Laugh and Live | Page 5

come as a result of not being able to trust one's self. The
moment we doubt, or acknowledge that we cannot conquer a weakness,
then we begin to go down hill. It is a subtle process. We hardly realize
it at the time but as the days go by, the years roll on, the final day of
reckoning draws near and relentlessly we are swept along as driftwood
toward the lonely beaches of obscurity. And all because _we lacked
self-confidence_! We did not realize it until it was too late. We were
too busy with self-indulgence to struggle for success.
Most of our troubles in later life started with failure to take hold of

ourselves when we were young. It may be that we put off making our
choice of something to do. If we had been companionable to ourselves
we might have thought out the proper course while taking long walks in
pursuit of physical development. That would have been a fine time in
which to fight out the whole problem--the time when optimism and the
will to do are as natural as the laughter of a child, or the song of a bird.
That was the time when the world appeared roseate and beautiful, when
success lay just beyond the turn of the road, when failure seemed
something illusory and improbable. Then was the time to jump in with
both feet and a big hearty laugh to solve the problem of what to do and
how to go about it. It is surprising how readily the world follows the
individual with confidence. It is willing to believe in him, to furnish
funds, to assist in any way within its power. And that is where the man
with a smile is sure to win--for the man who smiles has confidence in
himself.
So long as we carry along with us our atmosphere of hearty good will
and enthusiasm we know no defeat. The man who is gloomy, taciturn
and lives in a world of doubt seldom achieves more than a bare living.
There have been a few who have groaned their way through to a
competence but in proportion to that overwhelming number of souls
who carry cheer through life they are as nothing--mere drops in the
bucket. If the truth were told their success came probably through mere
chance and nothing else. Such people are not the ones for us to
endeavor to follow. _We cannot afford to allow our visions to sour._
Beginning early takes away timidity and builds for success while we
are young enough to enjoy the benefits. Although it is never too late to
start a cheerful life we don't have to kill ourselves in the attempt. There
is no necessity for throwing all caution to the winds, but we should
press our advantages. With _self-analysis_ comes a certain poise, a
certain dignity and kindliness that tempers every move with precision.
Once we get the proper start we have only to take stock now and then
in order to keep our machinery in a fine state of repair. If we have
chosen wisely we love our work and stick to it closely--not forgetting
the home duties and our share in its success. Right here we run up

against the danger signal if our business success wins us away from the
hearthstone. Love of home is a quality of the workers of the earth.
"What doth it profit a man to win the whole world if he loseth his own
soul?"
To sum up the case--once we have made up our minds to win and how
we are going to do it, the next step is to act. _Health is synonymous
with action._ The healthy man does things, the unhealthy man hesitates.
And when we get ready to act we will act with the air of a conqueror.
We must supply from our own store our atmosphere of confidence in
order to win confidence. The successful man is the one who knows he
is right and makes us realize it.
It is always worth while to study the successes among our
acquaintances. Are they gloomy, morose and irritable? If they were to
that extent they would not be successful. On the contrary, they are
robust, confident individuals who have taken advantage of every
rightful opportunity and possessed the power to smile when all about
them were in the dumps. When everyone else thought that there wasn't
a chance to win these fellows stepped in and took charge.
When we interview the failures we find that all of them give one excuse:
"_I didn't have the confidence._" They may not say it in exactly these
words but the meaning is plain. They ran through the whole gamut of
_self-distrust_ which is the natural result of not having started