Wise men have emphasized that determination and resolution are necessary for success in any effort...I used to think of will power - I suppose many people do - in terms of gritting the teeth, clenching the fists, tensing the muscles, and so on. That is all wrong! It is not intensity or volume of volition that produces long term results, but steadiness.
It is not the engines, weighing hundreds of tons, that control the course of a ship, but the compass needle, weighing a fraction of an ounce. The needle can determine the ship's course because it steadily points to the magnetic pole.
The will is a mental compass needle; it keeps the subconscious mind and the body moving in the right direction. No mighty effort is required: You simply stop talking and thinking about difficulties, delays and failures, and keep talking and thinking about success.
The essence of will power, then is not effort, but steadiness. This system encourages the development of calm, relaxed, steady will power. The system is cheap. The only material you need is a little time.
Listen to my experience. Three years ago, at the age of forty-five, I was weak and flabby. I weighted a hundred and seventy five pounds, stripped. I would be on the verge of fainting after plodding up a few stairs. My sleep was broken by bad dreams, night sweats and unexplained awakenings. My sight was failing, my complexion was pasty, and my heair was falling out.
Today I weigh a hundred and fifty pounds; I can run up fifty steps, two at a time, without breathing hard; I can do forty situps, twenty deep knee bends, and twenty pushups with ease. Every day I collect heavy chunks of wood off the beach, carry them on my back up to the house, a hundred feet above sea level, and cut them with a handsaw to feed my stove. I cultivate a large garden. My complexion is clear, my sight improving, my hair growing again. I sleep soundly every night and jump out of the bed every morning without an alarm clock, eager to begin the day.
A few years ago I was a dishwasher, working for twenty-three dollars a week. Now I am a successful writer-lecturer-broadcaster. My home is paid for, I have money in the bank and not a cent of debt.
I used to be subject to deep depressions, lasting months at a time; I was solitary, suspicious, bad-tempered and cynical. Now I steadily maintain a calm, confident, cheerful frame of mind; I enjoy my work and have a wide circle of friends.
So I write of what I know, what I have proved by experiment on my own mind and my own body. I have taught this system in adult education classes. I have seen it work for others.
I have seen people noticeably changed. in facial experession, deportment, and temperament within three weeks of beginning this course.
So I know that the system works.
I offer it for you to try.
This system presents a method of self-improvement. It is designed for literates; it makes generous use of the power of writing to clarify your thought, focus your attention, and create a record of your progress. It requires only little time each day. The system tells you specifically what to do and what not to do. It prescribes exercises that will carry you through a course of mental, physical and financial self-development.