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 ono,io%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"
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, e,ce)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 e,cited 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
e,a&)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 e,ternal sti&%li see&s to shar)en the inner
'ac%lties" 7r <ose)h <astrow, in =>ee)in! &entally 'it= says that three thin!s !o into
the &akin! o' a stron! will, vi!o%r, steadiness, direction"
2ere ener!y isn4t eno%!h, 'or there is )lenty o' that in violent children and an!ry
ad%lts*
!teadiness outweighs force. +teadiness leads to )ersistence, which a!ain is &ore
than insistence %)on yo%r own way" This latter is wil'%lness, not stren!th o' will"
A steady )%r)ose kee)s on des)ite di''ic%lties" (t is not ostinacy, tho%!h the ostinate
show a certain &eas%re o' )ersistence"
?ersistence i&)lies that a worthy decision is held to, not &echanically, %t reasonaly"
A )erson too insistent in o)inion eco&es do!&atic"
+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 will
and 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"