Taking Action at Home

Do not merely think that you are going to become great; think that you are great now. Do not think that you will begin to act in a great way at some future time; begin now. Do not think that you will act in a great way when you reach a different environment; act in a great way where you are now. Do not think that you will begin to act in a great way when you begin to deal with great things; begin to deal in a great way with small things. Do not think that you will begin to be great when you get among more intelligent people, or among people who understand you better; begin now to deal in a great way with the people around you.

Do not just think you are going to become great. Think you are great now. Do not think you will start acting with greatness sometime in the future. Start now. Do not think you will act with greatness when your surroundings change. Act with greatness where you are now. Do not think you will start acting with greatness when you begin handling important things. Start by handling small things with greatness. Do not think you will start being great when you are among more intelligent people or people who understand you better. Start now by treating the people around you with greatness.

If you are not in an environment where there is scope for your best powers and talents you can move in due time; but meanwhile you can be great where you are. Lincoln was as great when he was a backwoods lawyer as when he was President; as a backwoods lawyer he did common things in a great way, and that made him President. Had he waited until he reached Washington to begin to be great, he would have remained unknown. You are not made great by the location in which you happen to be, nor by the things with which you may surround yourself. You are not made great by what you receive from others, and you can never manifest greatness so long as you depend on others. You will manifest greatness only when you begin to stand alone. Dismiss all thought of reliance on externals, whether things, books, or people. As Emerson said, “Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare.” Shakespeare will be made by the thinking of Shakespearean thoughts.

If your surroundings offer no room for your best abilities and talents, you can move when the time is right. But meanwhile, you can be great where you are. Lincoln was as great as a backwoods lawyer as he was as President. As a backwoods lawyer, he did ordinary things in a great way, and that made him President. If he had waited until he reached Washington to begin being great, he would have remained unknown. Your location does not make you great, nor do the things you surround yourself with. What you receive from others does not make you great. You can never show greatness as long as you depend on others. You will show greatness only when you begin to stand on your own. Give up all thoughts of relying on outside sources, whether things, books, or people. As Emerson said, “Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare.” Shakespeare will be made by thinking Shakespearean thoughts.

Never mind how the people around you, including those of your own household, may treat you. That has nothing at all to do with your being great; that is, it cannot hinder you from being great. People may neglect you and be unthankful and unkind in their attitude toward you; does that prevent you from being great in your manner and attitude toward them? “Your Father,” said Jesus, ‘is kind to the unthankful and the evil.” Would God be great if he should go away and sulk because people were unthankful and did not appreciate him? Treat the unthankful and the evil in a great and perfectly kind way, just as God does.

Don’t worry about how the people around you treat you, including those in your own household. Their treatment has nothing at all to do with your greatness. It cannot stop you from being great. People may neglect you and treat you with ingratitude and unkindness. Does their behavior prevent you from being great in how you act and treat them? “Your Father,” Jesus said, “is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” Would God be great if he went away and sulked because people were ungrateful and did not appreciate him? Treat the ungrateful and the evil with greatness and complete kindness, just as God does.

Do not talk about your greatness; you are really, in essential nature, no greater than those around you. You may have entered upon a way of living and thinking which they have not yet found, but they are perfect on their own plane of thought and action. You are entitled to no special honor or consideration for your greatness. You are a god, but you are among gods. You will fall into the boastful attitude if you see other people’s shortcomings and failures and compare them with your own virtues and successes; and if you fall into the boastful attitude of mind, you will cease to be great, and become small. Think of yourself as a perfect being among perfect beings, and meet every person as an equal, not as either a superior or an inferior. Give yourself no airs; great people never do. Ask no honors and seek for no recognition; honors and recognition will come fast enough if you are entitled to them.

Do not talk about your greatness. In your essential nature, you are no greater than the people around you. You may have found a way of living and thinking that they have not yet discovered. But they are perfect at their own level of thought and action. Your greatness does not entitle you to special honor or treatment. You are a god, but you are among gods. You will become boastful if you compare other people’s faults and failures with your own virtues and successes. And if you become boastful, you will stop being great and become small. Think of yourself as a perfect being among perfect beings. Treat everyone as an equal, not as someone above or below you. Do not act self-important. Great people never do. Do not ask for honors or seek recognition. Honors and recognition will come soon enough if you deserve them.

Begin at home. It is a great person who can always be poised, assured, calm, and perfectly kind and considerate at home. If your manner and attitude in your own family are always the best you can think, you will soon become the one on whom all the others will rely. You will be a tower of strength and a support in time of trouble. You will be loved and appreciated. At the same time do not make the mistake of throwing yourself away in the service of others. The great person respects himself; he serves and helps, but he is never slavishly servile. You cannot help your family by being a slave to them, or by doing for them those things which by right they should do for themselves. You do a person an injury when you wait on him too much. The selfish and exacting are a great deal better off if their exactions are denied. The ideal world is not one where there are a lot of people being waited on by other people; it is a world where everybody waits on himself. Meet all demands, selfish and otherwise, with perfect kindness and consideration; but do not allow yourself to be made a slave to the whims, caprices, exactions, or slavish desires of any member of your family. To do so is not great, and it works an injury to the other party.

Begin at home. A great person can always stay composed, confident, calm, and perfectly kind and considerate at home. If you always treat your family in the best way you can imagine, everyone will soon rely on you. You will be a tower of strength and a source of support in times of trouble. You will be loved and appreciated. At the same time, do not make the mistake of sacrificing yourself to serve others. A great person respects themselves. They serve and help, but never act like a slave. You cannot help your family by being their slave or doing things they should rightly do for themselves. You harm people when you do too much for them. Selfish, demanding people are much better off when their demands are refused. The ideal world is not one where many people are waited on by others. It is a world where everyone takes care of themselves. Respond to all demands, selfish or otherwise, with perfect kindness and consideration. But do not let any family member make you a slave to their whims, sudden impulses, demands, or desires to be served. Acting as their slave is not great, and it harms the other person.

Do not become uneasy over the failures or mistakes of any member of your family, and feel that you must interfere. Do not be disturbed if others seem to be going wrong, and feel that you must step in and set them right. Remember that every person is perfect on his own plane; you cannot improve on the work of God. Do not meddle with the personal habits and practices of others, though they are your nearest and dearest; these things are none of your business. Nothing can be wrong but your own personal attitude; make that right and you will know that all else is right. You are a truly great soul when you can live with those who do things which you do not do, and yet refrain from either criticism or interference. Do the things which are right for you to do, and believe that every member of your family is doing the things which are right for him. Nothing is wrong with anybody or anything; behold, it is all very good. Do not be enslaved by any one else, but be just as careful that you do not enslave any one else to your own notions of what is right.

Do not become anxious about a family member’s failures or mistakes and feel you must interfere. Do not be upset if others seem to be going wrong and feel you must step in to correct them. Remember that every person is perfect at their own level. You cannot improve on God’s work. Do not interfere with other people’s personal habits and practices, even if they are your nearest and dearest. Those habits and practices are none of your business. Nothing can be wrong except your own attitude. Put your attitude right, and you will know that everything else is right. You are a truly great soul when you can live with people whose actions differ from yours without criticizing or interfering. Do what is right for you, and believe that every member of your family is doing what is right for them. Nothing is wrong with anyone or anything. Look, it is all very good. Do not let anyone else enslave you. But be just as careful not to enslave anyone else to your own ideas of what is right.

Think, and think deeply and continuously; be perfect in your kindness and consideration; let your attitude be that of a god among gods, and not that of a god among inferior beings. This is the way to be great in your own home.

Think deeply and continuously. Be perfectly kind and considerate. Have the attitude of a god among gods, not a god among inferior beings. This is how to be great in your own home.