Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-18
IF YOU WOULD PROSPER
By H. Addington Bruce


VX7lDE-AWAKE business men have long
wv appreciated that one of the greatest
aids to business success is to be OF
helpfulness to others. In this belief they not
merely make Service their business SID
gan, but come together in meetings and con-
ventions for the generous interchange OF
helpful ideas gained from their personal ex-
periences.
So with professional men who are really
wide awake.
They do not look with jealous eye upon
fellow workers in the particular field of their
professional activity. Friendliness, not ami
mostly, governs their attitude to those who
perhaps have achieved more success than
they. The less successful they encourage,
and in emergencic' extend to them concrete
aid.
From this enlightened policy all who
adopt it profit in various ways.
Their character is strengthened, their per-
sonality expanded They gain for themselves
large measure of goodwill on the part of
others All of which helps to keep them
to apply themselves more and more effective
in a pleasurabIe mental state, and, because
of the ei.ergy-stimulating value of pleasur-
able mental states, they are able to apply
themselves more and more effectively to
whatever they undertake.
Unfortunately there still are many people
who are far from recognizing the Importance
OF CQlS great pSyCHClOSlCdl LIuIu LudL uo uSSC
helps himself who most willingly helps
others. There are many, in fact, who act
ually seem to be animated by the desire to
render as little help as may be to other peo-
pie.
Such persons act as though they do not
even want to be helpful to those who. en-
ploy them.
They work, not diligently, but half-heart-
eddy. They find innumerable pretexts to in
tor mt hni NUnr r.
rive at their working place in the morning,
the first to depart from it when the work
ing day is done.
Asked to do anything out of the ordinary,
no matter how triflng, their sullen response
is, "That's not my job Unless literally paid
for Overwork they feel aggrieved ii over
work is ever expected of them.
Altogether, they make it Enthusiastically
evident that, so far as their employer is con-
cerned, to be really helpful IS about the last
thing of any moment to them. And because
their employer, consciously or unconsclously,
compels them to render something of the
helpful service they would evade rendering,
they go about in chronically resenttul
mood.
Now, resentment is not pleasurable men
tai state. Quite the reverse. And because it
is the reverse it las a disturbing, weaken
ing effect on the whole organism. Let it pre-
vail for any length o. time and the most eff
fcient of workers is we'll on the way to inef-
iciency.
Besides which, labitually to act in mean
spirited, selfish way is to create about one
hostile psychic environment. The selfish re-
pei where the helpful attract. Progress then
becomes increasingly difficult, if only for the
reason that business success is always to a
large extent matter of favorable human re-
lationships.
because you did not help" That again
and again might we'll be the answer returned
to innumerable men, who, forced to confess
1amentable failure, bitterly put the question,
"Why have 7 failed?"
Copyright 1922, by the Associated News
papers)