ENTHUSIASM 455Here the printed word fails me, for I can never express with mere
type and paper the difference between words that fall from unemotional
lips, without the fire of Enthusiasm behind them, and those that seem
to pour forth from a heart that is bursting with eagerness for expres-
sion. The difference is there, however.
Thus, what you say, and the way in which you say it, conveys a
meaning that may be just the opposite of what is intended. This accounts
for many a failure by the salesperson who presents their arguments in
words that seem logical enough, but lack the coloring that can come
only from Enthusiasm that is born of sincerity and belief in the goods
they are trying to sell. Their words said one thing, but their tone of
voice suggested something entirely different. Therefore, no sale was made.
What you say is of course an important factor in the operation of
the principle of suggestion, but not nearly so important as what you do.
Your acts will count jor more than your words, and woe unto you if the two
fail to harmonize.
If you preach the Golden Rule as a sound rule of conduct, your
words will fall upon deaf ears if you do not practice what you preach.
The most effective sermon a person can preach on the soundness of
the Golden Rule is the one that is preached by suggestion, when that
person applies this rule in their relationships with others.
If a salesman of Ford automobiles drives up to his prospective pur-
chaser in a Buick, all the arguments he can present in behalf of the Ford
will be without effect.
Your thoughts constitute the most important of the three ways in
which you apply the principle of suggestion, because they control the
tone of your words and, to some extent at least, your actions. If your
thoughts and your actions and your words harmonize, you are bound
to influence others.
We will now analyze the subject of suggestion, and I will show you
exactly how to apply the principle upon which it operates. As we have
already seen, suggestion differs from autosuggestion in only one way-