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New Method. You will find in this chapter a most effective andmost practical method of developing the will. You can develop astrong one if you want to. You can make your Will a dynamo todraw to you untold power. Exercises are given which will, ifpracticed, strengthen your will, just as you would strengthenyour muscles by athletic exercises.

In starting to do anything, we must first commence withelementary principles. Simple exercises will be given. It isimpossible to estimate the ultimate good to be derived from themental cultivation that comes through these attempts atPsychic - Concentration. Even the simple exercises are not to be thoughtuseless. "In no respect," writes Doctor Oppenheim, "can a manshow a finer quality of will-power than in his own private,intimate life." We are all subjected to certain temptations. TheWill decides whether we will be just, or unjust; pure of thought;charitable in opinion; forbearing in overlooking other'sshortcomings; whether we live up to our highest standard. Sincethese are all controlled by the Will, we should find time forplenty of exercises for training of the will in our daily life.

You, of course, realize that your will should be trained. Youmust also realize that to do this requires effort that you alonecan command. No one can call it forth for you.

To be successful in these exercises you must practice them in aspirit of seriousness and earnestness. I can show you how totrain your will, but your success depends upon your mastery andapplication of these methods.

New Methods of Will-Training. Select a quiet room where you willnot be interrupted; have a watch to determine the time, and anote-book in which to enter observations. Start each exercisewith date and time of day.

Exercise 1

Time decided on. Select some time of the day when mostconvenient. Sit in a chair and look at the door-knob for tenminutes. Then write down what you experienced. At first it willseem strange and unnatural. You will find it hard to hold oneposition for ten minutes. But keep as still as you can. The timewill seem long for it will probably be the first time you eversat and did nothing for ten minutes. You will find your thoughtswandering from the door-knob, and you will wonder what there canbe in this exercise. Repeat this exercise for six days.

10 P. M. 2nd Day.

Notes. You should be able to sit quieter, and the time shouldpass more quickly. You will probably feel a little strongerbecause of gaining a better control of your will. It will braceyou up, as you have kept your resolution. 10 P. M. 3rd Day.

Notes. It may be a little harder for you to concentrate on thedoor-knob as perhaps you had a very busy day and your mind kepttrying to revert to what you had been doing during the day. Keepon trying and you will finally succeed in banishing all foreignthoughts. Then you should feel a desire to gain still morecontrol. There is a feeling of power that comes over you when youare able to carry out your will. This exercise will make you feelbigger and it awakens a sense of nobility and manliness. You willsay, "I find that I can actually do what I want to and can driveforeign thoughts out. The exercise, I can now see, is valuable."

10 P. M. 4th Day.

Notes. "I found that I could look at the door-knob andconcentrate my attention on it at once. Have overcome thetendency to move my legs. No other thoughts try to enter as Ihave established the fact that I can do what I want to do and donot have to be directed. I feel that I am gaining in mentalstrength, I can now see the wonderful value of being the masterof my own will-force. I know now if I make a resolution I willkeep it. I have more self-confidence and can feel my self-controlincreasing.

10 P. M. 5th Day.

Notes. "Each day I seem to increase the intensity of myPsychic - Concentration. I feel that I can center my attention on anythingI wish.

10 P. M. 6th Day.

Notes. "I can instantly center my whole attention on thedoor-knob. Feel that I have thoroughly mastered this exercise andthat I am ready for another."

You have practiced this exercise enough, but before you startanother I want you to write a summary of just how successful youwere in controlling the flitting impulses of the mind and will.You will find this an excellent practice. There is nothing morebeneficial to the mind than to pay close attention to its ownwonderful, subtle activities.

Exercise 2

Secure a package of playing cards. Select some time to do theexercise. Each day at the appointed time, take the pack in onehand and then start laying them down on top of each other just asslowly as you can, with an even motion. Try to get them as evenas possible. Each card laid down should completely cover theunder one. Do this exercise for six days.

1st Day.

Notes. Task will seem tedious and tiresome. Requires the closestPsychic - Concentration to make each card completely cover the precedingone. You will probably want to lay them down faster. It requirespatience to lay them down so slowly, but benefit is lost if notso placed. You will find that at first your motions will be jerkyand impetuous. It will require a little practice before you gainan easy control over your hands and arms. You probably have nevertried to do anything in such a calm way. It will require theclosest attention of your will. But you will find that you areacquiring a calmness you never had before. You are graduallyacquiring new powers. You recognize how impulsive and impetuousyou have been, and how, by using your will, you can control yourtemperament.

2nd Day.

Notes. You start laying the cards down slowly. You will find thatby practice you can lay them down much faster. But you want tolay them down slowly and therefore you have to watch yourself.The slow, steady movement is wearisome. You have to conquer thedesire of wanting to hurry up. Soon you will find that you can goslowly or fast at will.

3rd Day.

Notes. You still find it hard to go slowly. Your will urges youto go faster. This is especially true if you are impulsive, asthe impulsive character finds it very difficult to do anythingslowly and deliberately. It goes against the "grain." Thisexercise still is tiresome. But when you do it, it braces you upmentally. You are accomplishing something you do not like to do.It teaches you how to concentrate on disagreeable tasks. Writingthese notes down you will find very helpful.

4th Day.

Notes. I find that I am beginning to place the cards in amathematical way. I find one card is not completely coveringanother. I am getting a little careless and must be more careful.I command my will to concentrate more. It does not seem so hardto bring it under control.

5th Day.

Notes. I find that I am overcoming my jerky movements, that I canlay the cards down slowly and steadily. I feel that I am rapidlygaining more poise. I am getting better control over my will eachday, and my will completely controls my movements. I begin tolook on my will as a great governing power. I would not think ofparting with the knowledge of will I have gained. I find it is agood exercise and know it will help me to accomplish my tasks.

6th Day.

Notes. I begin to feel the wonderful possibilities of the will.It gives me strength to think of the power of will. I am able todo so much more and better work now, that I realize that I cancontrol my will action. Whatever my task, my will is concentratedon it. I am to keep my will centered there until the task isfinished. The more closely and definitely I determine what Ishall do, the more easily the will carries it out. Determinationimparts compelling force to the will. It exerts itself more. Thewill and the end act and react on each other.

7th Day.

Notes. Now try to do everything you do today faster. Don't hurryor become nervous. Just try to do everything faster, but in asteady manner.

You will find that the exercises you have practiced inretardation have steadied your nerves, and thereby made itpossible to increase your speed. The will is under your command.Make it carry out resolutions rapidly. This is how you build upyour self-control and your self-command. It is then that thehuman machine acts as its author dictates.

You certainly should now be able to judge of the great benefitthat comes from writing out your introspections each day. Ofcourse you will not have the exact experiences given in theseexamples, but some of these will fit your case. Be careful tostudy your experiences carefully and make as true a report as youcan. Describe your feelings just as they seem to you. Allow yourfancies to color your report and it will be worthless. You havepictured conditions as you see them. In a few months, if youagain try the same exercises, you will find your report very muchbetter. By these introspections, we learn to know ourselvesbetter and with this knowledge can wonderfully increase ourefficiency. As you become used to writing out your report, itwill be more accurate. You thus learn how to govern yourimpulses, activities and weaknesses.

Each person should try to plan exercises that will best fit hisneeds. If not convenient for you to practice exercises every day,take them twice or three times a week. But carry out any plan youdecide to try. If you cannot devote ten minutes a day to theexperiments start with five minutes and gradually increase thetime. The exercises given are only intended for examples.

Will Training Without Exercise. There are many people that do notwant to take the time to practice exercises, so the followinginstructions for training the will are given to them.

By willing and realizing, the will grows. Therefore the more youwill, the more it grows, and builds up power. No matter whetheryour task is big or small, make it a rule to accomplish it inorder to fortify your will. Form the habit of focusing your willin all its strength upon the subject to be achieved. You form inthis way the habit of getting a thing done, of carrying out someplan. You acquire the feeling of being able to accomplish thatwhich lies before you, no matter what it is. This gives youconfidence and a sense of power that you get in no other way. Youknow when you make a resolution that you will keep it. You do nottackle new tasks in a half-hearted way, but with a bold, bravespirit. We know that the will is able to carry us over bigobstacles. Knowing this despair never claims us for a victim. Wehave wills and are going to use them with more and moreintensity, thus giving us the power to make our resolutionsstronger, our actions freer and our lives finer and better.

The education of the will should not be left to chance. It isonly definite tasks that will render it energetic, ready,persevering and consistent. The only way it can be done is byself-study and self-discipline. The cost is effort, time andpatience, but the returns are valuable. There are no magicalprocesses leading to will development, but the development ofyour will works wonders for you because it gives youself-mastery, personal power and energy of character.

Psychic - Concentration of the Will to Win. The adaptability of persons totheir business environment is more a matter of determination thananything else. In this age we hear a good deal of talk about aman's aptitudes. Some of his aptitudes, some of his powers, maybe developed to a wonderful extent, but he is really an unknownquality until all his latent powers are developed to theirhighest possible extent. He may be a failure in one line and abig success in another. There are many successful men, that didnot succeed well at what they first undertook, but they profitedby their efforts in different directions, and this fitted themfor higher things, whereas had they refused to adjust themselvesto their environment, the tide of progress would have swept theminto oblivion.

My one aim in all my works is to try and arouse in the individualthe effort and determination to develop his full capacities, hishighest possibilities. One thing I want you to realize at thestart, that it is not so much ability, as it is the will to dothat counts. Ability is very plentiful, but organizing initiativeand creative power are not plentiful. It is easy to get employes,but to get someone to train them is harder. Their abilities mustbe directed to the work they can do. They must be shown how,while at this work, to conserve their energy and they must betaught to work in harmony with others, for most business concernsare dominated by a single personality.

Concentrating on Driving Force Within. We are all conscious, attimes, that we have somewhere within us an active driving forcethat is ever trying to push us onward to better deeds. It is that"force" that makes us feel determined at times to do somethingworth while. It is not thought, emotion or feeling. This drivingforce is something distinct from thought or emotion. It is aquality of the soul and therefore it has a consciousness all itsown. It is the "I will do" of the will. It is the force thatmakes the will concentrate. Many have felt this force workingwithin them, driving them on to accomplish their tasks. All greatmen and women become conscious that this supreme and powerfulforce is their ally in carrying out great resolutions.

This driving force is within all, but until you reach a certainstage you do not become aware of it. It is most useful to theworthy. It springs up naturally without any thought of training.It comes unprovoked and leaves unnoticed. Just what this force iswe do not know, but we do know that it is what intensifies thewill in demanding just and harmonious action.

The ordinary human being, merely as merchandise, if he could besold as a slave, would be worth ten thousand dollars. If somebodygave you a five thousand dollar automobile you would take verygood care of it. You wouldn't put sand in the carburetor, or mixwater with the gasoline, or drive it furiously over rough roads,or leave it out to freeze at night.

Are you quite sure that you take care of your own body, your ownhealth, your only real property, as well as you would take careof a five thousand dollar automobile if it were given to you?

The man who mixes whiskey with his blood is more foolish than aman would be if he mixed water with gasoline in his car.

You can get another car; you cannot get another body.

The man who misses sleep lives irregularly--bolts his food sothat his blood supply is imperfect. That is a foolish mantreating himself as he would not treat any other valuable pieceof property.

Do you try to talk with men and women who know more than you do,and do you LISTEN rather than try to tell them what you know?

There are a hundred thousand men of fifty, and men of sixty,running along in the old rut, any one of whom could get out of itand be counted among the successful men if only the spark couldbe found to explode the energy within them now going to waste.

Each man must study and solve his own problem.