Taming Tribulation Podcast

By George Matthew Adams (1913)

If you only realized how much you min in Pleasure, Growth and increased Power every time you push Responsibility upon someone else, you would never again let a chance pass to do what comes to you to do.

Once for all, break the “Let George Do It” habit.

When a task steps up before you — take hold of it and do it Yourself. In every community — in this community — there are always big, ready, generous, willing people quick to respond to any call for Service at the moment someone else shirks. They are the “Georges.” And if you will let them perform your work, they will do it. But when they do — you move Backward. YOU — be a “George.”

Work that should be done by Yourself is never done so well when shifted to someone else. You are either a Do or a Let Do. It is a personal matter of Success or Failure as to which you are.

The “Let George Do It” folks are easily spotted. They line the sidewalks of every busy street. They do the “easy” jobs in the Stores and Factories. They are the fellows that board at Jails and Alms Houses and keep the Lawyers busy. They are the men and women that are “too busy” to do what is asked and required of them to do.

Don’t “Let George Do It.” Do it YOURSELF.

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By George Matthew Adams (1913)

One of the most difficult things in this world to get control of is the human Tongue. Kipling never said anything truer than when he wrote that “Man may hold most any post if he’ll only hold his Tongue.”

Before you set your Tongue to action get it under perfect Control.

A single Tongue can do more harm in the world than a Battalion of Soldiers. For Soldiers can kill but Bodies while the Tongue can kill Reputations and Characters. It is too bad that we have no laws to curb Tongues.

Shakespeare powerfully pictured in the character of Iago the terrible consequences following in the path of an evil Tongue. Iago not only destroyed the Reputation and pure Character of Desdemona, but he finally, through Othello, killed her body.

Compel your Tongue to speak Helpful Messages or else keep it still. Make it a rule of your life to use your Tongue for high purposes alone. Resolve to speak in no way of any man or woman unless you can speak of the good qualities of that man or woman. No one ever gained Happiness out of injuring the Feelings or Character of someone else. No one ever failed to get Happiness by speaking well of other people.

The Golden Rule applied to the Tongue comprises one of the real Golden Rules of Conduct.

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By George Matthew Adams (1913)

In life you are either on the Side Lines or else in the Game. If you are on the Side Lines you are merely watching. You are inactive. You are contributing to your personal pleasure. If you are in the Game you are playing hard, you are getting pleasure and you are rendering Service.

You will always get more pleasure out of the Game if you are a Player instead of a Bystander. All along the streets of any town or city are lined the Bystanders. Inside the Stores and Offices and Factories are housed the Workers. The Workers are the ones who support the Bystanders.

Let no man do for you what you ought to do for Yourself. To be the mere title-holder of a Job counts for little. You must be the Job in every sense of the word or else you may be classed with the Bystanders. The worst thing about the Bystander is that he Contributes neither to himself nor other people — he is a Blank.

The surest law in the world is the Law of Compensation. Its Justice works continually. If you do a Service you get back a Service. If you do Nothing you get back Nothing. Mere existence is not Living. Into your twenty-four hours put Work and Play and Rest, but at no time be a Bystander.

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By George Matthew Adams (1913)

Back of all the tragedy of Failure there is always the tragic truth of Neglect and Slight — edges left ragged and incomplete.

Finish up as you Go.

A few years ago a young man in a Western College got restless and discouraged. He wanted to leave his course unfinished. He sought the advice of a successful man and this was the advice: “Stick it out. Finish Something. There are too many men now with Ragged Edges crowding the ranks.” The young man Finished his College course with honors. To-day he is a Leader and a Success.

Finish up as you Go.

Many a man stops work with the clock. He leaves his day’s work with Ragged Edges. He is the man who starts his days with Ragged Edges, and finally rounds out an incomplete life.

Finish up as you Go.

There is a satisfaction and a feeling of latent Strength in the breast of a man who Starts a thing — and Finishes it. You will find this true if you do it. The most important task is always the task at hand. Complete it. Make it stand square and clean when you leave it. Look it over. Be sure no Ragged Edges remain.

Finish up as you Go.

Make Thoroughness one of your Masters. Searchingly note the trifles. Get them together and know them. For out of them comes — Perfection.

Finish up as you Go.

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By George Matthew Adams (1913)

This is a talk to Women. Both Unmarried and Married. The theme insures Happiness and Inspiration. It has to do with Advancement. Here it is —

Keep Step.

Keep Step with The Man. For he has mostly secured his Steps to something better from you. Behind the Greatness and Work of every man there has always been the name of some noble woman who was greater than the Deed or Work performed by The Man. The world will always bow its head in reverence at the naming of the Mothers and Wives of the Makers of History.

Keep Step.

The young fellow whose name you hope to link to yours — he is taking his “cue” these days from you. You, who already have him with you — how about it? Is he getting his Steps from you? And are you Keeping Step? If not, start now to —

Keep Step.

A man is as great as the Woman who loves him — makes and wants him to be. A great Man can never be greater than a great woman who helps make him great. Your Power is his. But if you give no Power, his clipped wings make him walk sadly alone. His fight then may become one against the Inevitable.

Keep Step.

As he Learns — you Learn. As he Climbs — you Climb. As he Fights — you Fight. As he Wins — you Win. As long as this world lasts, you, who sometimes think yourself “just a woman’’ will lead and rule. It’s your Kingdom, after all. But in the Home, in Business, and before the eyes of people in Public, this must be your love and your life — with The Man —

Keep Step.

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By George Matthew Adams (1913)

Lying is the most despicable of all Crimes. The Liar is the King of Criminals. The last dean spot in a man’s raiment turns Crimson when he takes up the Business of Lying.

Truth is the Highest Thing a man can keep.

The Heart of an honest man melts away almost unto Death in the presence of the Liar. The very mercy of a kind God blushes with bowed head in Sadness at the sight and sound of the man who plies his Lies. Scorned by Society, the very Soul of the Liar revolts at the carrying about of Bones and Flesh so vile.

Truth is the Highest Thing a man can keep.

Recently a young man, large of Mind and Future, left his employment with a lie upon his lips. Coming into the seething whirl of the Great New York he sought his former friends. Immediately he began to hand out a stock of Lies. More abominably than any abandoned thief he slyly exchanged his Lies for Favors and for Gold. Then nervously yet quietly sneaking away under cover of his Lies, his Soul naked of Honor and Character, he sought refuge under his own-made Tent of Lies. There Self-convicted he now awaits Judgment.

Truth is the Highest Thing a man can keep.

Mark Twain spoke more than humor when he said: “When in doubt, speak the Truth.” Even the Devil hates a Liar — one of his own children. And Nature itself doses its eyes in shame as the Liar passes by. Truth is the Highest Thing a man can keep. You — Young Man, Young Woman, Business Builder, Doer of Things — whoever you are, and in whatever groove you work your way — Listen! Starve — die, rather than Lie. Flee from the presence of a Lie as from the Plague. Grasp the dean, strong hand of Truth and follow in its path through the livelong hours of every single passing day.

Remembering that — Truth is the Highest Thing a man can keep.

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By George Matthew Adams (1913)

To the fellow who never accomplished anything To-morrow is what happened yesterday, but which he seeks to make happen to-day.

The thing put off until To-morrow is rarely done To-day.

The great Task FINISHED is always the task done To-day, while yet there is Time, while yet there is inclination, while yet there is life and health — while yet there is Chance.

The thing put off until To-morrow is rarely done To-day.

Some of the biggest things ever accomplished were done in a day. Napoleon was banished to a living Hell — on a lonely rock with armed watchers hedged about him — for the simple reason that Blucher decided to do his part with Wellington without any courting with To-morrow. To-morrow for Grouchy meant Defeat for Napoleon for Blucher, “made good” To-day.

The thing put off until To-morrow is rarely done To-day.

It may be easier to do things To-morrow than To-day, but if you take the Chance, the one best bet is that they won’t get done. Money earned To-day represents Dividends for you To-morrow. Work entered into and done To-day renders back Ease and Satisfaction Tomorrow. Records made To-day, inspire and lead great armies of fighters To-morrow.

But — The thing put off until To-morrow is rarely done To-day.

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By George Matthew Adams (1913)

Are you one of those people who like to putter away valuable time figuring out just how you stand as to Ancestors? The fact is, your Ancestors were what YOU are.

Some of the best and worst that have gone before you is now somewhere in you. The wisest thing you can do is to discover the most useful qualities of your Ancestry inside yourself, and begin to weave — from where it left off — greater and bigger things. Ancestry stock goes up every time you do your work better To-day than Yesterday.

A story is told of Ney, one of Napoleon’s famous Marshals. At a banquet during the Russian campaign, a brilliant woman had been telling Ney of her wonderful Ancestry, when suddenly she questioned: “By the way, Marshal Ney, who were YOUR Ancestors?” “Madam,” answered Ney, “I, myself, am an Ancestor!”

After all, the task of being an Ancestor is mighty serious business. It is enough to put us all on our mettle and make us work to force the Red Blood into our Arteries. In just the proportion that men and women render Service in this world do they forget their own selfish interests and begin to plan out and deal in “the Futures” of their Race.

The man who will but get this truth imbedded into his system cannot fail to be a better Clerk, Lawyer, Business Man, Father — or Citizen. And no woman can take this idea to heart without putting Luster to the important duties of her life.

Ancestors? Why, we are ALL Ancestors!

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By George Matthew Adams (1913)

The people who get the most done — and still seem to have the most time on their hands for other things — are the ones who go at their work from a carefully mapped out plan. For in the end, it’s the one who conserves and uses to its full, the 24 hours of Time at his command, that Leads and Rules.

The Successful are they that See and Do — the Unsuccessful are they that See — and do not Do. Having Things To Do — and doing them according to Plan has produced sufficient Romance in the Business of the World, which if written out, would remain undying in its inspiration to succeeding generations.

A single illustration here. Hugh Chalmers, but a few years ago Office Boy, then Salesman, then Sales Manager, then Vice-President and General Manager, of the National Cash Register Company — now President of a Concern he himself organized and doing business into the millions! Each night Mr. Chalmers’ Secretary writes out on a little slip the ten most important Things To Do for the next Day.

Time used in Thinking out things the night before or at the beginning of each day and putting them into logical order for Action is Time invested in advance. Victor Hugo says: “He who every morning plans the transactions of the day and follows out the plan, carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life.

The orderly arrangement of his time is like a ray of light which darts itself through all his operations.”

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By George Matthew Adams (1913)

Your Capacity is the stored up Power that you have available for your Everyday Doing as well as for the various Emergencies of your Life. Also, Capacity is the Valuation chalked up as your Real Assets which you and you alone know as your own.

Capacity is Possibility.

The very knowledge that you possess Capacity is in itself an inspiration most extraordinary. It enables you to tread your way bravely and under cover of Smiles with Sunshine streaming into every comer of your Heart. For you to know that you have Capacity to go through a piece of work or to the accomplishment of a certain Purpose or Ideal is to you more than Wealth.

Capacity is Possibility.

Many a man has turned away from his employ many a worker whose Capacity he took no time to investigate, but which later had to be reckoned with in Competition. When the late Marshall Field discovered unusual Capacity in a worker, he recognized it and later joined it to his business in the shape of a Partner.

Capacity is Possibility.

Study yourself as you would a masterful piece of machinery, for you are the most wonderful Handiwork that has ever been put together. Each day should find you more familiar with your Abilities and Capacity than the day before. Your latent and undiscovered or unrealized Capacity may now be holding you into Mediocrity.

Ask yourself if this is true. Find out what your Capacity suggests and you can be about what you determine to be.

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