The actual capital value of your brains may bedetermined by the amount of income you canproduce （by marketing your services）. A fair estimateof the capital value of your services may be made bymultiplying your annual income by sixteen and twothirds，as it is reasonable to estimate that your annualincome represents six percent of your capital value.
Money rents for 6% per annum. Money is worth nomore than brains. It is often worth much less.
Competent “brains，” if effectively marketed，represent a much more desirable form of capitalthan that which is required to conduct a businessdealing in commodities， because “brains” are a formof capital which cannot be permanently depreciatedthrough depressions， nor can this form of capitalbe stolen or spent. Moreover， the money which isessential for the conduct of business is as worthlessas a sand dune， until it has been mixed with efficient“brains.”
THE THIRTY MAJOR CAUSES OF
FAILURE HOW MANY OF THESE ARE
HOLDING YOU BACK？
Life’s greatest tragedy consists of men and womenwho earnestly try， and fail！ The tragedy lies in theoverwhelmingly large majority of people who fail，as compared to the few who succeed.
I have had the privilege of analyzing severalthousand men and women， 98% of whom wereclassed as “failures.” There is something radicallywrong with a civilization， and a system of education，which permit 98% of the people to go through life asfailures. But I did not write this book for the purposeof moralizing on the rights and wrongs of the world；that would require a book a hundred times the size ofthis one.
My analysis work proved that there are thirty majorreasons for failure， and thirteen major principlesthrough which people accumulate fortunes. In thischapter， a deion of the thirty major causes offailure will be given. As you go over the list， checkyourself by it， point by point， for the purpose ofdiscovering how many of these causes-of-failurestand between you and success.
1. UNFAVORABLE HEREDITARY BACKGROUND.
There is but little， if anything， which can be donefor people who are born with a deficiency in brainpower. This philosophy offers but one method ofbridging this weakness—through the aid of theMaster Mind. Observe with profit， however， that thisis the ONLY one of the thirty causes of failure whichmay not be easily corrected by any individual.
2. LACK OF A WELL-DEFINED PURPOSE IN LIFE.
There is no hope of success for the person who doesnot have a central purpose， or definite goal at which toaim. Ninety-eight out of every hundred of those whomI have analyzed， had no such aim. Perhaps this was the.
3. LACK OF AMBITION TO AIM ABOVE MEDIOCRITY.
We offer no hope for the person who is so indifferentas not to want to get ahead in life， and who is notwilling to pay the price.
4. INSUFFICIENT EDUCATION. This is a handicapwhich may be overcome with comparative ease.
Experience has proven that the best-educated peopleare often those who are known as “self-made，” orself-educated. It takes more than a college degree tomake one a person of education. Any person who iseducated is one who has learned to get whatever hewants in life without violating the rights of others.
Education consists， not so much of knowledge， butof knowledge effectively and persistently APPLIED.
Men are paid， not merely for what they know， butmore particularly for WHAT THEY DO WITH THATWHICH THEY KNOW.
5. LACK OF SELF-DISCIPLINE. Discipline comes
through self-control. This means that one mustcontrol all negative qualities. Before you can controlconditions， you must first control yourself. Selfmasteryis the hardest job you will ever tackle. If youdo not conquer self， you will be conquered by self.
You may see at one and the same time both yourbest friend and your greatest enemy， by stepping infront of a mirror.
6. ILL HEALTH. No person may enjoy outstandingsuccess without good health. Many of the causes ofill health are subject to mastery and control. These，in the main are：
a. Overeating of foods not conducive to healthb. Wrong habits of thought； giving expression tonegatives.
c. Wrong use of， and over indulgence in sex.
d. Lack of proper physical exercise
e. An inadequate supply of fresh air， due to improperbreathing.
7. UNFAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
DURING CHILDHOOD. “As the twig is bent， so shall thetree grow.” Most people who have criminal tendenciesacquire them as the result of bad environment， andimproper associates during childhood.
8. PROCRASTINATION. This is one of the most
common causes of failure. “Old Man Procrastination”
stands within the shadow of every human being，waiting his opportunity to spoil one’s chances ofsuccess. Most of us go through life as failures，because we are waiting for the “time to be right”
to start doing something worthwhile. Do not wait.
The time will never be “just right.” Start where youstand， and work with whatever tools you may haveat your command， and better tools will be found asyou go along.
9. LACK OF PERSISTENCE. Most of us are good
“starters” but poor “finishers” of everything webegin. Moreover， people are prone to give up atthe first signs of defeat. There is no substitute forPERSISTENCE. The person who makes PERSISTENCEhis watch-word， discovers that “Old Man Failure”
finally becomes tired， and makes his departure.
Failure cannot cope with PERSISTENCE.
10. NEGATIVE PERSONALITY. There is no hope ofsuccess for the person who repels people througha negative personality. Success comes through theapplication of POWER， and power is attained throughthe cooperative efforts of other people. A negativepersonality will not induce cooperation.
11. LACK OF CONTROLLED SEXUAL URGE. Sex
energy is the most powerful of all the stimuli whichmove people into ACTION. Because it is the mostpowerful of the emotions， it must be controlled，through transmutation， and converted into otherchannels.
12. UNCONTROLLED DESIRE FOR “SOMETHING