Now, faith or confident expectation is not made to order in most persons, and in such cases one must acquire it gradually.  Many of you who read these lines will have an understanding of the subject that will give you this faith.  But to those who lack it, we suggest that they practice on some trivial phases of the mental make-up, some petty trait of character, in which the victory will be easy and simple.  From this stage they should work up to more difficult tasks, until at last they gain that faith or confident expectation that comes from persevering practice.

The greater the degree of faith or confident expectation that one carries with him in this task of character building, the greater will be his success.  And this because of well established psychological laws.  Faith or confident expectation clears away the mental path and renders the work easier, while doubt or lack of faith retards the work, and acts as obstacles and stumbling blocks.  Strong Desire, and Faith, or confident expectation are the first two steps.  The third is Will-power.

By Will-power we do not mean that strenuous, clenching-of-fist-and-frowning-brow thing that many think of when they say “Will.”  Will is not manifested in this way.  The true Will is called into play by one realizing the “I” part of himself and speaking the word of command from that center of power and strength.  It is the voice of the “I.”  And it is needed in this work of character building.

So now you are ready for work, being possessed of (1) Strong Desire; (2) Faith or Confident Expectation; and (3) Will-power.  With such a triple-weapon nothing but Success is possible.

Then comes the actual work.  The first thing to do is to lay the track for a new Character Habit.  “Habit?” you may ask in surprise.  Yes, Habit!  For that word gives the secret of the whole thing.  Our characters are made up of inherited or acquired habits.  Think over this a little and you will see the truth of it.  You do certain things without a thought, because you have gotten into the habit of doing them.  You act in certain ways because you have established the habit.  You are in the habit of being truthful, honest, virtuous, because you have established the habit of being so.  Do you doubt this?  Then look around you—­or look within your own heart, and you will see that you have lost some of your old habits of action, and have acquired new ones.  The building up of Character is the building up of Habits.  And the changing of Character is the changing of Habits.  It will be well for you to settle this fact in your own mind, for it will give you the secret of many things connected with the subject.