“If There is Something that You Want, Prepare to Receive It”

Upon the wreckage of thy yesterday Design thy structure of tomorrow. Lay Strong corner-stones of purpose, and prepare Great blocks of wisdom cut from past despair. Shape mighty pillars of resolve, to set Deep in the tear-wet mortar of regret. Work on with patience. Though thy toil be slow Yet day by day the edifice shall grow. Believe in God—in thine own self believe, All that thou hast hoped for thou shalt achieve." By-ELLA WHEEEER WIECOX

MY GREAT CONCERN is not who you are, the color of your skin, whether you are rich or poor, or how many times you have failed, but whether you have the will to achieve the object of your desires. No one can help a person that does not want to help himself. If you are satisfied with the hand of cards that life has dealt you, if you are content in your present existence, there is nothing that I can do or say to aid you in converting whatever wishes you might have into reality. Under such circumstances there is little likelihood that such wishes would ever amount to any more than "idle wishes."

A will to succeed is a resolute determination. It is a burning desire to attain the object of your wishes. A "burning desire" is no ordinary desire or "idle wish." It is enthusiastic faith in the attainment of a goal—an object of your desires.

Hope for the achievement of anything must be backed by an unwavering faith in its attainment.

It has been said that in order to attain anything you want out of life, set yourself goals and work steadfastly toward that goal and you will achieve that goal. This sounds good but in practical applications it isn't quite that easy. You know people who labor everlastingly towards a goal but seem to accomplish nothing while others succeed with less than half the effort.

The story has been told of a prayer meeting held at a little country church once in the heart of a drought. The congregation had gathered to pray for rain. During the course of the meeting, the minister had cause to remark that not a single person brought an umbrella.

Setting goals without a will to succeed is like praying for rain while displaying your disbelief by not bringing umbrellas. If there is something that you want, prepare to receive it.

Many people have wishes. They wish for this and they wish for that, but at the same time, they know that they will never get them. They hope that a rich uncle will leave them on easy street. They hope that the Government will come along and give them more of something for nothing. There is reason behind all of this. They haven't come to know themselves. They know all about their next door neighbor, everyone else's business, their work, their material possessions, and their hobbies and recreation, but they don't know themselves. They haven't learned that the kingdom of Heaven is resident within, that they are the product of the Architect of the Universe and created in His image. They have heard about all of this or have read it but they don't believe it.

It is impossible to believe that God is your Father and made you in his image without feeling like a billion dollars. Believe and succeed. This is terrific!

Setting goals for yourself is not the starting point of successful achievement. Knowing that you can get whatever you want out of life without violating the rights of others is the starting point. That is why I first urged you to "know thyself" and the tremendous capacity which you have for attaining success in life. Now that you know who you are and the potential power that you possess, you are prepared and ready to set sail upon the sea of life that leads to a destination of success, happiness and peace of mind.

I now ask you a simple question—do you want to make this journey with me? The only qualification that you need to possess is the will to succeed.

In the pages that follow I will clearly outline the course that will lead you to your destination. In some respects it may be likened to the blueprint which the architect draws for the contractor to follow in the erection of a building. Upon this blueprint of success you can erect your temple of success. It may also be likened to a navigational chart which guides the mariner during his seaward journey. With this success chart your journey will be definite. It will be certain for you will be given a course to follow. It will also point out for you the reefs and shoals of life to avoid.