Show o0 DJTjJ 1EL' l't5u-at-t SUNDAY -- Vfot 44 psychologist of his great tragin lives the of miledy is lions of Americans rarely mentioned It keeps people in ruts it prevents their getting ahead in life as they deserve to It keeps them on a plane of mediocre living instead of on the high plateaus of real achievement and ecstasy This millstone around the neck is a juvenile silly fear It's the fear of being one's best" AFAMOUS i-:- ' ': 1 tty t's' 17 tl'''1:::: ' i 1f Ii $ - 1 : !: - ' "t4 1i :e--- 1 t 1- c-- ' t':I' qr1 ‘Z ::POtt- ! ' : :: i tt 1 r t't P0' 5 $ - it- rt At e 4rxtfl S 4 tfri Onion AM 1 0N) ''"''-0- ' ' A ' 1 y z c 1 k' IMMOMMMilbain A $ ?4 r America has develfdped a cult of horny-handdemocrac y We've played down the niceties and cultural Rough grammar aspects of life rough etiquette and rough dressing seem to give a man a place among men!' Ah! But here's the tragedy It gives a man—or woman—a Place among others of the same type thf group who are afraid to be their best Life isn't all material success Happiness health and integrity come first But there's nothing criminal in our having those things—plus more mate- 1 I ed 1 - t - 4 kit6 'I : 7 - ) 44 y tx-o4t 4 e z rig rial success! ” Aze t7 ' L S SCORES of Investigations by psy- chologists show that those who get ahead in business industry and the professions are not afraid to be their best And they are forever trying to make that best better! Let me give a concrete example He's a man I have known for 20 year We went ' through college together and I've known him intimately since John has a brilliant mind: he's a hard worker he's a lawyer and knows Jaw It was his ambition to be a trial lawyer—and still is—although the flame' in his soul is slowly dying for John is 43 now John couldn't make the debating team in college because he made such obvious mistakes in English grammar And ' he wouldn't learn to correcr' them He thought then and still does that only effeminate men bothered to say "it is I" Instead of using the incorrect "it is me" He still says "between you and I" when folks who care know that after a preposition you must use the objective case A double negative is the least of his worries He uses the phrase "can't hardly" a dozen times a day Yes But 'John who Little things? has a heart of gold who Is a good citizen and able man is doing routine monotonous cleiical work He has a natural Bair for public speaking He does a good deaf in church civic and social organizations But—and here is the point—John didn't bother to be his best in his strongest field His firm doesn't dare let him represent them in court John's smile is a little forced now He's gone over the middle line and isn't where he thought he'd be He's seen other men with less ability go on up the ladder to more ncome : better houses bigger cars and wider has influence A fearof being his l licked him The remedy? It's the same for all of us Get hold of some good books Look up the lists of on grammar common mistakes We Way feel when we break the habits of years but it's moronic thinking to be afraid of being our best N- - I"::--i:-- 't)!::: tr ktA:t4 0-- - 1 1r 1: J 04ot tiii' Z e !' 6 t' 1' 9 L'''''''4 4 2!t 21-va : Ai3 44- !"i 41-44- '1:eliIN Ftit't A — I 'r2:M 61- AI- - 4 I ) 1E1 !VVir-)i- f 4 ' :I P 1'! ' A t:Nt 'si tzi": By HAYDN S PEARSON 1) CQD 1 ISIL OCTOBER 12 1941 F)J (Th VraATCYA77 Li I '' 1 1- 1-1 '" 0tt: 'fr7': 4 A !1 r7$ I 1 I sell-consci- ous A SECOND place where millions of us hang a marked-dow- n price tag around our necks is in the field of " ' etiquette You don't have to crook your little finger when drinking tea Nor do you have to bow from the waist when 1 1 '1 rj I I et 1 iir 0 t -x ' ts: Mars huts false sophistication- -and is proud of it She thinks it'Clialsart to slump down" in a chair She holds a cigaret at a tough angle Am - manners? Do you think people will consider you affected stilted? Are you afraid ofwhat people will say or think? If so let this be said at once You don't deserve to get ahead! If you are so Juvenile mentally that you're afraid to live' up to the highest standard you know you deserve to stay in a narrow rut Are you afraid you'll be labeled a Sir Galahad if you rise when a lady enters the room? Does it give you an uneasy feeling to seat a lady at the table or hold a car door? If it does it's about time that yoUare overcom- ing such a silly fear - Are you afraid to be your best? Is the silly fear that friends may think you affected ruining your chances for success? Get rid of that bugaboo today! you're Introduced to a fair lady But good manners are part of the equipment which helps men and women realize the most from life You can excuse perhaps mistakes if caused by Ignorance particularly when a person's heart Is kindly Although the personnel director of a great organization said to the writer recently: "1 used to excuse mistakes of ignorance I don't any longer With all the literature and courses available today if one cares one need not ' be ignorant!" Our point in this article however is—are you afraid to show your best I : - Good manners do not Imply Finger-crookiconduct at tea and frilled are passe waist-bendi- people hang a weight around their necks because they don t dare be their best selves In speech and manners There's a third area where " insurance corporation Mary is a wonderfully capable girl She had spirit friendliness and a willingness to work She has had two love affairs I The men were fine chaps I hoped she'd marry but had a hunch 't Mary's weakness and a terribly tragic one it is is aegard gard egard e an ng t- - IT takes a lot of determination to sur- we are very young in our menta: processes And that Is in the field of giving our best to our jobs" Whether we work for ourselves or for someone else the mature attitude should be to give our best But millions of Americani are plodding along in obscure routine jobs because of a foolish juvenile fear They are afraid of what others will say if they work a little longer than the scheduled day! They are afraid of their peers' opinions if they study up about the business! They are afraid of comments if they deliberately set out to make themselves more valuable to the company! They are afraid I Amin to acquire increased knowledge and skill! They have the stuff in them But the silliest of all fears holds them down Such people deserve to walk in the shadows of this false ogre s 7- S t - - ----- 0- --- S render entertainment and recreation to study but it pays off in pay raises and better jobs The individual who is consistently trying to do a better job will not be overlooked You are cheating yourself as well a& your employer if you are not giving your best And you are definitely robbing yourself of the opportunity to succeed Back in the giddy days before depression it was a favorite school sport to laugh at the "grinds"—those students who sacrificed amusements and dates for study There was a false belief current that a Phi Beta Kappa key would never open the door to success It was smart to just get by—nothing more And those who just got by with passing grades are doing that now grumbling because opportunity passed them Not all the grinds have achieved material success You may know some of them But their failure can be traced to other factors At least they have the satisfaction of knowing that they have given their best efforts The classroom dunce can blame only himself hard-worki- CERTAIN young woman in her early 30s is covering a cracking heart and withering soul these days Mary as : we will call her went through my school graduated from a business college and immediately went to work in the office of a great mid-Victori- ng off-col- NrES A ' q of courtesies and good manners which for some perverted reason she believes indicates sophistication and alleged smartness or stoFor example she tells ries In a restaurant she talks a little too loudly Her evening dresses are just enough on the extreme side to call attention to her She thinks it's smart to slump down in a chair She holds her cigaret at a tough angle Little things? Sure! But tragic! She knows better! She has a fear of being a good little girl—of being her best She made a remark once about a charming girl that labeled herself "Jane's never shocked anyone in her life She's good enough to eat" But Jane has a grand family She started in the same office with Mary but climbed Up to a private secretary's position quickly Mary is afraid to be her best self And life's deepest satisfactions and best rewards are passing her by ng THERE'S a fourth category of folks who cheat themselves Those who neglect their clothes The era of sloppiness has ended But there are still people who are afraid of being called -- John has a brilliant mind is a lawyer But put him in front of a Jury1 and he wouldn't have a chance John thought English grammar was a joke bard-workI- "dudes"it they dress up f9r their job I have little patience with these individuals Grooming and dress are personal attributes that cannot be neglected The employe who is sloppy in dress is almost invariably sloppy In his work A secretary with a dirty neck isn't going to take pains to turn out a perfect letter The boss may not notice unshined shoes or a run in your stocking today But he will notice you if you always look exceptionally neat and well It costs so little to look groomed best your ' Now is the time to take stock of :your own shortcomings and to cortect them The business world is full of I ng "opportunities for alert young men and women who will be the leaders of the country tomorrow You can't afford to miss the chance The best machinist the best secretary the best office boy are being moved up rapidly Stay out of a rut or be left behind Each year when a certain high ' school principal addresses his gradu ating class he takes as his text: "Don't be afraid to be your best!" For unless we try to be and act our best well never know how much life may have for us Life's saddest words for millions are "It might have been different if I'd always lived up to my best" a |