“When I first tried to break into the movies，” she told me， “Iwas worried and scared. I had just come from India， and I didn’tknow anyone in London， where I was trying to get a job. I saw a few producers， but none of them hired me; and the little moneyI had began to give out. For two weeks I lived on nothing butcrackers and water. I was not only worried now. I was hungry. Isaid to myself： ‘Maybe you’re a fool. Maybe you will never breakinto the movies. After all， you have no experience， you’ve neveracted at all—what have you to offer but a rather pretty face?’
“I went to the mirror. And when I looked in that mirror， I sawwhat worry was doing to my looks！ I saw the lines it was forming.
I saw the anxious expression. So I said to myself： ‘You’ve got tostop this at once！ You can’t afford to worry. The only thing youhave to offer at all is your looks， and worry will ruin them！’ ”
Few things can age and sour a woman and destroy her looksas quickly as worry. Worry curdles the expression. It makes usclench our jaws and lines our faces with wrinkles. It forms apermanent scowl. It may turn the hair grey， and in some cases，even make it fall out. It can ruin the complexion—it can bring onall kinds of skin rashes， eruptions， and pimples.
Heart disease， is the number-one killer in America today.
During the Second World War， almost a third of a million menwere killed in combat; but during that same period， heart diseasekilled two million civilians—and one million of those casualtieswere caused by the kind of heart disease that is brought on byworry and high-tension living. Yes， heart disease is one of thechief reasons why Dr. Alexis Carrel said： “Business men who donot know how to fight worry die young.” The Negroes down southand the Chinese rarely have the kind of heart disease brought onby worry， because they take things calmly. Twenty times as manydoctors as farm workers die from heart failure. The doctors leadtense lives—and pay the penalty.
“The Lord may forgive us our sins，” said William James， “butthe nervous system never does.” Here is a startling and almost incredible fact： more Americans commit suicide each year thandie from the five most common communicable diseases.
Why? The answer is largely： “Worry.”
When the cruel war lords wanted to torture their prisoners，they would tie their prisoners hand and foot and put them undera bag of water that constantly dripped… dripped… dripped… dayand night. These drops of water constantly falling on the headfinally became like the sound of hammer blows—and drove meninsane. This same method of torture was used during the SpanishInquisition and in German concentration camps under Hitler.
Worry is like the constant drip， drip， drip of water; and theconstant drip， drip， drip of worry often drives men to insanityand suicide.
When I was a country lad in Missouri， I was half scared todeath by listening to Billy Sunday describe the hell-fires of thenext world. But he never ever mentioned the hell-fires of physicalagony that worriers may have here and now. For example， ifyou are a chronic worrier， you may be stricken some day withone of the most excruciating pains ever endured by man： anginapectoris. Boy， if that ever hits you， you will scream with agony.
Your screams will make the sounds in Dante’s Inferno sound likeBabes in Toyland. You will say to yourself then： “Oh， God， oh，God， if I can ever get over this， I will never worry about anythingever.” If you think I am exaggerating， ask your family physician.
Do you love life? Do you want to live long and enjoy goodhealth? Here is how you can do it. I am quoting Dr. Alexis Carrelagain. He said： “Those who keep the peace of their inner selvesin the midst of the tumult of the modern city are immune fromnervous diseases.”
Can you keep the peace of your inner self in the midst of thetumult of a modem city? If you are a normal person， the answer is “yes”。 “Emphatically yes.” Most of us are stronger than we realise.
We have inner resources that we have probably never tapped.
As Thoreau said in his immortal book， Walden： “I know of nomore encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of manto elevate his life by a conscious endeavour… If one advancesconfidently in the direction of his dreams， and endeavours to livethe life he has imagined， he will meet with a success unexpectedin common hours.”
Surely， many of the readers of this book have as much willpower and as many inner resources as Olga K. Jarvey has. Heraddress is Box 892， Coeur d’Alene， Idaho. She discovered thatunder the most tragic circumstances she could banish worry. Ifirmly believe that you and I can also—if we apply the old， oldtruths discussed in this volume. Here is Olga K. Jarvey’s story asshe wrote it for me： “Eight and a half years ago， I was condemnedto die—a slow， agonising death—of cancer. The best medicalbrains of the country， the Mayo brothers， confirmed the sentence.
I was at a dead-end street， the ultimate gaped at me！ I was young.
I did not want to die！ In my desperation， I phoned to my doctorat Kellogg and cried out to him the despair in my heart. Ratherimpatiently he upbraided me： ‘What’s the matter， Olga， haven’tyou any fight in you? Sure， you will die if you keep on crying. Yes，the worst has overtaken you. O.K.—face the facts！ Quit worrying！
And then do something about it！’ Right then and there I took anoath， an oath so solemn that the nails sank deep into my flesh andcold chills ran down my spine： ‘I am not going to worry！ I am notgoing to cry！ And if there is anything to mind over matter， I amgoing to win！ I am going to LIVE！’
“The usual amount of X-ray in such advanced cases， wherethey cannot apply radium， is 10? minutes a day for 30 days.
They gave me X-ray for 14? minutes a day for 49 days; and although my bones stuck out of my emaciated body like rocks ona barren hillside， and although my feet were like lead， I did notworry！Not once did I cry！ I smiled！ Yes， I actually forced myself tosmile.
“I am not so foolish as to imagine that merely smiling cancure cancer. But I do believe that a cheerful mental attitudehelps the body fight disease. At any rate， I experienced one of themiracle cures of cancer. I have never been healthier than in thelast few years， thanks to those challenging， fighting words of Dr.
McCaffery： ‘Face the facts： Quite worrying; then do somethingabout it！’”
I am going to close this chapter by repeating its title： thewords of Dr. Alexis Carrel： “Business men who do not know howto fight worry die young.”
Was Dr. Carrel speaking of you?
Could be.