It has been the custom, from of old, for the merchant at the start of the year to take stock of all his assets and liabilities, and to inquire minutely into what caused his profit or his loss throughout the past year, then to decide, in the light of the results of those detailed inquiries, his plans of action for the coming year. This custom is no longer confined to merchants alone; most heads of enterprises, of whatever kind, have come to follow it too, as a measure of progress and a spur to continued growth and advancement.
My aim this evening is to draw your attention, my dear reader, to a storehouse of your very own which it would be well to inventory, surveying its contents at the start of this new year; for this storehouse contains the most precious jewels you have and the finest treasures you possess, since it is the faithful abode of all your thoughts, your feelings, and your reflections. Will you not sit with me a while, so that together we may review that collection of thoughts and reflections which make up your person, with a view to arriving at a means of assuring your continued inner growth?
The first question I want to put to you is this: Are you in perfect harmony with yourself? Are you entirely satisfied with all your conduct and with every feeling that stirs within you? Or are there certain habits that sometimes trouble you, because they show you before your friends and companions in a light other than the one you desire, so that you suffer greatly from their presence, believing there is no way to overcome them — since you were stamped with these habits from the moment you were formed, and have only to accept
them as a fixed, unchanging part of yourself? But I bring you good news: scientific experiments have proved that the very paths that lead a person to develop a habit are themselves the means by which that habit is abolished. You can therefore overcome the traits you do not want, if you follow the plan I shall now help you to draw up and begin to carry out.
Take a pencil and paper, and come, let us begin. First, make a list of the qualities you do not want. Analyze yourself thoroughly, and be frank and sincere in your analysis; do not be ashamed, for no one will see the list but you. Here are a number of undesirable qualities to help you in this task: lack of patience in bearing difficulties, lack of steadiness in work, nervous fits of every kind, hot temper, irascibility, disregard for the feelings of others, lack of tact, fear, excessive shyness, pride, indifference, envy, hatred, anger, encroachment upon the rights of others — and more besides.
Second: after you have analyzed yourself carefully, choose, from among the qualities you find, the one you wish to be rid of first. Put a mark beside it, for identifying the fault and becoming alert to it is a necessary first step toward getting rid of it. Remember how often you have heard people talking about others and saying: What a great personality that lady would have, were it not for her constant criticism of others and her haughtiness toward them; or, If only that beautiful lady could take an interest in people and their affairs — she lives only for herself; or, If only I could restrain myself from anger and handle matters with calm nerves and deliberation; or, If that girl could speak in a softer voice and
a gentler tone in company, people's admiration for her would be great — and so on without end, with "if only" and "would that." These habits, to which we rarely pay serious heed, may succeed in tinting our personality with colors our companions do not find pleasing, so that they draw away from us little by little without either of us being aware of it.
We have only to become alert to them, resolve to uproot them, and replace them with contrary habits that add luster and radiance to our personality, instead of blotting out its light.
Third: if, while reviewing the qualities you wish to replace, you find among the qualities you have set down on your list one that cannot be overcome — either because it is physiological, the result of some illness, or for any other reason — then accept it and pay it no heed. Remember that many people succeed in developing pleasing, attractive personalities despite a physiological defect, provided they accept that defect without complaint, forget its existence, and devote their efforts to developing in themselves qualities that make their companions forget, too, that any defect is there.
Fourth: do not let fears and illusions, or a feeling of inferiority, or excessive shyness, or any feeling that you are beneath other people, master your thinking and rob you of the pleasure and gaiety of life. Cast these illusions behind you, where they will lie buried, known and felt by no one, until the days erase them from your imagination.
Fifth: beware of self-pity. Do not wail or bemoan your ill fortune, and do not dwell upon the misfortunes that have befallen you. And take care never to try to draw