Harmony

All through Nature, and Nature's manifestations, there exists rhythm and Harmony. Everything in the Universe is in unceasing action. There is a universal vibratory movement apparent everywhere. From the atoms, and the particles composing the atoms, up through all the material combinations and groupings there is constant, incessant vibration and motion. And from this constant motion, and running through its entire manifestation, there is apparent a constant and invariable law of rhythm. Just as there is a rhythm apparent in all that we call music, so is there a rhythm in the music of Nature. And from that rhythm proceeds that which we call Harmony.

The planets as they swing in regular orbits around the sun—yes, the suns as they swing around still greater suns—and so on until the mind fails to grasp the wonder of it all—all manifest rhythm. The sea in its manifestation of the rise and fall of the tides, exhibits rhythm. The heart of man breathes in rhythmic measure. In the great waves of light traveling to us from the sun and stars, millions upon millions of miles away, there exists a rhythmic measure registered upon the delicate instruments of science.

You have heard of the wonderful force latent in the rhythmic measure of music. You have read of instances in which mighty bridges have been shattered by the note of the violin constantly sounded in an uninterrupted rhythm. It seems almost incredible, but it is true that the soft note of a tiny violin, constantly sounded in regular rhythm can become powerful enough to make the bridge first tremble, and then shudder, and then sway to and fro until it finally collapses. Science teaches us that even the mighty steel skyscrapers of our great cities could be brought to the ground in a mass of twisted steel rods, if one were but to ascertain the keynote of the entire building, and then manage to start into motion the vibrations of a strong musical instrument, constantly sounding that one keynote, over and over again, for hour after hour, until the great giant structure would "catch the motion" and begin to tremble.

"To catch the motion," that is it. If we could but "catch the motion" of Nature's great rhythmic harmony we could accomplish anything. And this is not such a wild dream as might be supposed at first glance. There is a great rhythmic harmony inherent in the mind of man. Just as the bridge has its keynote, so has the mind of each man, and the great mind of the race of men. And if we will but withdraw ourselves from the incidents and distractions of the outer life and retire for a moment or two within the inner regions of ourselves, we may catch the faint echo of that great Universal Harmony of the mind, sounding clear and well defined. If we can do this, we have but to take up the mental keynote and sound it until we make our influence felt.

Men of the busy world—the "practical" men of our day—are beginning to realize this fact, and we hear strange stories of such men closing their private office doors for a few moments during the day, and communing with themselves, withdrawing their attention from the distracting thoughts and scenes of the outside world. This is no mere transcendental idea, but a fact that many shrewd business men of the day are turning to good account.

Remember, that "in quietness there is strength," Every person who is ambitions and has a definite object in life should take a few minutes off each day, and sit alone, giving himself a chance to think, meditate, and allow the great rhythmic harmony of Nature to flow through his cleared mind, and thus gain renewed strength and energy. It is in these quiet moments, when the outer mind is relaxed and resting, that the inner mind flashes to us that which is best for as to do. We should cultivate this habit in moments of meditation, when we may escape from the people and crowd, and thus be able to listen to the voice that sounds from within. By doing this we place ourselves in harmony with the great Universal Power from which all original ideas spring into our mental organism ready for use a few moments later when we re-emerge into the world of action and of men.

Here are a few directions for entering into harmony with the Universal Rhythm of Nature: First, your mental attitude must be right You must have gained control of your thoughts and words, to that your mind is open and receptive to the great good of the world. There must be no hate there, no discouragement, no pessimism, no negative, cringing, worm-of-the-dust or poverty thought—your frame of mind must be that of good-will, encouragement, optimum, with positive thoughts expectant of wealth, prosperity, and all the good things that man, heir of the universe, is entitled to by right of his sonship. This latter mental attitude will surround you with a personal thought atmosphere which repels from you the negative or evil things and attracts to you the positive or good things of life.

When you are satisfied that your personal atmosphere is right, then each day, preferably between twelve and one o'clock, or if that time it not convenient, early in the morning just after your bath, close the doors of your room, shutting out everybody and everything for a few moments. Take precautions that you shall not be disturbed, and then put away from your mind the fear of interruption and disturbance. Take a position of restful and peaceful calm. Relax every muscle, and take the tension off of every nerve. Take a few deep restful breaths, which will seem like great sighs, and will tend to relax your body and mind. Then detach your thoughts from the outer world, and things, and turn the mind inward upon yourself. Shut out all the material cares, worries and problems of the day and sink into a mental state of peaceful calm. Think "I open myself to the inflow of the Universal Rhythmic Harmony" and you will soon begin to feel a sense of relationship with that Harmony coming into you, filling your mind and body with a feeling of rest and peace, and latent power. Then shortly after will come to you a sense of new strength and energy, and a desire to once more emerge upon the scene of your duties. This is the time for you to close the meditation. Do not seek to prolong it, but go forth with your new energy, filled with the vibrations of the Universal, and you will see how refreshed and vigorous you are, and how your mind leaps eagerly and enthusiastically to the tasks before it.

Oh yes!, all this does belong to the subject of Financial Success as you will find out if you will practice a little and discover the secret of the silence as given above. If you doubt it and smile with a quizzical, know-it-all smile then you are the one who needs it most. Just remember that this is not written by some wild theorist soaring in the clouds of hazy metaphysics, but by a business man—part of it during business hours amidst the cares, duties, and exactions of a strenuous business life—who has applied these principles and knows whereof he speaks.

I shall now tell you a secret known only to a few. From this time on it is yours. See that you use it. Here it is: A few moments spent with your inner self and the Great Universal Power each day, as described above, if practiced assiduously, will establish within you the Creative Mind—that wonderful thing which marks the difference between the Italian ditch digger, who plods along from day to day with never a new idea for his own or humanity's betterment, and the man "at the top" who "does things"; the constructive man who builds railroads, steamships, large mercantile establishments, and who furnishes funds to carry the great work of the world along. Both of these men are needed, but it feels better to be near the top. The more you practice, the more you will open up that great subconscious reservoir of yours which is overflowing with original ideas. In time you will gain the power to get in touch with your inner self and tap that reservoir wherever you may be—in the street car— out for a walk—while you are shaving—and there will flash through to your conscious mind, in vivid outlines, ideas that when worked out will mean for you Money and Financial Independence.

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Habit

Habit is a force which is generally recognized by the average thinking person, but which is commonly viewed in its adverse aspect to the exclusion of its favorable phase. It has been well said that all men are "The creatures of habit," and that "Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and it becomes so strong that we cannot break it." But the above quotations only serve to emphasize that side of the question in which men are shown as the slaves of habit, suffering from its confining bonds. There is another side to the question, and that side shall be considered in this chapter.

If it be true that Habit becomes a cruel tyrant ruling and compelling men against their will, desire, and inclination—and this is true in many cases, the question naturally arises in the thinking mind whether this mighty force cannot be harnessed and controlled in the service of man, just as have other forces of Nature. If this result can be accomplished, the man may master Habit and set it to work, instead of being a slave to it and serving it faithfully though complainingly. And the modern psychologists tell us in no uncertain tones that Habit may certainly be thus mastered, harnessed and set to work, instead of being allowed to dominate one's actions and character. And thousands of people have applied this new knowledge and have turned the force of Habit into new channels, and have compelled it to work their machinery of action, instead of being allowed to run to waste, or else permitted to sweep away the structures that men have erected with care and expense, or to destroy fertile mental fields.

A habit is a "mental path" over which our actions have traveled for some time, each passing making the path a little deeper and a little wider. If you have to walk over a field or through a forest, you know how natural it is for you to choose the clearest path in preference to the less worn ones, and greatly in preference to stepping out across the field or through the woods and making a new path. And the line of mental action is precisely the same. It is movement along the lines of the least resistance— passage over the well-worn path. Habits are created by repetition and are formed in accordance to a natural law, observable in all animate things and some would say in inanimate things as well. As an instance of the latter, it is pointed out that a piece of paper once folded in a certain manner will fold along the same lines the next time. And all users of sewing machines, or other delicate pieces of mechanism, know that as a machine or instrument is once "broken in" so will it tend to run thereafter. The same law is also observable in the ruse of musical instruments. Clothing or gloves form into creases according to the person using them, and these creases once formed will always be in effect, notwithstanding repeated pressings. Rivers and streams of water cut their courses through the land, and thereafter flow along the habit-course. The law is in operation everywhere.

The above illustrations will help you to form the idea of the nature of habit, and will aid you in forming new mental paths—new mental creases. And, remember this always—the best (and one might say the only) way in which old habits may be removed is to form new habits to counteract and replace the old undesirable ones. Form new mental paths over which to travel, and the old ones will soon become less distinct and in time will practically fill up from disuse. Every time you travel over the path of the desirable mental habit, you make the path deeper and wider, and make it so much easier to travel it thereafter. This mental path-making is a very important thing, and I cannot urge upon you too strongly the injunction to start to work making the desirable mental paths over which you wish to travel. Practice, practice, practice—be a good path-maker.

The following rules will help you in your work in forming new habits:

1. At the beginning of the formation of a new habit, put force into your expression of the action, thought, or characteristic. Remember that you are taking the first steps toward making the new mental path, and it is much harder at the first than it will be afterwards. Make the path as clear and deep as you can, at the start, so that you can see it readily the next time you wish to travel it.

2. Keep your attention firmly concentrated on the new path building, and keep your eyes and thoughts away from the old paths, lest you incline toward them. Forget all about the old paths, and concern yourself only with the new one that you are building.

3. Travel over your newly made path as often as possible. Make opportunities for doing so, without waiting for them to arise. The oftener you go over the new path, the sooner will it become an old, well-worn, easily traveled one. Think out plans for passing over it and using it, at the start.

4. Resist the temptation to travel over the older easier paths that you have been using in the past. Every time you resist a temptation, the stronger do you become, and the easier will it be for you to do so the next time. But every time you yield to the temptation, the easier does it become to yield again, and the more difficult does it become to resist the next time. You will have a fight on at the start, and this is the critical time. Prove your determination, persistency, and Will power now, right here at the start.

5. Be sure that you have mapped out the proper path—plan it out well, and see where it will lead you to—then go ahead without fear and without allowing yourself to doubt. "Place your hand upon the plow, and look not backward" Your goal is Financial Success—then make a good, deep, wide mental path leading straight to it.

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Fear and Worry

The great negative note in the lives of most people is Fear. Fear is the mother of all the negative emotions, and her brood is found clustering very closely around her. Worry, Lack of Confidence, Bashfulness, Irresolution, Timidity, Depression, and all the rest of the negative brood of feelings and emotions are the progeny of Fear. Without Fear none of these minor emotions or feelings would exist. By killing off the parent of this possible brood of mental vampires, you escape the entire coming generations of negative thoughts, and thus keep your Mental Attitude garden free from these pests and nuisances.

Fear and the emotions that come from its being do more to paralyze useful effort, good work, and finely thought-out plans, than aught else known to man. It is the great hobgoblin of the race. It has ruined the lives of thousands of people. It has destroyed the finely budding characters of men and women, and made negative individuals of them in the place of strong, reliant, courageous doers of useful things.

Worry is the oldest child of Fear. It settles down upon one's mind, and crowds out all of the developing good things to be found there. Like the cuckoo in the sparrow's nest, it destroys the rightful occupants of the mind. Laid there as an egg by its parent, Fear, Worry soon hatches out and begins to make trouble. In place of the cheerful and positive "I Can and I Will" harmony, Worry begins to rasp out in raucous tones: "Supposin'," "What if," "But," "I can't," "I'm unlucky," "I never could do things right," "Things never turn oat right with me" and so on until all the minor notes have been sounded. It makes one sick bodily, and inert mentally. It retards one's program, and is a constant stumbling block in our path upward.

The worst thing about Fear and Worry is that while they exhaust a great part of the energy of the average person, they give nothing good in return. Nobody ever accomplished a single thing by reason of Fear and Worry. Fear and Worry never helped one along a single inch on the road to Success. And they never will, because their whole tendency is to retard progress, and not to advance it. The majority of things that we fear and worry about never come to pass at all, and the few that do actually materialize are never as bad as we feared they would be. It is not the cares, trials and troubles of today that unnerve us and break us down—it is the troubles that we fear may come sometime in the future. Everyone is able to bear the burdens of today, but when he heaps on the burdens of tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that, he is doing his mind an injustice, and it is no wonder that after a bit he heaps on the last straw that breaks the back of the mental camel.

The energy, work, activity and thought that we expend on these imaginary "maybe" troubles of the future would enable us to master and conquer the troubles of each day as they arise. Nature gives each of us a reserve supply of strength and energy upon which to draw and oppose unexpected troubles and problems as they come upon us each day. But we poor, silly mortals draw upon this reserve force and dissipate it in combating the imaginary troubles of next week or next year, the majority of which never really put in an appearance—and when we have need of the force to oppose some real trouble of the day we find ourselves bankrupt of power and energy, and are apt to go down in defeat, or else be compelled to beat an inglorious retreat.

I tell you, friends, that if you once learn the secret of killing off this vampire of Fear, and thus prevent the rearing of her hateful brood of reptile emotions, life will seem a different thing to you. You will begin to realize what it is to live. You will learn what it is to have a mind cleared of weeds, and fresh to grow healthy thoughts, feelings, emotions and ambitions.

And you will find that with Fear killed out, you will cease to give out to others the suggestions of incompetence, lack of reliance on yourself, and the other impressions that hurt one's chances. You will find that when you are rid of Fear you will radiate hope, and confidence, and ability, and will impress all those with whom you come in contact.

And you will find also that the eradication of Fear will work wonders in your Mental Attitude, and the operation of it through the Law of Attraction. When one fears a thing he really attracts it to him, just as if he desired it. The reason is this—when one desires or fears a thing (in either case the principle is the same) he creates a mental picture of the thing, which mental picture has a tendency toward materialization. With this mental picture in his mind—if beholds to it long enough—he draws the things or conditions to him, and thus "thought takes form in action and being." The majority of our fears and worries are silly little things that take our thought for a moment, and then are gone. They are great wasters of energy, but we do not concentrate on any one of them long enough to put into operation the Law of Attraction.

And so you see, that unless you get rid of Fear, it will tend to draw toward you the thing you fear, or else force you toward the thing itself. Fear makes of the feared object a name around which you circle and flutter, like the moth, until at last you make plunge right into the heat of the flame and are consumed. Kill out Fear, by all means.

"But how may I kill it out?" you cry. Very easily! This is the method: Suppose you had a roomful of darkness. Would you start to shovel or sweep out the darkness? Or would you not throw open the window and admit the light? When the light pours in, the darkness disappears. And so with the darkness of Fear—throw open the windows, and "let a little sunshine in." Let the thoughts, feelings, and ideals of Courage, Confidence and Fearlessness poor into your mind, and Fear will vanish. Whenever Fear shows itself in your mind, administer the antidote of Fearlessness immediately.

Say to yourself: "I am Fearless; I Fear Nothing; I am Courageous," Let the sunshine pour in.

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Faith

Faith is a word that has been often misused, misapplied and misunderstood. To many it means simply that attitude of mind which will accept anything that is told it, merely because someone else has said it—credulity, in fact. But those who have penetrated within the shell of the word know that it means something far more real than this—something imbedded deep down in the Heart of Things. To those who understand the LAW, Faith is the trolley-pole which one raises to meet the Great Forces of Life and Nature, and by means of which one receives the inflow of the Power which is behind, and in all things, and is enabled to apply that Power to the running of his own affairs.

To some, it may seem a far cry from Faith to Financial Success, but to those who have demonstrated the truths enunciated in this little book, the two are closely interwoven. For one to attain Financial Success he must first have Faith in Himself; second, Faith in his Fellowman; and third, Faith in the LAW.

Faith in oneself is of primary importance, for unless one has it he can never accomplish anything; can never influence any other person's opinion of him; can never attract to himself the things, persons and circumstances necessary for his welfare. A man must first learn to believe in himself before he will be able to make others believe in him. People are prone to take a person at his own estimate. If one is weak, negative and lacking in self-confidence, he surrounds himself with an atmosphere of negativity which unfavorably impresses those with whom he comes in contact. If one be strong, confident and positive, he radiates like qualities, and those coming in contact with him receive an impression of these qualities. The world believes in those who believe in themselves. And so you see it is of the utmost importance to you that you cultivate this Faith in yourself.

And not only does Faith in yourself operate in the direction of influencing others with whom you come in contact, but it also has a most positive bearing upon your own mental statue and thoughts. If you deaden your mind with a negative attitude toward yourself, you stifle budding ideas, thoughts and plans—you choke the budding plants of your mentality. But, if you let pour forth a full, abiding, confident Faith in yourself—your abilities, your qualities, your latent powers, your desires, your plans— your Success, in short—you will find that the whole mental garden responds to the stimulating influence; and ideas, thoughts, plans and other mental flowers will spring up rapidly. There is nothing so stimulating as a strong, positive "I Can and I Will" attitude toward oneself.

And you remember what has been said about the Law of Attraction—you remember how "like attracts like," and how one's Mental Attitude tends to draw toward him the things in harmony with his thoughts.

Well, this being so, can you not see that a Mental Attitude of Faith or Confidence in Oneself is calculated to attract to you that which fits in with such Faith—that will tend to materialize your ideal?

"Confidence is the basis of all trade"; so says one of our recent business philosophers, and this statement is true; for if we did not have Confidence or Faith in our Fellowman, all trade, all business, all commerce would come to a standstill. The wholesale merchant ships yearly hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of goods to dealers in his territory. He has Faith that in thirty, sixty or ninety days those dealers will pay their bills and he will reap his profits. You go to the retail dealer and buy a suit, or dress, or hat, or groceries, having the same charged to your account. Your dealer has Confidence or Faith enough in you to let you have these goods, expecting that you will pay your bill when it falls due. This same rule holds good in almost every transaction in life. You must have confidence in a man before you care to deal with him.

Some people seem to be of a naturally suspicious frame of mind, always of the opinion that somebody else is trying to "do" them. Others are gullible and swallow everything—bait, hook and line. Neither is the wisest frame of mind. It is much better to maintain the thought of good-will, fellowship, and confidence towards one's fellowman, weighing all things impartially from an unprejudiced standpoint, and then render your decision after due thought from the facts in the case. But, by all means, have faith in your Fellowman.

But, this Faith in Oneself, and Faith in your Fellowman, important though they be, are not the only kinds of Faith that one needs in order to attain Financial Success. There is that which may be called Faith in the LAW. This may seem a little strange to you but when you consider it for a moment, you will see just how it operates.

You will note that nearly all successful men have a deep-rooted belief in Something Outside that helps them along. They do not know just what this Something is—some call it "Luck"; some call it their "Destiny"; some call it their "Star"; and why not? But under all of these names there is an instructive belief in, and faith in a Something Friendly that helps them along, and carries them over the hard places, and rounds the sharp corners of business life. Watch any successful man, and you will see that even when he is not able to reason out the means whereby he is going to get over, or around, or under a set of difficulties, still he exhibits a hopeful faith and belief that he is "going to get through it somehow." And he does, if he holds on to his Faith. Something is there at work tending to "pull him through," Ask any successful business man if this is not so. And this Something that successful men intuitively trust in is nothing but the great LAW that underlies all of the affairs of Life. The nearer that one can feel in contact with this LAW, more power does he receive from it. And thus Faith is the underlying channel by which the Power of the LAW is transmitted to you.

Why should you Fear? You seat yourself in a train or street-car, and read your paper, having Faith that the engineer or motorman will take you to your destination. You manifest this Faith in every-day business life. Without Faith in the Whole Thing, business would be impossible. You manifest Faith at every turn of the road. And this being so, why should you not manifest Faith in the underlying LAW which is manifesting in things? Do you suppose for an instant that this whole Cosmic Machinery is run by Chance? There is no such thing as Chance! Everything is run under some great LAW! And the Law of Financial Success is just as much a part of that great system of LAW as is the Law of Gravitation. You study the Laws of physical life, and find them invariable, and therefore worthy of bestowing Faith upon. Why should you not recognize the great Mental Laws operative in business life, and acquaint yourself with their workings? Why should you not have Faith in them? There is no better plan of bringing yourself into harmony with the Law of Financial Success, than to recognize and have Faith in it. Consider the careers of successful business men of your acquaintance, and see if this is not so. By doing so you will receive a new light on a heretofore dark subject.

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Desire

In some of the previous chapters I have spoken of the operation of Desire and Will in the manifestation and expression of personal power under the LAW. Now, while there have been many writers who have discoursed ably regarding the mighty power of the Will, there have been but few who have given to the subject of Desire the attention that it deserves, and the consideration it merits. Many persons seem afraid to speak of Desire, for they have gotten the term and idea mixed up with desires of an unworthy and detrimental nature. They have overlooked the fact that Desire must underlie all human action—must be the causing power back of and underneath Will itself.

We might compare Desire with the fire that burns brightly beneath the receptacle containing water, which latter represents the mind. Unless the fire of Desire burns brightly and imparts its heat to the water, or mind, there will be nothing but water. But let the fire manifest its ardent energy and heat, and lo! the water is converted into steam which turns mighty wheels, and drives powerful machinery, and in fact "makes things go." We are apt to forget the causes that have operated in order that the steam be produced, in our wonder, amazement and admiration of the power and effect of the manifested steam. But, in order to get the right idea of the matter fixed in our mind we must take into consideration the water of the mind, and the fire of Desire.

The mind is well represented by water, for it is unstable, changeable, in motion, having eddies, storms, ripples and calm. And Desire is well represented by fire, for it is ardent, hot, strong and burning, and when manifested properly invariably acts upon the water-mind and produce the will-steam which may be turned to the accomplishment of any task, and the moving of the material necessary for our plans. By all means keep the fire of Desire brightly burning under your mental boilers, and you will be sure to manifest the proper amount and degree of the steam of Will which may then be applied to the accomplishing of your life tasks.

If you will keep the figure of speech before your mind—this idea of the fire of desire, the water of the mind, and the steam of will—you will find it easier to put into operation these great mental forces, and to be known as the man or woman of the "Strong Will." But if you allow the fire of Desire to burn low, or to become clogged with the ashes of dead and gone things, long since exhausted and useless, you will find that there will be little or no steam of will produced, and you will be in the position of the majority of people who are like tea kettles simmering over a faint fire, and accomplishing nothing.

Unless you want a thing "the worst way," and manifest that Desire in the shape of a strong impelling force, you will have no will with which to accomplish anything. You must not only "want" to do a thing, or to possess a thing, but you must "want to hard."

You must want it as the Hungry man wants bread, as the smothering man wants air. And if you will but arouse in your self this fierce, ardent, insatiate Desire, you will set in operation one of Nature's most potent mental forces.

What is that great impelling force that you have felt within yourself whenever you have made a mighty effort to accomplish something? Is it not that surging, restless, impelling force of your being that you know as Desire? Did you do the thing simply because you thought it best, or because you felt within yourself a strong feeling that you WANTED to do the thing, or to possess the thing, in the strongest possible way? Did you not feel this strong force of Desire rising within you and impelling you to deed, and action?

Desire is the great moving power of the Mind—that which excites into action the will and powers of the individual. It is at the bottom of all action, feeling, emotion or expression. Before we reach out to do a thing, or to possess a thing, we must first "want to," and in the degree that that "want-to" is felt, so will be our response thereto. Before we love, hate, like or dislike, there must be a Desire of some kind. Before we can arouse ambition there must be a strong Desire. Before we can manifest energy, there must a strong impelling Desire.

Did you ever stop to think that the difference between the strong of the race, and the weak, is largely a matter of Desire? The degree of Desire manifests in the different degrees of strength and weakness. The strong men of the race are filled with strong desires to do this thing, or to possess that. They are filled with that strong creative Desire that makes them want to build up, create, modify, change, and shift around. It is not alone the fruits of their labor that urge them on, but that insistent urge of the creative Desire that drives them on.

Do not be afraid to allow your Desire for Financial Success to burn brightly. Keep the ashes of part failures, disappointments and discouragements well cleared away so that you may have a good draught. Keep the fire of Desire burning brightly, ardently and constantly. Do not be sidetracked by outside things, for remember, concentrated Desire is that which produces the greatest steam-producing power. Keep your mind fixed on that which you want, and keep on demanding that which belongs to you, for it is your own. The Universal Supply is adequate for all needs of everyone, but it responds only to the insistent demand and the earnest Desire. Learn to Desire things in earnest. and rest not content with a mere wanting and wishing.

Desire creates Mental Attitude—develops Faith—nourishes Ambition—unfolds Latent Powers—and tends directly and surely toward Success. Let the strong, dominant desire for Financial Independence possess you from the tips of your toes to the roots of your hair,—feel it forging through every part of your body—and then don't stop until you reach your goal.

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Creation

The title of this chapter may appear strange to some of those who find it in a book entitled "The Law of Financial Success," and such people may wonder what in the world "Creation" has to do with the subject of Financial Success. I ask such persons to wait patiently until the chapter is finished, and I promise to do my best to convince these doubters that Creation has very much to do with the attainment of Financial Success, and that, in fact, there can be little or no Financial Success without the operation of the creative energy of the mind.

Did you ever stop to think that in the case of some of the mighty bridges spanning the rivers surrounding New York City, each span, each strand of steel, each support, each bit of construction—and the whole bridge in its entirety—existed and was created in the mind of the designer before it was manifested or materialized?

Did you ever think that the great buildings which rear their imposing forms and shapes along our business streets were created in the minds of their architects, and actually existed in their minds before the buildings could be erected?

Did you ever think that the delicate mechanism of the watch you are carrying in your pocket existed in the mind of its designer long before the material watch was evolved from the parts? The watch would not be, and could not be, unless the designer had seen it all in his mind's eye, down to the smallest detail, before he materialized it.

The above statements are more or less common-place, but the majority of people overlook these important facts in the contemplation of material things. They ignore the fact that anything and everything that has ever been created in material form must of necessity have been created in mental form previously. There is no exception to this rule. Everything that is materialized must have existed previously in the mind of the person creating it. The house, the bridge, the watch, the suit of clothes, the hat, the pen-knife, the shoes, the buttons on the clothes—everything that you can see, or think of, that has been made, has first been created mentally, in its every part and as a whole.

When we materialize a thing by creating or building it, we simply build the material around the mental picture of the thing that we have first created. The primal building is in the mind. And this is true of Financial Success just as it is true of everything else. Some build little by little, seeing only just a little in advance of their building, and thus do their mental creation by piece-meal. Others see the whole thing in general outline and then fill in the details as they go along. The principle is the same in both cases.

It is told of Thomas Lawson, of Boston—he of Frenzied Finance" fame—that when he was a youth he painted a mental picture of a large estate on which there was the finest breed of horses, and the choicest cattle in the world; a beautiful home furnished and filled with objects of artistic value; and everything else necessary for the completion of his conception of an ideal home. He has said that his successive steps toward the acquirement of that home—the gaining of the wealth necessary for its purchase, was like the filling in of the details of the picture, the image of which never faded away from his mind.

And so it if with Financial Success. You must form a mental picture of what you want, and then bend every effort to fill in the picture. Every person should have a purpose in life. To win anything one should have a definite goal for which to strive. We should have a picture in our mind of what we want to own or attain. If we want money, we should create a mental picture of money—we ourselves using it, handling it, spending it, acquiring more, and in short going through all the motions of the man of money. One should paint a great mental picture of wealth, and then start to work to fill in the picture, and to materialize it.

What do you suppose would happen if the architect of the bridge, or building, or the designer of the watch should fail to see in his mind that which he was about to create? Can you not see that there would be no building worthwhile, and that the result of the attempt to build watch, bridge, or skyscraper in this way would result in a mere throwing together of material, without regard to beauty, liability or proper use?

And so it is with the majority of people, they sit down and say "Oh, I want money—I want money," and that is all there is to it. They do not use their imaginations sufficiently to mentally create money, and then proceed to materialize it. They are like a man who would sit down crying out "Oh, I want a wood-pile, high and big with good wood." The man who gets the wood-pile, glances around the place where he wants the pile, and then he forms a mental picture of how that wood-pile will look when completed—just about how high and broad it should be, and then he starts to work to fill in the picture with the wood, working away sawing and piling until at last the picture in materialized.

Oh, I tell you friends, you must first know just what you want, before you will be able to materialize it. Unless you know what you want, you will never get anything. The great successful men of the world have used their imaginations, instead of despising them. They think ahead and create their mental picture, and then go to work materializing that picture in all its details, filling in here, adding a little there, altering this a bit and that a bit, but steadily building—steadily building.

If you would attain Financial Success, you must become a mental creator and designer of that which you long for as well as a material builder. The two go hand in hand and work for Financial Success.

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Concentration

Every person who reads this chapter has heard the word "Concentration" used frequently; has seen it in print often; and has used it repeatedly in conversation. But how few really know just what it means—or are able to form a mental picture of Concentration. Let us consider the term a moment, for until you are able to form a clear mental picture of it, you will not be able to apply it advantageously.

What is "Concentration''? Well, the dictionaries tell us that the word means the act or process of bringing or directing things toward a common center, and thereby condensing and intensifying the force of the thing. And that is the key-note of the word—that is the mental picture of it—this bringing forces to a common center.

One can best form a mental picture of the idea expressed in the word by thinking of a sun-glass which so concentrates the rays of the sun to a focus, or common center, that their powers are intensified upon the spot so that they easily burn a hole through anything placed on the spot.

We can never expect to win out in anything unless we firmly concentrate our minds upon the thing we seek. We have got to make our mental picture of what we want, and then start in to desire it as hard as we are able to, and by so doing we will concentrate our attention and will upon that thing until "something happens." We must learn to concentrate our powers and will upon the desired object, just as the sunglass concentrates the rays of the sun upon the common focus. We must learn to focus our energies upon the thing we want, and then to keep the focus steady from day to day, never allowing ourselves to be side-tracked or swerved from our main object of desire, interest and will.

The majority of people have little or no concentration, and they resemble the puppy-dog whose attention is attracted by first one thing and then another, and who runs from this thing to that, to and fro, not knowing what he wants long enough to get it, but continually wasting his energy in chasing things that have attracted the attention of the moment.

One should begin by practicing concentration on little things, until he masters them, and then he may move on to the consideration and contemplation of larger things. It is quite an art to be able to do one thing at a time, to the exclusion of distracting thoughts and objects. The best workmen along any line of human effort are those who are able to concentrate on their work, and practically lose themselves in their tasks for the time being.

The first step in acquiring Concentration begins, of course, in the control of the attention. Master the attention and you have acquired the art of Concentration. By holding your attention upon a thing, you direct to it your mental forces, and new ideas, plans and combinations spring into your mind and fly to a common center. Besides this you put into operation the Law of Attraction and direct its forces to that same common center. Without concentrated attention yon scatter and dissipate your mental forces and accomplish nothing at all.

I urge upon all who read this book the importance of beginning to cultivate concentration. Begin by acquiring the habit of attending to one thing at a time, concentrating the attention upon it, and then completing it and passing on to another thing. Avoid the baneful practice of thinking of one thing while doing another. Think of and work upon the thing before you, and hold your attention there until it is completed. The thinking and action should pull together, instead of in opposite directions.

An eminent authority tells us that: "It is a matter of no small importance that we acquire the habit of doing only one thing at a time, by which I mean that while attending to any one object, our thoughts ought not to wander to another." Another authority adds: "A frequent cause of failure in the faculty of attention, is striving to think of more than one thing at a time." Another says: "She did things easily because she attended to them in the doing. When she made bread, she thought of bread, and not of the fashion of her next dress, or of her partner at the last dance." The celebrated Lord Chesterfield said: "There is time enough for everything in the course of a day, if you do but one thing at a time; but there is not time enough in a year if you try to do two things at a time."

If then is any secret of concentration, it is contained in the following sentence: You can concentrate on anything you are intensely interested in, or dearly love. For instance, if you are a young man engaged to a beautiful young lady, the ideal woman to make your life complete, you have no trouble in thinking about her and how happy you will be after the knot is tied. In fact, most of your time—when you are not thinking of your work—is given over to thoughts of that girl, and your future together. Sometimes even her face pops up before you and you think of her when you should be devoting your time and thought to the work you are paid for. If you are the proud father of a new baby girl or boy you have no trouble in thinking about that dear little bit of humanity. If you are a mother whose son is forging to the front in business or one of the professions, your thought goes as naturally to that boy as a duck takes to water. And so we might go down the whole gamut of humanity and find some one thing which each person is interested in or loves, and we would soon see that it is not a hard task for a person to think about or concentrate on that which is most dear to him or her.

Just at the present tune the thing closest to your heart, next, of course, to that which you actually love, is or should be Financial Independence. For with money at your disposal you can give that girl everything she needs to make her happy; you can insure that child's future and make sure that it has the education which it deserves; you can establish that boy in business and give him a chance to express his full ability; you can complete those plans you have had in mind so long and you can do many things which are now impossible.

It certainly ought not to be hard for you to concentrate on Financial Independence when it means so much to you, ought it? Well, go to work now, and when your mind is not occupied with your regular duties, when your thought is roaming around here and there accomplishing nothing, when you find yourself thinking of something foolish or vicious, exert your will, draw back your thought, use your imagination to picture an ideal of what Financial Independence will mean to you, and then concentrate your whole thought on that ideal to bring it into materialization. Now is the time to begin, friend; do not leave it until tomorrow.

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