All people must classify themselves either as masters or servants. They must have sufficient courage and self-reliance to start a business of their own, employing others to carry out their ideas, or else they must work for someone who has.
It is, therefore, largely a matter of individual decision whether one will serve or be served; since if a certain amount of force be wisely guided results must be produced in conformity to the volumes of power employed, lessened only by the mistakes made through lack of wisdom. As both qualities can be added to one, it rests entirely with you what position in life you will occupy.
It is self-evident that no man by bodily effort alone can accomplish great results. The volume of returns must be of necessity limited. If the effort be turned in the direction of laboring entirely for others with no mental assistance, the wage averages one dollar and seventy-five cents per day. If, however, the mind co-operates with the body and the laborer is a skilled carpenter, the wage rate is materially advanced; but if the carpenter contracts to erect buildings and employ men to assist him, the mind becomes the predominant factor and the bodily effort though still employed becomes of secondary importance, since he must furnish materials and give instructions to the other workmen before he can do any manual labor himself; and, as his business grows, he becomes so busy with the business details that the body is only used to carry the mind around to inspect the different buildings. Then the mind is dominant and the wage whatever he chooses to count his services worth, limited only by competition.
We do not, however, reach the pure attitude of mental attraction until we think of the wealthy banker who comes to the office in a carriage at eleven o'clock, sits in an easy chair until two, spending the balance of the day as his inclination directs; yet he gathers thousands of dollars while the others gather hundreds. Therefore one must have courage to contemplate the assumption of responsibilities if he would have wealth, must think of himself as relying entirely on his own ideas and his ability to push them to a successful conclusion. Snugly ensconcing one's self under the protecting wing of some corporation or stronger individual brings retrogression, and with very few exceptions the trials of life increase and the salary decreases with age. We know it may send an electric thrill of terror to your soul to contemplate yourself as being without a position and salary, but it is the making of you. We do not advise haste or immediately severing your present relations.
Commence by thinking of yourself as standing on your own feet, relying on yourself alone; this brings strength and allows the natural law of gravitation to operate and you will drift into the desired independence. If you do not want to put forth the necessary effort to undertake something alone, at least develop a frame of mind that will hold up and carry some one's business for which he will pay well. The principal reason why applicants for positions receive scant courtesy is because they bring a dependent frame of mind into the office. Let the manager feel, by feeling so yourself, that you can be leaned on instead of leaning on him, and see how quickly he will attach you to his business. The world is overrun with dependents, human hop toads and leeches, all intent on finding some one on whom to cling for support.
These things are but common sense, nothing startling or visionary about them.
Mental effort brings large returns. The development of mind gives a broader view to everything. Business is done on a large scale. The man who works at day labor ten hours daily, earning two dollars per day, is using physical effort. The broker or financier who stays in his place of business for four hours daily and puts forth no physical effort attains much greater results and uses mental effort. Let the laborer suppose himself to be occupying the position of the financier and there arises at once a desire in his mind to fill that place.
That is aspiration, usually followed by the thought, "Oh, I cannot do it," showing a want of self-confidence and courage. There is where the mental attitude comes in. You must build yourself into a condition where you can feel "I can and will do it," and then have no exhilaration, no excitement, the precise condition that you would have if you said, "I can earn $2.00 per day laboring."
Now the projection of thought brings returns consistent with its character. The strong, courageous, active thought brings health and wealth, but that thought cannot be allowed to "die a-borning" or there will be no returns. The laborer would earn nothing unless he put forth effort. Neither will the mentalist, unless the thought is vigorously projected into the world, and that constant unwavering condition of hopeful, determined expectation, a natural condition brought about by autosuggestion, will carry one into larger lines of effort.
Now every time you think "I am tired of this condition and do not purpose living in it; I shall better it," you are making a suggestion to yourself. Constantly repeating this class of thought will make you over until you will eventually send forth a constant stream of forceful enthusiasm. Your face will brighten; your step become elastic, vigorous and hopeful; the entire character become changed into a man of action, mental not physical. Plans for pushing your business will suggest themselves and life will take on a new aspect. Repeating the words courage and confidence will make you able and willing to undertake things which before appalled you.
Again referring to the different results obtained by bodily efforts and mind's attractive powers, there was a splendid illustration in the cases of two Iowa farmers who came under my observation. The one started in life with seventy dollars, the gift of his father. What can one do with seventy dollars? Why, bank it and go to work for some one. That was the decision his mind brought him. Its condition produced that thought, chemicalization. So he found employment, and, being vigorous, active and ambitious, received his board and twenty-two dollars per month, which he carefully hoarded. After some eight years of worse than slavery he saved enough to start himself as an independent farmer on a rented farm, and at last owned the farm.
His was entirely a case of striving after results through bodily efforts and he was successful, but others got the best years of his life at a nominal wage. He failed in his duty to himself, was unjust to himself, gave his force away, made money for others. He had no right to so misuse his energy; it was a God-given force to provide for his dependent ones. We are very apt to howl down the wealthy man as an autocrat and censure him for his success, but if we must blame anyone we should rather condemn the men who work for him, giving him part of their earnings when they should have all.
But, you say, some can do better by working for others than they can for themselves. I doubt it, or, if they can, the fault lies in their lack of wisdom to plan, courage and self-reliance to carry out. John G. Saxe wrote: -
Fools will be fools as certain as fate,
Men of wisdom, make them your tools;
That, only that, is the use of fools."
It contains a large element of truth, yet their foolishness scarcely exceeds our own, since we give our assistance and sympathy to their cowardly whines of poverty, hard luck, etc. Let them devote as much strength to some work, any work, as they do to getting sympathy and help and they would be able to care for themselves.
My hand is always in my pocket dragging out the dollars for some imbecile who is too cowardly craven to face the world standing on his own feet; and, if one spends time explaining these things to him, he whines, "I can't." Oh, yes, I'm a good fellow all right, and, as a result, am the vat into which hundreds dump their woes. I return thanks daily. That, when in the past I have tried the dumping process, some stony-hearted old businessman has figuratively kicked me out and on to my feet. It is making a man of me. Going up against the real thing is a developer all right (slang is so expressive). Oh, if you must come, tell your woes, get advice and go away with the expression, "I feel so much better after talking to you; my burdens are lighter," why come along, we will brace you up.
But let us go back and finish the history of our farmers.
The second man in mind had thirty dollars as his portion. He bought a team of poor old horses, paying a part thereon, and pre-empted some land. He raised his own crop, and in ten years was worth fifty thousand dollars -more than enough. It never occurred to him to go to work for another. His mind was incapable of receiving that class of thought. He relied on himself and asked no favors. Both were equally successful, having accomplished their object, yet what a trifle the one had as compared to the other.
Now this talk about it being the fate of the one to have to struggle, etc., is all rot. The fate lies in one's own mind. We personally know that the mental faculties can be developed until one sees everything from a different viewpoint. Things look different. Success looks easy instead of that impossible thing we have heretofore longed for. Start the suggestions.
Things on which we depend seldom meet out expectations. Success comes quietly, gently.
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