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  TURN IT ON

  Local mechanics said there was nothing wrong with the car’s engine, but the old Indian never learned how to insert the key and switch on the ignition. Inside the car were a hundred horses—ready, willing, and raring to go, but the old Indian was using two horses on the outside. Many people make the mistake of looking outside to find two horsepower when they should look inside where they have over a hundred. Psychologists tell us this is about the ratio of the ability we have to the ability we use, 2 to 5%.

  Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “The biggest tragedy in America is not the great waste of natural resources, though this is tragic. The biggest tragedy is the waste of human resources.” Mr. Holmes pointed out that the average person goes to his grave with his music still in him. So, unfortunately, the most beautiful melodies of all are the unplayed ones.

  For a long time I thought the most tragic thing that could happen to man during his lifetime would be to discover an oil well or a gold mine on his property as he lay on his death bed. Now I know that it is infinitely worse to never discover the vastly greater wealth that lies within the individual. As my good friend Major Reuben Siverling says, “A dime and a $20 gold piece have the same value if they are corroding at the bottom of the ocean.” The difference in value is manifested only when you lift those coins up and use them as they were intended to be used. Your value becomes real and marketable when you learn to reach within yourself and utilize the enormous potential that is there. To help you more fully utilize your potential, I am writing this book. With it I hope to enable you to discover and utilize that gold mine or oil well inside you. Your “natural resources,” unlike the natural resources on planet Earth, will be wasted and “used up” only if they are never used at all. So my purpose is to get more of your talent into action so you and others can enjoy what you have to offer. No doubt about your talent, you’ve got it in spades. And now you are going to start using it so that instead of being bright and broke (if you are broke) you will be bright—and prosperous.

  GARBAGE-DUMP THINKING

  A number of years ago I heard a philosopher say, “You are where you are because that’s exactly where you want to be.” I bought that idea and even repeated it to others. Then, late one night I was in Birmingham, Alabama, driving to Meridian, Mississippi. It was important that I be in Meridian the next morning. Since the roads were under repair, I stopped at a service station for directions. The attendant pointed out the best route for me and even drew me a map. He assured me that if I followed his map, I would be in Meridian with time to spare. I followed his directions exactly and yet, one hour later, I was 45 miles farther from Meridian than I had been when he gave me the directions. Obviously, I was not there because that’s where I wanted to be. I was there because somebody had given me the wrong directions.

  I might say the same thing to you. If you’re broke, despondent, and down in the dumps, if you’re not getting along well with your family or in your career, I just cannot believe that these are the conditions and circumstances you really want. There is a chance that maybe, just maybe, you’ve been given the wrong directions which have influenced you negatively and caused you to suffer from Garbage-Dump Thinking. (Now don’t get too cozy with the thought that any and all of your problems should be dumped into someone else’s lap because, as you shall see—if your past situation could possibly be “blamed” on someone else—your future growth and progress is placed squarely on your shoulders.)

  Let me explain: In a large southern city there is a magnificent new shopping center that stands on the former city garbage dump. For over a century no one saw this location as anything but the “garbage dump.” About twenty-five years ago, however, some progressive-minded citizens started “seeing” that location as a beautiful new shopping center. Immediately they stopped dumping garbage and started hauling good, clean fill dirt and dumping it over the century-old garbage. They packed it down with huge highway rolling machinery until a solid foundation was prepared. It was on this foundation that they built a magnificent new shopping center. But really, this shopping center is built on garbage, isn’t it?

  I tell this story because the chances are that over a period of time, people have been dumping “garbage” into your mind. What you must understand, however, is that it doesn’t really matter if garbage has been dumped into your mind in the past. In fact, it doesn’t even matter if others, through either malice or ignorance, have built low ceilings over you. You can overcome all of that “garbage,” so I’m going to say to you, “Happy Birthday,” because today is the first day of the rest of your life. The past is over and the fact you have read this far indicates you are now in the process of building a foundation for a greater future.

  Warning! “Garbage” has probably been dumped into your mind for a long time. Realistically, we should understand that a person suffering from malnutrition cannot be restored to complete physical health by eating one well-balanced meal, regardless of how big or good it might be. So please understand that for the moment all we can do is cover that “garbage” with a thin veneer of positive thinking and right mental attitude. The chances are good that periodically some of that “garbage” will pop through the veneer and you will suffer again from “stinkin’ thinkin’.” However, keep reading because every chapter you absorb will bury the old garbage and since we live in a negative society, we will always have the problem of fresh garbage being dumped into our minds on a daily basis. A friend, an acquaintance, or an overheard conversation can drop a couple of fast loads of garbage into our minds. We switch on the radio or the television and boom-boom, somebody else dumps fresh garbage into our minds. Now we have the problem of stinkin’ thinkin’ again, so what do we do now, Coach? Keep reading. The answer is spelled out in minute detail in another segment. I’ll guarantee it.

  THE FUTURE IS NOW

  An exciting new field of psychology has been developed which doesn’t dig up all the old garbage of the past. It doesn’t “saw sawdust” by harping on the problems of the past. Instead, it deals with the hope of the future. It is not problem conscious, it is solution conscious and its results have been tremendous. An exciting book entitled Schools Without Failure by William Glasser follows the same basic philosophy. In his book, Dr. Glasser describes the programs that work with youngsters who have never known anything but frustration, defeat, disappointment, and failure. He deals in the hope of the future and not in the problems and personalities of the past. By taking the positive approach and giving students mountains of encouragement, his results have been astonishing.

  Actually, this still puts man 2,000 years behind the advice the Apostle Paul gave us in the Holy Bible when he said, “Forgetting those things which lie in the past, I press forward toward the mark.” Significantly, Paul wrote those words while on death row in a Roman prison. Paul also emphasized that he fought the battle of life to win. My approach is similar. I recognize that winning is not everything, but the effort to win is.

  THE LOSER’S LIMP

  Characteristically, when a person falls victim to Garbage-Dump Thinking he develops an assortment of “Loser’s Limps.” You know what the Loser’s Limp is if you’ve ever attended a football game or watched one on television. (Incidentally, the last time I saw the local team play I knew they were in trouble when the punter signaled for a fair catch on the snap from center.) The offensive player slips behind the defensive player, reaches up, pulls in a pass, and heads for the end zone. The defensive player quickly recovers and takes out in hot pursuit. When the offensive player gets about 20 yards from the end zone, the defensive player realizes he’s not going to catch the man with the ball. Everybody in the stands knows it too. So, the defensive player frequently pulls up limping and the people in the stands say, “Well, no wonder the poor guy couldn’t catch him. Look, he’s crippled.” Now that is his Loser’s Limp. What is yours?

  THE NATURAL BORN

  To utilize the ability you have you must start by getting rid of any Loser’s Limp you might have.
A typical Loser’s Limp is, “I’m not a born salesman,” or a born doctor, lawyer, artist, architect, engineer, etc. I would like to emphasize this point. In my travels I have picked up newspapers from the rural villages of Australia to the bulging metropolises of North America and Europe. I’ve read where women have given birth to boys and girls, but thus far I have never read where a woman has given birth to a salesman, or a doctor, lawyer, artist, engineer, etc. However, I do read where doctors, lawyers, salesmen, etc., die. Since they are not “born,” but they do “die,” obviously, somewhere between birth and death, by choice and by training, they become what they wish to become. (Would you permit a “natural-born” doctor to go ad-libbing through your abdomen? Or a “natural-born” lawyer to defend you in court?)

  As a matter of fact, I’ve never seen where a woman has given birth to a success or to a failure. It’s always either a boy or a girl. Occasionally, I’ve seen a man stand up and say, “I’m a self-made man.” So far I’ve never seen the guy or gal who didn’t make it stand up and say, “I’m a self-made failure.” You know what they do? They point the index finger and say, “I’m not successful or happy because of my parents.” Some blame the teacher, the preacher, or the boss. Some blame everything from skin color and religious beliefs to lack of education and physical deficiencies. Some say they’re too old or too young, too fat or too slim, too tall or too short, or that they live in the wrong place.

  Incredibly enough, some even say they were born the wrong month or under the wrong star. (Personally, I have no faith in the stars, but total faith in the One Who made the stars.) I also believe that Loser’s Limps are “garbage.” And regardless of your “lot” in life, you can build something solid on it.

  Some even pull the reverse and say they are discriminated against because they are not a member of a minority group or not a female. Still others point the finger at all of society and blame everybody for their problems or lack of success. Now I want you to notice one thing. When you have your index finger pointed toward someone else, you’ll discover there are three times as many fingers pointed right back at you. Your success and your happiness start with you. The more involved you become in the message of this book, the happier you will be to know that you do control your future. Perhaps for the first time you will recognize your own enormous potential.

  PRISONERS OF HOPE

  Surely, one of the saddest experiences in life is to hear someone say, “If I could only talk, run, jump, sing, dance, think, concentrate, etc., like him or her,” and the voice trails off into silence. The message is, “If I just had someone else’s ability, what wouldn’t I do?” The answer, my friend, is you would not do a cotton-picking thing with someone else’s ability if you are not using the ability you already have. You’re kidding yourself, and that’s not even being honest. If you’re not careful you will become one of the “Prisoners of Hope” that we meet in Every City,

  U.S.A. These Prisoners of Hope are the people who hope that someday they will walk along the street and kick a box or bag that will contain their personal fortune. They hope for the big break that will give them instant fame and fortune.

  You can also see them at the seashore, hoping their ship is on its way, but deep down knowing it has never left port. Yes, they are Prisoners of Hope, and so are the people who are always dreaming and wishing for someone else’s ability or talent. The truth of the matter is, you already have the ability necessary for success. The story of life repeatedly assures you that if you will use what you have, you will be given more to use. Life also tells you that if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.

  HERE ARE THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

  The “jet set” who indulge in questionable moral practices in their international travels, featuring the “good life” complete with fun and games, are definitely not the beautiful people. From my vantage point, the truly “beautiful people” come from every walk of life and often suffer from everything from polio to total blindness. They refused to accept a Loser’s Limp and became quite successful, happy, and well-adjusted individuals in the process. They represented every race, creed, and color. They have educational backgrounds that vary from the third grade to Ph.D. I’ve seen people who have succeeded sometimes because of, and many times in spite of, almost unbelievable handicaps. Their stories are the most beautiful stories we can encounter. Without exception, these people believe that “man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for success and endowed with the seeds of greatness.”

  When you adopt this belief you will discover that there will be no need to blame anyone for any problem. In short, you will be on your way because you will have discovered that you can always find a capable helping hand at the end of your own sleeve. In my work I often see people who don’t succeed, but I seldom see a person who can’t succeed. What I’m really suggesting is that you accept the fact that from this moment on, your situation—and future—is in capable hands—yours!

  IT’S IN YOUR HANDS, SON

  Perhaps a parable will help you see my point. High on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful city of Venice, Italy, there lived an old man who was a genius. Legend had it he could answer any question anyone might ask of him. Two of the local boys figured they could fool the old man, so they caught a small bird and headed for his residence. One of the boys held the little bird in his hands and asked the old man if the bird was dead or alive. Without hesitation the old man said, “Son, if I say to you that the bird is alive, you will close your hands and crush him to death. If I say the bird is dead, you will open your hands and he will fly away. You see, Son, in your hands you hold the power of life and death.” This I say to you without qualification, and with no mental reservations whatsoever. In your hands you hold the seeds of failure—or the potential for greatness. Your hands are capable but they must be used—and for the right things—to reap the rewards you are capable of attaining.

  DON’T LEAVE ME NOW

  Throughout this book I’ll be telling a lot of stories because I believe life itself is a continuing story. I’m also going to use every method at my disposal to hold your attention and keep you on your toes.

  The reason is simple. You probably read at the rate of 200 to 400 words per minute, but your mind functions at from 800 to 1800 words per minute. The normal tendency is for your mind to fill this blank time or space with a thousand unrelated thoughts. Now, combine this with the fact that your reading-learning attitude varies as much as the kind of day you are having varies, and you can easily understand how and why your mind wanders. It’s actually possible to read several pages and not absorb anything.

  For example, while reading this book you have already left me a dozen times on brief trips. You’ve gone everywhere and done everything from looking in on the kids to teaching a class, making a sale, attending a football game, or going to the rest room. If you don’t believe it, turn back to any page you have already read and carefully read it again. Odds are you will see several words, thoughts, or ideas you missed the first time. Incidentally, this is not an insult to your intelligence. As a matter of fact, in most cases the brighter you are the more likely this will happen. I might also add that the brighter and more ambitious you are, the harder you will work to reduce the number of times it happens in the future. As the author of this book, I have to hope you were not on one of these “trips” during this paragraph. (As a matter of fact I “dare” you to re-read the last two pages.)

  Knowing you may take a brief trip makes it easier for you to appreciate my earlier advice to use felt-tip pens to underline the points that grab you. Incidentally, if you also record these thoughts and ideas in the Trigger Page notebook, you will truly be an “active” and not a “passive” reader. This will be helpful for review purposes. To re-read and review this information is extremely important. One of America’s leading universities found that people exposed to new material one time will remember only about 2% of it two weeks later. If they are exposed to the same material on six consecutive days, they will remember 62
% of it two weeks later. But there’s something much more important than that. The more times you are exposed to the same information, the more likely you are to take action on it—and action by you is my objective. As a matter of fact, action is the manifestation of learning. Just as “faith without works is dead,” learning without action isn’t learning.

  DON’T GET COOKED IN THE SQUAT

  Many times individuals will indicate with a nod of the head that they already know or have heard the information as I start to cover a point in a talk. I’m often tempted to stop and ask what they’ve done about it. Unless and until you do something with what you have learned, you might as well not have learned it. The person who won’t read is no better off than the person who can’t read. The person who knows but won’t use success principles and information is no better off than the person who doesn’t know them. You intend to “do something,” don’t you? (Say yes!)

  Since you answered “yes,” let me say, “Congratulations, you are now successful!” I say that because success is not a destination, it’s a journey, it’s the direction in which you are traveling. Not only have you started, but you’re headed in the right direction. I enthusiastically congratulate you because you’re not like “most people.”

  Most people wait until everything is just right before they do anything. They refuse to go out on a limb where the fruit is. They refuse to bet on themselves. For them, the ball game of life is already over, and they’ve lost it. Their epitaph could well read, “Born 1942, died 1974, buried 2010,” or whenever the heart finally stops beating. They are the people who end up like the cook’s biscuits.

  Let me explain. When I was a small boy in Yazoo City, Mississippi, we lived next door to some rich folks. I know they were rich because they not only had a cook, but the cook had something to cook. In the 1930’s that was a sure sign of wealth. I was there for lunch one day, as I tried to be most every day. (Don’t misunderstand, we had plenty to eat at our house. I know we had plenty because if I ever passed my plate for seconds, they always said, “No, you’ve had plenty.”) On this occasion, the cook brought out a pan of biscuits. Since they were no thicker than a silver dollar, I asked, “Maude, what happened to those biscuits?” She reared back, laughed, and said, “Well, those biscuits squatted to rise, but they just got cooked in the squat.”