Chapter Fifteen ~ YOUR MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION ~ Pilot No. 15
 

With the idea that we are about to give you, you can have riches far beyond your fondest hope.

This idea will bring you a wealth of happiness. For your personality will expand. And you will receive affection and love, both of a quality and a quantity you have never before dreamed possible.

This principle was expressed dramatically on many occasions by the author, Lloyd C. Douglas. When Douglas retired from the ministry he moved into a more extended form of inspirational teaching: the writing of novels. His ministry had reached hundreds; his books reached thousands; his movies, millions. And to each he preached the same basic message. But it was never so clearly expressed as in the novel The Magnificent Obsession. The principle is so obvious here that those who need it most may not see it at all. It is simply this:

Develop an obsession a Magnificent Obsession to help others.

Share yourself without expecting a reward, payment, or commendation. And above all else keep your good turn a secret.

And, if you do this, you will set in motion the powers of a universal law. For, try as you will to avoid payment for your good deed  blessings and rewards will be showered upon you.

No matter who you are, you can have a magnificent obsession. Every living person can help others by sharing a part of himself. You don't have to be rich or powerful to develop a Magnificent Obsession. Regardless of who you are, or what you have been, you can create inside yourself a burning desire to be helpful to others.

Take, for example, the sinner with a magnificent obsession.

You'll never know his name. That's a secret. When he was asked to help the Boys Clubs of America—an organization the sole purpose of which is the building of character in children—with a small donation, he refused. In fact, he was more than rude to the man who had called to interview him on this occasion.

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"Get out!" he said. *Tm sick and tired of people asking me for money!"

As the representative was walking toward the door to leave, he stopped, turned around, and looked kindly at the man sitting behind his desk. "You may not wish to share with the needy. But I do. I'll share with you a part of what I have a prayer: May God bless you." And then he turned swiftly and left.

You see, with a flash of inspiration the Boys Club representative had remembered: ". . . silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I unto you." And a few days later an interesting thing happened.

The man who had said, "Get out!" knocked on the door of the Club representative's office and asked, "May I come in?" He brought with him a part of what he had to share: a check for half a million dollars. As he laid the check on the desk, he said: "I am giving this on one condition: that you never let anyone know that I did it."

"Why not?" he was asked.

"I don't want my name to represent to boys and girls that I am good. I'm not a saint. For I have been a sinner."

And that is why you'll never know his name. Just he, the Boys Club representative, and the Greatest Giver of All know the name of the sinner whose money was donated for the purpose of helping boys and girls avoid doing the wrong things he had done.

Like the Boys Club representative, you may not have money, but you can share by giving a part of what you have. And like him, you can be a part of a great cause. And you, too, when you give, can give generously.

Your most preciously valued possessions and your greatest powers are often necessarily invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You and you alone can share them.

The more you share, the more you will have.
Now if you doubt this, you can prove it to yourself by giving: a smile to everyone you meet; a kind word; a pleasant response; appreciation with warmth from the heart; cheer; encouragement; hope; honor, credit, and applause; good thoughts; evidence of love for your fellowmen; happiness; a prayer for the godless and the godly; and time for a worthy cause with eagerness.

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 If you do experiment by giving any one of the above, you will also prove to yourself what we have found is one of the most difficult principles to teach those who need it most: how to cause desirable actions within yourself. Until you do learn, you will fail to realize that what is left with you when you share it with others will multiply and grow; and what you withhold from others will diminish and decrease. Therefore, share that which is good and desirable and withhold that which is bad and undesirable.

Be a part of a great cause. We know of a mother who lost her only child: a beautiful, happy, teen-age girl who brought laughter and inspiration to all who were fortunate enough to know her. In attempting to neutralize the grief of her loss, this mother developed a most magnificent obsession and became a part of a great cause. Today she is among the many thousands of American women who are making this world a better world to live in. Because of the wonderful work she is doing and the beauty of her Magnificent Obsession, we wrote and asked her if she would be kind enough to share with us the inspiration which helped her develop her Magnificent Obsession. Her response was:

"The searing agony of losing our beloved daughter is never far away in my mind. Conceived in love and nurtured with love, she held our entire future and all our hopes in every sense of the words. The Almighty took our only child from us at the age of fourteen-and-a-half. It is impossible to describe our loss. The bright promise of the future went dull, for the light of our lives had been snuffed out. Everything that we had lived to the full became empty. All that was sweet turned bitter.

"My husband and I reacted as does everyone. Our very existence was encompassed by the eternally unanswered question: WHY? My husband retired, we sold our home, and, seeking an escape, did extensive traveling. Only when we came face to face with the harsh reality that we couldn't run away from our sadness and our memories did we return. Slowly, ever so slowly, we recognized that our loss was not exclusive. We had sought solace and found none, for our motives were self-centered. It took months for my mind to begin to accept the fact that all the joys of children and good health and security are blessings the Almighty loans to each of us. These infinite mercies which we finite persons presume to take for granted should each be cherished for their true meaning and great and irreplaceable value.

"How could I earn the right to keep my other blessings? How could I show my appreciation and thanks to Heaven for allowing me my husband's love, for living in this great nation of ours, for my friends and my five unimpaired senses, for all the good things that surrounded me? Now my efforts to find myself began to move in the right direction.

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"Although bereft of my dearest possession, the Almighty had given me, in recompense, an empathy with people and a clearer understanding of the problems besetting each of us. Proportionately* my own understanding in relation to adjusting to my loss grew apace, as my service in helping others increased.
"I sought to find the niche in social work that would ultimately give me the opportunity to leave my small heritage for humanity in lieu of my beloved daughter and found the answer in City of Hope.
"Now, as surely as time passes, my peace of mind, call it a Magnificent Obsession if you will, gains in stature. It is my earnest wish that all who suffer loss of a loved one can find comfort and serenity in service to others."

Today the City of Hope, national medical and research center, renders entirely free patient care. Its services are dispensed on the highest humanitarian level in the belief that "Man is his brother's keeper." This wonderful mother found peace of mind in a truly Magnificent Obsession.

The entire nation in fact the entire world can be affected by the Magnificent Obsession of just one man who wants to share a part of what he has. Orison Swett Marden was a man who shared a part of what he had and developed a Magnificent Obsession that changed the attitude of people from negative to positive.

The seeds of thought in a book grew into a magnificent obsession* At the age of seven Orison Swett Marden became an orphan. He was "bound out" for his room and board. At an early age he read Self-Help, by the Scottish author Samuel Smiles who, like Marden, had become an orphan as a young boy and had found the secrets of true success. The seeds of thought in Self-Help created a burning desire in Marden which grew into his magnificent obsession and made his world a better world in which to live.

During the boom that preceded the panic of 1893, Marden owned and operated four hotels. Since their operation was entrusted to others, he was devoting much of his time to writing a book. Actually, he was fulfilling a desire to write a book that would motivate American youth as Self-Help had motivated him. He was working diligently on his inspirational manuscript when an ironical twist of fate struck him and tested his mettle.

Marden entitled his work Pushing to the Front, And he took as his motto: "Let Every Occasion Be a Great Occasion for You Cannot Tell When Fate May Be Taking Your Measure for a Larger Place!"

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And at that very instant Fate was taking his measure for a larger place. The misfortune that struck him would have ruined many a man. What happened?

The panic of 1893 struck. Two of the Marden hotels burned to the ground. His manuscript, nearly completed, was destroyed. His tangible wealth went down the drain, wiped out.

But Marden had a Positive Mental Attitude. He looked about him to see what had happened to the nation and himself. His first conclusion was that the panic was brought on by fear: fear of the value of the American dollar; fear caused by the failure of a few large corporations; fear of stock values; and fear of industrial unrest.

Those fears caused the stock market to crash. Five hundred and sixty-seven banks and loan and trust companies, as well as a hundred and fifty-six railway companies, failed. Strikes were prevalent. Unemployment affected millions of persons. Because of drouth and heat, farmers experienced crop failures.

Marden looked about him at the shambles in material things and human lives. He saw the great need for someone or something to inspire the nation and its people. Offers came to him to manage other hotels. He turned them down. A desire had caught hold of him, a Magnificent Obsession. And he combined it with PMA. He set to work on a new book. His new motto, a self-motivator: Every occasion is a great occasion!

"If ever there was a time when America needed the help of a positive mental attitude, it is now," he told friends.

He worked over a livery stable and lived on one dollar and a half each week. He worked almost unceasingly, day and night He completed the first edition of Pushing to the Front in 1893.

The book received immediate acceptance. It was used extensively in the public schools as a textbook and as a supplementary reader. Business houses circulated it among their employees. Distinguished educators, statesmen and members of the clergy, merchants, and sales managers commended it as a most powerful motivator to a positive mental attitude. And, in time, it was printed in twenty-five different languages. Millions of copies were sold.

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Marden, like the authors of Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, believed that character is the cornerstone in building and maintaining success. He believed the highest and best achievements are noble manhood and womanhood, and that the achievement of true integrity and well-rounded character is in itself success. He taught the secrets of financial and business success. But he also entered a perpetual protest against dollar chasing and over-reaching greed. He taught there is something infinitely better than making a living: It is making a noble life.

Marden showed how some men may make millions and still be utter failures. Those who sacrifice their families, reputation, health everything for dollars are failures in life, regardless of how much money they may accumulate. He also taught that one may succeed without becoming a president or a millionaire.

Perhaps one of the greatest achievements of Marden's Magnificent Obsession was the awakening of men and women to the realization that they could experience success if they would only employ the virtues they would like their children to have.

Perhaps fully as rewarding to Marden, Pushing to the Front was instrumental in changing the attitude of an entire nation from negative to positive. And that influence was felt throughout the world.

Marden demonstrated that a burning desire can generate the drive to action that is imperative for great achievement.

As you have seen, it took courage and sacrifice for Orison Swett Marden to bring his Magnificent Obsession into reality.

A Magnificent Obsession does take courage. You may need to stand alone in combating and repelling the ridicule and ignorance of the experts. Like great discoverers, creators, inventors, philosophers, and geniuses, you may be termed "crazy/' "nuts," or a "crackpot." The experts may say what you are trying to do can't be done. With time your burning desire and constant effort will bring your Magnificent Obsession into reality. When they say, "It can't be done," find a way to do it!

A magnificent obsession will conquer in spite of the obstacles that stand in its way! Many years ago, a student at the University of Chicago and his friends went to hear a lecture by Sir Arthui Conan Doyle on spiritualism. They went for a lark. They meant to scoff. One of these students, J. B. Rhine, was impressed by the seriousness of the speaker. He began to listen. Certain ideas impressed him. He couldn't dismiss them from his mind. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle referred to men of great repute who were searching into the realm of psychic phenomena. J. B. Rhine decided to investigate and to engage in some research.

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In referring to the incident a short time ago, Dr. Rhine, Director of The Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University in North Carolina, said: "There were things said there that I should have known as a college student During and after the lecture I began to recognize some of them. My education had omitted many of the things that were important, such as ways of seeking the unknown. I began to see some of the faults of the educational system of the day."

He became interested in the freedom of all to secure new knowledge. He began to resent a system whereby seeking the truth in any form, or on any issue, became a taboo. He began to develop a burning desire to learn the truth scientifically regarding man's psychic powers. His burning desire turned into a Magnificent Obsession.

Rhine had planned to devote his life to college teaching. He was warned that he would lose his reputation and that his earning power as a teacher would be impaired. His friends and college professors ridiculed him and endeavored to discourage him. Some began to shun him. "I must find out for myself," he told a scientist friend.

The friend responded: 'When you do find out, keep it to yourself! No one is going to believe!"

He did keep his discoveries to himself until he was able to develop confirmed scientific proof. Today he is honored and respected throughout the world.

Over the past thirty years his battles have been figuratively knuckle fighting every inch of the ground in combating taboos, ignorance, antagonism, and ridicule.

One of the greatest obstacles with which Dr. Rhine has been constantly plagued over the years has been the lack of the necessary money for expanding his research. At one time, for example, his only EEG machine was assembled from the remains of one found in a junk pile. It had been discarded by a hospital.

Have you ever thought that you can develop a Magnificent Obsession by becoming a part of a great cause and by sharing a part of what you have? If you have, you already realize that there are many college and university professors today whose Magnificent Obsessions are to seek the truth in various fields so that all mankind may be benefited by their discoveries. Because such persons spend all their time in searching for these truths, they are almost always handicapped by the lack of money to buy necessary equipment, provide for their own livelihood and the livings of others engaged in working on the project, etc.

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You can become a part of such a cause and thus fulfill a magnificent obsession of your own. You can find such a dedicated person in almost any college or university.

Money and a Magnificent Obsession! You might ask: How can we mention money in the same breath with a Magnificent Obsession? If you did we would respond: "Isn't money good?"

Is money good? Is money good? Many negative-minded persons say, "Money is the root of all evil." But the Bible says: Love of money is the root of all evil. And there is a big difference between the two even though one little word makes the difference.

It has been amazing to the authors to observe negative-minded persons react unfavorably to Think and Grow Rich and its contents. For these negative-minded persons might earn in a single year more than they now earn in a lifetime by changing their attitude from negative to positive. To do this it would be necessary to clear the cobwebs of their thinking regarding money.

In our society money is the medium of exchange. Money is power. Like all power, money can be used for good or for evil. Think and Grow Rich has motivated many thousands of its readers to acquire great wealth through PMA. They have been inspired in Think and Grow Rich by the biographies of such men as: Henry Ford, William Wrigley, Henry L. Doherty, John D. Rockefeller, Thomas Alva Edison, Edward A. Filene, Julius Rosenwald, Edward J. Bok, and Andrew Carnegie.

Now the men whose names you have just read established Foundations which even to this day have in the aggregate in excess of one billion dollars: money set aside exclusively for charitable, religious, and educational purposes. Today expenditures and grants from these Foundations total in excess of $200 million in a single year.

Is money good? We know it is.

The Magnificent Obsessions of these men will live in perpetuity.

And the story of the life of Andrew Carnegie will convince the reader that Carnegie shared with others a part of what he had: money, philosophy, and something more. In fact, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude would not have been written if it were not for Andrew Carnegie. That is why this book is dedicated to him, and to you.

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Let's talk about him and you. Let's learn from his philosophy. Let's see how we can apply it in our lives.

A simple philosophy grew into a magnificent obsession! A poor Scottish immigrant boy became the richest man in America. His inspiring story and motivating philosophy are found in the Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie.

As a boy and throughout his Me Carnegie was motivated by a simple fundamental philosophy: Anything in life worth having is worth working for! This simple philosophy grew into a Magnificent Obsession.

And before he died at the age of eighty-three, Carnegie had worked diligently for many years to share his great wealth intelligently with those then living and with future generations.

While he lived, Carnegie was successful in giving approximately a half billion dollars through direct grants, Foundations, and trusts. His contribution of millions of dollars for the establishment of libraries is a well-known example of the application of his standard:

Anything in life worth having is worth working for!

And the books in these libraries have been, and will continue to be, of benefit only to those persons who work to get the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom they contain by reading and studying them.

In the year 1908, Napoleon Hill, at the age of eighteen, while working his way through college as a reporter for a magazine, interviewed the great steelmaker, philosopher, and philanthropist. The first interview lasted three hours. And then the great man invited the youngster to his home.

For three days Carnegie indoctrinated Napoleon Hill with his philosophy. And he finally inspired the young reporter to devote at least twenty years of his Me to study, research, and find the simple, underlying principles of success. Andrew Carnegie told Napoleon Hill that his greatest wealth consisted not in money but in what he termed the philosophy of American achievement. He commissioned Napoleon Hill as his agent to share it with the world.

And in this book he is sharing it with you.

While he lived, Andrew Carnegie helped Napoleon Hill by giving him letters of introduction to the great men and women of his day. He advised him. He shared his thoughts with him. He helped him in every way, with but one exception money. For he said, "Anything in life worth having is worth working for."

Now he knew that this self-motivator, when applied, would attract happiness and physical, mental, and spiritual health as well as wealth. Everyone can learn and apply Andrew Carnegie's principles.

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It is customary for a man to share a part of his tangible wealth with his loved ones as he goes through Me, or he may do so in his will. This world would be a better world to live in if each person would leave, as an inheritance to posterity, the philosophy and know-how that brought him happiness, physical, mental and spiritual health and wealth as did Andrew Carnegie.

The writings of Napoleon Hill make available to you the principles whereby Carnegie acquired his great wealth. They are just as applicable to you as they were to him.

Another wealthy man who had a Magnificent Obsession and shared a part of what he had was Michael L. Benedum. His close friend, United States Senator Jennings Randolph, recently told us Benedum started on a salary of twenty-five dollars a week and became one of the richest men in America. He was worth over one hundred million dollars. And yet, the turning point in his career followed a very minor incident.

As a young man of twenty-five, Benedum courteously gave his seat on a train to an elderly stranger. To Benedum it was the obvious thing to do. And the elderly stranger turned out to be John Worthington, General Superintendent of the South Penn Oil Company. In the conversation that followed, Worthington offered Mike Benedum a job. Benedum accepted and eventually became "the discoverer of more oil than any other single individual who ever lived."

Some people say you can fudge a man by the philosophy by which he lives. Mike Benedum's philosophy about money went something like this: "I'm just a trustee for it and will be held accountable for the good I can accomplish with it, both in the community as a whole and in behalf of opportunities for people coming up even as I was given an opportunity, back when."

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Like so many others with a Magnificent Obsession, Benedum lived to a ripe old age. On his eighty-fifth birthday, he said: "I have been asked how I keep going at my age. My formula is to keep busy so that the years go by unnoticed. To despise nothing except selfishness, meanness, and corruption. To fear nothing except cowardice, disloyalty, and indifference. To covet nothing that is my neighbor's except his kindness of heart and his gentleness of spirit To think many, many times of my friends and, if possible, seldom

of my enemies. As I see it, age is not a question of years. It is a state of mind. You are as young as your faith, and today I think I have more faith in my fellow man, in my country, and in my God than I have ever had."

You live longer with a magnificent obsession. Of course, it's the old story: the man who has something to live for lives longer. Men like Herbert Hoover and General Robert E. Wood are doing much for American youth by sharing their time and money with the Boys Clubs of America, and they are long-lived because of their Magnificent Obsessions. They devote their thinking and time to projects that benefit others. And because their lives have been the good lives of men with Magnificent Obsessions, they experience the pleasure and therapeutic value of the esteem and love of their fellowmen.

Of course, you may not have the material wealth of an Andrew Carnegie or a Michael L. Benedum but that does not deprive you of building your own Magnificent Obsession. At least, it didn't Irving Rudolph.

They're all in jail but my brother and me! Irving has devoted his Me to helping boys in blighted neighborhoods. This work is in gratitude for having been saved by a new Boys Club in the rough neighborhood in which he was raised.

How did Irving Rudolph get started in Boys Club work?

He lived in a poor neighborhood-North Avenue and Halsted Street in Chicago. He traveled with a tough crowd. There was plenty of trouble. Plenty of things for boys to get into that they shouldn't. And not much to occupy their time to keep them out of trouble. One day a Boys Club was started in an abandoned church in the neighborhood.

"My brother and I were the only two fellows in our gang who visited the Club," Irving explains. "They're all in jail but my brother and me. If it hadn't been for the Lincoln Unit Boys Club, we'd be there, too."

Irving is grateful for what the Boys Club did for him and his brother. And he is devoting his life to helping boys in blighted neighborhoods. Through his enthusiasm and zeal, large donations have been received to support the Chicago Boys Clubs. Through him, men and women of influence have been attracted to this cause.

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"I feel that my work is only a token payment of my gratitude to a Higher Power for bringing me and my brother under this influence," Irving explains. Then he adds, "Just visit a Boys Club. See for yourself the good work that is being done. You will then feel a part of what I feel for the kids who have the need I had."

Now there are thousands of men and women who are fulfilling their Magnificent Obsessions in sacrificing time and money to help the Boy Scouts of America. Your life has benefited from their Magnificent Obsessions if ...

IF ...
If you do your best to try never to violate your honor by lying or cheating and always try to fulfill the responsibility with which you are entrusted ...

If you keep clean in thought and body if you exemplify clean habits, clean speech, clean sport if you associate with a clean crowd . . .

If you stand up for the rights of others against the undesirable influence and coaxing of friends and threats of enemies if defeat inspires you to try to succeed if you have the courage to face danger in spite of fear ...

If you work faithfully and make the best of your opportunities-if you don't wantonly destroy property if you save money so that you can pay your own way in this world and yet be generous to those in need and give financial help and time to worthy causes if you do a good turn each day without expecting compensation . . .

If you are a friend to all and a brother to every living man, woman, and child regardless of race, color, or creed . . .

If you are prepared to learn to know dangers, to avoid negligence and to know the remedies necessary to help injured persons and save human lives, to share the duties and responsibilities in your home and place of business ...

If you are polite to all, especially to the weak, helpless, and unfortunate ...

If you will not kill or hurt any living creature needlessly, but strive to protect all living animals ...

If you smile when you can, do your work promptly and cheerfully—and if you never shirk or grumble at responsibilities or hardships ...

If you are loyal to all to whom loyalty is due, to the members of your family, the firm for which you work and your country . . .

If you respect duly constituted authorities and obey that which does not violate your moral code...

If you do your best to do your duty to God and your country, to help other people at all times, to keep yourself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight...

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Then you live and act in response to the imprint in your subconscious mind of the Oath and Law of the Boy Scouts of America. What kind of a person would you be if you lived up to these standards?

America is great because its people live by a great philosophy. It can be symbolized in the phrase The Great American Heart.

Henry J. Kaiser is another with a Magnificent Obsession. He has done so much to make his world a better world to live in. A quotation that hung on the wall of a blacksmith shop in England inspired him as it may also inspire you. It is:

"What! Giving again?" I ask in dismay,

"And must I keep giving and giving away?"

"Oh no/' said the angel looking me through,

"Just keep giving till the Master stops giving to you!"

In reading up to this point you started Where the Road to Achievement Began. You were awakened by Five Mental Bombshells for Attacking Success. And you have been given the Key to The Citadel of Wealth. Now: Get Ready to Succeed! That is the purpose of the following chapters.

11
Pilot No. 15
THOUGHTS TO STEER BY
YOUR MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION
 

1. To develop a Magnificent Obsession: Share yourself with others without expecting a reward, payment or commendation. Keep your good turns a secret.

2. Regardless of who you are, or what you have been, you can create inside yourself a burning desire to be helpful to others. You can develop your own Magnificent Obsession.

3. The more you share, the more you will have. Therefore, share that which is good and desirable, and withhold that which is bad and undesirable.

4. You can develop your own Magnificent Obsession by becoming a part of a good cause, as did the mother who lost her only child.

5. Character is the cornerstone in building and maintaining success.

6. There is something infinitely better than making a living: It is making a noble life.

7. A burning desire can generate the drive to action that is imperative to great achievement

8. It takes courage and sacrifice to develop and maintain a Magnificent Obsession. You may need to stand alone against the ridicule and ignorance of others, as did Dr. Joseph Banks Rhine.

9. Some people say: Money is the root of all evil. But the Bible says: Love of money is the root of all evil.

10. Men like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Michael Benedum used the power of their money to establish charitable, educational, and religious Foundations. The good that has been done by the Magnificent Obsessions of such men will live in perpetuity!

11. Anything in life worth having is worth working for.

12. "What! Giving again?" I ask in dismay. "And must I keep giving and giving away?" "Oh no," said the angel looking me through,
"Just keep giving till the Master stops giving to you!"

 

THAT WHICH YOU SHARE WILL MULTIPLY
AND
THAT WHICH YOU WITHHOLD WILL DIMINISH!