It is weak and unreasonable to imagine destiny has selected you for special suffering. Sorrow is no respecter of persons. Say to yourself with the beginning of this year that you are going to consider all your troubles as an education for your mind and soul; and that out of the experiences which you have passed through you are going to build a noble and splendid character, and a successful career. Do not tell me you are too old. Age is all imagination. Ignore years and they will ignore you. Eat moderately, and bathe freely in water as cold as nature's rainfall. Exercise thoroughly and regularly. Be alive, from crown to toe. Breathe deeply, filling every cell of the lungs for at least five minutes, morning and night, and when you draw in long, full breaths, believe you are inhaling health, wisdom and success. Anticipate good health. If it does not come at once, consider it a mere temporary delay, and continue to expect it. Regard any physical ailment as a passing inconvenience, no more. Never for an instant believe you are permanently ill or disabled. The young men of France are studying alchemy, hoping to learn the secret of the transmutation of gold. If you will study your own spirit and its limitless powers, you will gain a greater secret than any alchemist ever held; a secret which shall give you whatever you desire. Think of your body as the silver jewel box, your mind as the silk lining, your spirit as the gem. Keep the box burnished and clear of dust, but remember always that the jewel within is the precious part of it. Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole, clear, glorious year lies before you! In a year you can regain health, fortune, restfulness, happiness! Push on! Achieve, achieve! The Sowing of the Seed When you start in the "New Thought" do not expect sudden illumination. Do not imagine that you are to become perfectly well, perfectly cheerful, successful, and a healer, in a few days. Remember all growth is slow. Mushrooms spring up in a night, but oaks grow with deliberation and endure for centuries. Mental and spiritual power must be gained by degrees. If you attained maturity before you entered this field of "New Thought" it is folly to suppose a complete transformation of your whole being will take place in a week--a month--or a year. All you can reasonably look for is a gradual improvement, just as you might do if you were attempting to take up music or a science. The New Thought is a science, the Science of Right Thinking. But the brain cells which have been shaped by the old thoughts of despondency and fear, cannot all at once be reformed. It will be a case of "Try, try again." Make your daily assertions, "I am love, health, wisdom, cheerfulness, power for good, prosperity, success, usefulness, opulence."