origin of this fear, and still greater courage to accept the truth
after it has been stated. The fear of poverty grew out of man's inherited
tendency to PREY UPON HIS FELLOW MAN ECONOMICALLY. Nearly all animals lower
than man are motivated by instinct, but their capacity to "think" is
limited, therefore, they prey upon one another physically. Man, with his
superior sense of intuition, with the capacity to think and to reason, does
not eat his fellowman bodily, he gets more satisfaction out of "eating" him
FINANCIALLY. Man is so avaricious that every conceivable law has been passed
to safeguard him from his fellowman.
Of all the ages of the world, of which we know anything, the age in which we
live seems to be one that is outstanding because of man's money-madness. A
man is considered less than the dust of the earth, unless he can display a
fat bank account; but if he has money— NEVER MIND HOW HE ACQUIRED IT— he is
a "king" or a "big shot"; he is above the law, he rules in politics, he
dominates in business, and the whole world about him bows in respect when he
passes.
Nothing brings man so much suffering and humility as POVERTY! Only those who
have experienced poverty understand the full meaning of this.
It is no wonder that man fears poverty. Through a long line of inherited
experiences man has learned, for sure, that some men cannot be trusted,
where matters of money and earthly possessions are concerned. This is a
rather stinging indictment, the worst part of it being that it is TRUE.
The majority of marriages are motivated by the wealth possessed by one, or
both of the contracting parties. It is no wonder, therefore, that the
divorce courts are busy.
So eager is man to possess wealth that he will acquire it in whatever manner
he can— through legal methods if possible— through other methods if
necessary or expedient.
Self-analysis may disclose weaknesses which one does not like to
acknowledge. This form of examination is essential to all who demand of Life
more than mediocrity and poverty. Remember, as you check yourself point by
point, that you are both the court and the jury, the prosecuting attorney
and the attorney for the defense, and that you are the plaintiff and the
defendant, also, that you are on trial. Face the facts squarely. Ask
yourself definite questions and demand direct replies. When the examination
is over, you will know more about yourself. If you do not feel that you can
be an impartial judge in this self-examination, call upon someone who knows
you well to serve as judge while you cross-examine yourself. You are after
the truth. Get it, no matter at what cost even though it may temporarily
embarrass you!
The majority of people, if asked what they fear most, would reply, "I fear
nothing." The reply would be inaccurate, because few people realize that
they are bound, handicapped, whipped spiritually and physically through some
form of fear. So subtle and deeply seated is the emotion of fear that one
may go through life burdened with it, never recognizing its presence. Only a
courageous analysis will disclose the presence of this universal enemy. When
you begin such an analysis, search deeply into your character. Here is a
list of the symptoms for which you should look:
SYMPTOMS
OF THE FEAR OF POVERTY
INDIFFERENCE. Commonly expressed
through lack of ambition; willingness to tolerate poverty; acceptance of
whatever compensation life may offer without protest; mental and physical
laziness; lack of initiative, imagination, enthusiasm and self-control
INDECISION. The habit of permitting others to do one's thinking. Staying "on
the fence."
DOUBT. Generally expressed through alibis and excuses designed to cover up,
explain away, or apologize for one's failures, sometimes expressed in the
form of envy of those who are successful, or by criticising them.
WORRY. Usually expressed by finding fault with others, a tendency to spend
beyond one's income, neglect of personal appearance, scowling and frowning;
intemperance in the use of alcoholic drink, sometimes through the use of
narcotics; nervousness, lack of poise, self-consciousness and lack of
self-reliance.
OVER-CAUTION. The habit of looking for the negative side of every
circumstance, thinking and talking of possible failure instead of
concentrating upon the means of succeeding. Knowing all the roads to
disaster, but never searching for the plans to avoid failure. Waiting for
"the right time" to begin putting ideas and plans into action, until the
waiting becomes a permanent habit. Remembering those who have failed, and
forgetting those who have succeeded. Seeing the hole in the doughnut, but
overlooking the doughnut. Pessimism, leading to indigestion, poor
elimination, auto-intoxication, bad breath and bad disposition.
PROCRASTINATION. The habit of putting off until tomorrow that which should
have been done last year. Spending enough time in creating alibis and
excuses to have done the job. This symptom is closely related to
over-caution, doubt and worry. Refusal to accept responsibility when it can
be avoided. Willingness to compromise rather than put up a stiff fight.
Compromising with difficulties instead of harnessing and using them as
stepping stones to advancement. Bargaining with Life for a penny, instead of
demanding prosperity, opulence, riches, contentment and happiness. Planning
what to do IF AND WHEN OVERTAKEN BY FAILURE, INSTEAD OF BURNING ALL BRIDGES
AND MAKING RETREAT IMPOSSIBLE. Weakness of, and often total lack of
self-confidence, definiteness of purpose, self-control, initiative,
enthusiasm, ambition, thrift and sound reasoning ability. EXPECTING POVERTY
INSTEAD OF DEMANDING RICHES. Association with those who accept poverty
instead of seeking the company of those who demand and receive riches.
MONEY
TALKS!
Some will ask, "why did you write
a book about money? Why measure riches in dollars, alone?" Some will
believe, and rightly so, that there are other forms of riches more desirable
than money. Yes, there are riches which cannot be measured in terms of
dollars, but there are millions of people who will say, "Give me all the
money I need, and I will find everything else I want."
The major reason why I wrote this book on how to get money is the fact that
the world has but lately passed through an experience that left millions of
men and women paralyzed with the FEAR OF POVERTY. What this sort of fear
does to one was well described by Westbrook Pegler, in the New York
World-Telegram, viz:
"Money is only clam shells or metal discs or scraps of paper, and there are
treasures of the heart and soul which money cannot buy, but most people,
being broke, are unable to keep this in mind and sustain their spirits. When
a man is down and out and on the street, unable to get any job at all,
something happens to his spirit which can be observed in the droop of his
shoulders, the set of his hat, his walk and his gaze. He cannot escape a
feeling of inferiority among people with regular employment, even though he
knows they are definitely not his equals in character, intelligence or
ability.
"These people—even his friends—feel, on the other hand, a sense of
superiority and regard him, perhaps unconsciously, as a casualty. He may
borrow for a time, but not enough to carry on in his accustomed way, and he
cannot continue to borrow very long. But borrowing in itself, when a man is
borrowing merely to live, is a depressing experience, and the money lacks
the power of earned money to revive his spirits. Of course, none of this
applies to bums or habitual ne'er-do-wells, but only to men of normal
ambitions and self-respect.
"WOMEN
CONCEAL DESPAIR.
"Women in the same predicament
must be different. We somehow do not think of women at all in considering
the down-and-outers. They are scarce in the breadlines, they rarely are seen
begging on the streets, and they are not recognizable in crowds by the same
plain signs which identify busted men. Of course, I do not mean the
shuffling hags of the city streets who are the opposite number of the
confirmed male bums. I mean reasonably young, decent and intelligent women.
There must be many of them, but their despair is not apparent. Maybe they
kill themselves.
"When a man is down and out he has time on his hands for brooding. He may
travel miles to see a man about a job and discover that the job is filled or
that it is one of those jobs with no base pay but only a commission on the
sale of some useless knick-knack which nobody would buy, except out of pity.
Turning that down, he finds himself back on the street with nowhere to go
but just anywhere. So he walks and walks. He gazes into store windows at
luxuries which are not for him, and feels inferior and gives way to people
who stop to look with an active interest. He wanders into the railroad
station or puts himself down in the library to ease his legs and soak up a
little heat, but that isn't looking for a job, so he gets going again. He
may not know it, but his aimlessness would give him away even if the very
lines of his figure did not. He may be well dressed in the clothes left over
from the days when he had a steady job, but the clothes cannot disguise the
droop.
"MONEY
MAKES DIFFERENCE.
"He sees thousands of other
people, bookkeepers or clerks or chemists or wagon hands, busy at their work
and envies them from the bottom of his soul. They have their independence,
their self-respect and manhood, and he simply cannot convince himself that
he is a good man, too, though he argue it out and arrive at a favorable
verdict hour after hour.
"It is just money which makes this difference in him. With a little money he
would be himself again.
"Some employers take the most shocking advantage of people who are down and
out. The agencies hang out little colored cards offering miserable wages to
busted men—$ 12 a week, $15 a week. An $18 a week job is a plum, and anyone
with $25 a week to offer does not hang the job in front of an agency on a
colored card. I have a want ad clipped from a local paper demanding a clerk,
a good, clean penman, to take telephone orders for a sandwich shop from 11
A. M. to 2 P. M. for $8 a month— not $8 a week but $8 a month. The ad says
also, 'State religion. ' Can you imagine the brutal effrontery of anyone who
demands a good, clean penman for 11 cents an hour inquiring into the
victim's religion? But that is what busted people are offered."
THE FEAR
OF CRITICISM
Just how man originally came by
this fear, no one can state definitely, but one thing is certain— he has it
in a highly developed form. Some believe that this fear made its appearance
about the time that politics became a "profession." Others believe it can be
traced to the age when women first began to concern themselves with "styles"
in wearing apparel.
This author, being neither a humorist nor a prophet, is inclined to
attribute the basic fear of criticism to that part of man's inherited nature
which prompts him not only to take away his fellowman's goods and wares, but
to justify his action by CRITICISM of his fellowman's character. It is a
well known fact that a thief will criticise the man from whom he steals—that
politicians seek office, not by displaying their own virtues and
qualifications, but by attempting to besmirch their opponents.
The fear of criticism takes on many forms, the majority of which are petty
and trivial. Bald-headed men, for example, are bald for no other reason than
their fear of criticism. Heads become bald because of the tight fitting
bands of hats which cut off the circulation from the roots of the hair. Men
wear hats, not because they actually need them, but mainly because "everyone
is doing it." The individual falls into line and does likewise, lest some
other individual CRITICISE him. Women seldom have bald heads, or even thin
hair, because they wear hats which fit their heads loosely, the only purpose
of the hats being adornment.
But, it must not be supposed that women are free from the fear of criticism.
If any woman claims to be superior to man with reference to this fear, ask
her to walk down the street wearing a hat of the vintage of 1890.
The astute manufacturers of clothing have not been slow to capitalize this
basic fear of criticism, with which all mankind has been cursed. Every
season the styles in many articles of wearing apparel change. Who
establishes the styles? Certainly not the purchaser of clothing, but the
manufacturer. Why does he change the styles so often? The answer is obvious.
He changes the styles so he can sell more clothes.
For the same reason the manufacturers of automobiles (with a few rare and
very sensible exceptions) change styles of models every season. No man wants
to drive an automobile which is not of the latest style, although the older
model may actually be the better car.
We have been describing the manner in which people behave under the
influence of fear of criticism as applied to the small and petty things of
life. Let us now examine human behavior when this fear affects people in
connection with the more important events of human relationship. Take for
example practically any person who has reached the age of "mental maturity"
(from 35 to 40 years of age, as a general average), and if you could read
the secret thoughts of his mind, you would find a very decided disbelief in
most of the fables taught by the majority of the dogmatists and theologians
a few decades back.
Not often, however, will you find a person who has the courage to openly
state his belief on this subject. Most people will, if pressed far enough,
tell a lie rather than admit that they do not believe the stories associated
with that form of religion which held people in bondage prior to the age of
scientific discovery and education.
Why does the average person, even in this day of enlightenment, shy away
from denying his belief in the fables which were the basis of most of the
religions a few decades ago? The answer is, "because of the fear of
criticism." Men and women have been burned at the stake for daring to
express disbelief in ghosts. It is no wonder we have inherited a
consciousness which makes us fear criticism. The time was, and not so far in
the past, when criticism carried severe punishments—it still does in some
countries.
The fear of criticism robs man of his initiative, destroys his power of
imagination, limits his individuality, takes away his self-reliance, and
does him damage in a hundred other ways. Parents often do their children
irreparable injury by criticising them. The mother of one of my boyhood
chums used to punish him with a switch almost daily, always completing the
job with the statement, "You'll land in the penitentiary before you are
twenty." He was sent to a Reformatory at the age of seventeen.
Criticism is the one form of service, of which everyone has too much.
Everyone has a stock of it which is handed out, gratis, whether called for
or not. One's nearest relatives often are the worst offenders. It should be
recognized as a crime (in reality it is a crime of the worst nature), for
any parent to build inferiority complexes in the mind of a child, through
unnecessary criticism. Employers who understand human nature, get the best
there is in men, not by criticism, but by constructive suggestion. Parents
may accomplish the same results with their children. Criticism will plant
FEAR in the human heart, or resentment, but it will not build love or
affection.
SYMPTOMS
OF THE FEAR OF CRITICISM
This fear is almost as universal
as the fear of poverty, and its effects are just as fatal to personal
achievement, mainly because this fear destroys initiative, and discourages
the use of imagination. The major symptoms of the fear are:
SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. Generally expressed through nervousness, timidity in
conversation and in meeting strangers, awkward movement of the hands and
limbs, shifting of the eyes.
LACK OF POISE. Expressed through lack of voice control, nervousness in the
presence of others, poor posture of body, poor memory.
PERSONALITY. Lacking in firmness of decision, personal charm, and ability to
express opinions definitely. The habit of side-stepping issues instead of
meeting them squarely. Agreeing with others without careful examination of
their opinions.
INFERIORITY COMPLEX. The habit of expressing self-approval by word of mouth
and by actions, as a means of covering up a feeling of inferiority. Using
"big words" to impress others, (often without knowing the real meaning of
the words). Imitating others in dress, speech and manners. Boasting of
imaginary achievements. This sometimes gives a surface appearance of a
feeling of superiority.
EXTRAVAGANCE. The habit of trying to "keep up with the Joneses," spending
beyond one's income.
LACK OF INITIATIVE. Failure to embrace opportunities for self-advancement,
fear to express opinions, lack of confidence in one's own ideas, giving
evasive answers to questions asked by superiors, hesitancy of manner and
speech, deceit in both words and deeds.
LACK OF AMBITION. Mental and physical laziness, lack of self-assertion,
slowness in reaching decisions, easily influenced by others, the habit of
criticising others behind their backs and flattering them to their faces,
the habit of accepting defeat without protest, quitting an undertaking when
opposed by others, suspicious of other people without cause, lacking in
tactfulness of manner and speech, unwillingness to accept the blame for
mistakes.
THE FEAR
OF ILL HEALTH
This fear may be traced to both
physical and social heredity. It is closely associated, as to its origin,
with the causes of fear of Old Age and the fear of Death, because it leads
one closely to the border of "terrible worlds" of which man knows not, but
concerning which he has been taught some discomforting stories. The opinion
is somewhat general, also, that certain unethical people engaged in the
business of "selling health" have had not a little to do with keeping alive
the fear of ill health.
In the main, man fears ill health because of the terrible pictures which
have been planted in his mind of what may happen if death should overtake
him. He also fears it because of the economic toll which it may claim.
A reputable physician estimated that 75% of all people who visit physicians
for professional service are suffering with hypochondria (imaginary
illness). It has been shown most convincingly that the fear of disease, even
where there is not the slightest cause for fear, often produces the physical
symptoms of the disease feared.
Powerful and mighty is the human mind! It builds or it destroys.
Playing upon this common weakness of fear of ill health, dispensers of
patent medicines have reaped fortunes. This form of imposition upon
credulous humanity became so prevalent some twenty years ago that Colliers'
Weekly Magazine conducted a bitter campaign against some of the worst
offenders in the patent medicine business.
During the "flu" epidemic which broke out during the world war, the mayor of
New York City took drastic steps to check the damage which people were doing
themselves through their inherent fear of ill health. He called in the
newspaper men and said to them, "Gentlemen, I feel it necessary to ask you
not to publish any scare headlines concerning the 'flu' epidemic.
Unless you cooperate with me, we will have a situation which we cannot
control." The newspapers quit publishing stories about the "flu," and within
one month the epidemic had been successfully checked.
Through a series of experiments conducted some years ago, it was proved that
people may be made ill by suggestion. We conducted this experiment by
causing three acquaintances to visit the "victims," each of whom asked the
question, "What ails you? You look terribly ill." The first questioner
usually provoked a grin, and a nonchalant "Oh, nothing, I'm alright," from
the victim. The second questioner usually was answered with the statement,
"I don't know exactly, but I do feel badly." The third questioner was
usually met with the frank admission that the victim was actually feeling
ill.
Try this on an acquaintance if you doubt that it will make him
uncomfortable, but do not carry the experiment too far. There is a certain
religious sect whose members take vengeance upon their enemies by the
"hexing" method. They call it "placing a spell" on the victim.
There is overwhelming evidence that disease sometimes begins in the form of
negative thought impulse. Such an impulse may be passed from one mind to
another, by suggestion, or created by an individual in his own mind.
A man who was blessed with more wisdom than this incident might indicate,
once said "When anyone asks me how I feel, I always want to answer by
knocking him down."
Doctors send patients into new climates for their health, because a change
of "mental attitude" is necessary. The seed of fear of ill health lives in
every human mind. Worry, fear, discouragement, disappointment in love and
business affairs, cause this seed to germinate and grow. The recent business
depression kept the doctors on the run, because every form of negative
thinking may cause ill health.
Disappointments in business and in love stand at the head of the list of
causes of fear of ill health. A young man suffered a disappointment in love
which sent him to a hospital. For months he hovered between life and death.
A specialist in suggestive therapeutics was called in. The specialist
changed nurses, placing him in charge of a very charming young woman
who began (by pre-arrangement with the doctor) to make love to him the first
day of her arrival on the job. Within three weeks the patient was discharged
from the hospital, still suffering, but with an entirely different malady.
HE WAS IN LOVE AGAIN. The remedy was a hoax, but the patient and the nurse
were later married. Both are in good health at the time of this writing.
SYMPTOMS
OF THE FEAR OF ILL HEALTH
The symptoms of this almost
universal fear are:
AUTO-SUGGESTION. The habit of negative use of self-suggestion by looking
for, and expecting to find the symptoms of all kinds of disease. "Enjoying"
imaginary illness and speaking of it as being real. The habit of trying all
"fads" and "isms" recommended by others as having therapeutic value. Talking
to others of operations, accidents and other forms of illness. Experimenting
with diets, physical exercises, reducing systems, without professional
guidance. Trying home remedies, patent medicines and "quack" remedies.
HYPOCHONDRIA. The habit of talking of illness, concentrating the mind upon
disease, and expecting its appearance until a nervous break occurs. Nothing
that comes in bottles can cure this condition. It is brought on by negative
thinking and nothing but positive thought can affect a cure. Hypochondria,
(a medical term for imaginary disease) is said to do as much damage on
occasion, as the disease one fears might do. Most so-called cases of
"nerves" come from imaginary illness.
EXERCISE. Fear of ill health often interferes with proper physical exercise,
and results in over-weight, by causing one to avoid outdoor life.
SUSCEPTIBILITY. Fear of ill health breaks down Nature's body resistance, and
creates a favorable condition for any form of disease one may contact.
The fear of ill health often is related to the fear of Poverty, especially
in the case of the hypochondriac, who constantly worries about the
possibility of having to pay doctor's bills, hospital bills, etc. This type
of person spends much time preparing for sickness, talking about death,
saving money for cemetery lots, and burial expenses, etc.
SELF-CODDLING. The habit of making a bid for sympathy, using imaginary
illness as the lure. (People often resort to this trick to avoid work). The
habit of feigning illness to cover plain laziness, or to serve as an alibi
for lack of ambition.
INTEMPERANCE. The habit of using alcohol or narcotics to destroy pains such
as headaches, neuralgia, etc., instead of eliminating the cause.
The habit of reading about illness and worrying over the possibility of
being stricken by it. The habit of reading patent medicine advertisements.
THE FEAR
OF LOSS OF LOVE
The original source of this
inherent fear needs but little description, because it obviously grew out of
man's polygamous habit of stealing his fellow-man's mate, and his habit of
taking liberties with her whenever he could.
Jealousy, and other similar forms of dementia praecox grow out of man's
inherited fear of the loss of love of someone. This fear is the most painful
of all the six basic fears. It probably plays more havoc with the body and
mind than any of the other basic fears, as it often leads to permanent
insanity.
The fear of the loss of love probably dates back to the stone age, when men
stole women by brute force. They continue to steal females, but their
technique has changed. Instead of force, they now use persuasion, the
promise of pretty clothes, motor cars, and other "bait" much more effective
than physical force. Man's habits are the same as they were at the dawn of
civilization, but he expresses them differently.
Careful analysis has shown that women are more susceptible to this fear than
men. This fact is easily explained. Women have learned, from experience,
that men are polygamous by nature, that they are not to be trusted in the
hands of rivals.
SYMPTOMS
OF THE FEAR OF LOSS OF LOVE
The distinguishing symptoms of
this fear are:—
JEALOUSY. The habit of being suspicious of friends and loved ones without
any reasonable evidence of sufficient grounds. (Jealousy is a form of
dementia praecox which sometimes becomes violent without the slightest
cause). The habit of accusing wife or husband of infidelity without grounds.
General suspicion of everyone, absolute faith in no one.
FAULT FINDING. The habit of finding fault with friends, relatives, business
associates and loved ones upon the slightest provocation, or without any
cause whatsoever.
GAMBLING. The habit of gambling, stealing, cheating, and otherwise taking
hazardous chances to provide money for loved ones, with the belief that love
can be bought. The habit of spending beyond one's means, or incurring debts,
to provide gifts for loved ones, with the object of making a favorable
showing. Insomnia, nervousness, lack of persistence, weakness of will, lack
of self-control, lack of self-reliance, bad temper.
THE FEAR
OF OLD AGE
In the main, this fear grows out
of two sources. First, the thought that old age may bring with it POVERTY.
Secondly, and by far the most common source of origin, from false and cruel
teachings of the past which have been too well mixed with "fire and
brimstone," and other bogies cunningly designed to enslave man through fear.
In the basic fear of old age, man has two very sound reasons for his
apprehension— one growing out of his distrust of his fellowman, who may
seize whatever worldly goods he may possess, and the other arising from the
terrible pictures of the world beyond, which were planted in his mind,
through social heredity before he came into full possession of his mind.
The possibility of ill health, which is more common as people grow older, is
also a contributing cause of this common fear of old age. Eroticism also
enters into the cause of the fear of old age, as no man cherishes the
thought of diminishing sex attraction.
The most common cause of fear of old age is associated with the possibility
of poverty. "Poorhouse" is not a pretty word. It throws a chill into the
mind of every person who faces the possibility of having to spend his
declining years on a poor farm.
Another contributing cause of the fear of old age, is the possibility of
loss of freedom and independence, as old age may bring with it the loss of
both physical and economic freedom.
SYMPTOMS
OF THE FEAR OF OLD AGE
The commonest symptoms of this
fear are:
The tendency to slow down and develop an inferiority complex at the age of
mental maturity, around the age of forty, falsely believing one's self to be
"slipping" because of age. (The truth is that man's most useful years,
mentally and spiritually, are those between forty and sixty).
The habit of speaking apologetically of one's self as "being old" merely
because one has reached the age of forty, or fifty, instead of reversing the
rule and expressing gratitude for having reached the age of wisdom and
understanding.
The habit of killing off initiative, imagination, and self-reliance by
falsely believing one's self too old to exercise these qualities. The habit
of the man or woman of forty dressing with the aim of trying to appear much
younger, and affecting mannerisms of youth; thereby inspiring ridicule by
both friends and strangers.
THE FEAR
OF DEATH
To some this is the cruelest of
all the basic fears. The reason is obvious. The terrible pangs of fear
associated with the thought of death, in the majority of cases, may be
charged directly to religious fanaticism. So-called "heathen" are less
afraid of death than the more "civilized." For hundreds of millions of years
man has been asking the still unanswered questions, "whence" and "whither."
Where did I come from, and where am I going?
During the darker ages of the past, the more cunning and crafty were not
slow to offer the answer to these questions, FOR A PRICE. Witness, now, the
major source of origin of the FEAR OF DEATH.
"Come into my tent, embrace my faith, accept my dogmas, and I will give you
a ticket that will admit you straightaway into heaven when you die," cries a
leader of sectarianism. "Remain out of my tent," says the same leader, "and
may the devil take you and burn you throughout eternity."
ETERNITY is a long time. FIRE is a terrible thing. The thought of eternal
punishment, with fire, not only causes man to fear death, it often causes
him to lose his reason. It destroys interest in life and makes happiness
impossible.
During my research, I reviewed a book entitled "A Catalogue of the Gods," in
which were listed the 30,000 gods which man has worshiped. Think of it!
Thirty thousand of them, represented by everything from a crawfish to a man.
It is little wonder that men have become frightened at the approach of
death.
While the religious leader may not be able to provide safe conduct into
heaven, nor, by lack of such provision, allow the unfortunate to descend
into hell, the possibility of the latter seems so terrible that the very
thought of it lays hold of the imagination in such a realistic way that it
paralyzes reason, and sets up the fear of death.
In truth, NO MAN KNOWS, and no man has ever known, what heaven or hell is
like, nor does any man know if either place actually exists. This very lack
of positive knowledge opens the door of the human mind to the charlatan so
he may enter and control that mind with his stock of legerdemain and various
brands of pious fraud and trickery.
The fear of DEATH is not as common now as it was during the age when there
were no great colleges and universities. Men of science have turned the
spotlight of truth upon the world, and this truth is rapidly freeing men and
women from this terrible fear of DEATH. The young men and young women who
attend the colleges and universities are not easily impressed by "fire" and
"brimstone." Through the aid of biology, astronomy, geology, and other
related sciences, the fears of the dark ages which gripped the minds of men
and destroyed their reason have been dispelled.
Insane asylums are filled with men and women who have gone mad, because of
the FEAR OF DEATH.
This fear is useless. Death will come, no matter what anyone may think about
it. Accept it as a necessity, and pass the thought out of your mind. It must
be a, necessity, or it would not come to all. Perhaps it is not as bad as it
has been pictured.
The entire world is made up of only two things, ENERGY and MATTER. In
elementary physics we learn that neither matter nor energy (the only two
realities known to man) can be created nor destroyed. Both matter and energy
can be transformed, but neither can be destroyed.
Life is energy, if it is anything. If neither energy nor matter can be
destroyed, of course life cannot be destroyed. Life, like other forms of
energy, may be passed through various processes of transition, or change,
but it cannot be destroyed. Death is mere transition.
If death is not mere change, or transition, then nothing comes after death
except a long, eternal, peaceful sleep, and sleep is nothing to be feared.
Thus you may wipe out, forever, the fear of Death.
SYMPTOMS
OF THE FEAR OF DEATH
The general symptoms of this fear
are:—
The habit of THINKING about dying instead of making the most of LIFE, due,
generally, to lack of purpose, or lack of a suitable occupation. This fear
is more prevalent among the aged, but sometimes the more youthful are
victims of it. The greatest of all remedies for the fear of death is a
BURNING DESIRE FOR ACHIEVEMENT, backed by useful service to others. A busy
person seldom has time to think about dying. He finds life too thrilling to
worry about death. Sometimes the fear of death is closely associated with
the Fear of Poverty, where one's death would leave loved ones
poverty-stricken. In other cases, the fear of death is caused by illness and
the consequent breaking down of physical body resistance. The commonest
causes of the fear of death are: ill-health, poverty, lack of appropriate
occupation, disappointment over love, insanity, religious fanaticism.
OLD MAN
WORRY
Worry is a state of mind based
upon fear. It works slowly, but persistently. It is insiduous and subtle.
Step by step it "digs itself in" until it paralyzes one's reasoning faculty,
destroys self-confidence and initiative. Worry is a form of sustained fear
caused by indecision therefore it is a state of mind which can be
controlled.
An unsettled mind is helpless. Indecision makes an unsettled mind. Most
individuals lack the willpower to reach decisions promptly, and to stand by
them after they have been made, even during normal business conditions.
During periods of economic unrest (such as the world recently experienced),
the individual is handicapped, not alone by his inherent nature to be slow
at reaching decisions, but he is influenced by the indecision of others
around him who have created a state of "mass indecision."
During the depression the whole atmosphere, all over the world, was filled
with "Fearenza" and "Worryitis," the two mental disease germs which began to
spread themselves after the Wall Street frenzy in 1929. There is only one
known antidote for these germs; it is the habit of prompt and firm DECISION.
Moreover, it is an antidote which every individual must apply for himself.
We do not worry over conditions, once we have reached a decision to follow a
definite line of action.
I once interviewed a man who was to be electrocuted two hours later. The
condemned man was the calmest of some eight men who were in the death-cell
with him. His calmness prompted me to ask him how it felt to know that he
was going into eternity in a short while. With a smile of confidence on his
face, he said, "It feels fine. Just think, brother, my troubles will soon be
over. I have had nothing but trouble all my life. It has been a hardship to
get food and clothing. Soon I will not need these things. I have felt fine
ever since I learned FOR CERTAIN that I must die. I made up my mind then, to
accept my fate in good spirit."
As he spoke he devoured a dinner of proportions sufficient for three men,
eating every mouthful of the food brought to him, and apparently enjoying it
as much as if no disaster awaited him. DECISION gave this man resignation to
his fate! Decision can also prevent one's acceptance of undesired
circumstances.
The six basic fears become translated into a state of worry, through
indecision. Relieve yourself, forever of the fear of death, by reaching a
decision to accept death as an inescapable event. Whip the fear of poverty
by reaching a decision to get along with whatever wealth you can accumulate
WITHOUT WORRY. Put your foot upon the neck of the fear of criticism by
reaching a decision NOT TO WORRY about what other people think, do, or say.
Eliminate the fear of old age by reaching a decision to accept it, not as a
handicap, but as a great blessing which carries with it wisdom,
self-control, and understanding not known to youth.
Acquit yourself of the fear of ill health by the decision to forget
symptoms. Master the fear of loss of love by reaching a decision to get
along without love, if that is necessary.
Kill the habit of worry, in all its forms, by reaching a general, blanket
decision that nothing which life has to offer is worth the price of worry.
With this decision will come poise, peace of mind, and calmness of thought
which will bring happiness.
A man whose mind is filled with fear not only destroys his own chances of
intelligent action, but, he transmits these destructive vibrations to the
minds of all who come into contact with him, and destroys, also their
chances.
Even a dog or a horse knows when its master lacks courage; moreover, a dog
or a horse will pick up the vibrations of fear thrown off by its master, and
behave accordingly. Lower down the line of intelligence in the animal
kingdom, one finds this same capacity to pick up the vibrations of fear. A
honey-bee immediately senses fear in the mind of a person—for reasons
unknown, a bee will sting the person whose mind is releasing vibrations of
fear, much more readily than it will molest the person whose mind registers
no fear.
The vibrations of fear pass from one mind to another just as quickly and as
surely as the sound of the human voice passes from the broadcasting station
to the receiving set of a radio—and BY THE SELF-SAME MEDIUM.
Mental telepathy is a reality. Thoughts pass from one mind to
another, voluntarily, whether or not this fact is recognized by either the
person releasing the thoughts, or the persons who pick up those thoughts.
The person who gives expression, by word of mouth, to negative or
destructive thoughts is practically certain to experience the results of
those words in the form of a destructive "kick-back." The release of
destructive thought impulses, alone, without the aid of words, produces also
a "kickback" in more ways than one. First of all, and perhaps most important
to be remembered, the person who releases thoughts of a destructive nature,
must suffer damage through the breaking down of the faculty of creative
imagination. Secondly, the presence in the mind of any destructive emotion
develops a negative personality which repels people, and often converts them
into antagonists. The third source of damage to the person who entertains or
releases negative thoughts, lies in this significant fact— these
thought-impulses are not only damaging to others, but they IMBED THEMSELVES
IN THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND OF THE PERSON RELEASING THEM, and there become a
part of his character.
One is never through with a thought, merely by releasing it. When a thought
is released, it spreads in every direction, through the medium of the ether,
but it also plants itself permanently in the subconscious mind of the
person releasing it.
Your business in life is, presumably to achieve success. To be successful,
you must find peace of mind, acquire the material needs of life, and above
all, attain HAPPINESS. All of these evidences of success begin in the form
of thought impulses.
You may control your own mind, you have the power to feed it whatever
thought impulses you choose. With this privilege goes also the
responsibility of using it constructively. You are the master of your own
earthly destiny just as surely as you have the power to control your own
thoughts. You may influence, direct, and eventually control your own
environment, making your life what you want it to be— or, you may neglect to
exercise the privilege which is yours, to make your life to order, thus
casting yourself upon the broad sea of "Circumstance" where you will be
tossed hither and yon, like a chip on the waves of the ocean.
THE
DEVIL'S WORKSHOP
THE SEVENTH BASIC EVIL
In addition to the Six Basic
Fears, there is another evil by which people suffer. It constitutes a rich
soil in which the seeds of failure grow abundantly. It is so subtle that its
presence often is not detected. This affliction cannot properly be classed
as a fear. IT IS MORE DEEPLY SEATED AND MORE OFTEN FATAL THAN ALL OF THE SIX
FEARS. For want of a better name, let us call this evil SUSCEPTIBILITY TO
NEGATIVE INFLUENCES.
Men who accumulate great riches always protect themselves against this evil!
The poverty stricken never do! Those who succeed in any calling must prepare
their minds to resist the evil. If you are reading this philosophy for the
purpose of accumulating riches, you should examine yourself very carefully,
to determine whether you are susceptible to negative influences. If you
neglect this self-analysis, you will forfeit your right to attain the object
of your desires.
Make the analysis searching. After you read the questions prepared for this
self-analysis, hold yourself to a strict accounting in your answers. Go at
the task as carefully as you would search for any other enemy you knew to be
awaiting you in ambush and deal with your own faults as you would with a
more tangible enemy.
You can easily protect yourself against highway robbers, because the law
provides organized cooperation for your benefit, but the "seventh basic
evil" is more difficult to master, because it strikes when you are not aware
of its presence, when you are asleep, and while you are awake. Moreover, its
weapon is intangible, because it consists of merely— a STATE OF MIND. This
evil is also dangerous because it strikes in as many different forms as
there are human experiences. Sometimes it enters the mind through the
well-meant words of one's own relatives. At other times, it bores from
within, through one's own mental attitude. Always it is as deadly as poison,
even though it may not kill as quickly.
How TO
PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST NEGATIVE INFLUENCES
To protect yourself against
negative influences, whether of your own making, or the result of the
activities of negative people around you, recognize that you have a
WILL-POWER, and put it into constant use, until it builds a wall of immunity
against negative influences in your own mind.
Recognize the fact that you, and every other human being, are, by nature,
lazy, indifferent, and susceptible to all suggestions which harmonize with
your weaknesses.
Recognize that you are, by nature, susceptible to all the six basic fears,
and set up. habits for the purpose of counteracting all these fears.
Recognize that negative influences often work on you through your
subconscious mind, therefore they are difficult to detect, and keep your
mind closed against all people who depress or discourage you in any way.
Clean out your medicine chest, throw away all pill bottles, and stop
pandering to colds, aches, pains and imaginary illness.
Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to THINK AND ACT
FOR YOURSELF.
Do not EXPECT troubles as they have a tendency not to dissappoint.
Without doubt, the most common weakness of all human beings is the habit
of leaving their minds open to the negative influence of other people.
This weakness is all the more damaging, because most people do not recognize
that they are cursed by it, and many who acknowledge it, neglect or refuse
to correct the evil until it becomes an uncontrollable part of their daily
habits.
To aid those who wish to see themselves as they really are, the following
list of questions has been prepared. Read the questions and state your
answers aloud, so you can hear your own voice. This will make it easier for
you to be truthful with yourself.
SELF-ANALYSIS TEST
QUESTIONS
Do you complain often of "feeling
bad," and if so, what is the cause?
Do you find fault with other people at the slightest provocation?
Do you frequently make mistakes in your work, and if so, why?
Are you sarcastic and offensive in your conversation?
Do you deliberately avoid the association of anyone, and if so, why?
Do you suffer frequently with indigestion? If so, what is the cause?
Does life seem futile and the future hopeless to you? If so, why?
Do you like your occupation? If not, why?
Do you often feel self-pity, and if so why?
Are you envious of those who excel you?
To which do you devote most time, thinking of SUCCESS, or of FAILURE?
Are you gaining or losing self-confidence as you grow older?
Do you learn something of value from all mistakes?
Are you permitting some relative or acquaintance to worry you? If so, why?
Are you sometimes "in the clouds" and at other times in the depths of
despondency?
Who has the most inspiring influence upon you? What is the cause?
Do you tolerate negative or discouraging influences which you can avoid?
Are you careless of your personal appearance? If so, when and why?
Have you learned how to "drown your troubles" by being too busy to be
annoyed by them?
Would you call yourself a "spineless weakling" if you permitted others to do
your thinking for you?
Do you neglect internal bathing until auto-intoxication makes you
ill-tempered and irritable?
How many preventable disturbances annoy you, and why do you tolerate them?
Do you resort to liquor, narcotics, or cigarettes to "quiet your nerves"? If
so, why do you not try will-power instead?
Does anyone "nag" you, and if so, for what reason?
Do you have a DEFINITE MAJOR PURPOSE, and if so, what is it, and what plan
have you for achieving it?
Do you suffer from any of the Six Basic Fears? If so, which ones?
Have you a method by which you can shield yourself against the negative
influence of others?
Do you make deliberate use of auto-suggestion to make your mind positive?
Which do you value most, your material possessions, or your privilege of
controlling your own thoughts?
Are you easily influenced by others, against your own judgment?
Has today added anything of value to your stock of knowledge or state of
mind?
Do you face squarely the circumstances which make you unhappy, or sidestep
the responsibility?
Do you analyze all mistakes and failures and try to profit by them or, do
you take the attitude that this is not your duty?
Can you name three of your most damaging weaknesses? What are you doing to
correct them?
Do you encourage other people to bring their worries to you for sympathy?
Do you choose, from your daily experiences, lessons or influences which aid
in your personal advancement?
Does your presence have a negative influence on other people as a rule?
What habits of other people annoy you most?
Do you form your own opinions or permit yourself to be influenced by other
people?
Have you learned how to create a mental state of mind with which you can
shield yourself against all discouraging influences?
Does your occupation inspire you with faith and hope?
Are you conscious of possessing spiritual forces of sufficient power to
enable you to keep your mind free from all forms of FEAR?
Does your religion help you to keep your own mind positive?
Do you feel it your duty to share other people's worries? If so, why?
If you believe that "birds of a feather flock together" what have you
learned about yourself by studying the friends whom you attract?
What connection, if any, do you see between the people with whom you
associate most closely, and any unhappiness you may experience?
Could it be possible that some person whom you consider to be a friend is,
in reality, your worst enemy, because of his negative influence on your
mind?
By what rules do you judge who is helpful and who is damaging to you?
Are your intimate associates mentally superior or inferior to you?
How much time out of every 24 hours do you devote to:
a. your occupation
b. sleep
c. play and relaxation
d. acquiring useful knowledge e. plain waste
Who among your acquaintances,
a. encourages you most
b. cautions you most
c. discourages you most
d. helps you most in other ways
What is your greatest worry? Why do you tolerate it?
When others offer you free, unsolicited advice, do you accept it without
question, or analyze their motive?
What, above all else, do you most DESIRE? Do you intend to acquire it? Are
you willing to subordinate all other desires for this one? How much time
daily do you devote to acquiring it?
Do you change your mind often? If so, why?
Do you usually finish everything you begin?
Are you easily impressed by other people's business or professional titles,
college degrees, or wealth?
Are you easily influenced by what other people think or say of you?
Do you cater to people because of their social or financial status?
Whom do you believe to be the greatest person living?
In what respect is this person superior to yourself?
How much time have you devoted to studying and answering these questions?
(At least one day is necessary for the analysis and the answering of the
entire list.)
If you have answered all these questions truthfully, you know more about
yourself than the majority of people. Study the questions carefully, come
back to them once each week for several months, and be astounded at the
amount of additional knowledge of great value to yourself, you will have
gained by the simple method of answering the questions truthfully. If you
are not certain concerning the answers to some of the questions, seek the
counsel of those who know you well, especially those who have no motive in
flattering you, and see yourself through their eyes. The experience will be
astonishing.
You have ABSOLUTE CONTROL over but one thing, and that is your thoughts.
This is the most significant and inspiring of all facts known to man! It
reflects man's Divine nature. This Divine prerogative is the sole means by
which you may control your own destiny. If you fail to control your own
mind, you may be sure you will control nothing else.
If you must be careless with your possessions, let it be in connection with
material things. Your mind is your spiritual estate! Protect and use
it with the care to which Divine Royalty is entitled. You were given a
WILL-POWER for this purpose.
Unfortunately, there is no legal protection against those who, either by
design or ignorance, poison the minds of others by negative suggestion. This
form of destruction should be punishable by heavy legal penalties, because
it may and often does destroy one's chances of acquiring material things
which are protected by law.
Men with negative minds tried to convince Thomas A. Edison that he could not
build a machine that would record and reproduce the human voice, "because"
they said, "no one else had ever produced such a machine." Edison did not
believe them. He knew that the mind could produce ANYTHING THE MIND COULD
CONCEIVE AND BELIEVE, and that knowledge was the thing that lifted the great
Edison above the common herd.
Men with negative minds told F. W. Woolworth, he would go "broke" trying to
run a store on five and ten cent sales. He did not believe them. He knew
that he could do anything, within reason, if he backed his plans with faith.
Exercising his right to keep other men's negative suggestions out of his
mind, he piled up a fortune of more than a hundred million dollars.
Men with negative minds told George Washington he could not hope to win
against the vastly superior forces of the British, but he exercised his
Divine right to BELIEVE, therefore this book was published under the
protection of the Stars and Stripes, while the name of Lord Cornwallis has
been all but forgotten.
Doubting Thomases scoffed scornfully when Henry Ford tried out his first
crudely built automobile on the streets of Detroit. Some said the thing
never would become practical. Others said no one would pay money for such a
contraption.
FORD SAID, "I'LL BELT THE EARTH WITH DEPENDABLE MOTOR CARS," AND HE DID!
His decision to trust his own judgment has already piled up a fortune far
greater than the next five generations of his descendents can squander. For
the benefit of those seeking vast riches, let it be remembered that
practically the sole difference between Henry Ford and a majority of the
more than one hundred thousand men who work for him, is this—FORD HAS A MIND
AND CONTROLS IT, THE OTHERS HAVE MINDS WHICH THEY DO NOT TRY TO CONTROL.
Henry Ford has been repeatedly mentioned, because he is an astounding
example of what a man with a mind of his own, and a will to control it, can
accomplish. His record knocks the foundation from under that time-worn
alibi, "I never had a chance." Ford never had a chance, either, but he
CREATED AN OPPORTUNITY AND BACKED IT WITH PERSISTENCE UNTIL IT MADE HIM
RICHER THAN CROESUS.
Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either control
your mind or it controls you. There is no hall-way compromise. The most
practical of all methods for controlling the mind is the habit of keeping it
busy with a definite purpose, backed by a definite plan. Study the record of
any man who achieves noteworthy success, and you will observe that he has
control over his own mind, moreover, that he exercises that control and
directs it toward the attainment of definite objectives. Without this
control, success is not possible.
"FIFTY-SEVEN" FAMOUS ALIBIS
By Old Man IF
People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in common. They know
all the reasons for failure, and have what they believe to be
air-tight alibis to explain away their own lack of achievement.
Some of these alibis are clever, and a few of them are justifiable by the
facts. But alibis cannot be used for money. The world wants to know only one
thing—HAVE YOU ACHIEVED SUCCESS?
A character analyst compiled a list of the most commonly used alibis. As you
read the list, examine yourself carefully, and determine how many of these
alibis, if any, are your own property. Remember, too, the philosophy
presented in this book makes every one of these alibis obsolete.
IF I didn't have a wife and family . . .
IF I had enough "pull" . . .
IF I had money . . .
IF I had a good education . . .
IF I could get a job . . .
IF I had good health . . .
IF I only had time . . .
IF times were better . . .
IF other people understood me . . .
IF conditions around me were only different . . .
IF I could live my life over again . . .
IF I did not fear what "THEY" would say . . .
IF I had been given a chance . . .
IF I now had a chance . . .
IF other people didn't "have it in for me" . . .
IF nothing happens to stop me . . .
IF I were only younger . . .
IF I could only do what I want . . .
IF I had been born rich . . .
IF I could meet "the right people" . . .
IF I had the talent that some people have . . .
IF I dared assert myself . . .
IF I only had embraced past opportunities . . .
IF people didn't get on my nerves . . .
IF I didn't have to keep house and look after the children . . .
IF I could save some money . . .
IF the boss only appreciated me . . .
IF I only had somebody to help me . . .
IF my family understood me . . .
IF I lived in a big city . . .
IF I could just get started . . .
IF I were only free . . .
IF I had the personality of some people . . .
IF I were not so fat . . .
IF my talents were known . . .
IF I could just get a "break" . . .
IF I could only get out of debt . . .
IF I hadn't failed . . .
IF I only knew how . . .
IF everybody didn't oppose me . . .
IF I didn't have so many worries . . .
IF I could marry the right person . . .
IF people weren't so dumb . . .
IF my family were not so extravagant . . .
IF I were sure of myself . . .
IF luck were not against me . . .
IF I had not been born under the wrong star . . .
IF it were not true that "what is to be will be" . . .
IF I did not have to work so hard . . .
IF I hadn't lost my money . . .
IF I lived in a different neighborhood . . .
IF I didn't have a "past" . . .
IF I only had a business of my own . . .
IF other people would only listen to me . . .
IF * * * and this is the greatest of them all * * * I had the courage to see
myself as I really am, I would find out what is wrong with me, and
correct it, then I might have a chance to profit by my mistakes and
learn something from the experience of others, for I know that there is
something WRONG with me, or I would now be where I WOULD HAVE BEEN IF
I had spent more time analyzing my weaknesses, and less time building alibis
to cover them.
Building alibis with which to explain away failure is a national pastime.
The habit is as old as the human race, and is fatal to success! Why do
people cling to their pet alibis? The answer is obvious. They defend their
alibis because THEY CREATE them! A man's alibi is the child of his own
imagination. It is human nature to defend one's own brain-child.
Building alibis is a deeply rooted habit. Habits are difficult to break,
especially when they provide justification for something we do. Plato had
this truth in mind when he said, "The first and best victory is to conquer
self. To be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful and
vile."
Another philosopher had the same thought in mind when he said, "It was a
great surprise to me when I discovered that most of the ugliness I saw in
others, was but a reflection of my own nature." "It has always been a
mystery to me," said Elbert Hubbard, "why people spend so much time
deliberately fooling themselves by creating alibis to cover their
weaknesses. If used differently, this same time would be sufficient to cure
the weakness, then no alibis would be needed.
"In parting, I would remind you that "Life is a checkerboard, and the player
opposite you is TIME. If you hesitate before moving, or neglect to move
promptly, your men will be wiped off the board by TIME. You are playing
against a partner who will not tolerate INDECISION!"
Previously you may have had a logical excuse for not having forced Life to
come through with whatever you asked, but that alibi is now obsolete,
because you are in possession of the Master Key that unlocks the door to
Life's bountiful riches.
The Master Key is intangible, but it is powerful! It is the privilege of
creating, in your own mind, a BURNING DESIRE for a definite form of
riches. There is no penalty for the use of the Key, but there is a price you
must pay if you do not use it. The price is FAILURE. There is a reward of
stupendous proportions if you put the Key to use. It is the satisfaction
that comes to all who conquer self and force Life to pay whatever is
asked.
The reward is worthy of your effort. Will you make the start and be
convinced?
"If we are related," said the immortal Emerson, "we shall meet." In closing,
may I borrow his thought, and say, "If we are related, we have, through
these pages, met."
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