Part II ~ FIVE MENTAL BOMBSHELLS FOR ATTACKING SUCCESS
Chapter Six ~ YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM? THAT'S GOOD! ~ Pilot No. 6
 

So you've got a problem? That's good! Why? Because repeated victories over your problems are the rungs on your ladder of success. With each victory you grow in wisdom, stature, and experience. You become a better, bigger, more successful person each time you meet a problem and tackle and conquer it with PMA.

Stop and think about it for a moment. Do you know of a single instance where any real achievement was made in your life, or in the life of any person in history, that was not due to a problem with which the individual was faced?

Everyone has problems. This is because you and everything in the universe are in a constant process of change. Change is an inexorable natural law. What is important to you is that your suc­cess or failure to meet the challenges of change are dependent upon your mental attitude.

You can direct your thoughts and control your emotions, and thus regulate your attitude. You can choose whether your attitude will be positive or negative. You can decide whether you will affect, Use, control, or harmonize with the changes in yourself and your environment. You can ordain your destiny. When you meet the challenges of change with PMA, you can intelligently solve each problem with which you are confronted.

How do you meet a problem with PMA? If you know and believe the first principal element of a positive mental attitude: God is always a good God then you can effectively use the follow­ing formula and meet your problems:

When you are faced with a problem that needs a solution, regardless of how perplexing it may be:

1. Ask for Divine Guidance. Ask for help in finding the right solution.

2. Think.

3. State the problem. Analyze and define it.

PAGE. 72

St. Paul. As he had promised, Mr. Bigelow gave Charlie a job. He was given work as a laborer at $25 a week. Because Charlie worked with PMA, he became a foreman within two months. After a year, he became a superintendent. Finally Charlie was made vice presi­dent and general manager. In September, 1933, Mr. Bigelow died. Charlie Ward was made president of Brown & Bigelow. He con­tinued in this capacity until his death in the summer of 1959. During this period sales rose from less than three million dollars to over fifty million dollars annually. Brown & Bigelow became the largest company of its kind.

Because of Ward's positive mental attitude and his desire to help those less fortunate, he himself received peace of mind, happiness, love, and the better things in Me. President Roosevelt restored his rights as a citizen in acknowledgment of his exemplary Me. Those who knew him held him in the highest esteem, and were them­selves inspired to help others.

Perhaps one of his most unusual and commendable activities was his employment of over Hve hundred men and women who had come from prisons. They continued their rehabilitation under his stern and understanding guidance and inspiration. He never forgot that he too had been a convict. He wore a tag on his bracelet with his old prison number as a symbol.

Charlie Ward had been sentenced to prison. That was good! Why? Who knows what might have become of Charlie Ward had he continued in the direction in which he was headed. But in prison he met the challenge to change. And there he learned to use PMA to solve his personal problems. He made his world a better world to live in. He became a bigger and better man. No one will ever know the exact number of the needy who have prayed for blessings to Charlie Ward in response to their inner thoughts:

I was naked and ye clothed me; I was sick and ye visited me. I was in prison and ye came unto me.

Fortunately not everyone is faced with problems as severe as those which Charlie Ward was called upon to meet and solve. But there is a lesson in Charlie's story, in addition to the fact that he changed his attitude from negative to positive. You will recall, Charlie himself said: "My greatest mistake was being with the wrong companions." Negative attitudes are often contagious, and bad habits are contagious. Let each of us look to our own associations and be certain to keep them on the highest possible level. Remember:

PAGE. 73

Vice is a monster of such awful mien That to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet, seen too oft, familiar with his face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

Another force with which every human being has to contend, and which, if not met with PMA, can cause physical, moral, and mental destruction is the power of sex. Sex presents the greatest challenge of change! Each human being has the power to choose for himself whether he will use the tremendous power of sex for good or for evil. Each human being must contend with the problems that will arise in his life because of sex.

You can transmute sex into virtue or vice. One of God's greatest gifts to mankind is the power to procreate a human being. Sex is the means of procreation. It is power! Like all power, it can be used for good or for evil.

Sex is a physical function of the body under the control of the subconscious and conscious mind. It is inherited. The physical sex organs, works of God, like all His creations, are good. The little difference that makes the big difference between the power of sex being a virtue or a vice is mental attitude.

The inherent emotion of sex is one of the most powerful forces of the subconscious mind. The effects of its motivating power can be observed long before adolescence. This power blends with and intensifies the driving force of all other emotions.

When it is in conflict with the will of the conscious mind, the power of imagination, as it affects the emotion of sex, has a tendency to win unless the conscious mind uses its power to affect, use, control or harmonize with the powers of the subconscious. You have the power to choose. Choose wisely with PMA. Transmute sex into virtue! Thus you will win over one of the greatest problems you will ever have to face in your personal Me. And you will be physically, mentally, and morally better.

And what are the seven virtues? Virtue is moral practice or action, moral excellence; rectitude; valor; chastity. The seven virtues are: prudence, fortitude, temperance, justice, faith, hope, and charity.

Webster1s Dictionary gives the following definitions:
1. Prudence the ability to regulate and discipline one's self through the exercise of reason.

PAGE. 74

2. Fortitude' the endurance of physical or mental hardships or suffer­ing without giving way under strain. It is: firmness of mind in meeting danger or adversity; resolute endurance; courage and staying power. It is the possession of the stamina essential to face that which repels or frightens one, or to put up with the hardships of a job imposed. It implies triumph. Synonyms are grit, backbone, pluck, and guts.

3. Temperance habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appe­tites and passions.

4. Justice the principle of rectitude and just dealing of men with each other; also conformity to it; integrity.

5. Faith Trust in God.

6. Hope the desire with expectation of obtaining what is desired, or belief that it is obtainable.

7. Charity the act of loving all men as brothers because they are sons of God. It stresses benevolence and goodwill in giving and in the broad understanding of others with kindly tolerance.

How can you transmute the power of sex into the good and the beautiful? A crystal-clear answer can be found by you if you search for it as you read and study this entire book. Results will be achieved when you relate and assimilate the principles into your own life.

But one must gain knowledge for himself. The following suggestions may be helpful as you search for your answer while reading:

1. Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don't want, This means that you Keep your mind, intermediate, and distant desirable objectives. The instinct of sex in the subconscious mind will be patient if it has hope that you will fulfill life's mission. The boy or girl who is truly in love and plans to marry will not have the sex problems he or she might otherwise have.

2. If there were more and often earlier marriages, there would be fewer sex problems. Life's mission to procreate is fulfilled in mar­riage; however, marry for love beyond the sex instinct.

3. Lead a well-balanced, four-square life.

4. Work long hours at a labor of love. It will keep you busy, occupy your thoughts, and use up surplus energy.

5. Develop a Magnificent Obsession. Study the significance to be found in Chapter Fifteen.

6. Relate and assimilate into your own life the concepts in Chapter Two, "You Can Change Your World!" and Chapter Seven "Learn to Steel"

7. Select environment that will develop you best towards your ob­jectives.

8. Choose the self-motivators for self-suggestion that you believe will help you. Memorize them. Make them a part of yourself so that in times of need they will flash from your subconscious mind to your conscious mind as autosuggestion.

PAGE. 75

Not all the problems of one's personal Me, however, are of so deep and penetrating a nature. Many times all that it takes to meet an immediate problem is quick thinking, adaptability, and taking a second look at the situation which is causing the problem. It often takes only one idea, followed by action, to turn failure into success.

It takes only one idea, followed by action, to succeed when others fail. In 1939 on Chicago's North Michigan Avenue, in an area now known as The Magnificent Mile, office space was going begging. Building after building had empty floors: one that was half-rented was considered lucky. It was a bad year for business and NMA hung over Chicago real estate like a cloud. You heard such comments as, "No sense in advertising, there just isn't the money around," or "What can you do? You can't fight the times." Then into this gloomy picture came a building manager with PMA. He had an idea. And he got into action!

This man was hired by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company to run a large building on North Michigan Avenue which they had acquired in a mortgage foreclosure. When he took the job the building was only ten per cent occupied. Within one year it was 100 per cent rented, with a long waiting list. What was the secret? The new manager accepted the problem of no-demand-for-offices as a challenge rather than a misfortune. Here is what he did as he explained in an interview.

I knew precisely what I wanted. I wanted to have the premises 100 per cent occupied with choice, substantial tenants. I knew that under the prevailing conditions it was likely that the offices would not be rented for possibly several years. I therefore concluded that we had everything to gain and nothing to lose by doing the following:

1. I would seek out desirable, prospective tenants of my choice.

2. I would stimulate the imagination of each prospect. I would offer him the most beautiful offices in the city of Chicago.

3. I would offer him these superior offices at a rental no higher than the one he was now paying.

4. Furthermore, I would assume responsibility for his present lease, provided he paid us the same monthly rental under a one-year lease.

5. In addition to all this, I would offer redecoration without cost to the tenant. I would employ creative architects and interior decorators and remodel the offices of my building to suit the personal taste of each new tenant.

I reasoned:

1. If an office were not rented during the next few years, we would receive no income from that office. So we had nothing to lose by going into such arrangements as are above described.

PAGE. 76

We might come out at the end of the year with no income, but we would be no worse off than we would have been if we had not acted. And we would be better off because: we would have satisfied tenants who would in future years supply dependable rentals.

2. Furthermore, it is an established custom to rent offices on a one-year basis only. In most cases, there would be only a few months left to run on the old lease of my new tenant. Promising to assume these rentals was therefore not too great a risk.

3. If a tenant should vacate at the end of his year, it would be comparatively easy to rerent in a well filled building. The redecoration of his office would not be money lost, as it would have increased the equity value of the entire building.

The result was marvelous. Each newly redecorated office seemed to be more beautiful than the one that had preceded it. The tenants were so enthused that many expended additional sums. In one in­stance, a tenant spent an additional $22,000 in remodeling.

So at the end of a year the building which had started off only ten per cent rented was 100 per cent rented. None of the tenants wanted to leave after his lease expired. They were happy with their new, ultra-modern offices. And we gained their permanent goodwill by not raising the rents at the expiration of their first one-year's lease.

We would like you to think back over this story. Here was a man faced with a most serious problem. He had a giant office building on his hands that had nine empty offices in it for every one that was occupied. And yet within a year, his building was 100 per cent rented. Now right next door, up and down The Mag­nificent Mile, there were dozens of office buildings standing idle and practically empty.

The difference of course was the mental attitude which each individual building manager brought to the problem. One man said, "I have a problem. That's awful" The other said, "I have a problem. That's good

A man who seizes upon his problems as opportunities in disguise and scrutinizes them for the good element that is going to be there, is the man who understands the very core of PMA. The man who develops an idea that can work and follows it with action will turn failure into success.

Time after time the pattern repeats itself: problems and difficul­ties turn out to be the best things that could have happened to us provided we translate them into advantages.

As you recognize, the problem which the building manager faced occurred during the Depression. Things were still plenty tough in 1939 when he solved this problem. But they had been much worse.

PAGE. 77

Now the economic problems of the nation and of the world arose as the result of the Depression. Depressions are caused by cycles in the economic life of a nation or nations. But it is not necessary to sit idly by. There is no need to be beaten and tossed to and fro by the cycles of life. You can meet the problem of cycles and con­quer it intelligently. In so doing, you can often acquire a fortune.

Make a fortune or achieve your aims by understanding cycles and trends.

Many years ago Paul Raymond, vice President in

charge of loans for the American National Bank and Trust Com­pany of Chicago, rendered a service to his bank's customers. He sent them Dewey and Dakin's book Cycles. Subsequently many of these clients made fortunes. They learned and understood the theory of business cycles and trends. Some of them will be among those who won't lose the fortunes they acquired regardless of eco­nomic trends and changes.

Edward R. Dewey, who has been the director for The Foundation for the Study of Cycles for many years, points out that every living organism, be it an individual, business, or nation, grows to maturity, levels off, and dies. What is equally important, he indicates a solu­tion whereby, regardless of the trend or cycle, you, as an individual, can do something about it. You can meet the challenge of change successfully. You can change the trend as far as you and your interests are concerned, regardless of the general trend, with new life, new blood, new ideas, new activity.

He anticipated a downward cycle and prepared to go upward.

Before newspapers publicized the recession that began in the latter part of 1957, one of the bank's clients got into action. His organiza­tion went after business aggressively with a positive mental attitude. In 1958 his company developed a premium increase of over 30 per cent compared to the previous year which had shown a 25 per cent increase. The entire industry, however, had a downward trend.

Sometimes the cycle that presents a problem is not a cycle that affects an industry, or an entire nation. It may be a cycle within an individual business only. This problem too, can be anticipated and met. Witness the continual growth of many American corporations, in spite of the fact that in the normal course of events they would have grown to maturity, leveled off, and died. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. is an outstanding example.

PAGE. 78

They met the challenge with new life, new, blood, new ideas, new activity. It is unnecessary to point out that E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. has continued to grow. But what is the cause of its success? Why has it not followed the natural cycle of growing to maturity, leveling off, and dying?

DuPont has met the challenge of change with new life, new blood, new ideas, new activity. Its executives have met this problem with PMA and the determination to overcome it. They have continued to engage in research and are constantly making new discoveries, developing new products, and perfecting their previous products. They inject new blood into their management, and study and improve their sales methods.

Learn from their success

The owner of a small business, or you as an individual, can study and experiment. You can relate and assimilate the principles used by such a large corporation. You too can continue to grow with booster shots of new ideas, new life, new blood, new activity. You can change a downward trend into an upward one. You can be different! When others float downstream, you can move up stream.

So many of the stories you have read and will read in this book indicate that "if you have a problem—that's good!" It's good if you learn to see how to turn adversity into seeds of equivalent or greater benefit. You may still not see the principle; however, the next chapter entitled "Learn to See" can help you.

11
Pilot No. 6
THOUGHTS TO STEER BY
YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM? THAT'S GOOD!
 

1. So you've got a problem? That's good! Why? Because every time you meet a problem and tackle and conquer it with PMA, you become a better, bigger and more successful person.

2. Everyone has problems.

3. Your success, or failure, in meeting the problems presented by the challenges of change will be determined by your mental attitude.

4. Direct your thoughts, control your emotions, and ordain your destiny.

5. God is always a good God.

6. When you have a problem: (a) ask for Divine Guidance; (b) think; (c) state the problem, and (d) analyze it; (e) adopt the PMA attitude 'That's good!" (f) then change the adversity into seeds of greater benefit.

7. Charlie Ward is an outstanding example of a man who success­fully met the challenges of change.

8. Sex is the greatest challenge of change. Transmute the emotion of sex into virtue.

9. The seven virtues are: prudence, fortitude, temperance, justice, faith, hope, and charity. Relate and assimilate these qualities into your own life.

10. One good idea followed by action can change failure into success.

 

EVERY ADVERSITY CARRIES WITH IT
THE SEED OF AN EQUIVALENT
OR GREATER BENEFIT