THE SECRET OF SUCCESS, William Walter Atkinson [best management books of all time txt] 📗

/> Individuality manifests itself upon the outside world.
Desire is the great motive power inciting the Will to action in life. As we have
shown you the action of Will without the motive power of Desire is unthinkable,
and therefore it follows that the culture and right direction of Desire carries with
it the channel of expression and manifestation of the Will. You cultivate certain
Desires, in order that the Will may flow out along these channels. By cultivating
the Desire along certain lines, you are making channels along which the Will may
flow in its rush toward expression and manifestation. So be sure to map out your
Desire channels clearly by making the proper Mental Images of what you want –
be sure and make the Desire channels deep and clear-cut by the force of repeated
attention and autosuggestion.
History is filled with examples of men who have developed the use of the Will.
We say "developed the use" rather than "developed Will," for man does not
develop his Will – his Will is always there ready for use – a man develops his
ability to use the Will – perfects himself in its use. We have frequently used the
following illustration, and have not been able to improve upon it: Man is like a
trolley car, with the upraised trolley-pole of his mind reaching out to the live wire
of Will. Along that wire is flowing the current of Will Power, which it "taps" and
draws down into his mind, and by which he is able to move, and act and manifest
power. But the power is always in the Wire, and his "developing" consists in the
ability to raise the pole to the Wire, and thus "tap into" its energy. If you will
carry this idea in your mind, you will be able to apply this truth more easily in
your everyday life.
A great promoter of the steel-pen, and electroplating industries, possesses this
quality to a marked degree. It has been said of him that: "He had, to begin with, a
strong, powerful, almost irresistible Will; and whoever and whatever he opposed,
he surely conquered in the end." Buxton said: "The longer I live, the more certain
I am that the great difference between men, between the feeble and the powerful,
the great and the insignificant, is Energy – Invincible Determination – a purpose
once fixed, and the Victory or Death. That quality will do anything that can be
done in this world – and no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities, will
make a two-legged creature a man without it. In this last quotation and the one
preceding it, the idea of Persistence and Determination is identified closely with
that of Will. And they are closely identified, the idea being that the Will should be
15
held close, fast, and steadily against the task to be accomplished, just as the steel
chisel is held firmly up against the object on the lathe, until its work is
accomplished. It is not the mere Determination or Persistency that does the work
– these would be of no avail unless the Will were there to do the cutting and
shaping. But then again, there is a double-aspect of Will here – the Will in one
phase does the work, while in another it forces the mind to hold it up against the
task. So, in a sense the Will is the power back of Determination and persistency,
as well as the force doing the work – the cutting-edge of the chisel, as well as the
firm hand that holds it to its work.
Simpson has said: "A passionate Desire, and an unwearied Will can perform
impossibilities, or what would seem to be such, to the cold and feeble." Disraeli
said: "I have brought myself by long meditation to the conviction that a human
being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and that nothing can resist a
Will which will stake even existence upon its fulfillment." Foster says: "It is
wonderful how even the casualties of life seem to bow to a spirit that will not bow
to them, and yield to sub-serve a design which they may, in their first apparent
tendency, threaten to frustrate. When a firm, decisive spirit is recognized, it is
curious to see how the space clears around a man and leaves him room and
freedom." Mitchell has said:"Resolve is what makes a man manifest; not puny
resolve; not crude determination; not errant purpose – but that strong and
indefatigable Will which treads down difficulties and danger, as a boy treads
down the heaving frost lands of winter, which kindles his eye and brain with a
proud pulse-beat toward the unattainable. Will makes men giants. "
So, raise that mental trolley-pole, and touch the live wire of Will.
16
Soul-Force
You often have heard the word "Enthusiasm" used – have used it often yourself.
But have you ever thought of what the word really means – from what source it
originated – what is its essential spirit? Few have. The word "Enthusiasm" is
derived from the Greek term meaning "to be inspired; to be possessed by the
gods, etc.," the term having been originally used to designate the mental state of
an inspired person who seems to be under the influence of a higher power. The
term originally meant, "Inspired by a superhuman or divine power; ecstasy; etc."
It is now used, according to Webster, in the sense of: "Enkindled and kindling
fervor of soul; ardent and imaginative zeal or interest; lively manifestation of joy
or zeal; etc." The word has acquired a secondary, and unfavorable meaning in the
sense of "visionary zeal; imaginative fervor; etc. "; but its real and primary
meaning is that ardent, lively zeal and interest in a inner forces of one’s nature.
Real enthusiasm means a powerful mental state exerted in favor of, or against,
some idea.
A person filled with Enthusiasm seems indeed to be inspired by some power or
being higher than himself – he taps on to a source of power of which he is not
ordinarily conscious. And the result is that he becomes as a great magnet
radiating attractive force in all directions and influencing those within his field of
influence. For Enthusiasm is contagious and when really experienced by the
individual renders him a source of inductive power, and a center of mental
influence. But the power with which he is filled does not come from an outside
source – it comes from certain inner regions of his mind or soul – from his Inner
Consciousness. Those who have read our little manual entitled "Inner
Consciousness" will readily understand from what part of the mentality such
power is derived. Enthusiasm is really "soul power," and when genuine is so
recognized and felt by those coming within its field of influence.
Without a certain amount of Enthusiasm no one ever has attained Success, and
never will do so. There is no power in personal intercourse that can be compared
to Enthusiasm of the right sort. It comprises Earnestness, Concentration, and
Power, and there are a very few people that cannot be influenced in some degree
by its manifestation by another. Few people realize the actual value of
Enthusiasm. Many have succeeded by reason of its possession, and many have
failed by reason of its lack. Enthusiasm is the steam that drives our mental
machinery, and which indirectly thus accomplishes the great things in life. You
cannot accomplish tasks properly yourself unless you manifest a degree of
interest in them, and what is Enthusiasm but Interest plus Inspiration – Inspired
Interest, that’s what Enthusiasm is. By the power of Enthusiasm the great things
of life are brought to expression and accomplishment.
Enthusiasm is not a thing, which some possess and others lack. All persons have
it potentially, but only a few are able to express it. The majority is afraid to let
themselves "feel" a thing, and then to let the "feeling" express itself in powerful
action like the steam in an engine. The majority of persons do not know how to
17
get up the steam of Enthusiasm. They fail to keep the fires of Interest and Desire
kindled under their mental boiler, and the consequence is they fail to get up the
steam of Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm may be developed, by cultivating interest and
love of your task. Interest, confidence, and desire arouse Enthusiasm, and it
remains for you to either concentrate it so that its effect will be directed strait
toward the object, person or thing that you wish to move, or else allow it to
dissipate itself in the air without result. Like steam, Enthusiasm may be
dissipated or used – by concentrated direction it produces results; and by foolish
waste and dissipation it fails to do so. The more interest you take in a thing, the
greater does your confidence and desire grow – and from these arise the steam of
Enthusiasm. So remember always that Interest is the mother of Enthusiasm.
The enthusiastic man naturally tends toward the optimistic frame of mind, and
by doing so he diffuses an atmosphere of confident, cheerful expectation around
him which tends to inspire confidence in others, and which aids him in his
endeavors. He surrounds himself with a mental aura of Success – he vibrates
Success – and those into whose presence he comes, unconsciously take on his
vibrations. Enthusiasm is very contagious, and one filled with the right quality,
kind and degree of it unconsciously communicates his interest, earnestness and
expectations to others. Enthusiasm plays an important part in that which is called
Personal Magnetism. It is a live, warm, vital mental quality, and it quickens the
pulse of the one using it, and those who are affected by it. It is different from the
cold-blooded indifference that one meets with so often in business, and which
causes many a sale to be lost, and many a good thing to be "turned down."
The man who lacks Enthusiasm is robbed of more than half his force of Personal
Influence. No matter how good his arguments may be – no matter how
meritorious his proposition may be – unless he possess the warm vital quality of
Enthusiasm, his efforts are largely wasted, and his result impaired. Think over
the salesman who have approached you and remember how some of them
produced the chilling effect of a damp cellar upon you, while others caused you to
sit up and take notice in spite of yourself by reason of their earnest interest and
enthusiasm. Analyze the impression produced upon you by the different people
with whom you have come in contact, and then see how great an influence
Enthusiasm exerts. And then remember the effect it produces upon yourself,
when you feel it. Enthusiasm is Mental Steam – remember that.
A few days ago there was erected a tablet, in one of the great colleges of the land,
as a memorial to a former student in its halls. This young man saved the lives of
seventeen people during a great storm on the lake. He swam out after them, one
by one, and brought them all in alive. He fainted away from exhaustion, and
when he recovered consciousness, his first words were, "Boys, did I do my Best?"
The words of this young man express the great question that should urge every
true seeker after Success to so live and act that he may be able to answer it in the
affirmative. It is not so much a question of"did I do so much," or "did I do as
much as some one else?" as it is matter of "DID I DO MY BEST?"
18
The man who does his best is never a failure. He is always a success, and if the
best should be but a poor pretty thing, still the world will place the laurel wreath
of victory upon his brow when he