LESSON XII. CONCENTRATE ON WEALTH

It was never intended that man should be poor. When wealth isobtained under the proper conditions it broadens the life.Everything has its value. Everything has a good use and a baduse. The forces of mind like wealth can be directed either forgood or evil. A little rest will re-create forces. Too much restdegenerates into laziness, and brainless, dreamy longings.

If you acquire wealth unjustly from others, you are misusing yourforces; but if your wealth comes through the right sources youwill be blessed. Through wealth we can do things to upliftourselves and humanity.

Wealth is many persons' goal. It therefore stimulates theirendeavor. They long for it in order to dress and live in such away as to attract friends. Without friends they would not be soparticular of their surroundings. The fact is the more attractivewe make ourselves and our surroundings the more inspiring aretheir influences. It is not conducive to proper thought to besurrounded by conditions that are uncongenial and unpleasant.

So the first step toward acquiring wealth is to surround yourselfwith helpful influences; to claim for yourself an environment ofculture, place yourself in it and be molded by its influences.

Most great men of all ages have been comparatively rich. Theyhave made or inherited money. Without money they could not haveaccomplished what they did. The man engaged in physical drudgeryis not likely to have the same high ideals as the man that cancommand comparative leisure.

Wealth is usually the fruit of achievement. It is not, however,altogether the result of being industrious. Thousands of personswork hard who never grow wealthy. Others with much less effortacquire wealth. Seeing possibilities is another step towardacquiring wealth. A man may be as industrious as he can possiblybe, but if he does not use his mental forces he will be alaborer, to be directed by the man that uses to good advantagehis mental forces.

No one can become wealthy in an ordinary lifetime, by meresavings from earnings. Many scrimp and economize all their lives;but by so doing waste all their vitality and energy. For example,I know a man that used to walk to work. It took him an hour to goand an hour to return. He could have taken a car and gone intwenty minutes. He saved ten cents a day but wasted an hour and ahalf. It was not a very profitable investment unless the timespent in physical exercise yielded him large returns in the wayof health.

The same amount of time spent in concentrated effort to overcomehis unfavorable business environment might have firmly plantedhis feet in the path of prosperity.

One of the big mistakes made by many persons of the presentgeneration is that they associate with those who fail to call outor develop the best that is in them. When the social side of lifeis developed too exclusively, as it often is, and recreation orentertainment becomes the leading motive of a person's life, heacquires habits of extravagance instead of economy; habits ofwasting his resources, physical, mental, moral and spiritual,instead of conserving them. He is, in consequence, lacking inproper motivation, his God-given powers and forces areundeveloped and he inevitably brings poor judgment to bear uponall the higher relationships of life, while, as to his financialfortunes, he is ever the leaner; often a parasite, and always, ifopportunity affords, as heavy a consumer as he is a poorproducer.

It seems a part of the tragedy of life that these persons have tobe taught such painful lessons before they can understand theforces and laws that regulate life. Few profit by the mistakes ofothers. They must experience them for themselves and then applythe knowledge so gained in reconstructing their lives.

Any man that has ever amounted to anything has never done a greatdeal of detail work for long periods at any given time. He needshis time to reflect. He does not do his duties today in the sameway as yesterday, but as the result of deliberate andconcentrated effort, constantly tries to improve his methods.

The other day I attended a lecture on Prosperity. I knew thelecturer had been practically broke for ten years. I wanted tohear what he had to say. He spoke very well. He no doubtbenefited some of his hearers, but he had not profited by his ownteachings. I introduced myself and asked him if he believed inhis maxims. He said he did. I asked him if they had made himprosperous. He said not exactly. I asked him why. He answeredthat he thought he was fated not to experience prosperity.

In half an hour I showed that man why poverty had always been hiscompanion. He had dressed poorly. He held his lectures in poorsurroundings. By his actions and beliefs he attracted poverty. Hedid not realize that his thoughts and his surroundings exercisedan unfavorable influence. I said: "Thoughts are moving forces;great powers. Thoughts of wealth attract wealth. Therefore, ifyou desire wealth you must attract the forces that will help youto secure it. Your thoughts attract a similar kind of thoughts.If you hold thoughts of poverty you attract poverty. If you makeup your mind you are going to be wealthy, you will instil thisthought into all your mental forces, and you will at the sametime use every external condition to help you."

Many persons are of the opinion that if you have money it is easyto make more money. But this is not necessarily true. Ninety percent of the men that start in business fail. Money will notenable one to accumulate much more, unless he is trained to seekand use good opportunities for its investment. If he inheritsmoney the chances are that he will lose it. While, if he has madeit, he not only knows its value, but has developed the power touse it as well as to make more if he loses it.

Business success today depends on foresight, good judgment, grit,firm resolution and settled purpose. But never forget thatthought is as real a force as electricity. Let your thoughts besuch, that you will send out as good as you receive; if you donot, you are not enriching others, and therefore deserve not tobe enriched.

The man that tries to get all he can from others for nothingbecomes so selfish and mean that he does not even enjoy hisacquisitions. We see examples of this every day. What we takefrom others, will in turn, be taken from us. All obligations haveto be met fairly and squarely. We cannot reach perfection untilwe discharge every obligation of our lives. We all realize this,so why not willingly give a fair exchange for all that wereceive?

Again I repeat that the first as well as the last step inacquiring wealth is to surround yourself with goodinfluences--good thought, good health, good home and businessenvironment and successful business associates. Cultivate, byevery legitimate means, the acquaintance of men of big caliber.Bring your thought vibrations in regard to business into harmonywith theirs. This will make your society not only agreeable, butsought after, and, when you have formed intimate friendships withclean, reputable men of wealth, entrust to them, for investment,your surplus earnings, however small, until you have developedthe initiative and business acumen to successfully manage yourown investments. By this time you will, through suchassociations, have found your place in life which, if you haverightly concentrated upon and used your opportunities, will notbe among men of small parts. With a competence secured, you willtake pleasure in using a part of it in making the road youtraveled in reaching your position easier for those who followyou.

There is somewhere in every brain the energy that will get youout of that rut and put you far up on the mountain of success ifyou can only use the energy.

You know that gasoline in the engine of an automobile doesn'tmove the car until the spark comes to explode the gasoline.

So it is with the mind of man. We are not speaking now of men ofgreat genius, but of average, able citizens.

Each one of them has in his brain the capacity to climb over theword impossible and get into the successful country beyond.

And hope, self-confidence and the determination to do somethingsupply the spark that makes the energy work.