Welcome to the Inspirational Living Podcast.

Today's reading was edited and adapted from stepping stones to success by Horace D. Hitchcock, published in 1916.

The things that hold you down, the things that keep success from your grasp,

the things that bring you poverty and bad luck instead of wealth, the things that keep success from your grasp, the things that bring you poverty and bad luck instead

of wealth, the things that turn happiness and health away from you. What are they? They are the

enemies of success, for like everything else, success has its negative elements ever working their

way to produce failure.

If success were attained without effort, if it were a natural condition,

there would be no failures, and there would be nothing to strive for, nothing to gain.

All would be inertia. Life is a fight, a worthwhile battle, but mainly with the elements in one's own self.

An understanding of self, with all its moods, possibilities, and powers, is the first step towards self-achievement.

But more than this is the self-driving power which must

be generated and put to use if maximum results are desired. Success comes first to those

who believe, to those who believe in self and in pluck rather than luck. Thousands fail because they are afraid.

They are afraid to grasp opportunity.

They are afraid to take a higher step.

They are afraid to believe and have faith in those who would help them to success or a greater success.

They sneer at the ideas of others.

They sneer at those in prosperity and power,

attributing their condition to luck or who they know.

They lack faith in their powers,

but most of all they do not know,

...