LESSON XIV. THE ART OF CONCENTRATING BY MEANS OF PRACTICAL

Books: The Power of Concentration

All have the ability to concentrate, but will you? You can, but

whether you will or not depends on you. It is one thing to be

able to do something, and another thing to do it. There is far

more ability not used than is used. Why do not more men of

ability make something of themselves? There are comparatively few

successful men but many ambitious ones. Why do not more get

along? Cases may differ, but the fault is usuall their own. They

have had chances, perhaps better ones than some others that have

made good.



What would you like to do, that you are not doing? If you think

you should be "getting on" better, why don't you? Study yourself

carefully. Learn your shortcomings. Sometimes only a mere trifle

keeps one from branching out and becoming a success. Discover why

you have not been making good--the cause of your failure. Have

you been expecting someone to lead you, or to make a way for you?

If you have, concentrate on a new line of thought.



There are two things absolutely necessary for success--energy and

the will to succeed. Nothing can take the place of either of

these. Most of us will not have an easy path to follow so don't

expect to find one. The hard knocks develop our courage and moral

stamina. The persons that live in an indolent and slipshod way

never have any. They have never faced conditions and therefore

don't know how. The world is no better for their living.



We must make favorable conditions and not expect them to shape

themselves. It is not the man that says, "It can't be done," but

the man that goes ahead in spite of adverse advice, and shows

that "it can be done" that "gets there" today. "The Lord helps

those that help themselves," is a true saying. We climb the road

to success by overcoming obstacles. Stumbling blocks are but

stepping stones for the man that says, "I can and I Will." When

we see cripples, the deaf and dumb, the blind and those with

other handicaps amounting to something in the world, the

able-bodied man should feel ashamed of himself if he does not

make good.



There is nothing that can resist the force of perseverance. The

way ahead of all of us is not clear sailing, but all hard

passages can be bridged, if you just think they can and

concentrate on how to do it. But if you think the obstacles are

unsurmountable, you will not of course try, and even if you do,

it will be in only a half-hearted way--a way that accomplishes

nothing.



Many men will not begin an undertaking unless they feel sure they

will succeed in it. What a mistake! This would be right, if we

were sure of what we could and could not do. But who knows? There

may be an obstruction there now that might not be there next

week. There may not be an obstruction there now that will be

there next week. The trouble with most persons is that just as

soon as they see their way blocked they lose courage. They forget

that usually there is a way around the difficulty. It's up to you

to find it. If you tackle something with little effort, when the

conditions call for a big effort, you will of course not win.

Tackle everything with a feeling that you will utilize all the

power within you to make it a success. This is the kind of

concentrated effort that succeeds.



Most people are beaten before they start. They think they are

going to encounter obstacles, and they look for them instead of

for means to overcome them. The result is that they increase

their obstacles instead of diminishing them. Have you ever

undertaken something that you thought would be hard, but

afterwards found it to be easy? That is the way a great many

times. The things that look difficult in advance turn out to be

easy of conquest when once encountered. So start out on your

journey with the idea that the road is going to be clear for you,

and that if it is not you will clear the way. All men that have

amounted to anything have cleared their way and they did not have

the assistance that you will have today.



The one great keynote of success is to do whatever you have

decided on. Don't be turned from your path, but resolve that you

are going to accomplish what you set out to do. Don't be

frightened at a few rebuffs, for they cannot stop the man that is

determined--the man that knows in his heart that success is only

bought by tremendous resolution, by concentrated and

whole-hearted effort.



"He who has a firm will," says Goethe, "molds the world to

himself."



"People do not lack strength," says Victor Hugo; "they lack

Will."



It is not so much skill that wins victories as it is activity and

great determination There is no such thing as failure for the man

that does his best. No matter what you may be working at, at the

present time, don't let this make you lose courage. The tides are

continually changing, and tomorrow or some other day they will

turn to your advantage if you are a willing and are an ambitious

worker. There is nothing that develops you and increases your

courage like work. If it were not for work how monotonous life

would at last become!



So I say to the man that wants to advance, "Don't look upon your

present position as your permanent one. Keep your eyes open, and

add those qualities to your makeup that will assist you when your

opportunity comes. Be ever alert and on the watch for

opportunities. Remember, we attract what we set our minds on. If

we look for opportunities, we find them.



If you are the man you should be, some one is looking for you to

fill a responsible position. So when he finds you, don't let your

attention wander. Give it all to him. Show that you can

concentrate your powers, that you have the makeup of a real man.

Show no signs of fear, uncertainty or doubt. The man that is sure

of himself is bound to get to the front. No circumstances can

prevent him.