The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-03-07

LuinhS he mas TO. he uOeSH I MAKE
success, for he doesn't think he can.
He knows that other men are success
full and are doing great things, but
he thinks they are natural born
geniuses" or have some advantage.
He has confidence in other people, but
none in himself, and when man has
lost confidence in himself, he has moth
ing else to lose. Yet, lost confidence
is something that can be found, and
is found every day by thousands.
Nothing is equal to confidence, alb
solute, unauthorized confidence.
Think of the perfect satisfaction that
comes to men when they know, and
know that they know; when they
have done the thing, and know that
they can do it again. Such men are
not afraid of competition; they are
not afraid of anything. They are
generals captains of industry,
whether on small or on large
scale.
People lack confidence because they
haven't done the thing themselves. A
child cannot learn to walk without it !;
without it boy cannot learn to swim;
a farmer would not sow the seed nor
reap the harvest. Confidence is
mighty force. Let us have more of it
in our individual lives. Success and
happiness in this world and the world
to come is won by confidence. Paul
fought the good fight of faith because
he was confident. Ninety-fve per
cent of all the business done in Amer
ca is done on confidence. In orator.
cal contests, in atheletic contests, in
business contests, and in the future
success Of the individual, it is largely
a matter of confidence. Confidence in
one and the lack of it in the other,
makes the battle unequal, and gives
the victory to him who has the most
faith.
This is true in every walk of life,
even in the disreputable prize-fght;
there is no exception. 1t is said that
John L. Sullivan in his time, fought
more battles and won more victories,
such as they were, than any other man
that ever entered the prize ring; and
he said in commenting upon the many
men he fought, that "most of them
were beaten before he raised hand"
The name of John L. Sullivan struck
terror to the heart of every prize
fighter, and they no sooner stepped
5r4n tho ,.,t,nr 10 H. Oh
than their nerve left them. Had it
not been for the wonderful confidence
of Sullivan and the lack of it in many
of his victims, he wouldn't have been
champion of the world so long "Once
upon a time" this Sullivan had ar
ranged to meet an enormous athlete,
greatly his superior in mere physical
strength. This man, who was pro-
fessor of gymnastic training and who
had taken first prize at Vienna-one
of the most perfectly developed men
in the world-might easily have de-
feated John l.. Sullivan if he had the
courage behind his muscle. Sullivan
had not trained. On the contrary, he
had been dissipating badly, and it was
with great difficulty that his friends
got him sufficiently sober to enter the
ring. There was never a moment in
Sullivan's life when he wasn't ready
to meet any man living, and supreme
ly confident of victory. Through the
mist of alcohol he looked with his
usual savage expression at the man
opposed to him, and when the fight
should have begun, the huge athlete,
perfectly sober and perfectly trained,
actually dropped to his knees, with
his hands lifted in supplication. Mere
ly looking at Sullivan had frightened
all the fight out of him, and the thing
was fiasco.
Cultivate confidence, courage, hope.
''The young man with an unquencha-
BILE hope, high aspiration, pure and
undefiled ambition, who knows how to
work, who is optimistic and enthusi-
astic, whose determination cannot be
downed by temporary reverses, will
sooner or later have the world at his
feet"
Sometimes a man loses confidence
by getting in beyond his depth. 1t
doesn't do for man to try to revo-
1utionize himself in a day. Simply
start by trying to do little more or
a little better than usual. Increase
your efforts little by little, and little
by little your confidence will increase
until you will eventually do what at
first would have been impossible.
Don't try to take two steps at time,
but carefully and Systematically
reach out, and by putting yourself in
a proper mental attitude you can
double your capacity in a very few
months.
There is scarcely any limit to
mans mental possibilities. In bust
ness all things are possible if man
is patient and doesn't try to revolu-
tionize the whole thing in day. Have
a high ideal; otherwise it will be hard
- Lnay frov,