“Go boldly; go serenely; go augustly: None can withstand thee then.”
GOING boldly simply means going with as?surance and carrying with one the atmosphere of calm confidence.
In these days of individual competition, it takes boldness and confidence to win. Unfortunately, freshness or brazenness is sometimes confused with boldness. A few will win with brass and cheek and nerve but the real success comes to those who are bold and sure, those who are calmly confident of winning.
Going serenely means to go without excitement and without unnecessary noise. Serenity is born of that calm assurance, which knows that it is right and then goes ahead.
To go augustly is to go with that supreme dig?nity, which commands the respect and attention of every man. Personal dignity carries a man far; the dignified man, the man with august pres?ence walks easily through the crowds that sur?round him and they fall back to give him room.
Dignity is sometimes imitated by self-assurance, conceit or egotism. Conceited or egotistical persons can never be dignified, because they are ludicrous.
The man who commands your respect in business, the lawyer who sways juries and the orator who is able to carry his audience with him; these men must be bold, serene and dignified. It is not the position which a man holds which gives him dignity for it has been truly said: “True dignity is never gained by place and never lost when honors aro withdrawn.” The position does not dignify the man who is competent to fill it.
The most dignified position in the Country has been further dignified by certain men who have occupied the Presidential chair, but “Dignity of position adds to dignity of character; give us a proud position and we are impelled to act up to it.” The boldness of honesty of purpose, the serenity of self-confidence and real and impressive dignity are all augmented and strengthened by the power of money.
The man with means or the man with an assured and ample income is easily distinguished on the street from the man who is spending more than he earns or the man with no money in the bank and little in his pocket.
Even a little money adds to a man’s confidence in himself and enables him to calmly approach and master difficult situations.
The man who earns more than he spends and continues to add to his bank account becomes bold, serene and dignified because he knows that he is constantly gaining in influence among his fellows and in the community. Every added dollar in?creases his strength of purpose and his assurance of success.
There is something about money beyond its mere usefulness in providing us the comforts, and perhaps the luxuries, of life. Its very possession adds something to a man’s caliber, increases the springiness of his step and causes the people to remark as he passes down the street–” There goes a man.”
The man who has some money put away does not need to cringe in the presence of any man or to “toady” to any man. He is making good for himself and this justifies the confidence of others. No matter what the salary is, the man who cannot save any part of it is likely to find it difficult to convince others of his superior judgment and ability, whether he is selling them goods or applying for a position.
As one of our local business men put it recently: “As Henry has made such a poor job of handling his own affairs, I am afraid he could not make money for me.”
To be successful, one must look successful, but a new suit of well-tailored clothes will not add more dignity to a man than a bank book in his hip pocket, which constantly reminds him that he is on the road to success and is just now ready to take the next step forward and upward.
The first requisite is a little money in the bank and whether we are selling merchandise, trying a case before a jury, walking into the bank to borrow money or applying for a job, we can
“Go boldly; go serenely; go augustly: None can withstand thee then.”