Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-21
PERSONAL FAILURE.
People Who Are Always Driving Sue
cess Away From Them.
From Success Magazine.

From Success Magazine.
One of the strangest paradoxes In human
nature Is that men and women struggling,
apparently with all their might, to succeed
are yet constantly doing things, saying
things and thinking things which drive the
very success they are after away from
them They are all the time counteracting
their efforts by some foolishness, or weak
ness, or indiscretion. They are saying
things which prejudice people against
them, and doing things which destroy con-
hdence. Although they apparently try very
hard to build a foundation. they are all
the time undermining themselves
Men work like Trojans to get a coveted
position and then by getting pulled up with
conceit. or by some foolish or weak act,
knock the scafrolding. which they have
been years in building, out from under
them. and down they go. Their lives are
q series OF successive climbs and tumbles,
so that they never get anywhere, never &C
complish anything worth while Always
tripping themselves up. neutralizing their
work; this is their greatest stumbling block.
I know powerful editorial writer who
yields a strong, vigorous pen, but who
at sixty years of age is just where he was
at twenty. He has had scores OF good DO
sitions. but he could not keep them because
of his indiscretions because of q hot tenn
per and a sensitive nature which was al
ways being wounded by trifes There ia
no harder worker than he Is. Every time
he gets knocked down he begins at the
bottom and starts planning and reclimb-
ing. only to fall back again like the tabled
frog trying to get out of the well.
Now. If this man had taken an inven-
tory Of himself in his youth and strength
ened two OF three little weak points, he
would have been a giant in the field of let
tiers.
There are thousands Of men who are
working as clerks, or In very ordinary sal
aried positions. who might have been en-
ployers or proprietors themselves but for
some unfortunate weakness some little de-
flciency in their natures. or some peculi-
arity-something which might have been
remedied by q little discipline and SELF
study in youth. 1t is not an unusual thing
to see a man in some subordinate situation,
who. but for one of these little lacks. would
have been holder man than his employer
And 30 he has to submit to the humiliation
Of plodding through life in mediocre po-
sition, when he feels conscious that he has
superior ability to those who are over him.
1t is tragic to see thousands of people
constantly pushing away from themselves
through life the very success they are try
ing to achieve. pushing 1t away because
they do not control a hot temper, because
Of some little indiscretion or other weak
ness or lack in their nature
Others are always driving success away
from them by their doubts, their fears,
their lack Of courage. their lack of conf
dence-driving II away by thought habits
never make themselves magnets to attract
success, but keep SO many enemies of
achievement In their mind that there ts
no home for harmony there. no place for
a strong purpose. They hold the failure
thought, the doubt thought. the poverty
thought. instead Of clinging to the success
thought, the thought OF abundance. until
they attract achievement and plenty.