in life. The
best we can do in one chapter is to hang out the red flag over the
dangerous places; to chart the rocks and shoals, whereon multitudes of
vessels, which left the port of youth with flying colors, favoring
breezes and every promise of a successful voyage, have been wrecked and
lost.

The lack of self-confidence and lack of faith in one's ideas in one's
mission in life have caused innumerable failures.

People who don't get on and who don't know why, do not realize the
power of trifles to mar a career, what little things are killing their
business or injuring their profession; do not realize how little things
injure their credit; such as the lack of promptness in paying bills, or
meeting a note at the bank.

Many men fail because they thought they had the field and were in no
danger from competition, so that the heads of the firm took it easy, or
because some enterprising up-to-date, progressive young man came to
town, and, before they realized it, took their trade away from them,
because they got into a rut, and didn't keep up-to-date stock and an
attractive store.

They don't realize what splendid salesmen, an attractive place of
business, up-to-date methods, and courteous treatment of customers mean.

Men often fail because they do not realize that creeping paralysis,
caused by dry rot, is gradually strangling their business. Many
business men fail because they dare not look their business conditions
in the face when things go wrong, and do not adopt heroic methods, but
continue to use palliatives, until the conditions are beyond cure, even
with a surgeon's knife.

Lots of men fail because they don't know how to get rid of deadwood in
their establishment, or retain non-productive employees, who with
slip-shod methods, and indifference drive away more business than the
proprietors can bring in by advertising.

Many other men fail because they tried bluff in place of capital, and
proper training, or because they didn't keep up with the times.

Lots of young people fail to get ahead and plod along in mediocrity
because they never found their place. They are round pegs in square
holes. Others are not capable of coping with antagonism. Favoritism
of proprietors and managers has killed many a business. A multitude of
men fail to get on because they take themselves too seriously. They
deliver their goods in a hearse, employ surly, unaccommodating clerks.
Bad business manners have killed many a b