Why He Was Not Promoted
By Orison Swett Marden
He was always behindhand. He had no iron in his blood. He was willing, but unfitted. He didn’t believe in himself. He asked too many questions. He was stung by a bad book. His stock excuse was, “I forgot.” He wasn’t ready for the next step. He did not put his heart in his work. He learned nothing from his blunders. He felt that he was above his position. He chose his friends among his inferiors. He was content to be a second-rate man. He ruined his ability by half doing things. He never dared to act on his own judgment. He did not think it worth while to learn how. He tried to make “bluff” take the place of ability. He thought he must take amusement every evening. Familiarity with slipshod methods paralyzed his ideal. He was ashamed of his parents because they were old-fashioned. He did not learn that the best part of his salary was not in his pay-envelope. — Orison Swett Marden, in Success.