The Secret of Success

Those who have read our little manual titled "The Inner Consciousness" will remember what we said there regarding the regions above and below the level of ordinary outer consciousness. On those hidden levels of the mind are untold possibilities—the raw materials for mighty mental tasks and achievements—the storage batteries of wonderful accomplishment. The trouble with us is that we do not realize these faculties exist. We think we are merely what we show in our ordinary, slow-paced original: "dogtrot gait" way of living. Another problem is that we have lacked the incentive to take action; we have lacked the interest to do great things; we haven't wanted it badly enough. This "wanting it badly enough" is the great motivating power in life. Desire is the fire which generates the steam of Will. Without incentive—and that means desire—we accomplish nothing. Given a great, earnest, burning, and ardent desire as a driving force—a great incentive to take action—we are able to find this mental "second wind." Yes, even third, fourth, and fifth "winds," as we tap into one level of inward power after another until we perform mental miracles.

We marvel at the achievements of great men in all walks of life, and we are prone to excuse ourselves with the sad remark that these people seem to "have it in them," while we do not. Nonsense; we all have it in us to do things a hundred times greater than we are currently doing. The trouble is not a lack of power or mental material, but a lack of the desire, interest, and incentive to rouse those wonderful storehouses of dynamic power within our minds into activity. We fail to call upon what is at our disposal—power that, like all other natural forces, is eager and anxious to be manifested and expressed. Yes, we said "anxious and eager," for all natural forces, when penned up in a static static Lacking in movement, action, or change; in this context, stored energy that is not yet in use. condition, seem to be bursting with the desire to manifest and express themselves in outward, dynamic activity. This seems to be a law of life and nature.

Nature and everything in it seems to be eager for active expression. Haven't you been surprised at yourself at times when, under slightly higher pressure and incentive, something within you seemed to break its bounds and carry you away in its rush toward active work? Haven't you accomplished tasks under the stress of a sudden, urgent need that you would have considered impossible in cold blood? Haven't you overcome all obstacles when you "warmed up" to the task, whereas your ordinary self would have stood around doing nothing under normal circumstances?

Earnestness and enthusiasm are two great factors in bringing these latent forces and dormant powers of the mind into operation. But you do not need to stand by and wait until you work yourself into a fit of fervor original: "fervour," meaning intense and passionate feeling before these energies spring into action. By carefully training your Will—or rather, by carefully training yourself to use your Will—you can manage to take hold of the mental throttle, allowing you to pull it down and turn on a full head of steam whenever necessary.