TAKING STOCK OF OURSELVES
Experience is the real teacher, but the matter of how we are going to
succeed in life should not be left to ordinary chance while we are
waiting for things to happen. Our first duty is to prepare ourselves
against untoward experiences, and that is best done by taking stock of
our mental and physical assets at the very outset of our journey. What
weaknesses we possess are excess baggage to be thrown away and that is
our reason for taking stock so early. It is likely to save us from
riding to a fall.
There is one thing we don't want along--_fear_. We will never get
anywhere with that, nor with any of its uncles, aunts or cousins--_Envy,
Malice and Greed_. In justice to our own best interests we should search
every crook and cranny of our hearts and minds lest we venture forth
with any such impedimenta. There is no excuse, and we have no one to
blame if we allow any of them to journey along with us. We know whether
they are there or not just as we would know _Courage, Trust and Honor_
were they perched behind us on the saddle.
It is idle to squeal if through association with the former we find
ourselves ditched before we are well under way--for it is coming to us,
sooner or later. We might go _far_, as some have done, through the lanes
and alleys of ill-gotten gains and luxurious self-indulgence, but we
would pay in the end. So, why not charge them up to "profit and loss" at
the start and kick them off into the gutter where they belong? They are
not for us on our eventful journey through life, and the time to get rid
of them once and for all is when we are young, and mentally and
physically vigorous. Later on when the fires burn low and we still have
them with us they will be hard to push aside.
"To thine own self be true," says the great Shakespeare and how can we
be true to our own selves if we train with inferiors? We are known by
our companionships. We will be rated according to association--good or
bad. The two will not mix for long and we will be one sort of a fellow
or the other. We can't be both.
There was a time, long years ago, in the days of our grandfathers, when
men went to the "bow-wows" and, later on, "came back" as it were, by
making a partial success in life--measured largely by the money they
succeeded in accumulating. That was before the "check-up" system was
invented. Today things are different. Questions are asked--"Where were
you last?"--"Why did you leave there?"--"Have you credentials?"--and
when we shake our weary head and walk away, we fondly wish we had "taken
stock" back there when the "taking" was good.
"To thine own self be true; and it must follow as the night the
day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
When we can analyze ourselves and find that we are living up to the
quoted lines above we may safely lift the limit from our aspirations.
Right here it is well to say that success is not to be computed in
dollars and cents, nor that the will to achieve a successful life is to
be predicated upon the mere accumulation of wealth. First of all, good
health and good minds--then we may laugh loud and long--we're safe on
"first."
So, with these two weapons we may dig down into our aspirations, and,
keeping in view that our policy is that of honesty to ourselves and
toward our fellow man, all we need to do is to go about the program of
life cheerfully and stout of heart--_for now we are in a state of
preparedness_.
We are at the point where vision starts. Along with this vision must
come the courage of convictions in order that we may feel that our ideas
are important, and because we have such thoughts, _we shall surely
succeed_. It has often been noticed that when we have had a large
conception and have with force, character, and strength of will carried
it into effect, immediately thereafter a host of people have been able
to say: "I thought of that myself!" Most of us have had the same
experience after reading of a great discovery that we had thrown
overboard because it must not have been "worth while" or someone else
would already have thought of it.
The man who puts life into an idea is acclaimed a genius, because he
does _the right thing at the right time_. Therein lies the difference
between the _genius_ and a _commonplace_ man.
We all have ambitions, but only the few achieve. A man thinks of a good
thing and says: "Now if I only had the money I'd put that through." The
word "if" was a dent in his courage. With character fully established,
his plan well thought out, he had only to go to those in command of
capital and it would have been forthcoming. He had something that
capital would cheerfully get behind if he had the courage to back up his
claims. To fail was nothing less than moral cowardice. _The will to do_
had not been efficient. There was a flaw in the character, after all.
Going back, therefore, to the prescription, we find that a _sound
body_, a _good mind_, an _honest purpose_, and a _lack of fear_ are the
essential elements of success. So, when we have conceived something for
the good of the world and have allowed it to go by default we have
dropped the monkey-wrench into the machinery of our preparedness. We
must look about us for a reason. Have we fallen by the wayside of
carelessness? Have we allowed ourselves to be discouraged by cowardly
"ifs"? _Did we lack the sand_? Exactly so; we didn't have the courage of
our convictions.
Life is the one great experience, and those who fail to win, if sound of
body, can safely lay the blame to their lack of mental equipment. What
does it matter if disappointments follow one after the other if we can
_laugh and try again_? Failures must come to all of us in some degree,
but we may rise from our failures and win back our losses if we are only
shrewd enough to realize that good health, sound mind, and a cheerful
spirit are necessary adjuncts. As Tennyson says:
"I held it truth, with him who sings
To one clear harp in divers tones,
That men may rise on stepping-stones
Of their dead selves to higher things."
All truly great men have been healthy--otherwise they would have fallen
short of the mark. Prisons are filled with nervous, diseased creatures.
There is no doubt but that most of these who, through ignorance, sifted
through to the bottomless pits could have saved themselves had they
realized the truth and "taken stock" of themselves, _in time_--of
course, allowing for those, who are victims of circumstantial evidence.
The prime necessity of life is health. With this, for mankind, nothing
is impossible. But if we do not make use of this good health it will
waste itself away and never come back. It often disappears entirely for
lack of interest on the part of its thoughtless owner. A little energy
would have saved the day. _A little "pep"--and we laugh and live._
Laughter clings to good health as naturally as the needle clings to the
magnet. It is the outward expression of an unburdened soul. It bubbles
forth as a fountain, always refreshing, always wholesome and sweet.
[Illustration: _Over the Hedge and on His Way_]
In taking stock of ourselves we should not forget that fear plays a
large part in the drama of failure. That is the first thing to be
dropped. Fear is a mental deficiency susceptible of correction, if taken
in hand before it gains an ascendency over us. Fear comes with the
thought of failure. Everything we think about should have the
possibility of success in it if we are going to build up courage. We
should get into the habit of reading _inspirational books_, looking at
_inspirational pictures_, hearing _inspirational music_, associating
with _inspirational friends_ and above all, we should cultivate the
habit of mind of thinking clean, and of doing, wholesome things.
"Guard thyself!" That is the slogan. Let us "take stock" often and see
where we stand. We will not be afraid of the weak points. We will _get
after them_ and get hold of ourselves at the same time. Some book might
give us help--a fine play, or some form of athletics will start us to
thinking. Self-analysis teaches us to see ourselves in a true light
without embellishments or undue optimism. We can gauge our chances in no
better way. If we grope in the darkness we haven't much of a chance.
"Taking stock" throws a searchlight on the dark spots and points the way
out of the danger zone.