was that you undertook too much at the
beginning. You started off with a magnificent programme. You are
something of an expert in physical exercises--you would be ashamed
not to be, in these physical days--and so you would never attempt a
hurdle race or an uninterrupted hour's club-whirling without some
preparation. The analogy between the body and the mind ought to have
struck you. _This_ time, please do not form an elaborate programme. Do
not form any programme. Simply content yourself with a preliminary
canter, a ridiculously easy preliminary canter. For example (and I
give this merely as an example), you might say to yourself: "Within
one month from this date I will read twice Herbert Spencer's little
book on 'Education'--sixpence--and will make notes in pencil inside
the back cover of the things that particularly strike me." You remark
that that is nothing, that you can do it "on your head," and so on.
Well, do it. When it is done you will at any rate possess the
satisfaction of having resolved to do something and having done it.
Your mind will have gained tone and healthy pride. You will be even
justified in setting yourself some kind of a simple programme to
extend over three months. And you will have acquired some general
principles by the light of which to construct the programme. But best
of all, you will have avoided failure, that dangerous wound.

The second possible cause of previous failure was the disintegrating
effect on the will-power of the ironic, superior smile of friends.
Whenever a man "turns over a new leaf" he has this inane giggle to
face. The drunkard may be less ashamed of getting drunk than of
breaking to a crony the news that he has signed the pledge. Strange,
but true! And human nature must be counted with. Of course, on a few
stern spirits the effect of that smile is merely to harden the
resolution. But on the majority its influence is deleterious.
Therefore don't go and nail your flag to the mast. Don't raise any
flag. Say nothing. Work as unobtrusively as you can. When you have won
a battle or two you can begin to wave the banner, and then you will
find that that miserable, pitiful, ironic, superior smile will die
away ere it is born.

The third possible cause was that you did not rearrange your day.
Idler and time-waster though you have been, still you had done
_something_ during the twenty-four hours. You went to work with a kind
of dim idea that there were twenty-six hours in every