trust himself away from himself? Is not the vital test and final greatness of a man all focused on his ability to stand absolutely Alone in emergencies? Props irritate and unnerve. So do irresponsive natures. The Crowd eats away at independence. Real Worth tops like a mountain cap. Nobody can mistake it. Like the mountain itself it stands Alone. No one will ever do for you what you are able to do for yourself — Alone.
Learn to Stand Alone.
If you have personal problems to solve — get Alone. If you are dissatisfied with what you are — get Alone. You will look strangely true to yourself when examined Alone. Nothing stimulates like getting Alone — so long as you get Alone to improve yourself.
Learn to Conquer Alone.
Arbitrate
Take the Chip off your Shoulder.
One of the surest evidences that this is a time of great Progress is that we are beginning to dig out with great zest from the trunks in our garrets the old-fashioned, dust-covered principles that used to keep us mighty happy before we began to get prosperous.
The package labeled “Arbitrate,” for instance.
The meanest human being likes to pride himself on his sense of fairness. It is a fundamental and primitive principle. It was not until somebody got unjust and unfair that Wars and Fighters and Disagreements started. It has always been true that those who “talked it over” in the open soon had things settled and all went back to work.
Arbitrate means to Weigh and Divide. That is, to Weigh the Dispute and Divide the Blame — and then to forget the Dispute.
Fools always fight. Wise people always Arbitrate. Because to fight is to Waste and to Arbitrate is to Save. Sometimes it is money saved, sometimes human beings — but always Character, whether the dispute is between you or somebody else or between a dozen nations.
Arbitrate. Always Arbitrate. It always pays to Arbitrate.
Here’s something important. Disputes can never be without Individual Consent. If every person concerned — if YOU — refuse to fight, and the other or others take your “cue,” it has to be — Arbitrate. If people would only just think before they get ready to dispute, they would not dispute. Try out this suggestion YOURSELF.
Take the Chip off your Shoulder.
Explore
God never put Brains into human heads for mere Fixtures. Brains are just like Continents. They were created to be Explored and Used — to be populated with Ideas. But before you start out on your expedition of Exploration, be sure that you —
Get a Viewpoint.
For next to actual Brains to Work with, there is nothing so important as to have an individual Viewpoint. It is everything to a man. From out of it rises the very Image of a man’s life Plan and Ideal. Explore.
Get a Viewpoint.
One man gathers together and puts ready for instant use, the thousands upon thousands of words that make up a Language. We can’t forget Webster. He shaped and sharpened the tools — and put them in order. Then Emerson came along. Poe arrived. Dickens, Mao-Caulay, Scott — and scores of others stepped up and delved into the tool chest of Webster. Each with his own Viewpoint shaped a literary Career. Explore. Find out.
Get a Viewpoint.
The whole World is beginning to bare its head to the genius of O. Henry. But marvelous as his words read, they are as nothing to his almost superhuman worked-out Viewpoint. His Pictured People in the cycle of the Humdrum and the Forgotten, will never die until print perishes. He was always Exploring — Exploring.
Get a Viewpoint.
Search, Think, Sacrifice, Study, Travel, Read — get the spirit of Exploration worked into your system. But remember that it is what you GET from Exploring that makes your Expeditions worthwhile. First —
Get a Viewpoint.
The Cup
There are people who actually believe that the best Opportunities have all been lassoed, haltered, and hitched for life to somebody else’s front doorpost. But the truth is, nobody can corner Opportunity. For —
Opportunity is Everywhere.
A story is told of a Cup of many Handles. So many handles, in fact, that no matter from what direction a person would approach it, there was a handle to greet him. All that was necessary was to step up and TAKE the handle. like unto this Cup is Opportunity.
Opportunity is Everywhere.
Opportunity is the Cup — and there is a handle in your town. You can grasp it if you will but reach for it. And you need have no fear that somebody else will beat you to your handle — for there is a handle for every single person in your town.
Opportunity is Everywhere.
Not in New York, or Chicago, or San Francisco alone, but in Kokomo, Indiana, Reading, Michigan, and Tacoma, Washington. The handles are everywhere. Just hunt them out and GRASP one and don’t let it get away from you. And after you have a handle, lift The Cup and drink from its priceless contents.
Opportunity is Everywhere.
Think of The Cup. Think of its many Handles. When something comes up that ought to be done but that you don’t want to do — DO it. That’s a Handle. When something happens that takes you from your planned out Task — have no fear. That’s a Handle. Get a GRIP upon it. Always look for one of the Handles. And get in the habit of using them. This is the way to learn that —
Opportunity is Everywhere.
Dream
Put your Dreams to Work.
The right kind of a Dream is the Advance Agent of a Deed. Dreams are Pictures of things in the mind that the man of Initiative works out and completes. The world’s Doers have always been Dreamers.
Put your Dreams to Work.
But when you Dream, Dream near home. Castles in Cathey can be of no use to you. Dreaming of your neighbor’s nicely piled woodshed doesn’t saw up your own wood in your own yard.
Put your Dreams to Work.
Plan out your Dreams. And as you have them index them so that you will know where to find them when you want them. Sandpaper them so that you will see what they are made of more clearly. Get them in both your hands and hold them up squarely in front of your face so that you may get their full measure. Then give them a Pick or a Shovel or a Pen. Get them into Action.
Put your Dreams to Work.
Forget your Dreams of Yesterday. Get your Dreams of To-morrow into work To-day. Then To-morrow they will have grown into Deeds.
Put your Dreams to Work.
