Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1914-11-27
Dr.. Marden's
Uplift Talks
BY ORlSoN SWEET MARDEN.
THE ENEMIES IN OUR vocAeu.
Larry.
Copyright by Mcclure Newspaper srnaisa,a

DID you ever think that many of
the words and phrases which Won con.
s'ah'ly use are your real enemies,
mat they leave their hideous pictures
ahu olack shadows in your mind? "In
lhe dictionary of fools we find I
cant very often. plenty of IFS lots
Vi words like luck and destiny and
phlases like If ! only had time or a
chahce like other people," How many
times nave you been kept from doing
d sooo deed by such phrases as "Oh,
hho" can't do that" Somebody
else can do that a great deal better"
am afraid to try" 81 haven't the
courage" Il fear l shall take cold or
eaten some disease If do this or
that?
believe that those two words 81
can't" have ruined more prospects
ahd nave kept more ability doing the
WORK of m%ediocrity than any other
TWO words in u language.
DID o ever know a person who
mas a great many Il can'ts" in his vo-
capulary to accomplish very much ?
some people are always using the
words Oh, can't afford to go there"
1 can't undertake such a hard task,
let somebody else do that" Il am
AFRAID or this or that" is a terrible
murderer. a terrible blighter of ambi-
tlon, a cooler Of enthusiasm. All
achievement and all efficiency depend
upon initiative, and that is easily
Killed by the fear words, the words
which express doubt and uncertainty.
by thy words thou shalt be justi-
hed, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned" Every person indicates
MS strength or his weakness by the
preponderance of strong or weak
words In his habituaI vocabulary.
Negative, weak words, words of doubt,
uncertainty or hesitation, predomi-
nate In the vocabulary of a negative
man.; while the positive, plus, crea-
tive, vigorous, progressive words,
Which indicate mental dominion, pre-
vail in the vocabulary of a positive,
vigorous, progressive character, as
they did in Webster's vocabulary.
Did you ever think that every time
you say Il can't" you weaken your
confidence in yourself and your
power to do things? Confid ence is
the greatest factor in achievement.
Self-fa1th is a powerful asset, better
han money capital without it. No
body believes in the youth who thinks
he cannot do things, who has no con-
tidence in himself, no faith in his
ability, because everybody knows
that he cannot do a thing until he
thinks he can. He must first believe
in himself, must be convinced that he
can accomplish it.
1 know a young man who seems
very ambitious in a general sort of
way, but when the opportunity which,
perhaps, he had been working a long
time for, comes, he willis, his stamina
oozes out, his ambition wavers. and
he does not feel equal to 1t. He does
not have faith in himself equal to his
ambition. OF course his life Is a dis
appointment. The man who never
wants to give a decided opinion, who
always wants to reserve his judg-
ment, or who says he doesn't know,
or that he is afraid, the mar who does
not dare to begin things, who shrinks
from responsibility, or who always
thinks he cannot do this or that, Is
not the man for great responsibility.
But the man who says, II can do the
thing, and I will" the man who be-
lieves in himself and in his ability to
carry through what he undertakes is
he masterful mantle one who will
do things, not dream about them.