24. Be soft as a flower when it comes to kindness but tough as thunder when it comes to
principle. Be courteous and polite at all times but never be pushed around. Ensure that
you are always treated with respect.
25. Never discuss your health, wealth and other personal matters with anyone outside of your
immediate family. Be very disciplined in this regard.
26. Be truthful, patient, persevering, modest and generous.
27. Soak in a warm bath at the end of a long, productive day. Reward yourself for even the
smallest of achievement. Take time out for renewal of your mind, body and spirit. Soon
all your more important goals will be met and you will move to the next level of peak
performance.
28. Learn the power of breathing and its relationship with your energy source. The mind is
intimately connected with your breathing. For example, when the mind is agitated, your
breathing becomes quick and shallow. When you are relaxed and focused, your breathing
is deep and calm. By practising deep, abdominal breathing, you will develop a calm,
serene demeanour that will remain cool in the hottest of circumstances. Remember the
rule of the Eastern mountain men: "to breathe properly is to live properly."
29. Recognize and cultivate the power of autosuggestion. It works and is an essential tool in
maintaining peak performance. We are all performers in one way or another and it is
particularly valuable to use such techniques of athletes and public figures for our own
enhancement. If you want to become more enthusiastic, repeat "I am more enthusiastic
today and am improving this trait daily". Repeat it over and over. Purchase a legal
notepad and write out this mantra 500 times. Do it for three weeks with regular practice
and feel that this quality is developing. Very soon it will come. This is a strategy that
Indian sages have employed for thousands of years to aid their spiritual and mental
development. Do not be discouraged if the results are not immediate, they will certainly
develop. The spoken word is a powerful influencer of the mind.
