llows: "I have never known a business man to
successfully speculate in grains or stocks for two years."
The business man who is watching the ticker or calling up the Stock
Exchange every day, who takes little flyers, is skating on mighty thin
ice.
When you buy farms you are exchanging your money for the most certain
thing in the world, for the basis of all wealth is land, and money
simply represents the things which come out of the land. The things
that grow on the land are exchanged for gold, and the gold is exchanged
for things that come out of the land. The Government exchanges the gold
for pieces of paper called money, which in reality means that you can
exchange these pieces of paper for gold, and you can exchange the gold
for the things that come out of and grow upon the land.
The stock broker may not like this chapter because the more speculation
the more he benefits. He gets a rake-off every time a man buys and
every time a man sells. He plays a sure thing. He is like the man with
the Wienerwurst privilege.
Don't Speculate. Invest.
Elimination
One of the greatest brain savers is elimination. Every man should try
to operate along lines of the least resistance, eliminate the deterrent
influences and all things that fret him.
Do not look for trouble. Do not concern yourself too much over
disagreeable things over which you have no control.
Do not build up an intricate system in your business. Have simplicity
your ideal. Eliminate all useless moves. If you have disturbing
influences in your institution, such as an employe who is continually
causing friction, eliminate that employe. The man who causes friction
is pulling back on the forward impulses of your business, and he is
holding back one or more men who are trying to help you forward.
Get rid of useless things that take your time or cause you worry.
Remember that as you grow successful people will come to you under
various excuses to get your aid financially or morally. They want you
to go into new companies. The officers of the Club to which you belong
will ask you to be a director. You will be invited to dinners, asked to
speak, asked to do a thousand and one things, and in proportion as you
accede to these demands you will find the demands increasing until
finally you have little time to attend to your own affairs or to attend
to your family.
Have as your center idea--elimination. Everything that takes your time
from your busi
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