126 THE PRINCIPLES OF SELF-MASTERY
Stated another way, this course is intended as a mind stimulant that
will cause you to organize and direct to a definite end the forces of your
mind, thus harnessing the stupendous power which most people waste
in purposeless thought.
Singleness of purpose is essential for success, no matter what may be
one's idea of the definition of success. Yet singleness of purpose is also
a quality which may, and generally does, call for thought on many allied
subjects.
I traveled a long distance to watch Jack Dempsey train for an up-
coming fight. It was observed that he did not rely entirely on one
form of exercise but resorted to many forms. The punching bag helped
him develop one set of muscles and also trained his eye to be quick. The
dumbbells trained yet another set of muscles. Running developed the
muscles of his legs and hips. A well-balanced diet supplied the materials
needed for building muscle without fat. Proper sleep, relaxation, and rest
habits provided still other qualities that he needed in order to win.
You should be engaged in the business of training for success in
the battle of life. To win there are many factors that must have atten-
tion. A well-organized, alert, and energetic mind is produced by various
and sundry stimuli, all of which are plainly described in these lessons.
It should be remembered, however, that just as the physical body,
to be properly developed, calls for many forms of systematic exercise,
the mind also requires, for its development, a variety of exercise.
Horses are trained to certain gaits by trainers who jump them over
hurdles to help them develop the desired steps, through habit and rep-
etition. The human mind must be trained in a similar manner, by a
variety of thought-inspiring stimuli.
You will observe, before you have gone very far into this philosophy,
that reading these lessons will induce a flow of thoughts covering a wide
range of subjects. For this reason you should read this course with a
notebook and pencil at hand, and follow the practice of recording these
thoughts or ideas as they come to your mind.