The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-03-20

MUCH Wnot we make u-A0 IN
tense Desire and Persistent Effort
for Something Be tier VIII Bring Z
Change.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
II you think and talk continual y
about the weary grind Of your daily
life it will eontinus to seem so and
will not change.
How rarely do we encounter a hu.
M an being who does not give utter.
ance TO a complaint of this kind.
The mother of a family. with her
household care; the father at his office
or shop, the teacher, the clerk, the
commercial traveller. the merchant,
the newspaper man, the author. the
artist, and the man and woman OF
fashion-you have heard them one
and all bemoan the monotony OF life
and its duties.
Why add your plant to the mon
ody9 Why not sing new words to a
more cheerful air?
Your work must contain some
pleasant features. ii it is wholly and
absolutely distasteful to you. you can
never attain the best success-and
you would be wise to seek other en-
ployment.
This, if you are determined. can be
obtained.
Once positively make up your mind
what you want to dc and set your
mental forces to bring about the de-
sired result and you cannot fail to at
tain it.
No man or woman need remain in q
position which makes life cherries
and disagrseable.
An intense, persistent desire for
something different will bring a
change.
II, however, your work is not all
unpleasant, then stop your constant
faulttinding about its monotony.
Your mind ought to be able to give
variety to what you do.
The sun rises every morning and
sets every night. yet no two days are
exactly alike. The sky, the wind
the atmosphere-varies
Let your thoughts vary your work.
Begin each day with a resolve to find
something pleasant and interesting in
life.
Enjoy your walk or ride to your
office or shop. Walk a portion Of
the way, if possible, and amuss your
self by deep inhalations of fresh air
There is great enjoyment in mere
breathing if you know how to do it.
We often hear it said OF man that
he does hot know enough to go in
when it rains. Such ignorance is
much less reprehensible than not
knowing enough to breathe, and
there are tens of thousands of human
beings who belong in that category.
Life and work assume much more
interesting aspects when we learn how
to breathe.
If all the way to and from your
labor you are feeling sorry for your
self because life is monotonous, you
are building the wall higher which
shuts you from the things you desire.
Stop it!
Say each morning: This is to be
an interesting and successful day for
me-" II it does not prove to be, then
say it the next morning and the next,
until it comes true.
The moment you find yourself in
an absolutely hopeless and despairing
state Of mind regarding your work
take a vacation. II only for day
still take it. Let your brain rest by
giving it new thoughts. You will re-
turn TO work like one reborn.
II you are an author or a musician
or an artist, do not sing that old re-
frain about wishing you did not have
to make potboiler of your talent
and that you might work only when
inspired.
1t is 4 tiresome, worn out theme,
and you are wishing against your high
est good when you give ntterance to
it,
Stop and think how few great men
or women in any field OF art we're in
dependent OF it. The phrase "Neces-
sity is the mother OF invention" APP
plies to art as we'll as to mechanics.
The average artist-whatever be his
mode of eXpression-is inclined to be
an idler and dreamer II he were not
spurred on by dire need he would
dream wonderful things and accom-
plish little.
However you may feel you are pros
tituting your art by having to employ
it as pot-boiler, remember you are
keeping all your abilities and activi-
ties alive and in use. Though you
may do five pieces of work you do not
care for you may do 4 sixth which is
great The sixth you could not have
created only through being in con-
slant practice. You might have
dreamed it for years, and continually
postponed the actual labor necessary
to its completion.
Whether you are an artist or a
laborer. take a hopeful outlook, and
stop grum bling and whining.
| 1rrDEc NrrD pI00n D0l0.