THINK_Think: A Book for To-day

We all enter the world with an abundance of nerve energy, and by

conserving that energy we can adapt and adjust our nerve equipment to

keep pace with the progress and evolution of our times.

The way to preserve and conserve nerve equilibrium and power is to rest

and relax the nerves each day.

You may rest them by a change of the thought habit each day, by

relaxation, by sleep, and by the suggestions made in this book.

There are but few advance danger signals shown by the nervous system,

and in this there is a marked difference between the nerves and the

organic system.

If you abuse your stomach, head, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys or eyes,

you have distress and pain.

The nervous energy is like a barrel of water--you can draw water from

the faucet at the bottom until you have almost exhausted the contents.

Nature mends ordinary nerve waste each day, like the rains replenish the

cistern.

[Sidenote: Conserve Your Energy.]

A reasonable use of your nerve force, like a reasonable use of the

rainwater, means you can maintain a permanent supply. But you must be

reasonable; you must give the cistern a chance to refill and replace

that which you have drawn out.

You, who have shattered and tattered your nerves, are not hopeless. You

can come back, but it must be done by complete change of the acts that

brought on the condition.

Get more sleep. Eliminate the useless, harmful fads, fancies and

functions which disturbed and prevented you from living a sane, rational

life.

Avoid extremes, cultivate rhythm and regularity in your business and

your home life. Keep away from excitement. Read really good books. Walk

more, talk less.

Eat less heat-making foods and more apples. Follow the diet, exercise

and thought rules suggested in "Pep."

[Sidenote: No Need to Despair.]

Maybe these lines are being read by a discouraged one who is "all

nerves," which means lost nerve force. To you I say there is hope and

cheer and strength and courage if, right here, now, you resolve to cut

the actions, habits and stunts that knocked you out and follow my

suggestions.

I know, my friend, for I've trotted the heat, danced the measure, and

been through the mill.

Now I am fearless, calm and prepared. I can stand any calamity, meet any

issue, endure any sorrow.

I can do prodigious work in an emergency, go without rest or eating when

required, because I have poise, efficiency--peace.

[Sidenote: Steer a Middle Course.]

I realize nothing is as bad as it is painted. Nothing is as good as its

boosters claim. I go in the middle of the road, avoiding extremes. I

have confidence in my heart. Courage, hope, happiness, and content

attend me on my way.

I've buried envy in a deep pit and covered it with quick lime.

I am keeping worry out by keeping faith, hope and cheer thoughts in my

brain-room, and these are antiseptics against the ravages of the worry

microbe.

I have my petty troubles and little make-believe worries, just enough of

them to make me realize I have them licked, and to remind me I must not

let up on my mastery of them.

Worry growls once in a while just to make me grab tighter the handle of

my whip.

And you may enjoy this serene state, too. There is no secret about it. I

will gladly give you the rules of the game in this book. Just prepare to

receive some practical, helpful suggestions.

[Sidenote: How to Use Your Assets.]

You are a busy person, so am I. Busy persons are the ones who do things.

The architect is a busy man, but he has learned that the effort spent in

preparing his plans is the most important part of his work. The plans

enable him to do his work systematically and lay down rules and methods

to get the highest efficiency and accomplishment from those who do the

work of erecting the building.

If the architect would order lumber, stone and hardware, without system,

and start to erect the building without carefully prepared plans, the

building would lack symmetry and strength, and it would be most

expensive.

The planning time therefor was time well spent.

Few persons have the ability to control and conserve their talents so as

to produce the highest efficiency. Men rush along thinking their

busyness means business. Really, it means double energy and extra moves

to produce a given effect.

[Sidenote: Unnecessary Moves.]

The elimination of unnecessary moves means operating along lines of

least resistance, and any plan or method that will help to do away with

unnecessary moves and make the necessary moves more potential will be

received with welcome, I am sure.

With the object of conserving energy and strengthening your force, this

book is written.

It shall not be a book of ultimate definiteness or a book of exact

science. There are no definite or exact rules that will apply, without

exception, to any science except mathematics.

But we shall learn many helpful truths, nevertheless, and if I err, or

disagree with your conclusions, just eliminate those lines and take the

helps you find.

I particularly emphasize the importance of taking a few minutes each

evening and using the time for sizing up things, by inventory, analysis,

speculation, comparison and hypothesis. Many of the great captains of

industry who are noted for their energy in accomplishing things worth

while, have learned the value of this daily habit.

[Sidenote: Know Thyself.]

I want to help YOU to form the habit of thinking over each day's

activities in the quiet, relaxed, uncolored, unprejudiced, secluded

environment of your home. When the day's work is over, spend fifteen or

twenty minutes each evening in seclusion, and with closed eyes, size

yourself up. Think over your daily round and the work you are doing. Are

you getting the best out of yourself? Or are you plodding along

aimlessly, scattering your energy in a haphazard, hit-or-miss fashion

that benefits nobody? Are you growing, or are you standing still? In

these fifteen-minute sizing-up sessions, you will come to grips with

yourself. You will see yourself as you really are, and will discover

your weaknesses, your strength, your real worth.

I have chosen the evening as the time for our little talks. In the

evening we can be cozy, comfy and communicative. The bank is closed. We

met the note and got through the day. We are alive and well; we can open

our hearts. There is no office boy to disturb us, and the life insurance

agent is away at his club.

Yes, we can be alone and tranquilly let down the tension, lower the

speed and with normal heartbeats play the low tones, the soft strains,

the quieting music, and soothe our nerves.

All day we've heard the band with its drums and trombones and shrieky

music. The day with its busy whirl kept our analyzing mental think-tank

occupied with thoughts of gain and game and fame.

In the evening we have time to study logic and to reason, to analyze and

to take inventory, to thresh out problems.

So let us relax and reflect in the evening quiet.

Man's nature makes it imperative for him to be interested in something.

That interest is to his help or hurt, according as he directs it.

There is much worry and misery in the world because so many are astatic,

like a compass that has lost its loadstone.

Man is definitely the result of the materials the body and the mind feed

upon.

Character is the result of a determined purpose to be and to do

right--to one's self and to one's fellows.

The man of character focuses his attention on truth, and on fact.

[Sidenote: Theory and Fact.]

He uses theories with fact, to aid his progress, but he recognizes that

theorizing, without fact as a safety ballast, is a useless expenditure.

Theories without fact leave man in a rudderless boat; he gets nowhere,

he merely drifts.

Theory often helps to get at fact, but the better way is to get at fact

by proven experience, of which there is an inexhaustible abundance in

the world.

Facts are based on natural laws. The study of natural laws is

beneficial. We shall strive in our studies to keep close to fact with

just enough speculation to enliven the interest in facts.

Living the artificial life makes for worry, illness and failure.

Living in harmony with the great natural laws is the helpful way to

live.

To abide by the law is safety; to violate the law brings punishment.

Every man is better if he follows scientific methods and habits of

thought and living.

The loafing or astatic mind will fall into morbid tendencies.

The employed, truth-seeking, idealistic, hopeful mind is never dependent

on people or things for its pleasure.

The acquiring of helpful knowledge, the seeking of worth-while truth,

are ever profitable employments, paying present and future dividends,

and meanwhile those acts positively divert the thought from morbid

tendencies.

I shall strive to bring helpful knowledge, good cheer and interesting

facts for your present occupation and benefit.

If I succeed in accomplishing my purpose, even in part, my time has been

well spent.

[Sidenote: Thought Never Stops.]

We have an unchallenged fact to rest our feet on, a fact that shall

never stop, our brains never sleep. So then, we must consider that

thought current, and reckon with it.

The motive power is turned on, and we must grasp the helm if we sail the

sea of life successfully, baffling storms and avoiding rocks.

Scientific books are usually dry, uninviting reading; they lack the

human interest. They are generally bloodless skeletons.

We shall try to weave science into new patterns and paint interesting

pictures, so that science will attract and not repel.

This book is different in its suggestions, in its prescriptions, in its

language, but it is universal with all scientific books, in that its aim

is helpful truth.

We go by different routes, but our objective point is the same.

We will avoid technical names and symbols, and will speak the common

language that the multitude understands.

We shall deal with problems and aspirations that come to us all in this

busy workaday world.

We shall try to cut the underbrush in the swamp and blaze a plain trail

out on to the big high road.

We shall keep in step to the drum-beats of truth, we will rest and

recreate in cool shady places, and then up and on to our purpose with

smiles on our faces, courage in our hearts, and song on our lips.

Every moment of our journey will be worth while and positively helpful

if we take the trip with conscientious application and continuity of

purpose.

Our path is strewn with roses and thorns; we must enjoy the roses and

escape the thorns.

We welcome you, the neophyte, who have joined us in our pilgrimage.

Let's be personal; that's a good way to establish a good idea in place

of a bad one.

Are YOU pleasant to live with? Keep this personal question before you,

even if you are cocksure that you can answer, yes.

[Sidenote: Be Pleasant.]

Maybe there are some little jars, rattles, gratings, you are not aware

of. Few of us are honest when looking for our own faults. There may be

some sand in your gear box. It won't hurt you to keep the personal

question alive for a few days,--"Am I pleasant to live with?"

I love the pleasant people whether they are fat, lean, tall, short, red

heads, brown heads, homely, handsome, republicans or democrats, business

men or artisans.

The complaining, unpleasant grouch is like a bear with a toothache.

Miserable himself and spreading misery all around.

A freckle-faced, red-headed, cross-eyed man with a healthy funny bone

will spread more cheerfulness and sunshine than a bench full of sad and

solemn justices of the supreme court, or a religious conference.

What a different story would be written of Job, if he had only possessed

a servant who could dance a double shuffle and whistle "Dixie" while

cooking breakfast.

David was a man after my own heart; he brought gladsome songs into the

world. He said, "Live the way of pleasantness."

You can pray, sing, play, work, think, rest, hope; you can be well or

ill, rich or poor and still be pleasant to live with.

[Sidenote: Pleasantness a Tonic Quality.]

Being pleasant helps you to be strong in body and mind, and it keeps you

young a long time. It's good medicine; I know it. My little motto, "Be

pleasant every morning until ten o'clock, the rest of the day will take

care of itself," has brought sunshine into many homes.

If you frown it will soon get to be a habit--and give you a heavy heart.

If you smile your face will be attractive, no matter how unlucky you

were in the lottery of beauty.

Be pleasant and you will never feel old. The pleasant disposition is a

sure route to happy land and happy homes.

Old Ponce de Leon lost out in searching for the fountain of youth. If

he had been pleasant, he would have kept the smiles on his wife's face

and there would have been no excuse to leave her to find the mythical

fountain.

Hoe cake, bacon and smiles beat lobster, champagne and frowns.

Our land is thrice blessed with its peaceful, happy homes--for "happy

homes are the strength of a nation."

Be pleasant in your home. Make the children feel home is the pleasantest

place in the world.

Every act and example is written in the child's memory tablet. Let your

hours with the children be loving, laughing, living hours. Pat them on

the head, joke with them, whisper affection, express love to them. Those

acts will be remembered in all their years to come, for you are planting

everlasting plants that may pass on to a hundred generations and make

children happy a thousand years from now.

[Sidenote: Cheerfulness Its Own Reward.]

Be pleasant to live with and you will have more pleasant things to live

for. There will be kindnesses, kisses, beauty, health, peace, fun,

happiness and content coming your way all along the great big road of

life you are traveling.

Be pleasant to live with and the people will turn to you as you pass

and reflect your cheerfulness like the sunflowers turn to face the sun.

Be pleasant; don't be cross and crabbed because someone else in the

household is not pleasant. Do your part; you will likely thereby cure

the frown habit on the face of the unfortunate disturber of your peace.

Make yourself right before you criticise your life partner. Answer this

question, "Am I pleasant to live with?"

Don't fool yourself in the matter. Get right down to brass tacks with

yourself, watch your moves and acts and attitude for ten days carefully

before answering the question.

If your answer is no, now is your time to change your attitude and try

the pleasant plan, and here is my blessing and good wishes in such an

event.

There is fun and interest and diversion all around us. All we need is

keen observation and we will see much that passes unnoticed to the

preoccupied person.

What an interesting thing is the great round world we live in! The

people are as interesting as fish in an aquarium.

[Sidenote: Sitting on the Side Lines.]

See the rushing, surging crowd. Man pushes along searching for necessary

things to be done; he builds cities, harnesses rivers, makes ships to

sail the seas to the uttermost parts of the earth. Man goes to war, he

builds death-dealing devices that destroy in a few minutes a beautiful

cathedral which has taken centuries to build.

Man makes the desert blossom like a rose.

Here is the scientist in his laboratory, trying to unite certain

elements to produce new substance. Here is the beauty in her silken

nest; here the lover; there the musician; yonder the peanut man, and in

the office building is the captain of industry--all busy bees deeply

absorbed in their respective interests, and intoxicated in the belief

that they are important and greatly necessary.

Yet in the broad measure of ages they are mere ripples on the sea of

time, faint bubbles on the eternal deep, and grains of sand at the

mountain foot.

Great man by his own measure--minute man by the great measure of time.

Mammoths to the near-sighted--mites to the far-sighted. Hustle and

bustle, crowd and push. They tramp down the weaker brothers in the mad

race after the golden shekels, which are only measures of the ability to

buy and own material things; symbols of power to make others serve you.

These golden shekels which men fret, sweat and fight for, can only buy

physical and material things.

[Sidenote: A Great Truth.]

Away from the crowd is the little group who have learned a great truth,

which is that happiness is not to be bought with gold. This little

minority knows that mental pleasures are best, and that mental pleasures

cannot be found on the great highway of material conquest.

The puffy, corn-fed millionaire pities the man who is content to live

with small means and enjoy what he has to the full extent.

[Sidenote: Real Happiness.]

The wise man is he who gets fullness out of life--happiness, respect,

content, freedom from worry; who is busy doing useful things--busy

helping his brother, busy training his children, busy spreading sunshine

and love and the close-together feeling in his home circle.

The corn-fed, hardened, senseless, money-mad, dollar-worshipper knows

not peace. Smiles seldom linger on his lips. Peace never rests in his

bosom, cheer never lights his face. He is simply a fighting machine,

miserable in solitude, suffering when inactive and sick when resting.

The money-chaser is up and doing, working like a Trojan, because

occupation takes his mind off the painful picture of his misspent

opportunity and his destroyed natural instinct. When fighting for gold

he forgets his appalling poverty in the really worth-while things in the

world.

Like the drunkard in his cups, the intoxication makes him forget, and he

is negatively happy.

Money received as reward for doing things worth-while is laudable.

We cannot sit idly by and neglect to earn money to provide food, shelter

and education for our loved ones, but between times we should seek the

wealth that comes from right mental employment.

The millionaire thinks, dreams and gets dollars, and that is all.

The worth-while man thinks kindness, usefulness, self-improvement,

brotherhood, love and he gets happiness.

[Sidenote: Doing for Others.]

The man who discovers means to help his fellow man, does a good act, but

is the man with the dollars in front of his eyes who commercializes the

discovery and invention. In the end, the man that helped mankind fares

better than the man who made the millions.

It's a great crowd surging by, and very few have the good sense to learn

the value of TO-DAY. That great crowd I see below my window thinks ever

of to-morrow and forgets the wondrous opportunities that to-day holds

out.

Those who think always of to-morrow will never get the beauties and joys

from life that comes to the little group of To-day, who appreciates and

enjoys the real Now, rather than the pictured To-morrow that never

comes.

It's mighty interesting to sit on the side lines and watch the crowds go

by and speculate on their movements.

[Sidenote: The Road to Disillusionment.]

Save up your pennies, measure everything by the dollar standard, think

dollars, dream dollars, work, slave, push for the dollars and you will

build a fortune. You will never have peace or recreation or joy; you

will live only in hope of a some day when you will retire. That's the

way the millionaires travel life's highway.

Some day the paper will announce the death of those millionaires, and

then the dollars will be blown in by reckless heirs, and so the grinding

wheels roll on.

Surely there are many ways of looking at things. Surely there is much of

interest in the crowd. Surely there is an unending amount of thought and

speculation possible about that crowd way down on the street below my

window.

What passions, what hopes, what joys, what sorrows, are in the hearts of

that hurrying, worrying crowd.

What noise this din of traffic makes; what activity man has stirred up.

A picture, a drama, a tragedy, a comedy--all these I see in the human

ants that run along below the hive where I sit and write these lines.

The phone rings and my little Nancy Lou's voice says, "Daddy, will you

please bring me a pencil and a tablet with lines on it."

So I must needs stop this, whatever you may call it, and push through

the crowd to get that tablet with "lines on it" for my Nancy Lou; and

there is some feeling of happiness and content and peace in Daddy's

heart as he lays down his pen, for Daddy is going Home, and that word

means a lot in his little family, where they all say "Daddy" instead of

Papa or Father.

[Sidenote: Wasted Energy.]

It is hard enough to do duty once, but doubly hard when you anticipate

mentally everything you have to do to-morrow. This doing things twice is

a habit easily acquired if you don't watch out, and it means wasted

energy.

I have just read the experience of a housewife who was resting on a

couch and reading. Her eye caught sight of a book lying on the floor

across the room.

Instantly her mindometer, if I may coin a word, registered, "When you

get up, pick up that book."

She went on reading, but her mind was not on the magazine she held, but

on that book on the floor.

So obsessed did she become that she was miserable until she got up and

picked up the book.

I was talking with a woman who was resting on her porch. Her day's work

was over. She was dressed for the afternoon. Everything in the home was

neat, sweet, clean and tidy. All was serene but her face, and that was

the window through which I saw worry working overtime.

By strategy I learned the trouble, and here is her story: "To-morrow a

lot of fruit will be ready to preserve. I am worrying where I shall put

it. My fruit closet is full."

[Sidenote: Doing Things Twice.]

The woman had every reason to say to herself, "Sufficient unto the day,"

yet she was doing the preserving mentally to-day and to-morrow she would

do the work physically. A tired mind is harder to rest than a tired

body, so we must nip this advance mental work in the bud.

We have all been mentally obsessed with worrying about the things we

were going to take on our trip; then worrying over the routine of our

work when we should return from our trip.

If the housewife looks over her week's work and washes the dishes, makes

the beds, cooks the meals, dresses the children, mends the clothes, and

does all these things in her imagination before she does them in

reality, she is indeed a hard working woman.

It's all right to plan your work; that's economy in mental expenditure,

for it simplifies, systematizes, and saves work.

[Sidenote: Planning is Efficiency.]

Plan your work in advance, but do not keep your mind on the plans until

the work is done. When you have planned, then close the mental book of

to-morrow's duty, and turn to pleasures, rest, relaxation and enjoyment

of to-day.

It is to get a definite, different thought habit fixed that I ask you to

give me these few minutes each day, so that we may consider various

phases of life, science, pleasure, morals and mental refreshment.

True, we can only have a fleeting look at things, but we'll get enough,

I hope, to freshen your minds, change the humdrum, and elicit interest

in things. Maybe these heart-to-heart, confidential chats will help us

and keep us from going through the mental motions of to-morrow's

physical work.

If these evening talks interest you, help clear your vision, help cheer

you, help rest you, then they are good for you, and because they help

you, they certainly benefit me and make me very happy, because happiness

comes from doing something for others.

I write as the mood strikes me, or as a phase of life comes before me,

or as an idea strikes in and just won't let go until I grasp my pen and

let the words flow.