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ARE YOU A WEATHER-VANE?

A weather-vane, also called a weather-cock, indicates which way the wind is lowin!"

#ine" $%t it also indicates that it has no &ind o' its own" (t is swayed this side or that

y the 'orce o' the wind" (n this res)ect, it is nothin! stron!er than a straw" The straw

also shows the way the wind is lowin!, %t has it any )ower o' its own? Hence, the)hrase, a &an o' straw"

A )erson witho%t will and 'orce in his )ersonality wilts too o'ten witho%t a sensile

reason" He is directed y his whi&s and 'ancies" He has reasons, which reason does

not know*

+%ch a )erson is est co&)ared to %n-)lastered !l%e on a wall" #i it, e'ore it dries

and )eels o''"

(t was s%ch a 'li)-'lo) that eor!e $ernard +haw had in his &ind when he &ade his

'a&o%s oservation ao%t s&okin!" .(t is very easy to !ive %) s&okin!" ( have done it

&any ti&es"/

Oscar Wilde 0%i))ed, .The est way to resist te&)tation is to yield to it"/

A &an o' stron! will is decisive in action1 %t we &ay also re!ard decisiveness as a

0%ality y itsel'" 2any 'ind it di''ic%lt to arrive at de'inite decisions" This is es)ecially

tr%e o' so- called .intellect%als/" $eca%se they have learned to e lieral-&inded and

tolerant, they are ale to see &any as)ects o' a s%3ect and are o'ten torn etween

con'lictin! concl%sions" The res%lt is weak or wishy-washy action, or no action at all"

However, tho%!ht and action are not irreconcilale" 2any !reat &en have co&ined

the two" reatness consists in co&inin! the&"

et as &%ch in'or&ation, as &any o)inions as )ossile, %t arrive at yo%r decisions

inde)endently" The co%nsel o' those who have &ore e)erience than yo% is not to e

disdained1 %t even i' yo% co&)letely 'ollow s%ch advice, do so o%t o' conviction,

rather than eca%se o' a%thority"

The danger lies in the fact that seeking advice becomes a habit.One either

seeks to shi't the %rden o' decision to so&eone else, or derives a 'eelin! o'

i&)ortance in disc%ssin! one4s a''airs with others5havin! &ade %) one4s &ind

e'orehand"

There is only one kind o' )erson &ore onoio%s than the )er)et%al advice-seekers,

that is the )erson who insists on !ivin! %nwanted advice*

A strong will increases the scope of action. Haven4t yo% co&e %) a!ainst

so&ethin! which, yo% are s%re, .3%st co%ldn4t e done/, then alon! wo%ld co&e so&e

'ellow with a will, and do it*

How are we to decide what we can and cannot do?One o' the est &ethods is

thoro%!h )re)aration" Occasionally, the %n)re)ared will s%cceed" $%t in s%ch instances

darin! and l%ck )lay a very lar!e )art" 2en o' decisive action reali6e that nothin! can

take )lace o' ade0%ate )re)aration" +%ch )re)aration will o'ten deter&ine whether the

)lanned task is )racticale or not and th%s avoid &%ch waste and 'ail%re"

O' co%rse, little )re)aration is needed 'or carryin! o%t the s&all tasks" +%ch tasks are

the&selves y way o' ein! !eneral )re)arations 'or lar!er tasks" $%t the &ore

i&)ortant a task is, the &ore i&)ortant is the s)ecial )re)aration 'or it"

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7r Nor&an #enton !ives one o' the &ost ad&irale o%tlines" One sche&e which he

s%!!ests is .to !ive yo%rsel' yo%r word o' hono%r that yo% will or will not do certain

thin!s that yo% desire to do or not to do" A ca%tion to ear well in &ind in %sin! the

s%!!estion is to avoid %sin! it in atte&)tin! the i&)ossile"/

Roert +" Woodworth in his )sycholo!y says, set yo%rsel' a de'inite !oal towards which

to strive, instead o' trainin! a va!%e !eneral will with va!%e !ood intentions, which are

&i!hty )oor road s%r'acin! &aterial, ece)t 'or the well known hi!hway to hell" All o%r

actions are &ore or less deter&ined y !oals" 8i't these s%conscio%s !oals into the

'%ll li!ht o' conscio%sness and &ake the& a de'inite as a ri'le tar!et"

Exercise your will-power in fields which interest you. (t is tr%e that will-trainin!

&eans carryin! o%t tasks that are at 'irst disa!reeale, %t i' the activities selected

hold at least so&e interest 'or %s, &%ch e''ort &ay e saved"

One o' the !reatest di''ic%lties in sel'-disci)line is to kee) the attention 'oc%sed" A

nat%ral interest &akes this easier" +ocial cli&in! or )%shin! are never desirale, %t

it is well always to re&e&er that yo% are )%rs%in! yo%r own !oal in yo%r own

interest" Very o'ten, it is o' hel) to set yo%rsel' a de'inite ideal in the )erson o' so&e!reat historical or livin! 'i!%re"

The &ain thin! is to )ick so&eone yo% can whole-heartedly ad&ire and to convince

yo%rsel' that the c%lt%ral level o' yo%r ideal is really desirale" 7o not 'all into the now

'ashionale attit%de o' so)histication, which is e)ressed y s%ch re&arks 9!enerally

)assed with arched eyerows and a scarcely sti'led yarn: as; .A'ter all, &y dear 'ellow,

nothin! is really worth !ettin! 0%ite so ecited ao%t"/

A sense o' h%&o%r and a sense o' )ro)ortion are o' val%e in sel'-develo)&ent, %t

there are certain thin!s that cannot, or at least sho%ld not e shr%!!ed away and

la%!hed o''"

The &an who holds his head hi!h, who acts do&inantly, will convince others as well as

hi&sel' that he .can do it/"

e regular in your will-training exercises.A daily ho%r or hal'-ho%r s)ent with

yo%rsel' can acco&)lish a !reat deal, not alone 'or the develo)&ent o' sel'-con'idence

and will-)ower, %t also 'or the develo)&ent o' the entire )ersonality"

+o&ethin! de'inite sho%ld e acco&)lished d%rin! s%ch a )eriod, even i' it is )%rely

&ental" 2erely readin! and daydrea&in! will not do" +o&e )eo)le 'ind it hel)'%l, 'or

ea&)le, to kee) an honest diary o' their doin!s and tho%!hts" Others &ay co&ine

this sel'-co&&%nion with solitary walks"

The &ental state e'ore !oin! to slee) is es)ecially cond%cive towards dealin! with

one4s )role&s" The asence o' al&ost all eternal sti&%li see&s to shar)en the inner'ac%lties" 7r

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+teadiness is the )ower to co&e ack to the sa&e 3o, des)ite interr%)tion, ever ready

to try a!ain" (t is e''ective and well-directed towards its end"

Each low co%nts with no dri'tin!, no scatterin!, and no wastin!" +%ch a will &%st

have at the ack o' it the s%))ort o' a well-or!ani6ed set o' haits, ready to e called

%)on to do and think and 'eel correctly and )ro&)tly"

"irection is definiteness and rightness of aim.Not that these cannot as well e

enlisted in the service o' evil1 'or they can" ower can e %sed to destroy or to

constr%ct, 'or %nworthy or 'or nole ai&s"

#ill is not the whole of personality$ it must wait on good intention.The

stren!th o' i&)%lse is s%))lied y the e&otion, how stron!ly yo% 'eel, how &%ch yo%

care %t when yo% care 'or is a 3oint )rod%ct o' dee) e&otion, and a wise and worthy

choice o' ends"

Will &eans not only the will to work, %t a knowled!e o' how to direct e''ort" E''ort

)ro)erly incl%des so&ethin! that is hard" @hoosin! the easier way weakens the willand leaves the &ental and &oral tiss%es so't"

There is the 0%estion o' what to do and decidin! %)on lines o' cond%ct" Yo% can e

decisive witho%t ein! ostinate"

eo)le who hesitate &orally are lost1 those who hesitate too &%ch intellect%ally are

)rone to waste, decidin! and recallin!, chan!in! their &inds like a weather-vane with

every new )%'' o' i&)%lse" 7o%t that re'lects is !ood" 7o%t that lowers con'idence is

ad"

#hen to yield% when to compromise% when to hold to purpose unflinchingly?

8ast co&es end%rance, trainin! to lon!er s)ans o' e''ort, to !reater tasks1 cli&in! a

hi!her &o%ntain, carryin! thro%!h a 'ar-reachin! enter)rise, reali6in! a li'e-lon!

)%r)ose" This can e acco&)lished only y a well-trained will"

The essence o' will is action" 7irections 'or vi!o%r, steadiness and direction &%st e

vi!oro%sly translated into action and &ade a steady hait" They &%st e lived than

3%st learned"