" An eminent French psychologist once said: "The authority of
the attention is subject to the superior authority of the Ego. I yield it,
or I withhold it, as I please. I direct it in turn to several points. I
concentrate it upon each point, as long as my will can stand the effort."
In an earlier lesson of this series, I have indicated in a general way the
methods whereby one may develop and train his powers of concentration.
There is no royal road to concentration; it may be developed only by
practice and exercise. The secret consists in managing the attention, so
as to fix it upon a subject, no matter how uninteresting; and to hold it
there for a reasonable length of time. Practice upon some disagreeable
study or other task is good exercise, for it serves to train the will in
spite of the influence of more attractive objects or subjects. And this
all serves to train the will, remember; for the will is actively concerned
in every act of voluntary attention. In fact, attention of this kind is
one of the most important and characteristic acts of the will.
So, as you see, in order to be successful in influencing the minds of
others by means of mental induction, you must first cultivate a strong
feeling of interest in the idea which you wish to induce in the other
person, or a strong desire to produce the thing.
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