of service which may be had if you doubt this consult the payroll of any university it pays to know how to purchase knowledge first of all decide the sort of specialized knowledge you require and the purpose for which it is needed to a large extent your major purpose in life the goal toward which you are working will help determine what knowledge you need with this question settled your next move requires that you have accurate information concerning dependable sources of knowledge the more important of these are one's own experience and education experience and education available through cooperation of others colleges and universities public libraries special training courses as knowledge is acquired it must be organized and put into use for a definite purpose to practical plans knowledge has no value except that which can be gained from its application towards somewhere the end this is one reason why college degrees are not valued more highly they represent nothing but miscellaneous knowledge if you contemplate taking additional schooling first determine the purpose for which you want the knowledge you are seeking then learn where this particular sort of knowledge can be obtained from reliable sources successful men in all callings never stop acquiring specialized knowledge related to their major purpose business or profession those who are not successful usually make the mistake of believing that the knowledge acquiring period ends when one finishes school the truth is that schooling does but little more than to put one in the way of learning how to acquire practical knowledge with this changed world which began at the end of the economic collapse came also astounding changes in educational requirements the order of the day is specialization this truth was emphasized by robert secretary of appointments of columbia university specialists most sought particularly sought after by employing companies are candidates who have specialized in some field business school graduates with training and accounting and statistics engineers of all varieties journalists architects chemists and also outstanding leaders and activity men of the senior class the man who has been active on the campus whose personality is such that he gets along with all kinds of people and who has done an adequate job with his studies has a most decided edge over the strictly academic student some of these because of their all-around qualifications have received several offers of positions a few of them as many as six in departing from the conception that the straightest student was invariably the one to get the choice of the better jobs mr. Moore said that most companies look not only to academic records but to activity records and personalities of the students one of the largest industrial companies the leader in its field in writing to mr. Moore concerning prospective seniors at the college said we are interested primarily in finding men who can make exceptional progress in management work for this reason we emphasize qualities of character intelligence and personality far more than specific educational background apprenticeship proposed proposing a system of apprenticing students in offices stores and industrial occupations during the summer vacation mr. Moore asserts that after the first two or three years of college every student should be asked to choose a definite future course and to call a halt if he has been merely pleasantly drifting without purpose through an unspecialized academic curriculum colleges and universities must face the practical consideration that all professions and occupations now demand specialists he said urging that educational institutions accept more direct responsibility for vocational guidance one of the most reliable and practical sources of knowledge available to those who need specialized schooling is the night schools operated in most large cities the correspondence schools give specialized training anywhere the us males go on all subjects that can be taught by the extension method one advantage of home study training is the flexibility of the study program which permits one to study during spare time another stupendous advantage of home study training is the fact that most courses offered by home study schools carry with them generous privileges of consultation which can be of priceless value to those needing specialized knowledge no matter where you live you can share the benefits anything acquired without effort and without cost is generally unappreciated often discredited perhaps this is why we get so little from our marvelous opportunity in public schools the s e l f d i s c i p l i n e one receives from a definite program of specialized study makes up to some extent for the wasted opportunity when knowledge was available without cost correspondence schools are highly organized business institutions their tuition fees are so low that they are forced to insist upon prompt payments being asked to pay whether the student makes good grades or poor has the effect of causing one to follow through with the course when he would otherwise drop it the correspondence schools have not stressed this point sufficiently for the truth is that their collection departments constitute the very finest sort of training on decision promptness action and the habit of finishing that which one begins I learned this from experience more than 25 years ago I enrolled for a home study course in advertising after completing eight or 10 lessons I stopped studying but the school did not stop sending me bills moreover it insisted upon payment whether I kept up my studies or not I decided that if I had to pay for the course I should complete the lessons and get my money's worth I felt at the time that the collection system of the school was somewhat too well organized but I learned later in life that it was a valuable part of my training for which no charge had been made being forced to pay I went ahead and completed the course later in life I discovered that the efficient collection system of that school had been worth much in the form of money earned because of the training and advertising I had so reluctantly taken we have in this country what is said to be the greatest public school system in the world we have invested fabulous sums for fine buildings we have provided convenient transportation for children living in the rural districts so they may attend the best schools but there is one astounding weakness to this marvelous system it is free one of the strange things about human beings is that they value only that which has a price the free schools of america and the free public libraries do not impress people because they are free this is the major reason why so many people find it necessary to acquire additional training after they quit school and go to work it is also one of the major reasons why employers give greater consideration to employees who take home study courses they have learned from experience that any person who has the ambition to give up a part of his spare time to studying at home has in him those qualities which make for leadership this recognition is not a charitable gesture it is sound business judgment upon the part of the employers there is one weakness in people for which there is no remedy it is the universal weakness of lack of ambition persons especially salary people who schedule their spare time to provide for home study seldom remain at the bottom very long their action opens the way for the upward climb removes many obstacles from their path and gains the friendly interest of those who have the power to put them in the way of opportunity the home study method of training is especially suited to the needs of employed people who find after leaving school that they must acquire additional specialized knowledge but cannot spare the time to go back to school the change economic conditions prevailing since the depression have made it necessary for thousands of people to find additional or new sources of income for the majority of these the solution to their problem may be found only by acquiring specialized knowledge many will be forced to change their occupations entirely when a merchant finds that a certain line of merchandise is not selling he usually supplants it with another that is in demand the person whose business is that of marketing personal services must also be an efficient merchant if his services do not bring adequate returns in one occupation he must change to another where broader opportunities are available steward austin we're prepared himself as a construction engineer and follow this line of work until the depression limited his market to where it did not give him the income he required he took inventory of himself decided to change his profession to law went back to school and took special courses by which he prepared himself as a corporation lawyer despite the fact the depression had not ended he completed his training passed the bar examination and quickly build a lucrative law practice in dallas texas in fact he is turning away clients just to keep the record straight and to anticipate the alibis of those who will say i couldn't go to school because i have a family to support or i'm too old i will add the information that mr weir was past 40 and married when he went back to school were over by carefully selecting highly specialized courses in college is best prepared to teach the subjects chosen mr weir completed in two years the work for which the majority of law students require four years it pays to know how to purchase knowledge the person who stopped studying merely because he has finished school is forever hopelessly doomed to mediocrity no matter what maybe is calling the way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge let us consider a specific instance during the depression a salesman in a grocery store found himself without a position having had some bookkeeping experience he took a special course in accounting familiarized himself with all the latest bookkeeping and office equipment and went into business for himself starting with the grocer for whom he had formerly worked he made contracts with more than 100 small merchants to keep their books at a very nominal monthly fee his idea was so practical that he soon found it necessary to set up a portable office in a light delivery truck which he equipped with modern bookkeeping machinery he now has a fleet of these bookkeeping offices on wheels and employs a large staff of assistants thus providing small merchants with accounting service equal to the best that money can buy at very nominal cost specialized knowledge plus imagination were the ingredients that went into this unique and successful business last year the owner of that business paid an income tax of almost 10 times as much as was paid by the merchant for whom he worked when the depression forced upon him a temporary adversity which proved to be a blessing in disguise the beginning of this successful business was an idea in this much as I had the privilege of supplying the unemployed salesman with that idea I now assume the further privilege of suggesting another idea which has within it the possibility of even greater income also the possibility of rendering useful service to thousands of people who badly need that service the idea was suggested by the salesman who gave up selling and went into the business of keeping books on a wholesale basis when the plan was suggested as a solution of his unemployment problem he quickly exclaimed I like the idea but I would not know how to turn it into cash in other words he complained he would not know how the market is bookkeeping knowledge after he acquired it so that brought up another problem which had to be solved with the aid of a young woman typist clever hand lettering and who could put the story together a very attractive book was prepared describing the advantages of the new system of bookkeeping the pages were neatly typed and pasted in an ordinary scrapbook which was used as a silent salesman with which the story of this new business was so effectively told that its owner soon had more accounts than he could handle there are thousands of people all over the country who need the services of a merchandising specialist capable of preparing an attractive brief for use in marketing personal services the aggregate annual income from such a service might easily exceed that received by the largest employment agency and the benefits of the service might be made far greater to the purchaser than any to be obtained from an employment agency the idea here described was born of necessity to bridge an emergency which had to be covered but it did not stop by merely serving one person the woman who created the idea has a keen imagination she saw in her newly born brain child the making of a new profession one that is destined to render valuable service to thousands of people who need practical guidance in marketing personal services spurred to action by the instantaneous success of her first prepared plan to market personal services this energetic woman turned next to the solution of a similar problem for her son who had just finished college but had been totally unable to find the market for his services the plan she originated for his use was the finest specimen of merchandising of personal services I have ever seen when the plan book had been completed it contained nearly 50 pages of beautifully typed properly organized information telling the story of her son's native ability schooling personal experiences and a great variety of other information too extensive for description the plan book also contained a complete description of the position her son desired together with a marvelous word picture of the exact plan he would use in filling the position the preparation of the plan book required several weeks labor during which time its creator sent her son to the public library almost daily to procure data needed in selling his services to best advantage she sent him also to all the competitors of his prospective employer and gathered from them vital information concerning their business methods which was of great value in the formation of the plan he intended to use in filling the position he sought when the plan had been finished it contained more than half a dozen very fine suggestions for the use and benefit of the prospective employer one may be inclined to ask why go to all this trouble to secure a job the answer is straight to the point also it is dramatic because it deals with a subject which assumes the proportion of a tragedy with millions of men and women whose sole source of income is personal services the answer is doing a thing well never is trouble the plan prepared by this woman for the benefit of her son helped him get the job for which he applied at the first interview at a salary fix by himself were over and this too is important the position did not require the young man to start at the bottom he began as a junior executive at an executive salary might go to all this trouble do you ask well for one thing the plan presentation of this young man's application for a position clipped off no less than 10 years of time he would have required to get to where he began had he started at the bottom and worked his way out this idea of starting at the bottom and working one's way out may appear to be sound but the major objection to it is this too many of those who begin at the bottom never managed to lift their heads high enough to be seen by opportunity so they remain at the bottom it should be remembered also that the outlook from the bottom is not so very bright or encouraging it has a tendency to kill off ambition we call it getting into a rut which means that we accept our fate because we form the habit of daily routine a habit that finally becomes so strong we cease to try to throw it off and that is another reason why it pays to start one or two steps above the bottom by so doing one forms the habit of looking around of observing how others get ahead of seeing opportunity and of embracing it without hesitation Dan Halpin is a splendid example of what I mean during his college days he was manager of the famous 1930 national championship Notre Dame football team when it was under the direction of the late Newt Rockney perhaps he was inspired by the great football coach to aim high and not mistake temporary defeat for failure just as Andrew Carnegie the great industrial leader inspired his young business lieutenants to set high goals for themselves at any rate young Halpin finished college at a mighty 48 unfavorable time when the depression had made jobs scarce so after a fling and investment banking and motion pictures he took the first opening with a potential future he could find selling electrical hearing aids on a commission basis anyone could start in that sort of job and Halpin knew it but it was enough to open the door of opportunity to him for almost two years he continued in a job not to his liking and he would never have risen above that job if he had not done something about his dissatisfaction he aimed first at the job of assistant sales manager of his company and got the job that one step upward placed him high enough above the crowd to enable him to see still greater opportunity also it placed him where opportunity could see him he made such a fine record selling hearing aids that M. Andrews chairman of the board of the Dictograph Products Company a business competitor of the company for which Halpin worked wanted to know something about that man Dan Halpin who was taking big sales away from the long-established Dictograph Company he sent for Halpin when the interview was over Halpin was the new sales manager in charge of the acoustic and division then to test young Halpin's medal Mr. Andrews went away to Florida for three months leaving him to sink or swim in his new job he did not sink mute Rocknie's spirit of all the world loves a winner and has no time for a loser inspired him to put so much into his job that he was recently elected vice president of the company and general manager of the acoustic and silent radio division a job which most men would be proud to earn through 10 years of loyal effort Halpin turned the trick in little more than six months it is difficult to say whether Mr. Andrews or Mr. Halpin is more deserving of eulogy for the reason that both showed evidence of having an abundance of that very rare quality known as imagination Mr. Andrews deserves credit for seeing in young Halpin a go-getter of the highest order Halpin deserves credit for refusing to compromise with life by accepting and keeping a job he did not want and that is one of the major points I am trying to emphasize through this entire philosophy that we rise to high positions or remain at the bottom because of conditions we can control if we desire to control them I am also trying to emphasize another point namely that both success and failure are largely the results of habit I have not the slightest doubt that then Halpin's close association with the greatest football coach America ever knew planted in his mind the same brand of desire to excel which made the Notre Dame football team world famous truly there is something to the idea that hero worship is helpful provided one worships a winner Halpin tells me that Rockney was one of the world's greatest leaders of men in all history my belief in the theory that business associations are vital factors both in failure and in success was recently demonstrated when my son Blair was negotiating with Dan Halpin for a position Mr Halpin offered him a beginning salary of about one half what he could have gotten from a rival company I brought parental pressure to bear and induced him to accept the place with Mr Halpin because I believe that close association with one who refuses to compromise with circumstances he does not like is an asset that can never be measured in terms of money the bottom is a monotonous very unprofitable place for any person that is why I have taken the time to describe how lowly beginnings may be circumvented by proper planning also that is why so much space has been devoted to a description of this new profession created by a woman who was inspired to do a fine job of planning because she wanted her son to have a favorable break with the change conditions ushered in by the world economic collapse came also the need for newer and better ways of marketing personal services it is hard to determine why someone had not previously discovered this stupendous need in view of the fact that more money changes hands in return for personal services than for any other purpose the sum paid out monthly to people who work for wages and salaries is so huge that it runs into hundreds of millions and the annual distribution amounts to billions perhaps some will find in the idea here briefly described the nucleus of the riches they desire ideas with much less merit have been the ceilings from which great fortunes have grown Woolworth's five and ten cent store idea for example have far less merit but it piled up a fortune for its creator those seeing opportunity lurking in this suggestion will find valuable aid in the chapter on organized planning incidentally an efficient merchandiser of personal services will find a growing demand for his services wherever there are men and women who seek better markets for their services by applying the mastermind principle a few people with suitable talent could form an alliance and have a paying business very quickly one would need to be a fair rider with a flair for advertising and selling one handy at typing and hand lettering and one should be a first class business getter who would let the world know about the service if one person possessed all these abilities he might carry on the business alone until it outgrew him the woman who prepared the personal service sales plan for her son now receives requests from all parts of the country for her cooperation in preparing similar plans for others who desire to market their personal services for more money she has a staff of expert typists artists and writers who have the ability to dramatize the case history so effectively that one's personal services can be marketed for much more money than the prevailing wages for similar services she is so confident of her ability that she accepts as the major portion of her fee a percentage of the increased pay she helps her clients to earn it must not be supposed that her plan merely consists of clever salesmanship by which she helps men and women to demand and receive more money for the same services they formerly sold for less pay she looks after the interests of the purchaser as well as the seller of personal services and so prepares her plans that the employer receives full value for the additional money he pays the method by which she accomplishes this astonishing result is a professional secret which she discloses to no one accepting her own clients if you have the imagination and seek a more profitable outlet for your personal services this suggestion may be the stimulus for which you have been searching the idea is capable of yielding an income far greater than that of the average doctor lawyer or engineer whose education required several years in college the idea is saleable to those seeking new positions in practically all positions calling for managerial or executive ability anti those desiring rearrangement of incomes in their present positions there is no fixed price for sound ideas that of all ideas is specialized knowledge unfortunately for those who do not find riches in abundance specialized knowledge is more abundant and more easily acquired than ideas because of this very truth there is a universal demand and an ever increasing opportunity for the person capable of helping men and women to sell their personal services advantageously capability means imagination the one quality needed to combine specialized knowledge with ideas in the form of organized plans designed to yield riches if you have imagination this chapter may present you with an idea sufficient to serve as the beginning of the riches you desire remember the idea is the main thing specialized knowledge may be found just around the corner any corner any corner any corner any corner any corner chapter six imagination the workshop of the mind the fifth step toward riches the imagination is literally the workshop wherein our fashion all plans created by man the impulse the desire is given shape form an action through the aid of the imaginative faculty of the mind it has been said that man can create anything which he can imagine of all the ages of civilization this is the most favorable for the development of the imagination because it is an age of rapid change on every hand one may contact stimuli which developed the imagination through the aid of his imaginative faculty man has discovered and harnessed more of nature's forces during the past 50 years than during the entire history of the human race previous to that time he has conquered the air so completely that the birds are a poor match for him in flying he has harnessed the ether and made it serve as a means of instantaneous communication with any part of the world he has analyzed and weighed the sun at a distance of millions of miles and has determined through the aid of imagination the elements of which it consists he has discovered that his own brain is both a broadcasting and a receiving station for the vibration of thought and he is beginning now to learn how to make practical use of this discovery he has increased the speed of locomotion until he may now travel at a speed of more than 300 miles an hour the time will soon come when a man may breakfast in new york and lunch in san francisco man's only limitation within reason lies in his development and use of his imagination he has not yet reached the apex of development in the use of his imaginative faculty he has merely discovered that he has an imagination and has commenced to use it in a very elementary way two forms of imagination he imaginative faculty functions in two forms one is known as synthetic imagination and the other as creative imagination synthetic imagination through this faculty one may arrange old concepts ideas or plans into new combinations this faculty creates nothing it merely works with the material of experience education and observation with which it is fed it is the faculty used most by the inventor with the exception of the genius who draws upon the creative imagination when he cannot solve his problem through synthetic imagination the faculty of creative imagination the finite mind of man has direct communication with infinite intelligence it is the faculty through which hunches and inspirations are received it is by this faculty that all basic or new ideas are handed over to man it is through this faculty that thought vibrations from the minds of others are received it is through this faculty that one individual may tune in or communicate with the subconscious minds of other men the creative imagination works automatically in the manner described in subsequent pages this faculty functions only when the conscious mind is vibrating at an exceedingly rapid rate as for example when the conscious mind is stimulated through the emotion of a strong desire the creative faculty becomes more alert more receptive to vibrations from the sources mentioned in proportion to its development through use this statement is significant condor over it before passing on keep in mind as you follow these principles that the entire story of how one may convert desire into money cannot be told in one statement the story will be complete only when one has mastered assimilated and begun to make use of all the principles the great leaders of business industry finance and the great artists musicians poets and writers became great because they developed the faculty of creative imagination both the synthetic and creative faculties of imagination become more alert with use just as any muscle or organ of the body develops through use desire is only a thought and impulse it is nebulous and ephemeral it is abstract and of no value until it has been transformed into its physical counterparts while the synthetic imagination is the one which will be used most frequently in the process of transforming the impulse of desire into money you must keep in mind the fact that you may face circumstances and situations which demand use of the creative imagination as well your imaginative faculty may have become weak through an action it can be revived and made alert through use this faculty does not die though it may become quiescent through lack of use center your attention for the time being on the development of the synthetic imagination because this is the faculty which you will use more often in the process of converting desire into money transformation of the intangible impulse of desire into the tangible reality of money calls for the use of a plan or plans these plans must be formed with the aid of the imagination and mainly with the synthetic faculty read the entire book through then come back to this chapter and begin at once to put your imagination to work on the building of a plan or plans for the transformation of your desire into money detailed instructions for the building of plans have been given in almost every chapter carry out the instructions best suited to your needs reduce your plan to writing if you have not already done so the moment you complete this you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire read the proceeding sentence once more read it aloud very slowly and as you do so remember that the moment you reduce the statement of your desire and the plan for its realization to writing you have actually taken the first off a series of steps which will enable you to convert the thought into its physical counterparts the earth on which you live you yourself and every other material thing are the result of evolutionary change through which microscopic bits of matter have been organized and arranged in an orderly fashion moreover and this statement is of stupendous importance this earth every one of the billions of individual cells of your body and every atom of matter began as an intangible form of energy desire is thought impulse thought impulses are forms of energy when you begin with the thought impulse desire to accumulate money you are drafting into your service the same stuff that nature used in creating this earth and every material form in the universe including the body and brain in which the thought impulses function as far as science has been able to determine the entire universe consists of but two elements matter and energy through the combination of energy and matter has been created everything perceptible to man from the largest star which floats in the heavens down to and including man himself you are now engaged in the task of trying to profit by nature's method you are trying to adapt yourself to nature's laws by endeavoring to convert desire into its physical or monetary equivalent you can do it it has been done before you can build a fortune through the aid of laws which are immutable but first you must become familiar with these laws and learn to use them through repetition and by approaching the description of these principles from every conceivable angle the author hopes to reveal to you the secret through which every great fortune has been accumulated strange and paradoxical as it may seem the secret is not a secret nature herself advertises it in the earth on which we live the stars the planets suspended within our view in the elements above and around us in every blade of grass and every form of life within our vision nature advertises this secret in the terms of biology in the conversion of a tiny cell so small that it may be lost on the point of a pin into the human being now reading this line the conversion of desire into its physical equivalent is certainly no more miraculous do not become discouraged if you do not fully comprehend all that has been stated unless you have long been a student of the mind it is not to be expected that you will assimilate all that is in this chapter upon a first reading but you will in time make good progress the principles which follow will open the way for understanding of imagination assimilate that which you understand as you read this philosophy for the first time then when you reread and study it you will discover that something has happened to clarify it and give you a broader understanding of the whole above all do not stop nor hesitate in your study of these principles until you have read the book at least three times for then you will not want to stop how to make practical use of imagination ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes ideas are products of the imagination let us examine a few well-known ideas which have yielded huge fortunes with the hope that these illustrations will convey definite information concerning the method by which imagination may be used in accumulating riches the enchanted kettle 50 years ago an old country doctor drove to town hitched his horse quietly slipped into a drugstore by the back door and began dickering with the young drug clerk his mission was destined to yield great wealth to many people it was destined to bring to the south the most far flung benefit since the civil war for more than an hour behind the prescription counter the old doctor and the clerk topped in low tomes then the doctor left he went out to the buggy and brought back a large old-fashioned kettle a big wooden paddle and deposited them in the back of the store the clerk inspected the kettle reached into his inside pocket took out a roll of bills and handed it over to the doctor the roll contained exactly five hundred dollars the clerk's entire savings the doctor handed over a small slip of paper on which was written a secret formula the words on that small slip of paper were worth a king's ransom but not to the doctor those magic words were needed to start the kettle to boiling but neither the doctor nor the young clerk knew what fabulous fortunes were destined to flow from that kettle the old doctor was glad to sell the outfit for five hundred dollars the money would pay off his debts and give him freedom of mind the clerk was taking a big chance by staking his entire life savings on a mere scrap of paper and an old kettle he never dreamed his investment would start a kettle to overflowing with gold that would surpass the miraculous performance of Aladdin's lamp what the clerk really purchased was an idea the old kettle and the wooden paddle and the secret message on a slip of paper were incidental the strange performance of that kettle began to take place after the new owner mixed with the secret instructions an ingredient of which the doctor knew nothing read this story carefully give your imagination a test see if you can discover what it was that the young man added to the secret message which caused the kettle to overflow with gold remember as you read that this is not a story from arabian knights here you have a story of facts stranger than fiction facts which began in the form of an idea let us take a look at the vast fortunes of gold this idea has produced it has paid and still pays huge fortunes to men and women all over the world who distribute the contents of the kettle to millions of people the old kettle is now one of the world's largest consumers of sugar let's providing jobs of a permanent nature to thousands of men and women engaged in growing sugarcane and in refining and marketing sugar the old kettle consumes annually millions of glass bottles providing jobs to huge numbers of glass workers the old kettle gives employment to an army of clerks stenographers copywriters and advertising experts throughout the nation it has brought fame and fortune to scores of artists who have created magnificent pictures describing the product the old kettle has converted a small southern city into the business capital of the south where it now benefits directly or indirectly every business and practically every resident of the city the influence of this idea now benefits every civilized country in the world pouring out a continuous stream of gold to all who touch it gold from the kettle built and maintains one of the most prominent colleges of the south where thousands of young people receive the training essential for success the old kettle has done other marvelous things all through the world depression when factories banks and business houses were folding up and quitting by the thousands the owner of this enchanted kettle went marching on giving continuous employment to an army of men and women all over the world and paying out extra portions of gold to those who long ago had faith in the idea if the product of that old brass kettle could talk it would tell thrilling tales of romance in every language romances of love romances of business romances of professional men and women who are daily being stimulated by it the author is sure of at least one such romance for he was a part of it and it all began not far from the very spot on which the drug clerk purchased the old kettle it was here that the author met his wife and it was she who first told him of the enchanted kettle it was the product of that kettle they were drinking when he asked her to accept him for better or worse now that you know the content of the enchanted kettle is a world famous drink it is fitting that the author confessed that the home city of the drink supplied him with a wife also that the drink itself provides him with stimulation of thought without intoxication and thereby it serves to give the refreshment of mind which an author must have to do his best work whoever you are wherever you may live whatever occupation you may be engaged in just remember in the future every time you see the words coca-cola that its vast empire of wealth and influence grew out of a single idea and that the mysterious ingredient the drug clerk a sac candler mixed with the secret formula was imagination stop and think of that for a moment remember also that the 13 steps to riches described in this book where the media through which the influence of coca-cola has been extended to every city town village and crossroads of the world and that any idea you may create a sound and meritorious as coca-cola has the possibility of duplicating the stupendous record of this worldwide thirst killer truly thoughts are things and their scope of operation is the world itself what I would do if I had a million dollars this story proves the truth of that old saying where there's a will there's a way it was told to me by that beloved educator and clergyman the late frank w gun solace who began his preaching career in the stockards region of south chicago while dr gun solace was going through college he observed many defects in our educational system defects which he believed he could correct if he were the head of a college his deepest desire was to become the directing head of an educational institution in which young men and women would be taught to learn by doing he made up his mind to organize a new college in which he could carry out his ideas without being handicapped by orthodox methods of education he needed a million dollars to put the project across where was he to lay his hands on so large a sum of money that was the question that absorbed most of this ambitious young preachers thought but he couldn't seem to make any progress every night he took that thought to bed with him he got up with it in the morning he took it with him everywhere he went he turned it over and over in his mind until it became a consuming obsession with him a million dollars is a lot of money he recognized that fact but he also recognized the truth that the only limitation is that which one sets up in one's own mind being a philosopher as well as a preacher dr gun solace recognized as do all who succeed in life that definiteness of purpose is the starting point from which one must begin he recognized too that definiteness of purpose takes on animation life and power went back by a burning desire to translate that purpose into its material equivalent he knew all these great truths yet he did not know where or how to lay his hands on a million dollars a natural procedure would have been to give up and quit by saying oh well my idea is a good one but i cannot do anything with it because i never can procure the necessary million dollars that is exactly what the majority of people would have said but it is not what dr gun solace said what he said and what he did are so important that i now introduce him and let him speak for himself one Saturday afternoon i sat in my room thinking of ways and means of raising the money to carry out my plans for nearly two years i have been thinking but i had done nothing but think the time had come for action i made up my mind then and there that i would get the necessary million dollars within a week how i was not concerned about that the main thing of importance was the decision to get the money within a specified time and i wanted to tell you that the moment i reached a definite decision to get the money within a specified time a strange feeling of assurance came over me such as i had never before experienced something inside me seemed to say why didn't you reach that decision a long time ago the money was waiting for you all the time things began to happen in a hurry i called the newspapers and announced i would preach a sermon the following morning entitled what i would do if i had a million dollars i went to work on the sermon immediately but i must tell you frankly the task was not difficult because i had been preparing that sermon for almost two years the spirit back of it was a part of me long before midnight i had finished writing the sermon i went to bed and slept with a feeling of confidence for i could see myself already in possession of the million dollars next morning i rose early went into the bathroom read the sermon then knelt on my knees and asked that my sermon might come to the attention of someone who would supply the needed money while i was praying i again had that feeling of assurance that the money would be forthcoming in my excitement i walked out without my sermon and did not discover the oversight until i was in my pulpit and about ready to begin delivering it it was too late to go back for my notes and what a blessing that i couldn't go back instead my own subconscious mind yielded the material i needed when i rose to begin my sermon i closed my eyes and spoke with all my heart and soul of my dreams i not only talked to my audience but i fancy i talked also to god i told what i would do with a million dollars if that amount were placed in my hands i described the plan i had in mind for organizing a great educational institution where young people would learn to do practical things and at the same time develop their minds when i had finished and sat down a man slowly arose from his seat about three rows from the rear and made his way toward the pulpit i wondered what he was going to do he came into the pulpit extended his hand and said reverend i liked your sermon i believe you can do everything you said you would if you had a million dollars to prove that i believe in you and your sermon if you will come to my office tomorrow morning i will give you the million dollars my name is philip the armor young gun solace went to mr armor's office and the million dollars was presented to him with the money he founded the armor institute of technology that is more money than the majority of preachers ever seen in an entire lifetime yet the thought impulse back of the money was created in the young preachers mind in a fraction of a minute the necessary million dollars came as a result of an idea back of the idea was a desire which young gun solace had been nursing in his mind for almost two years observed this important fact he got the money within 36 hours after he reached a definite decision in his own mind to get it and decided upon a definite plan for getting it there was nothing new or unique about young gun solace vague thinking about a million dollars and weekly hoping for it others before him and many since his time have had similar thoughts but there was something very unique and different about the decision he reached on that memorable sorry when he put vagueness into the background and definitely said i will get that money within a week god seems to throw himself on the side of the man who knows exactly what he wants if he is determined to get just that we're over the principle through which doctor gun solace got his million dollars is still alive it is available to you this universal law is as workable today as it was when the young preacher made use of it so successfully this book describes step by step the 13 elements of this great law and suggests how they may be put to use observed that a sack handler and doctor frank gun solace had one characteristic in common both knew the astounding truth that ideas can be transmuted into cash through the power of definite purpose plus definite plans if you are one of those who believe that hard work and honesty alone will bring riches perish the thought it is not true riches when they come in huge quantities are never the result of hard work riches come if they come at all in response to definite demands based upon the application of definite principles and not by chance or luck generally speaking an idea is an impulse of thought that impels action by an appeal to the imagination all master salesmen know that ideas can be sold where merchandise cannot ordinary salesmen do not know this that is why they are ordinary a publisher of books which sell for a nickel made a discovery that should be worth much to publishers generally he learned that many people buy titles and not contents of books by merely changing the name of one book that was not moving his sales on that book jump upward more than a million copies the inside of the book was not changed in any way he merely ripped off the cover bearing the title that did not sell and put on a new cover with a title that had box office value that as simple as it may seem was an idea it was imagination there is no standard price on ideas the creator of ideas makes his own price and if he is smart gets it the moving picture industry created a whole flock of millionaires most of them were men who couldn't create ideas but they had the imagination to recognize ideas when they saw them the next flock of millionaires will grow out of the radio business which is new and not overburdened with men of keen imagination the money will be made by those who discover or create new and more meritorious radio programs and have the imagination to recognize merit and to give the radio listeners a chance to profit by it his sponsor that unfortunate victim who now pays the cost of all radio entertainment soon will become idea conscious and demand something for his money the man who beats the sponsor to the draw and supplies programs that render useful service is the man who will become rich in this new industry truners and light chatter artists who now pollute the air with wisecracks and silly giggles will go the way of all light timbers and their places will be taken by real artists who interpret carefully planned programs which have been designed to service the minds of men as well as provide entertainment here is a wide open field of opportunity screaming its protest that the way it is being butchered because of lack of imagination and begging for rescue at any price above all the thing that radio needs is new ideas if this new field of opportunity intrigues you perhaps you might profit by the suggestion that the successful radio programs of the future will give more attention to creating buyer audiences and less attention to listener audiences stated more plainly the builder of radio programs who succeeds in the future must find practical ways to convert listeners into buyers or over the successful producer of radio programs in the future must key as features so that he can definitely show its effect upon the audience sponsors are becoming a bit weary of buying glib selling talks based upon statements grabbed out of thin air they want and in the future will demand indisputable proof that the wusip program not only gives millions of people the silliest giggle ever but that the silly giggler can sell merchandise another thing that might as well be understood by those who contemplate entering this new field of opportunity radio advertising is going to be handled by an entirely new group of advertising experts separate and distinct from the old-time newspaper and magazine advertising agency men the old timers in the advertising game cannot read the modern radio scripts because they have been schooled to see ideas the new radio technique demands men who can interpret ideas from a written manuscript in terms of sound it cost the author a year of hard labor and many thousands of dollars to learn this radio right now is about where the moving pictures were when mary pickford and her curls first appeared on the screen there is plenty of room in radio for those who can produce or recognize ideas if the foregoing comment on the opportunities of radio has not started your idea factory to work you that better forget it your opportunity is in some other field if the comment intrigued you in the slightest degree then go further into it and you may find the one idea you need to round out your career never let it discourage you if you have no experience in radio andrew carnegie knew very little about making steel i have carnegie's own word for this but he made practical use of two of the principles described in this book and made the steel business yield him a fortune the story of practically every great fortune starts with the day when a creator of ideas and a seller of ideas got together and worked in harmony carnegie surrounded himself with men who could do all that he could not do men who created ideas and men who put ideas into operation and made himself and the others fabulously rich millions of people go through life hoping for favorable breaks perhaps a favorable break can get one an opportunity but the safest plan is not to depend upon luck it was a favorable break that gave me the biggest opportunity of my life but 25 years of determined effort had to be devoted to that opportunity before it became an asset the break consisted of my good fortune in meeting and gaining the cooperation of andrew carnegie on that occasion carnegie planted in my mind the idea of organizing the principles of achievement into a philosophy of success thousands of people have profited by the discoveries made in the 25 years of research and several fortunes have been accumulated through the application of the philosophy the beginning was simple it was an idea which anyone might have developed the favorable break came through carnegie but what about the determination definiteness of purpose and the desire to attain the goal and the persistent effort of 25 years it was no ordinary desire that survived disappointment discouragement temporary defeat criticism and the constant reminding of waste of time it was a burning desire and obsession when the idea was first planted in my mind by mr carnegie it was coaxed nursed and enticed to remain alive gradually the idea became a giant under its own power and it coaxed nursed and drove me ideas are like that first you give life and action and guidance to ideas then they take on power of their own and sweep aside all opposition ideas are intangible forces but they have more power than the physical brains that give birth to them they have the power to live on after the brain that creates them has returned to dust for example take the power of christianity that began with a simple idea born in the brain of christ its chief tenet was do unto others as you would have others do unto you christ has gone back to the source from whence he came but his idea goes marching on someday it may grow up and come into its own then it will have fulfilled christ's deepest desire the idea has been developing only 2000 years give it time failure permits no alibis chapter seven organized planning the crystallization of desire into action the sixth step toward riches you have learned that everything man creates or acquires begins in the form of desire that desire is taken on the first lap of its journey from the abstract to the concrete into the workshop of the imagination where plans for its transition are created and organized in chapter two you were instructed to take six definite practical steps as your first move in translating the desire for money into its monetary equivalent one of these steps is the formation of a definite practical plan or plans through which this transformation may be made you will now be instructed how to build plans which will be practical this ally yourself with a group of as many people as you may need for the creation and carrying out of your plan or plans for the accumulation of money making use of the mastermind principle described in a later chapter compliance with this instruction is absolutely essential do not neglect it before forming your mastermind alliance decide what advantages and benefits you may offer the individual members of your group in return for their cooperation no one will work indefinitely without some form of compensation no intelligent person will either request or expect another to work without adequate compensation although this may not always be in the form of money arranged to meet with the members of your mastermind group at least twice a week and more often if possible until you have jointly perfected the necessary plan or plans for the accumulation of money maintain perfect harmony between yourself and every member of your mastermind group if you fail to carry out this instruction to the letter you may expect to meet with failure the mastermind principle cannot obtain where perfect harmony does not prevail keep in mind these facts first you are engaged in an undertaking of major importance to you to be sure of success you must have plans which are faultless second you must have the advantage of the experience education native ability and imagination of other minds this is in harmony with the methods followed by every person who has accumulated a great fortune no individual has sufficient experience education native ability and knowledge to ensure the accumulation of a great fortune without the cooperation of other people every plan you adopt in your endeavor to accumulate wealth should be the joint creation of yourself and every other member of your mastermind group you may originate your own plans either in whole or in part but see that those plans are checked and approved by the members of your mastermind alliance if the first plan which you adopt does not work successfully replace it with a new plan if this new plan fails to work replace it in turn with still another and so on until you find a plan which does work right here is the point at which the majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail the most intelligent man living cannot succeed in accumulating money nor in any other undertaking without plans that are practical and workable just keep this fact in mind and remember when your plans fail that temporary defeat is not permanent failure it may only mean that your plans have not been sound build other plans start all over again Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the incandescent electric light bulb that is he met with temporary defeat 10,000 times before his efforts were crowned with success temporary defeat should mean only one thing the certain knowledge that there is something wrong with your plan millions of men go through life in misery and poverty because they lack a sound plan through which to accumulate a fortune Henry Ford accumulated a fortune not because of his superior mind but because he adopted and followed a plan that proved to be sound a thousand men could be pointed out each with a better education than Ford's yet each of whom lives in poverty because he does not possess the right plan for the accumulation of money your achievement can be no greater than your plans are sound that may seem to be an axiomatic statement but it is true Samuel and so lost his fortune of over 100 million dollars the insult fortune was built on plans which were sound the business depression forced Mr. Insul to change his plans and the change brought temporary defeat because his new plans were not sound Mr. Insul is now an old man he may consequently accept failure instead of temporary defeat but if his experience turns out to be failure it will be for the reason that he lacks the fire of persistence to rebuild his plans no man is ever whipped until he quits in his own mind this fact will be repeated many times because it is so easy to take the count at the first sign of defeat James J. Hill met with temporary defeat when he first endeavored to raise the necessary capital to build a railroad from the east to the west but he too turned defeat into victory through new plans Henry Ford met with temporary defeat not only at the beginning of his automobile career but after he had gone far toward the top he created new plans and went marching on to financial victory we see men who have accumulated great fortunes but we often recognize only their triumph overlooking the temporary defeats which they had to surmount before arriving no follower of this philosophy can reasonably expect to accumulate a fortune without experiencing temporary defeat when defeat comes accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound rebuild those plans and set sail once more toward your coveted goal if you give up before your goal has been reached you are a quitter a quitter never wins and a winner never quits lift this sentence out write it on a piece of paper in letters an inch high and place it where you will see it every night before you go to sleep and every morning before you go to work when you begin to select members for your mastermind group endeavor to select those who do not take defeat seriously some people foolishly believe that only money can make money this is not true desire transmuted into its monetary equivalent through the principles laid down here is the agency through which money is made money of itself is nothing but a nerd matter it cannot move think or talk but it can hear when a man who desires it calls it to come planning the sale of services the remainder of this chapter has been given over to a description of ways and means of marketing personal services the information here can bait will be of practical help to any person having any form of personal services to market but it will be of priceless benefit to those who aspire to leadership in their chosen occupations intelligent planning is essential for success in any undertaking designed to accumulate riches here will be found detailed instructions to those who must begin the accumulation of riches by selling personal services it should be encouraging to know that practically all the great fortunes began in the form of compensation for personal services or from the sale of ideas what else except ideas and personal services would one not possess the property have to give in return for riches broadly speaking there are two types of people in the world one type is known as leaders and the other as followers decide at the outset whether you intend to become a leader in your chosen calling or remain a follower the difference in compensation is vast the follower cannot reasonably expect the compensation to which a leader is entitled although many followers make the mistake of expecting such pay it is no disgrace to be a follower on the other hand it is no credit to remain a follower most great leaders began in the capacity of followers they became great leaders because they were intelligent followers with few exceptions the man who cannot follow a leader intelligently cannot become an efficient leader the man who can follow a leader most efficiently is usually the man who develops into leadership most rapidly an intelligent follower has many advantages among them the opportunity to acquire knowledge from his leader the major attributes of leadership the following are important factors of leadership one unwavering courage based upon knowledge of self and of one's occupation no follower wishes to be dominated by a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage no intelligent follower will be dominated by such a leader very long two self-control the man who cannot control himself can never control others self-control sets a mighty example for one's followers which the more intelligent will emulate three a keen sense of justice without a sense of fairness and justice no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers for definiteness of decision the man who wavers in his decisions shows that he is not sure of himself he cannot lead others successfully five definiteness of plans the successful leader must plan his work and work his plan a leader who moves by guesswork without practical definite plans is comparable to a ship without a rudder sooner or later he will land on the rocks six the habit of doing more than paid for one of the penalties of leadership is the necessity of willingness upon the part of the leader to do more than he requires of his followers seven a pleasing personality no slovenly careless person can become a successful leader leadership calls for respect followers will not respect the leader who does not grade high on all of the factors of a pleasing personality faith sympathy and understanding the successful leader must be in sympathy with his followers moreover he must understand them and their problems nine mastery of detail successful leadership calls for mastery of details of the leader's position ten willingness to assume full responsibility the successful leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the mistakes and the shortcomings of his followers if he tries to shift this responsibility he will not remain the leader if one of his followers makes a mistake and shows himself incompetent the leader must consider that it is he who failed 11 cooperation the successful leader must understand and apply the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do the same leadership calls for power and power calls for cooperation there are two forms of leadership the first and by far the most effective is leadership by consent of and with the sympathy of the followers the second is leadership by force without the consent and sympathy of the followers history is filled with evidences that leadership by force cannot endure the downfall and disappearance of dictators and kings is significant it means that people will not follow force leadership indefinitely the world has just entered a new era of relationship between leaders and followers which very clearly calls for new leaders and a new brand of leadership in business and industry those who belong to the old school of leadership by force must acquire an understanding of the new brand of leadership or be relegated to the rank and file of the followers there is no other way out for them the relationship of employer and employee or of leader and follower in the future will be one of mutual cooperation based upon an equitable division of the profits of business in the future the relationship of employer and employee will be more like a partnership than it has been in the past Napoleon Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany the Tsar of Russia and the king of Spain were examples of leadership by force their leadership passed without much difficulty one might point to the prototypes of these ex-leaders among the business financial and labor leaders of America who have been dethroned or slated to go leadership by consent of the followers is the only brand which can endure men may follow the force leadership temporarily but they will not do so willingly a new brand of leadership will embrace the 11 factors of leadership described in this chapter as well as some other factors the man who makes these the basis of his leadership will find abundant opportunity to lead in any walk of life the depression was prolonged largely because the world lacked leadership of the new brand at the end of the depression the demand for leaders who are competent to apply the new methods of leadership has greatly exceeded the supply some of the old type of leaders will reform and adapt themselves to the new brand of leadership but generally speaking the world will have to look for new timber for its leadership this necessity may be your opportunity the 10 major causes of failure in leadership we come now to the major faults of leaders who fail because it is just as essential to know what not to do as it is to know what to do one an ability to organize details efficient leadership calls for ability to organize and to master details no genuine leader is ever too busy to do anything which may be required of him in his capacity as leader when a man whether he is a leader or follower admits that he is too busy to change his plans or to give attention to any emergency he admits is an efficiency the successful leader must be the master of all details connected with his position that means of course that he must acquire the habit of relegating details to capable lieutenants to unwillingness to render humble service truly great leaders are willing when occasion demands to perform any sort of labor which they would ask another to perform the greatest among each shall be the servant of all is a truth which all able leaders observe and respect three expectation of pay for what they know instead of what they do with that which they know the world does not pay men for that which they know it pays them for what they do or induce others to do for fear of competition from followers a leader who fears that one of his followers may take his position is practically sure to realize that fear sooner or later able leader trains under studies to whom he may delegate at will any of the details of his position only in this way may a leader multiply himself and prepare himself to be at many places and give attention to many things at one time it is an eternal truth that men receive more pay for their ability to get others to perform than they could possibly earn by their own efforts an efficient leader may through his knowledge of his job and the magnetism of his personality greatly increase the efficiency of others and induce them to render more service and better service than they could render without his aid five lack of imagination without imagination the leader is incapable of meeting emergencies and of creating plans by which to guide his followers efficiently six selfishness the leader who claims all the honor for the work of his followers is sure to be met by resentment the really great leader claims none of the honors he is contented to see the honors when there are any go to his followers because he knows that most men will work harder for commendation and recognition than they will for money alone seven in temperance followers do not respect an intemperate leader whereover intemperance in any of its various forms destroys the endurance and the vitality of all who indulge in it eight disloyalty perhaps this should have come at the head of the list the leader who is not loyal to his trust and to his associates those above him and those below him cannot long maintain his leadership disloyalty marks one is being less than the dust of the earth and brings down on one's head the contempt he deserves lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life nine emphasis of the authority of leadership the efficient leader leads by encouraging and not by trying to instill fear in the hearts of his followers the leader who tries to impress his followers with his authority comes within the category of leadership to force if a leader is a real leader he will have no need to advertise that fact except by his conduct his sympathy understanding fairness and the demonstration that he knows his job ten emphasis of title the competent leader requires no title to give him the respect of his followers the man who makes too much over his title generally has little else to emphasize the doors to the office of the real leader are open to all who wish to enter and his working quarters are free from formality or ostentation these are among the more common of the causes of failure in leadership any one of these faults is sufficient to induce failure study the list carefully if you aspire to leadership and make sure that you are free of these faults some fertile fields in which new leadership will be required before leaving this chapter your attention is called to a field the fertile fields in which there has been a decline of leadership and in which the new type of leader may find an abundance of opportunity first in the field of politics there is a most insistent demand for new leaders a demand which indicates nothing less than an emergency the majority of politicians have seemingly become high-grade legalized racketeers they have increased taxes and debauched the machinery of industry and business until the people can no longer stand the burden second the banking business is undergoing a reform the leaders in this field have almost entirely lost the confidence of the public already the bankers have since the need of reform and they have begun it third industry calls for new leaders the old type of leaders thought and moved in terms of dividends instead of thinking and moving in terms of human equations the future leader in industry to endure must regard himself as a quasi public official whose duty it is to manage his trust in such a way that it will work hardship on no individual or group of individuals exploitation of working men is a thing of the past let the man who aspires to leadership in the field of business industry and labor remember this fourth the religious leader of the future will be forced to give more attention to the temporal needs of his followers in the solution of their economic and personal problems of the present and less attention to the dead past and the yet unborn future fifth in the professions of law medicine and education a new brand of leadership and to some extent new leaders will become a necessity this is especially true in the field of education the leader in that field must in the future find ways and means of teaching people how to apply the knowledge they receive in school he must deal more with practice and less with theory sixth new leaders will be required in the field of journalism newspapers of the future to be conducted successfully must be divorced from special privilege and relieved from the subsidy of advertising they must cease to be organs of propaganda for the interests which patronize their advertising columns the type of newspaper which publishes scandal and lewd pictures will eventually go the way of all forces which debauched the human mind these are but a few of the fields in which opportunities for new leaders and a new brand of leadership are now available the world is undergoing a rapid change this means that the media through which the changes in human habits are promoted must be adapted to the changes the media here described are the ones which more than any others determine the trend of civilization when and how to apply for a position the information described here is the net result of many years of experience during which thousands of men and women were helped to market their services effectively it can therefore be relied upon a sound impractical media through which services may be marketed experience has proved that the following media offer the most direct and effective methods of bringing the buyer and seller of personal services together one employment bureaus here must be taken to select only reputable bureaus the management of which can show adequate records of achievement of satisfactory results there are comparatively few such bureaus to advertising in newspapers trade journals magazines and radio classified advertising may usually be relied upon to produce satisfactory results in the case of those who apply for clerical or ordinary salaried positions display advertising is more desirable in the case of those who seek executive connections the copy to appear in the section of the paper which is most apt to come to the attention of the class of employer being sought the copy should be prepared by an expert who understands how to inject sufficient selling qualities to produce replies three personal letters of application directed to particular firms or individuals most apt to need such services as are being offered letters should be neatly typed always and signed by hand with the letter should be send a complete brief or outline of the applicant's qualifications both the letter of application and the brief of experience or qualifications should be prepared by an expert for application through personal acquaintances when possible the applicant should endeavor to approach prospective employers through some mutual acquaintance this method of approach is particularly advantageous in the case of those who seek executive connections and do not wish to appear to be peddling themselves five application in person in some instances it may be more effective if the applicant offers personally his services to prospective employers in which event a complete written statement of qualifications for the position should be presented for the reason that prospective employers often wish to discuss with associates one's record information to be supplied in a written brief this brief should be prepared as carefully as a lawyer would prepare the brief of a case to be tried in court unless the applicant is experienced in the preparation of such briefs an expert should be consulted and his service is enlisted for this purpose successful merchants employ men and women who understand the art and the psychology of advertising to present the merits of their merchandise one who has personal services for sale should do the same the following information should appear in the brief one education state briefly but definitely what schooling you have had and in what subjects you specialized in school giving the reasons for that specialization to experience if you have had experience in connection with positions similar to the one you seek describe it fully state names and addresses of former employers be sure to bring out clearly any special experience you may have had which would equip you to fill the position you seek three references practically every business firm desires to know all about the previous records antecedents etc of prospective employees who seek positions of responsibility attached to your brief photo static copies of letters from the former employers be teachers under whom you studied see prominent people whose judgment may be relied upon for photograph of self attached to your brief a recent unmounted photograph of yourself five apply for a specific position avoid application for a position without describing exactly what particular position you seek never apply for just a position that indicates you lack specialized qualifications six state your qualifications for the particular position for which you apply if full details as to the reason you believe you are qualified for the particular position you seek this is the most important detail of your application it will determine more than anything else what consideration you receive seven offer to go to work on probation in the majority of instances if you are determined to have the position for which you apply it will be most effective if you offer to work for a week or a month or for a sufficient length of time to enable your prospective employer to judge your value without pay this may appear to be a radical suggestion but experience has proved that it seldom fails to win at least a trial if you are sure of your qualifications a trial is all you need incidentally such an offer indicates that you have confidence in your ability to fill the position you seek it is most convincing if your offer is accepted and you make good more than likely you will be paid for your probation period make clear the fact that your offer is based upon your confidence in your ability to fill the position your confidence in your prospective employer's decision to employ you after trial see your determination to have the position you seek eight knowledge of your prospective employer's business before applying for a position do sufficient research in connection with the business to familiarize yourself thoroughly with that business and indicate in your brief the knowledge you have acquired in this field this will be impressive as it will indicate that you have imagination and a real interest in the position you seek remember that it is not the lawyer who knows the most law but the one who best prepares his case who wins if your case is properly prepared and presented your victory will have been more than half one at the outset do not be afraid of making your brief too long employers are just as much interested in purchasing the services of well qualified applicants as you are in securing employment in fact the success of most successful employers is due in the main to their ability to select well qualified lieutenants they want all the information available remember another thing neatness in the preparation of your brief will indicate that you are a painstaking person I have helped to prepare briefs for clients which were so striking and out of the ordinary that they resulted in the employment of the applicant without a personal interview when your brief has been completed have it neatly bound by an experienced binder and lettered by an artist or printer similar to the following brief of the qualifications of Robert K Smith applying for the position of private secretary to the president of the blank company ink this personal touch is sure to command attention have your brief neatly typed or mimeo graft on the finest paper you can obtain and bound with a heavy paper of the book cover variety the binder to be changed and the proper firm name to be inserted if it is to be shown to more than one company your photograph should be pasted on one of the pages of your brief follow these instructions to the letter improving upon them wherever your imagination suggests successful salesman groom themselves with care they understand that first impressions are lasting their brief is your salesman give it a good suit of clothes so it will stand out in bold contrast to anything your prospective employer ever saw in the way of an application for a position if the position you seek is worth having it is worth going after with care moreover if you sell yourself to an employer in a manner that impresses him with your individuality you probably will receive more money for your services from the very start then you would if you applied for employment in the usual conventional way if you seek employment through an advertising agency or an employment agency have the agent use copies of your brief in marketing your services this will help to gain preference for you both with the agent and the prospective employers how to get the exact position you desire everyone enjoys doing the kind of work for which he is best suited an artist loves to work with paints a craftsman with his hands a writer loves to write those with less definite talents have their preferences for certain fields of business and industry if america does anything well it offers a full range of occupations tilling the soil manufacturing marketing and the professions first decide exactly what kind of a job you want if the job doesn't already exist perhaps you can create it second choose the company or individual for whom you wish to work third study your prospective employer as to policies personnel and chances of advancement fourth by analysis of yourself your talents and capabilities figure what you can offer and plant ways and means of giving advantages services developments ideas that you believe you can successfully deliver fifth forget about a job forget whether or not there is an opening forget the usual routine of have you got a job for me concentrate on what you can give sixth once you have your plan in mind arrange with an experienced writer to put it on paper in neat form and in full detail seventh present it to the proper person with authority and he will do the rest every company is looking for men who can give something of value whether it be ideas services or connections every company has room for the man who has a definite plan of action which is to the advantage of that company this line of procedure may take a few days or weeks of extra time but the difference in income in advancement and in gaining recognition will save years of hard work at small pay it has many advantages the main one being that it will often save from one to five years of time in reaching a chosen goal every person who starts or gets in halfway up the ladder does so by deliberate and careful planning the new way of marketing services jobs are now partnerships men and women who market their services to best advantage in the future must recognize the stupendous change which has taken place in connection with the relationship between employer and employee in the future the golden rule and not the rule of gold will be the dominating factor in the marketing of merchandise as well as personal services the future relationship between employers and their employees will be more in the nature of a partnership consisting of the employer be the employee see the public they serve this new way of marketing personal services is called new for many reasons first both the employer and the employee of the future will be considered as fellow employees whose business it will be to serve the public efficiently in times past employers and employees have bartered among themselves driving the best bargains they could with one another not considering that in the final analysis they were in reality bargaining at the expense of the third party the public they served the depression served as a mighty protest from an injured public whose rights have been trampled upon in every direction by those who were clamoring for individual advantages and profits when the debris of the depression shall have been cleared away and business shall have been once again restored to balance both employers and employees will recognize that they are no longer privileged to drive bargains at the expense of those whom they serve the real employer of the future will be the public this should be kept uppermost in mind by every person seeking to market personal services effectively nearly every railroad in america is in financial difficulty who does not remember the day when if a citizen inquired at the ticket office the time of departure of a train he was abruptly referred to the bulletin board instead of being politely given the information the streetcar companies have experienced the change of times also there was a time not so very long ago when streetcar conductors took pride in giving argument to passengers many of the streetcar tracks have been removed and passengers ride on a bus whose driver is the last word in politeness all over the country streetcar tracks are rusting from abandonment will have been taken up wherever streetcars are still in operation passengers may now ride without argument and one may even hail the car in the middle of the block and the motorman will obligingly pick him up how times have changed that is just the point i am trying to emphasize times have changed we're over the change is reflected not merely in railroad offices and on streetcars but in other walks of life as well the public be damned policy is now past it has been supplanted by the we are obligingly at your service sir policy the bankers have learned a thing or two during this rapid change which has taken place during the past few years in politeness on the part of a bank official or bank employee today is as rare as it was conspicuous a dozen years ago in the years past some bankers carried an atmosphere of austerity which gave every would be bar or a chill when he even thought of approaching his banker for a loan the thousands of bank failures during the depression had the effect of removing the mahogany doors behind which bankers formerly barricaded themselves they now sit at desks in the open where they may be seen and approached at will by any depositor or by anyone who wishes to see them and the whole atmosphere of the bank is one of courtesy and understanding it used to be customary for customers to have to stand and wait at the corner grocery until the clerks were through passing the time of day with friends and the proprietor have finished making up his bank deposit before being waited upon chain stores managed by courteous men who do everything in the way of service short of shining the customers shoes have pushed the old time merchants into the background time marches on courtesy and service are the watch words of merchandising today and apply to the person who is marketing personal services even more directly than to the employer whom he serves because in the final analysis both the employer and his employee are employed by the public they serve if they fail to serve well they pay by the loss of their privilege of serving we can all remember the time when the gas meter reader pounded on the door hard enough to break the panels when the door was open he pushed his way in uninvited with a scowl on his face which plainly said what the hell did you keep me waiting for all that has undergone a change the meter man now conducts himself as a gentleman who is delighted to be at your service sir before the gas companies learned that their scouting meter men were accumulating liabilities never to be cleared away the polite salesmen of oil birders came along and did a land office business during the depression i spent several months in the anthracite coal region of pennsylvania studying conditions which all but destroyed the coal industry among several very significant discoveries was the fact that greed on the part of operators and their employees was the chief cause of the loss of business for the operators and loss of jobs for the miners through the pressure of a group of overzealous labor leaders representing the employees and the greed for profits on the part of the operators the anthracite business suddenly dwindled the coal operators and their employees drove sharp bargains with one another adding the cost of the bargaining to the price of the coal until finally they discovered they had built up a wonderful business for the manufacturers of oil burning outfits and the producers of crude oil the wages of sin is death many have read this in the bible but few have discovered its meaning now and for several years the entire world has been listening by force to a sermon which might well be called whatsoever a man's soul is that shall he also reap nothing as widespread and effective as the depression could possibly be just a coincidence behind the depression was a cause nothing ever happens without a cause in the main the cause of the depression is traceable directly to the worldwide habit of trying to reap without sowing this should not be mistaken to mean that the depression represents a crop which the world is being forced to reap without having sown the trouble is that the world sowed the wrong sort of seed any farmer knows he cannot sow the seed of thistles and reap a harvest of grain beginning at the outbreak of the world war the people of the world began to sow the seed of service inadequate in both quality and quantity nearly everyone was engaged in the past time of trying to get without giving these illustrations are brought to the attention of those who have personal services to market to show that we are where we are and what we are because of our own conduct if there is a principle of cause and effect which controls business finance and transportation this same principle controls individuals and determines their economic status what is your qqs rating the causes of success in marketing services effectively and permanently have been clearly described unless those causes are studied analyzed understood and applied no man can market his services effectively and permanently every person must be his own salesman of personal services the quality and the quantity of service rendered and the spirit in which it is rendered determined to a large extent the price and the duration of employment to market personal services effectively one must adopt and follow the qqs formula which means that quality plus quantity plus the proper spirit of cooperation equals perfect salesmanship of service remember the qqs formula but do more apply it as a habit let us analyze the formula to make sure we understand exactly what it means one quality of service shall be construed to mean the performance of every detail in connection with your position in the most efficient manner possible with the object of greater efficiency always in mind to quantity of service shall be understood to mean the habit of rendering all the service of which you are capable at all times with the purpose of increasing the amount of service rendered as greater skill is developed through practice and experience emphasis is again placed on the word habit three spirit of service shall be construed to mean the habit of agreeable harmonious conduct which will induce cooperation from associates and fellow employees adequacy of quality and quantity of service is not sufficient to maintain a permanent market for your services the conduct or the spirit in which you deliver service is a strong determining factor in connection with both the price you receive and the duration of employment andrew carnagy stressed this point more than others in connection with his description of the factors which lead to success in the marketing of personal services he emphasized again and again the necessity for harmonious conduct he stressed the fact that he would not retain any man no matter how great a quantity or how efficient the quality of his work unless he worked in a spirit of harmony mr carnagy insisted upon men being agreeable to prove that he placed a high value upon this quality he permitted many men who conformed to his standards to become very wealthy those who did not conform had to make room for others the importance of a pleasing personality has been stressed because it is a factor which enables one to render service in the proper spirit nothing however can be successfully substituted for pleasing conduct the capital value of your services the person whose income is derived entirely from the sale of personal services is no less a merchant than the man who sells commodities and it might well be added such a person is subject to exactly the same rules of conduct as the merchant who sells merchandise this has been emphasized because the majority of people who live by the sale of personal services make the mistake of considering themselves free from the rules of conduct and the responsibilities attached to those who are engaged in marketing commodities the new way of marketing services has practically forced both employer and employee into partnership alliances through which both take into consideration the rights of the third party the public they serve the day of the go getter has passed he has been supplanted by the go giver high pressure methods in business finally blew the lid off there will never be the need to put the lid back on because in the future business will be conducted by methods that will require no pressure the actual capital value of your brains may be determined by the amount of income you can produce a fair estimate of the capital value of your services may be made by multiplying your annual income by 16 and two thirds as it is reasonable to estimate that your annual income represents 6% of your capital value money rents for 6% per annum money is worth no more than brains it is often worth much less competent brains if effectively marketed represent a much more desirable form of capital than that which is required to conduct the business dealing in commodities because brains are a form of capital which cannot be permanently depreciated through depressions nor can this form of capital be stolen or spent moreover the money which is essential for the conduct of business is as worthless as a sand dune until it has been mixed with efficient brains the 30 major causes of failure how many of these are holding you back life's greatest tragedy consists of men and women who earnestly try and fail the tragedy lies in the overwhelmingly large majority of people who fail as compared to the few who succeed I have had the privilege of analyzing several thousand men and women 98% of whom were classed as failures there is something radically wrong with a civilization and a system of education which permit 98% of the people to go through life as failures but I did not write this book for the purpose of moralizing on the rights and wrongs of the world that would require a book a hundred times the size of this one my analysis work proved that there are 30 major reasons for failure and 13 major principles through which people accumulate fortunes in this chapter a description of the 30 major causes of failure will be given as you go over the list check yourself by it point by point for the purpose of discovering how many of these causes of failure stand between you and success one unfavorable hereditary background there is but little if anything which can be done for people who are born with a deficiency in brain power this philosophy offers but one method of bridging this weakness to the aid of the master mind observe with profit however that this is the only one of the 30 causes of failure which may not be easily corrected by any individual to lack of a well-defined purpose in life there is no hope of success for the person who does not have a central purpose or definite goal at which to aim 98 out of every 100 of those who might have analyzed had no such aim perhaps this was the major cause of their failure three lack of ambition to aim above mediocrity we offer no hope for the person who is so indifferent as not to want to get ahead in life and who is not willing to pay the price for insufficient education this is a handicap which may be overcome with comparative ease experience has proven that the best educated people are often those who are known as self-made or self-educated it takes more than a college degree to make one a person of education any person who is educated is one who has learned to get whatever he wants in life without violating the rights of others education consists not so much of knowledge but of knowledge effectively and persistently applied men are paid not merely for what they know but more particularly for what they do with that which they know five lack of self-discipline discipline comes to self-control this means that one must control all negative qualities before you can control conditions you must first control yourself self-mastery is the hardest job you will ever tackle if you do not conquer self you will be conquered by self you may see at one and the same time both your best friend and your greatest enemy by stepping in front of a mirror six i ll health no person may enjoy outstanding success without good health many of the causes of ill health are subject to mastery and control these in the main are overeating of foods not conducive to health the wrong habits of thought giving expression to negatives see wrong use of and over indulgence in sex then the lack of proper physical exercise he an inadequate supply of fresh air due to improper breathing seven unfavorable environmental influences during childhood as the twig has been so shall the tree grow most people who have criminal tendencies acquired them as the result of bad environment and improper associates during childhood eight procrastination this is one of the most common causes of failure old man procrastination stands within the shadow of every human being waiting his opportunity to spoil one's chances of success most of us go through life as failures because we are waiting for the time to be right to start doing something worthwhile do not wait the time will never be just right start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools win be found as you go along nine lack of persistence most of us are good starters but poor finishers of everything we begin more over people are prone to give up at the first signs of defeat there is no substitute for persistence the person who makes persistence is watch word discovers that old man failure finally becomes tired and makes his departure failure cannot cope with persistence 10 negative personality there is no hope of success for the person who repels people through a negative personality success comes through the application of power and power is attained through the cooperative efforts of other people a negative personality will not induce cooperation 11 lack of controlled sexual urge sex energy is the most powerful of all the stimuli which move people into action because it is the most powerful of the emotions it must be controlled through transmutation and converted into other channels 12 uncontrolled desire for something for nothing a gambling instinct drives millions of people to failure evidence of this may be found in a study of the wall street crash of 29 during which millions of people tried to make money by gambling on stock margins 13 lack of a well-defined power of decision men who succeed reach decisions promptly and change them if at all very slowly men who fail reach decisions if at all very slowly and change them frequently and quickly indecision and procrastination are twin brothers where one is found the other may usually be found also kill off this pair before they completely hog tie you to the treadmill of failure 14 one or more of the six basic fears these fears have been analyzed for you in a later chapter they must be mastered before you can market your services effectively 15 wrong selection of a mate in marriage this is most common cause of failure the relationship of marriage brings people intimately into contacts unless this relationship is harmonious failure is likely to follow whereover it will be a form of failure that is marked by misery and unhappiness destroying all signs of ambition 16 over caution the person who takes no chances generally has to take whatever is left when others are through choosing over caution is as bad as under caution both are extremes to be guarded against life itself is filled with the element of chance 17 wrong selection of associates in business this is one of the most common causes of failure in business in marketing personal services one should use great care to select an employer who will be an inspiration and who is himself intelligent and successful we emulate those with whom we associate most closely take an employer who is worth emulating a tune superstition and prejudice superstition is a form of fear it is also a sign of ignorance men who succeed keep open minds and are afraid of nothing 19 wrong selection of a vocation no man can succeed in a line of endeavor which he does not like the most essential step in the marketing of personal services is that of selecting an occupation into which you can throw yourself wholeheartedly 20 lack of concentration of efforts the jack of all trades seldom is good at any concentrate all of your efforts on one definite chief aim 21 the habit of indiscriminate spending the spend thrift cannot succeed mainly because he stands eternally in fear of poverty form the habit of systematic saving by putting aside a definite percentage of your income money in the bank gives one a very safe foundation of courage when bargaining for the sale of personal services without money one must take what one is offered and be glad to get it 22 lack of enthusiasm without enthusiasm one cannot be convincing moreover enthusiasm is contagious and the person who has it under control is generally welcome in any group of people 23 intolerance the person with a closed mind on any subject seldom gets ahead intolerance means that one has stopped acquiring knowledge the most damaging forms of intolerance are those connected with religious racial and political differences of opinion 24 intemperance the most damaging forms of intemperance are connected with eating strong drink and sexual activities over indulgence in any of these is fatal to success 25 inability to cooperate with others more people lose their positions and their big opportunities in life because of this fault then for all other reasons combined it is a fault which no well-informed businessman or leader will tolerate 26 possession of power that was not acquired through self-effort power in the hands of one who did not acquire it gradually is often fatal to success quick riches are more dangerous than poverty 27 intentional dishonesty there is no substitute for honesty one may be temporarily dishonest by force of circumstances over which one has no control without permanent damage but there is no hope for the person who is dishonest by choice sooner or later his deeds will catch up with him and he will pay by loss of reputation and perhaps even loss of liberty 28 egotism and vanity these qualities serve as red lights which warn others to keep away they are fatal to success 29 guessing instead of thinking most people are too indifferent or lazy to acquire facts with which to think accurately they prefer to act on opinions created by guesswork or snap judgments 30 lack of capital this is a common cause of failure among those who start out in business for the first time without sufficient reserve of capital to absorb the shock of their mistakes and to carry them over until they have established a reputation 31 under this name any particular cause of failure from which you have suffered that has not been included in the foregoing list in these 30 major causes of failure is found the description of the tragedy of life which obtains for practically every person who tries and fails it will be helpful if you can induce someone who knows you well to go over this list with you and help to analyze you by the 30 causes of failure it may be beneficial if you try this alone most people cannot see themselves as others see them you may be one who cannot the oldest of admonitions is man know thyself if you market merchandise successfully you must know the merchandise the same is true in marketing personal services you should know all of your weaknesses in order that you may either bridge them or eliminate them entirely you should know your strength in order that you may call attention to it when selling your services you can know yourself only through accurate analysis the folly of ignorance in connection with self was displayed by a young man who applied to the manager of a well-known business for a position he made a very good impression until the manager asked him what salary he expected he replied that he had no fixed sum in mind the manager then said we will pay you all you are worth after we try you out for a week i will not accept it the applicant replied because i am getting more than that where i am now employed before you even start to negotiate for a readjustment of your salary in your present position or to seek employment elsewhere be sure that you are worth more than you now receive it is one thing to want money everyone wants more but it is something entirely different to be worth more many people mistake their wants for their just dues your financial requirements or wants have nothing whatever to do with your worth your value is established entirely by your ability to render useful service or your capacity to induce others to render such service take inventory of yourself 28 questions you should answer annual self analysis is an essential in the effective marketing of personal services as is annual inventory and merchandising moreover the yearly analysis should disclose a decrease in faults and an increase in virtues one goes ahead stand still or goes backward in life one's object should be of course to go ahead annual self analysis will disclose whether advancement has been made and if so how much it will also disclose any backward steps one may have made the effective marketing of personal services requires one to move forward even if the progress is slow your annual self analysis should be made at the end of each year so you can include in your new year's resolutions any improvements which the analysis indicates should be made take this inventory by asking yourself the following questions and by checking your answers with the aid of someone who will not permit you to deceive yourself as to their accuracy self analysis questionnaire for personal inventory one have I attained the goal which I established as my objective for this year two have I delivered service of the best possible quality of which I was capable or could I have improved any part of this service three have I delivered service in the greatest possible quantity of which I was capable for has the spirit of my conduct been harmonious and cooperative at all times five have I permitted the habit of procrastination to decrease my efficiency and if so to what extent six have I improved my personality and if so in what ways seven have I been persistent in following my plans through to completion eight have I reached decisions promptly and definitely on all occasions nine have I permitted any one or more of the six basic fears to decrease my efficiency ten have I been either over cautious or under cautious eleven has my relationship with my associates in work been pleasant or unpleasant if it has been unpleasant has the fault been partly or holy mine twelve have I dissipated any of my energy through lack of concentration of effort thirteen have I been open minded and tolerant in connection with all subjects fourteen in what way have I improved my ability to render service fifteen have I been intemperate in any of my habits sixteen have I expressed either openly or secretly any form of egotism seventeen has my conduct toward my associates been such that it has induced them to respect me my eighth have my opinions and decisions been based upon guesswork or accuracy of analysis and thoughts nineteen have I followed the habit of budgeting my time my expenses and my income and have I been conservative in these budgets twenty how much time have I devoted to unprofitable effort which I might have used to better advantage twenty one how may I re-budget my time and change my habits so I will be more efficient during the coming year twenty two have I been guilty of any conduct which was not approved by my conscience twenty three in what ways have I rendered more service and better service than I was paid to render twenty four have I been unfair to anyone and if so in what way twenty five if I had been the purchaser of my own services for the year would I be satisfied with my purchase twenty six aligned the right vocation and if not why not twenty seven has the purchaser of my services been satisfied with the service I have rendered and if not why not twenty eight what is my present rating on the fundamental principles of success having read and assimilated the information conveyed through this chapter you are now ready to create a practical plan for marketing your personal services in this chapter will be found an adequate description of every principle essential in planning the sale of personal services including the major attributes of leadership the most common causes of failure in leadership a description of the fields of opportunity for leadership the main causes of failure in all walks of life and the important questions which should be used in self analysis this extensive and detailed presentation of accurate information has been included because it will be needed by all who must begin the accumulation of riches by marketing personal services those who have lost their fortunes and those who are just beginning to earn money have nothing but personal services to offer in return for riches therefore it is essential that they have available the practical information needed to market services to best advantage the information contained in this chapter will be of great value to all who aspire to attain leadership in any calling it will be particularly helpful to those aiming to market their services as business or industrial executives complete assimilation and understanding of the information here conveyed will be helpful in marketing one's own services and it will also help one to become more analytical and capable of judging people the information will be priceless to personnel directors employment managers and other executives charged with the selection of employees and the maintenance of efficient organizations if you doubt this statement tested soundness by answering and writing the 28 self analysis questions that might be both interesting and profitable even though you do not doubt the soundness of the statement wherein how one may find opportunities to accumulate riches now that we have analyzed the principles by which riches may be accumulated we naturally ask where may one find favorable opportunities to apply these principles very well let us take inventory and see what the united states of america offer the person seeking riches great or small to begin with let us remember all of us that we live in a country where every law abiding citizen enjoys freedom of thought and freedom of deed unequaled anywhere in the world most of us have never taken inventory of the advantages of this freedom we have never compared our unlimited freedom with the curtailed freedom in other countries here we have freedom of thought freedom in the choice and enjoyment of education freedom in religion freedom in politics freedom in the choice of a business profession or occupation freedom to accumulate and own without molestation all the property we can accumulate freedom to choose our place of residence freedom in marriage freedom through equal opportunity to all races freedom of travel from one state to another freedom in our choice of foods and freedom to aim for any station in life for which we have prepared ourselves even for the presidency of the united states we have other forms of freedom but this list will give a bird's eye view of the most important which constitute opportunity of the highest order this advantage of freedom is all the more conspicuous because the united states is the only country guaranteeing to every citizen whether native born or naturalized so broad and very the list of freedom next let us recount some of the blessings which are widespread freedom has placed within our hands take the average american family for example and sum up the benefits available to every member of the family in this land of opportunity and plenty of food next to freedom of thought indeed comes food clothing and shelter the three basic necessities of life because of our universal freedom the average american family has available at its very door the choice is selection of food to be found anywhere in the world and at prices within its financial range a family of two living in the heart of times square district of new york city far removed from the source of production of foods took careful inventory of the cost of a simple breakfast with this astonishing result articles of food cost at the breakfast table grapefruit juice point zero two rippled wheat breakfast food point zero two t point zero two the nan is point zero two half toasted bread point zero one fresh country eggs point zero seven sugar point zero zero half butter and cream point zero three grand total point two zero it is not very difficult to obtain food in a country where two people can have breakfast consisting of all they want or need for a dime apiece observe that this simple breakfast was gathered by some strange form of magic from china south america utah kansas and the new england states and delivered on the breakfast table ready for consumption in the very heart of the most crowded city in america at a cost well within the means of the most humble laborer the cost included all federal state and city taxes v shelter this family lives in a comfortable apartment heated by steam lighted with electricity with gas for cooking all for $65 a month in a smaller city or a more sparsely settled part of new york city the same apartment could be had for as low as $20 a month the toast they had for breakfast in the food estimate was toasted on an electric toaster which cost but a few dollars the apartment is clean with a vacuum sweeper that is run by electricity hot and cold water is available at all times in the kitchen and the bathroom the food is kept cool in a refrigerator that is run by electricity the wife curls her hair washes her clothes and irons them with easily operated electrical equipment on power obtained by sticking a plug in the wall the husband shaves with an electric shaver and they receive entertainment from all over the world 24 hours a day if they want it without cost by merely turning the dial of their radio there are other conveniences in this apartment but the foregoing list will give a fair idea of some of the concrete evidences of the freedom we of america enjoy c clothing anywhere in the united states the woman of average clothing requirements can dress very comfortably and neatly for less than $200 a year and the average man can dress for the same or less only the three basic necessities of food clothing and shelter have been mentioned the average american citizen has other privileges and advantages available in return for modest effort not exceeding eight hours per day of labor among these is the privilege of automobile transportation with which one can go and come at will at very small costs the average american has security of property rights not found in any other country in the world he can place his surplus money in a bank with the assurance that his government will protect it and make good to him if the bank fails if an american citizen wants to travel from one state to another he needs no passport no one's permission he may go when he pleases and return at will moreover he may travel by train private automobile bus airplane or ship as his pocketbook permits in germany russia italy and most of the other european and oriental countries the people cannot travel with so much freedom and at so little cost the miracle that has provided these blessings we often hear politicians proclaiming the freedom of america when they solicit votes but seldom do they take the time or devote sufficient effort to the analysis of the source or nature of this freedom having no axe to grind no grudge to express no ulterior motives to be carried out i have the privilege of going into a frank analysis of that mysterious abstract greatly misunderstood something which gives to every citizen of america more blessings more opportunities to accumulate wealth more freedom of every nature that may be found in any other country i have the right to analyze the source and nature of this unseen power because i know and i have known for more than a quarter of a century many of the men who organize that power and many who are now responsible for its maintenance the name of this mysterious benefactor of mankind is capital capital consists not alone of money but more particularly of highly organized intelligent groups of men who plan ways and means of using money efficiently for the good of the public and profitably to themselves these groups consist of scientists educators chemists inventors business analysts publicity men transportation experts accountants lawyers doctors and both men and women who have highly specialized knowledge in all fields of industry and business they pioneer experiment and blaze trails in new fields of endeavor they support colleges hospitals public schools build good roads publish newspapers pay most of the cost of government and take care of the multitudinous detail essential to human progress stated briefly the capitalists are the brains of civilization because they supply the entire fabric of which all education enlightenment and human progress consists money without brains is always dangerous properly used it is the most important essential of civilization the simple breakfast here described could not have been delivered to the new york family at a dime each or at any other price if organized capital had not provided the machinery the ships the railroads and the huge armies of trained men to operate them some slight idea of the importance of organized capital may be had by trying to imagine yourself burdened with the responsibility of collecting without the aid of capital and delivering to the new york city family the simple breakfast described to supply the tea you would have to make a trip to china or india both a very long way from america unless you are an excellent swimmer you would become rather tired before making the round trip then two another problem would confront you what would you use for money even if you had the physical endurance to swim the ocean to supply the sugar you would have to take another long swim to cuba or a long walk to the sugar beet section of utah but even then you might come back without the sugar because organized effort and money are necessary to produce sugar to say nothing of what is required to refine transport and deliver it to the breakfast table anywhere in the united states the eggs you could deliver easily enough from the barn yards near new york city but you would have a very long walk to florida and return before you could serve the two glasses of grapefruit juice you would have another long walk to kansas or one of the other wheat growing states when you went after the four slices of wheat bread the rippled wheat biscuits would have to be omitted from the menu because they would not be available except through the labor of a trained organization of men and suitable machinery all of which call for capital while resting you could take off for another little swim down to south america where you would pick up a couple of bananas and on your return you could take a short walk to the nearest farm having a dairy and pick up some butter and cream then your new york city family would be ready to sit down and enjoy breakfast and you could collect your two dimes for your labor seems absurd doesn't it well the procedure described would be the only possible way these simple items of food could be delivered to the heart of new york city if we had no capitalistic system the sum of money required for the building and maintenance of the railroads and steam ships used in the delivery of that simple breakfast is so huge that it staggers one's imagination it runs into hundreds of millions of dollars not to mention the armies of trained employees required to man the ships and trains but transportation is only a part of the requirements of modern civilization in capitalistic america before there can be anything to haul something must be grown from the ground or manufactured and prepared for markets this calls for more millions of dollars for equipment machinery boxing marketing and for the wages of millions of men and women steam ships and railroads do not spring up from the earth and function automatically they come in response to the call of civilization through the labor and ingenuity and organizing ability of men who have imagination faith enthusiasm decision persistence these men are known as capitalists they are motivated by the desire to build construct achieve render useful service earn profits and accumulate riches and because they render service without which there would be no civilization they put themselves in the way of great riches just to keep the record simple and understandable i will add that these capitalists are the self-same men of who most of us have heard soapbox orders speak they are the same men to whom radicals racketeers dishonest politicians and grafting labor leaders refer as the predatory interests or wall street i am not attempting to present a brief for or against any group of men or any system of economics i am not attempting to condemn collective bargaining when i refer to grafting labor leaders nor do i aim to give a clean bill of health to all individuals known as capitalists the purpose of this book a purpose to which i have faithfully devoted over a quarter of a century is to present to all who want the knowledge the most dependable philosophy through which individuals may accumulate riches in whatever amounts they desire i have here analyzed the economic advantages of the capitalistic system for the twofold purpose of showing one that all who seek riches must recognize and adapt themselves to the system that controls all approaches to fortunes large or small and to to present the side of the picture opposite to that being shown by politicians and demagogues who deliberately becloud the issues they bring up by referring to organized capital as if it were something poisonous this is a capitalistic country it was developed through the use of capital and we who claim the right to partake of the blessings of freedom and opportunity we who seek to accumulate riches here may as well know that neither riches nor opportunity would be available to us if organized capital had not provided these benefits for more than 20 years it has been a somewhat popular and growing pastime for radicals self-seeking politicians racketeers crooked labor leaders and on occasion religious leaders to take pot shots at wall street the money changers and big business the practice became so general that we witnessed during the business depression the unbelievable sight of high government officials lining up with the cheap politicians and labor leaders with the openly avowed purpose of throttling the system which has made industrial america the richest country on earth the lineup was so general and so well organized that it prolonged the worst depression america has ever known it cost millions of men their jobs because those jobs were inseparably a part of the industrial and capitalistic system which formed the very backbone of the nation during this unusual alliance of government officials and self-seeking individuals who were endeavoring to profit by declaring open season on the american system of industry a certain type of labor leader joined forces with the politicians and offered to deliver voters in return for legislation designed to permit men to take riches away from industry by organized force of numbers instead of the better method of giving a fair day's work for a fair day's pay millions of men and women throughout the nation are still engaged in this popular pastime of trying to get without giving some of them are lined up with labor unions where they demand shorter hours and more pay others do not take the trouble to work at all they demand government relief and are getting it their idea of their rights of freedom was demonstrated in new york city where violent complaint was registered with the postmaster by a group of relief beneficiaries because the postmen awakened them at 7 30 am to deliver government relief checks they demanded that the time of delivery be set up to 10 o'clock if you are one of those who believe that riches can be accumulated by the mere act of men who organized themselves into groups and demand more pay for less service if you are one of those who demand government relief without early morning disturbance when the money is delivered to you if you are one of those who believe in trading their votes to politicians in return for the passing of laws which permit the rating of the public treasury you may rest securely on your belief with certain knowledge that no one will disturb you because this is a free country where every man may think as he pleases where nearly everybody can live with but little effort where many may live well without doing any work whatsoever however you should know the full truth concerning this freedom of which so many people boast and so feel understand as great as it is as far as it reaches as many privileges as it provides it does not and cannot bring riches without effort there is but one dependable method of accumulating and legally holding riches and that is by rendering useful service no system has ever been created by which men can legally acquire riches through mere force of numbers or without giving in return an equivalent value of one form or another there is a principle known as the law of economics this is more than a theory it is a law no man can beat mark well the name of the principle and remember it because it is far more powerful than all the politicians and political machines it is above and beyond the control of all the labor unions it cannot be swayed nor influenced nor bribed by racketeers or self-appointed leaders in any calling or over it has an all-seeing eye and a perfect system of bookkeeping in which it keeps an accurate account of the transactions of every human being engaged in the business of trying to get without giving sooner or later its auditors come around look over the records of individuals both great and small and demand and accounting wall street big business capital predatory interests or whatever name you choose to give the system which has given us American freedom represents a group of men who understand respect and adapt themselves to this powerful law of economics their financial continuation depends upon their respecting the law most people living in America like this country its capitalistic system and all i must confess i know of no better country where one may find greater opportunities to accumulate riches judging by their acts and deeds there are some in this country who do not like it that of course is their privilege if they do not like this country its capitalistic system its boundless opportunities they have the privilege of clearing out always there are other countries such as germany russia and italy where one may try one's hand and enjoying freedom and accumulating riches providing one is not too particular america provides all the freedom and all the opportunity to accumulate riches that any honest person may require when one goes hunting for game one selects hunting grounds where game is plentiful