The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1917-03-21
IT'S BETTER TO BOOST.

Who does you the most good,
the man who says YOU CAN
or the one who says YOU
CAN'T?
That is to say, who leaves you
in better condition to fight
the contests of the day and the
hour, the man who encourages
you to edo and dare" or the man
who throws a wet blanket over
your aspirations and tells you
that the thing you want to &C
complish cannot be done?
The one who says ''it can't
be done" may be right. The
thing you want may be beyond
your reach, outside of your
scope, or impossible to you. But
the man who comes to you and
encourages you and tells you
that you have it in you to make
good, even on this particular
thing, spurs you on, gives you
courage and makes you redou-
be your effort and even if you
do not reach the goal you will
have Travelled much further than
you otherwise would simply be-
cause this friend told you you
could make it."
The difficult tasks that have
been accomplished just because
someone came along and said,
S'it can be done," are without
number.
It is the man who boosts and
encourages who performs no
less literally than the man who
does the actual work. Encour-
agement is a positive force. 1t
enters into the "bone and sinew"
of the worker and gives him
power to perform and strength
to endure.
It is much better to err on the
side Of too much boosting, too
much encouragement, too much
positive assertion of capacity
than too little.
Most people can do much more
than they really think they can,
and the depressing and discour-
aging elements, in the universe
Of thought and aspiration, are
so many that there is no need of
! adding to them. This is why,
when the man of sunshine, the
man with the Twill, positive
attitude comes along, he is
worth more, even if he is over
enthusiastic, than the fellow
who sees simply the difficult side
of things.
Most men have discourage
ments enough of their own
they don't need the doubts and
fears of their neighbors, their
friends or their associates.
It is the fellow who comes to
you and says, "of course, it is
possible and you can do it if
you try" who leaves you better
than he found you.
Every aspiration to do and
dare, in a worthy cause, every
longing for higher expression
Of the individual self, leaves the
one experiencing it a nobler and
better person. These aspira-
lions, these longings are bred
/ by contract with the men and
women who carry about with
them the ''it-can-be-done" spirit.
It is the man who encourages
his fellowmen to do the difficult
thing, who inspires them to be-
lieve in themselves and their
power to do, who leaves the
world of men better for his hav-
ing been a part thereof.
It is not much that we can do
at best, but the best that we, can
do is to be of help. Nothing so
helps anyone as to make him feel
that he can do the things that
he wants to do, as to make him
see the possibility of his hopes
and dreams coming true.
The true friend and benefac-
tor is the man who takes you
and leads you up the mountain
that overlooks your own posi-
bilities and shows you the lat
ent powers of your own soul. He
| it is who leaves you better than
he found you, for he has added
to your capacity to realize upon
! vn11r own 1.ncnI1y.nnc