284 THE PRINCIPLES OF SELF-MASTERY
my life today, nevertheless I have decided to make this con-
fession for the good it may do.
I am going to make a dean breast of how I let slip through
my fingers all the money I have earned thus far in my lifetime,
which approximates one million dollars. This amount I made
through my work in the field of advertising, except a few thou-
sand dollars I earned up to twenty-five years of age by teaching
in country schools and by writing news letters to some country
weeklies and daily newspapers.
Maybe one lone million does not seem a lot of money in
these days of many millions and even billions; but it is a big sum
of money, just the same. If there are any who think to the con-
trary, let them count a million. I tried to figure out the other night
how long it would take to do so. I found I could count an average
of one hundred a minute. On this basis it would take me twenty
days of eight hours each, plus six hours and forty minutes on the
twenty-first day to do the stunt. I doubt very much if you or I
were given an assignment to count one million one-dollar bills,
on the promise that all of them would be ours at the end of that
time, that we could complete it. It would probably drive us mad
-and a lot of use the money would be to us then, wouldn't it?
Let me say at the outset of my story that I do not regret,
not for one minute, that I spent 90 percent of the money I
made. To wish any of this 90 percent back at this time would
make me feel that I would have denied much happiness to my
family and to many others.
My only regret is that I spent all of my money, and more
besides. If I had today the 10 percent I could have saved easily,
I would have one hundred thousand dollars safely invested,
and no debts. If I had this money I would feel really and truly
that I was rich; and I mean just this, for I have never had a
desire to accumulate money for money's sake.