6. man who drifts and lets himself slip along with the current because he thus is spared the pain of willing and of overcoming obstacles, never reaches a harbor. If we are to think of life as a sea upon which destiny has cast us, surely we must use reason as our compass, and then decide upon the port toward. which we shall steer. If we row aim lessly without a compass we shall merely circle about our starting point.
A man without a purpose is as useless as a ship without a rudder. He accomplishes nothing. His efficiency is zero. He may be very busy and active and possess all the external attributes of the hustler, but his activity is like that of a romping dog or of a two-year-old child, useless because aimless.
Find out what a man's purpose is in life and you have the measure of his soul. Has he followed Em erson's advice and "hitched his wagon to a star"? Then you need not worry about his brains or his will. He may be driving a poor team, but the chances are that he will reach his destination on time.. When pur pose has once taken possession of a man's soul, he does not hesitate to use the whip.
A man's efficiency depends absolutely upon the strength of his purpose. Systems, time-cards, stop watches, records, drills, calculated economy of time and effort—all these things are worthless fiddle-faddle not making for a single atom of efficiency unless a man's spirit is blazing with purpose. Morally the purpose may be bad or good, it makes no difference. The purpose must be there and it must own the man's soul. Then be will push on toward the de sired end with all his energy, choosing the straightest path intuitively. He will need no coaching in those methods and devices of artificial efficiency which have been invented for the listless and purposeless. His efficiency will be the product of his own soul and will be a law unto itself. • It does not follow that a man should give no heed to the various external details of efficiency. It goes without saying that he should order his life and busi ness so that his time and strength shall not be frittered away, his health injured, or his hours of play and recreation reduced; that in his business he should con centrate, and not spend ten hours a day at ,his desk when five hours of effort more wisely directed might do the day's work. The so-called short-cuts and la
bor-saving and time-saving devices of the efficiency experts are valuable and must not be ignored, but the secret of personal efficiency does not lie in them. It is in the man himself, in his purpose, in his ideals, in the heart of his desire. A man of weak. will and feeble desire is doomed to be inefficient. As a _Methodist would say, he must be "converted" before he can be saved and become a real man.
7. The dominant is all very fine about having a purpose," I hear one of my younger readers say, "but how am I to get the purpose?" That is a legitimate question, and I must admit that I may not be able to give a satisfactory answer in a page or two. It brings up that old and difficult prob lem, "What shall be my career? What business shall I prepare for? Am I now in the business for which I am best suited?" To be most efficient in business or in any calling a man should be in a position which gives him oppor tunity for the employment of any special ability he possesses. A dominant trait will usually be found in every man's character. Some men have a passion for order and system and are miserable in the midst of confusion. Alen of this kind often excel in mathe matics. In business they are usually at their best as systematizers or organizers, and if they have tact they make good office managers. Details do not es cape their attention.
Other men have vivid, active imaginations and axe forever planning and scheming. They care little about system and order, and do not like details or drudgery of any kind, but if they have common sense and are good judges of men, they associate them selves with men of opposite traits and are successful.
A man of cheerful, friendly disposition, whose mem ory is his strongest mental faculty, has the essential traits of a good salesman.
Advertising offers a rich field for the man in whom a trained imagination and sound common sense will . work in the same harness.
r A man whose strongest trait is dogged persistence or perseverance, even tho be has but ordinary intel lectual gifts, is likely to succeed in almost any busi iness. He should not waste time trying to decide what his career shall be, but should seize the first op portunity to get into business.