Conditions of Success, IV

Conditions of Success Letter to a Young Friend BV CLAUDE RICHARDS, OF THE GENERAL BOARD OF Y. M. M. I. A. IV. Character. (5) Loyalty a. Habits (6) Perseverance

1. Work (7) Sincerity
2. System b. Generosity
3. Accuracy c. Sociability
4. Thoroughness 1. Associates
5. Speed d. Sense of humor
6. Punctuality e. Naturalness
7. Courtesy, service 1. Simplicity
8. Tact f. Honesty
9. Frugality g. Courage
10. Attitude toward work h. Reliability (1) Purpose (aim) i. Self-control (2) Dignity 1. Resolutions (3) Humility j. Temperance (4) Obedience k. Ideals Character is the backbone of the man, the thing that makes him stand up and work for what he believes to be right. It is the background of his career upon which every picture of consistent thought and action looks well. It is as necessary to success as the plot of the story is to the book. Character is what a man is. It is the whole man. It is the thing in a man around which all the deeper interest centers. Character is the main tree from which all the branches run. If its wood is not sound, the branches before their time will wither and fall. One's life will count for but little without character. Habit. Habit has much to do with the forming of character. For out of our habits our character largely grows. That we should form correct habits, then, will readily be seen. Habits are the main channels of our energy, growing deeper and deeper with use, until ere long, they determine the course and destiny of our lives. Work. Work is the stuff that success is made of. Early in life the habit should be formed and fixed. Once for all, the seeker after success must understand that the world does not owe him a living. All that he should expect is the glorious opportunity to work and to earn. There is no such thing as unearned success. The only way under heaven for a young man to attain real success is to earn it daily, and the one way he can earn it is to work for it. "In the sweat of thy face, thou shalt eat bread,"

CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS 537 says the old reliable Book, and from the same authentic source: "Diligence maketh a man rich." Application is the keynote of success. It is dangerous to think that there is any royal road or short cut to success. Success never lies on the bargain counter. It is never sold below cost. The old saying is as true today as it ever was : "There is no excellence without labor." True, there are different kinds of labor. But who is to say that the mental is any less difficult than the physical, or vice versa. Too often we are prone to say that a successful man is a genius. Here is what Alexander Hamilton said on that point : "Men give me some credit for genius. All the genius I have lies just in this: When I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. I explore it in all its bearings. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then, the effort which I make, the people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought." Look around you today and see if the men and women of consequence are not those who have actually worked their way up. Now and then, as we see some man come into useful prominence, we are apt to think that that man sprang into usefulness all at once, forgetting, for the moment, that he may have spent half a lifetime in difficult preparation prior to rendering that intelligent service. There can be no question but that work is by far the biggest and most necessary habit for development and a successful career. System. Though success is more dependent upon work than any other one habit, it is not meant, of course, that one should work blindly. System is necessary, and by system we mean method: the sort that makes work most effective, corresponding in finance with the way to spend money to the very best advantage. System is another word for order, and "Order is one of the first laws of heaven." System is almost synonymous with success. A progressive man, like an up-to-date business institution, will be constantly revising and devising methods to meet adequately the new conditions ever arising in our modern industrial and social life. This idea of system should engage early the attention of every ambitious young man and move him to plan carefully all his work — a good motto: "Plan your work, then hustle." Make a plan for the day. The following one is suggestive : Arise not later than a certain time — let it be early. Do regular morning work. Get to work or school on time. Diligently apply yourself to your work during school or business hours, using the best system you are able to work out — let it be the one that will best economize your time during the day. Employ your evenings to the very best advantage. Would

538 IMPROVEMENT ERA it not be interesting to plan how your evenings shall be spent — say when you leave college ? What will you do regularly on each respective night of the week? Shall there be a certain night for study ? one for recreation ? one or more for public work, including Church and civic duties? a special night? and a home night? How shall your Sundays be occupied? Will you keep the day holy? Though a man should be thoroughly systematic, he should not be a stickler for form, or a slave to method. System is for work and not work for system. Accuracy. The average work of today is fast becoming technical work, and being technical, it requires accuracy. Accuracy is the mark of a trained mind. It is one of the characteristics of a skilled workman. To do a thing right is far better than to do it nearly right, for it will bring larger dividends and greater satisfaction. Thoroughness. Have you ever done anything that needed to be done over again, and if you did not do it again, did it give satisfaction? If you did, did it not take a great deal more time to do it twice than would have been required for one good job? Who was ever remembered long that did not do his work well ? What most people need in their work nowadays is what the land in good farming communities is getting each successive year — a more in" tense cultivation of the soil. Only yesterday, the farmers of this western country had so much ground that their energies were as a rule scattered and their work inadequately done. As a result, the land was seldom well cared for, and so yielded its crops accordingly. But as necessity has demanded, each tract has been divided, and as our population increases will be subdivided until the average landholder of tomorrow will till the soil of a few, rather than of many acres — -and find himself just as well-to-do. The difference in yield will be due to thoroughness in the working of the ground under the advanced methods applied. Does not the age of specialization, now upon us, demand that every young man select a small tract of ground, so to speak, and then, with all the vigor and manliness of his soul, develop that tract, making it yield its utmost to the storehouse of the world ? Speed. Speed is desirable, and increases one's efficiency. Competition demands it. Carried to the extreme, though, it endangers accuracy and thoroughness, and becomes an enemy of success. We should learn to do our work somewhat in automobile fashion : using low gear to get started and for heavy and dangerous places, intermediate gear for the next grade, and high gear for average running, making certain that we do not exceed a reasonable time limit. Punctuality. Out of respect to others, if for no other reason, we should make it a practice always to be on time. Being late is frequently a source of annoyance to others, and of lost opportu-

CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS 539 nity to one's self. History is replete with examples of failure from tardiness and of victory for punctuality. No special skill is required for being on time. All that it takes is a little careful planning-, and will power, mixed with the desire to be prompt. Courtesy. Courtesy may be likened to the hinges on which the doors of service hang. If these hinges are kept well oiled, the doors can open freely and wide. Or it might be said that courtesy is the gateway of the great field of service. It is the track on which the train of service runs. True courtesy, like service, is backed by kindness and the desire to benefit others. Service is the big brother of courtesy. The two belong to the same family. The great governing theory of industry, today, is service. Successful business institutions have it for their fundamental guide. For just to the extent that they succeed in serving the public, their profits and their success are chiefly governed. They do not overlook the fact, though, that the chief means of distributing this service to the public is by the aid of courtesy. Courtesy is the great lubricant of business. Tact. Tact is that quality that helps a man to handle nicely a delicate situation. It is the ability to say or to do exactly the right thing at the right time. Tact is an easy, graceful friend who has the knack of appearing just when she is needed. Her acquaintance should be sought, for she will be found very helpful in getting along with people. Frugality. Frugality is the opposite of extravagance. Certainly it has its part to play in a successful life. It teaches the strict economy of our time, talents and money, and denounces extravagance as a form of cancer that eats into our production and saps our usefulness. Extravagance is waste. It is a misdemeanor that must be accounted for at some later time. Extravagance is destructive to credit and contributes especially to financial embarrassment and ruin. Sooner or later it brings its unfortunate associate to the painful realization that he is rich who has no debts, and that one's own credit is a thing not to be trifled with. The average American is a poor saver. One authority said recently that America stands the lowest of fifteen of the civilized countries as a nation of savers. The result of this lack of saving among us is that it is not uncommon for us to find ourselves or our next door neighbor in debt. This is unfortunate. No one is free who is in debt, nor, as a rule, can one in this condition be as happy and useful as if he had formed the habit of regular and systematic saving. Goldsmith wrote : "To court Dame Fortune's golden smile, Assiduous wait upon her, And gather wealth by every wile That's justified by honor;

540 IMPROVEMENT ERA Not for to hide it in a hedge, Nor for a train attendant, Bnt for the glorious privilege Of being independent." "Saving is the secret of wealth." It matters not so much what a man earns as what he saves. Saving is a habit which, in effect, increases a man's earning power and enables him to reach earlier the goal of financial independence, thus enriching his life and increasing his efficiency for service. Stevenson urges us "to earn a little, and to spend a little less." Our time and talents are the major part of our capital. What is true of frugality and extravagance with respect to money is just as true with respect to our time and talents. Attitude Tozvard Work. "Happy is the man who enjoys his work." He is a genius who finds joy in his work. The habit you form in respect to your attitude toward your work will be extremely significant. Fortunate is he who makes friends with work and then preserves and encourages that friendship by strict application to business and close attention to detail. During business hours your work unquestionably should have the right of way . You should regard your business period of each clay as being sacred to business. This means that you must resist the temptation, however enticing, to let other things interfere. Purpose. A person without an aim or purpose in life is like a ship without a rudder. Cultivate a strong purpose in life and let that purpose be to succeed in whatsoever life-work you select. Make all other issues subserve to that end, remembering that even harmless pleasures hurt if they win you from yo'ur purpose, and that the men and women of greatest recognition in history are those who have consecrated their lives to a certain work, or purpose. The singleness of purpose you manifest will mean more for your welfare than all the talent you are able to display. Dignity. Certainly all work is honorable. Whatever your chosen vocation may be, do not forget the genuine dignity of labor. It has long since been recognized by every right-thinking man. Be not ashamed of your occupation, and remember that your work is honorable if you only do your work well. If you do not respect yourself and your own work, then other people will be less likely to honor you and your occupation. Humility. At the same time, remember to approach your work each day as you should people, in the true spirit of humility. And when success comes, do not get conceited. There is only a limited amount of space in a person's head, and if much of it is occupied with conceit then there must needs be less room for more valuable things. (to be continued)