ideas for
his invention. He tried desperately to
crowd them out of his thoughts, to think
only of abstract good, to look for abstract
guidance; but he found himself helpless
against the inrush of ideas for his invention.
Finally, in despair, he turned away from
his efforts after "guidance" and went
back to working out his invention, using
with half a sense of guilt some of the
ideas that had come to him when he was
trying to "meditate." And lo, his invention
began to work out and ultimately became
a success, and the inventor prospered.
And then one day he woke up to the fact
that all the time the voice had been trying
to tell him exactly what he wanted most
to know, while he himself had been trying
desperately not to listen--or rather trying
desperately to hear something else that
he thought he ought to hear.
That is a great trouble with many of us. We try so hard to hear something we think we ought to hear, or something we simply want to hear, that we fail to hear the actual voice at all. Inspiration--your own creative urge--waits in your heart, and it will transform your life, your career, your happiness, your prosperity if you will only listen and let it. It will tell you what you want to know or how to learn what you want to know. Sometimes it will tell you to go and learn what other people have learned and said or written about your problem. Sometimes it will tell you to go to work and do the best you can, and trust for results. Sometimes it will give you a great flash of illumination, with the whole plan of your
82
