Try to fix firmly in your mind what you would like to do； and then， without veering off direction， you will move straight to the goal. Keep your mind on the great and splendid things you would like to do， and then， as the days go gliding away， you will find yourself unconsciously seizing upon the opportunities that are required for the fulfillment of your desire， just as the corm insect takes from the running tide the element it needs. Picture in your mind the able， earnest， useful person you desire to be， and the thought you hold is hourly transforming you into that particular individual...Thought is supreme. Preserve a right mental attitude-the attitude of courage， frankness， and good cheer. To think rightly is to create. All things come through desire and every sincere prayer is answered. We become like that on which our hearts are fixed. Carry your chin in and the crown of your head high. We are gods in the chrysalis.
The ancient Chinese were a wise lot—wise in the ways of the world； and they had a proverb that you and I ought to cut out and paste inside our hats. It goes like this： “A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.”
Some years ago， a department store in New York City， in recognition of the pressures its sales clerks were under during the Christmas rush， presented the readers of its advertisements with the following homely philosophy：
THE VALUE OF A **ILE AT CHRISTMAS
It costs nothing， but creates much.
It enriches those who receive， without impoverishing those who give.
It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich they can get along without it， and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.
It creates happiness in the home， fosters good will in a business， and is the countersign of friends.
It is rest to the weary， daylight to the discouraged， sunshine to the sad， and Nature’s best antidote fee trouble.