Today’s Thursday Throwback is from a real powerhouse of motivation: Elsie Lincoln Benedict. This is an excerpt from a lesson-lecture that she delivered to students in various cities of the United States long, long, long ago. Don’t let the multiple longs fool you, though. The advice, the motivation, the inspiration, and the grit will leave an impression on you. I plan to publish more of this amazing lady’s teachings on Self Help Daily because she simply moves me. When I read Elsie Lincoln Benedict’s writings, I feel much as Brad Pitt must have felt the first time he saw Angelina Jolie. My world? She rocketh it.
I will type in Elsie Lincoln’s Benedict’s words as they appear in the texts I have.When I skip around a little (because some illustrations simply aren’t built for time traveling), you’ll see a family of dots….. just call them The Dots and follow them to the next room. Once or twice you’ll notice something in parenthesis – this is where I pitch in my two cents for clarification. Having read the entire series of lectures, some things may be clearer to me – and I thought I’d wipe the window, so that you can see more clearly as well.
When the writing/teaching begins, Elise Lincoln Benedict is addressing the subject of “Making Your Desires Materialize.”
Enjoy!
HOW TO MAKE YOUR DESIRES MATERIALIZE by Elsie Lincoln Benedict, 1923
The distance we cover (in the pursuit of our desires) depends on the number of hurdles we are able to take and the speed with which we cover the distance between.
We may run along for quite a while on smooth ground, thinking “Everything’s going to be smooth from here on,” but pretty soon looming up ahead we descry an obstacle. It may be a low one which we scarcely notice. Or it may be a high one. If we refuse to scale it, thinking it looks impossible, or if we are tired of running, we can stop right there and our progress ends….
But if we draw upon our courage we will always find that this hurdle, high and forbidding though it appears, is nothing compared to the first ones (previous obstacles, trials and tribulations). Because we have developed strength from jumping those before – a strength we are not aware of till we put it to the test, but which never fails us if we take a good jump and try for it….
There come times in every human life when the game doesn’t seem worth the candle. But it is. When the price looks bigger than the prize. But it never is.
The price is always less, when you come right down to paying it, than it looks to be – just as a piece of work looks impossible as long as you postpone it but is suddenly easy when you begin.
Life always lets you make your own decisions and she takes you at your word. Your words always express themselves in your secret attitudes.
To try to fool others is bad enough, but to fool yourself is fatal. You never can really fool your subconsciousness. It knows whether you really want a thing or not, and whether you are in earnest.
If you are not it lets you alone. But if you are it will find a way. It will help you get what you really want MOST.
You may not believe it at first glance, but many poverty-stricken, sick, shiftless failures already have what they want most in life.
They won’t admit it to you, but in their inmost souls they know it is true.
They don’t really want riches, health, and success MOST. They only WISH they wanted these things most.
What they really want most of all is doing what they please with their time, taking things easy, sleeping late, overeating, being free of responsibilities – and they are getting every one of them!
They delude themselves with the notion that they are getting them for nothing – that success, health and happiness would cost more. But the fact is that they are paying the highest price for the worst articles when the very best could be had at a bargain.
If you have ever seen a man trying to get out of work, you know that he worked twice as hard at it as those who pitched in and did something….
Your great subconscious will get for you the things you want MOST in life. It will do so more completely and more quickly than you can believe. It will do so with unerring accuracy and unfaltering, unswerving perfection.
If you want happiness, success, fame, it will show you how to get them. They must be paid for, but the price is not as high as you think, not even as great as that we pay for failure.
I often think of the world as a colossal department store. In it are all the things we want, displayed on the counters within reach of all, and to be had the moment we pay for them.
If we really want the things we SAY we want, we will do what we always do to get the things we want in the store – walk up and pay for them and TAKE them.
You see something you say you want. But if you are not willing to pay for it, Life knows you only wish for it.
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I’ll continue the lecture next Thursday. Trust me, it only gets better!
Related Articles:
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- Thursday Throwback: Constructive Thoughts and Ideals
- The Looking Glass: Thursday Throwback Woefully Late
- Thursday Throwback: The Wisdom of Confucius
- Thursday Throwback: Look Inside the Husk
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Wow, thanks for this Throwback. The part about people only wishing they wanted things is incredible, i never thought about it like that. Over the years the bottom line of personnel growth has not changed, you have to want it, you have to do it, and you have to stick to it.
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Love this article.. Ever since I have started reading articles on self help.. They all mention the same thing, what u think u become. But no one really makes you face the fact that there is lot of wishful thinking that everyone starts doing.. which is not at all helpful. Thank you for clearing this… REALLY HELPFUL!!
Anshu, I actually love the way you word it! What u think u become. I just wrote that on my notebook and will let it inspire me to have lofty, profitable, wise thoughts! – Joi
I have found a small profile calculator for use in human analysis by elsie lincoln benedictv date 1920. It is made card stock with indexing to show a persons facial features etc. Do you have any idea if this piece has any value . I also have the original leather bound book Practical Psychology dated 1920. Thanks for info about the items
Elsie was my grandmother and I’m glad to hear that her books are still being read.