ECCLESIASTES

11.7-10

7. Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

8. However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is meaningless.

9. Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

10. So then, banish anxiety [violent passion] from yourheart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.

Solomon appears to conclude his advice by stressing once again the crucial importance of a Positive Mental Attitude, PMA, the theme of many inspirational books.

Rejoice, he says, be pleased to see the sun, and resolve to enjoy your life – strive to live, rather than merely exist. Be happy, a state of mind rather than a geographical location -- and you will make friends and influence the people you meet. If possible, cultivate these attitudes while you are young, so that they can become firm habits.

Banish anxiety from your heart, says Solomon -- take charge of your life and your emotions, and the thoughts and actions that follow, just as a change of attitude often follows a deliberate smile.

Psychologists are realizing that too many of us live our lives like actors following prepared scripts or robots mechanically driven by computerized programmes – but that, as human beings, we can make conscious decisions to interrupt those behaviour patterns, modify them and make changes for the better. It is not complicated, and one leading personal trainer simply tells clients who are demonstrating their depressed feelings by their slouching body language – “You don’t need to do that!”

Don’t let yourself be a victim of a bad upbringing, say the inspirational writers -- “I can and I will!” -- “Feel the fear and do it anyway!” -- and “Don’t let other people pull your strings!”

Let your heart give you joy, says Solomon. Win friends and influence people. Be a good-finder, an optimist, a possibility thinker – and feel the power of positive thinking.

When Solomon says: Follow the ways of your heart he is enunciating a key principle of success. If you have a vision, dream a dream, follow the desire of your heart, and respond to your calling, your vocation, magical things will happen, and your creative insight will ignite and courage will explode – the very advice, in fact, that was given to young people in a recent TV interview by the leader of a major international bank.

The second part of Solomon’s statement, to follow whatever you eyes see, may well mean to look out for opportunities, to spot real needs that you personally can fill – once again, a most fundamental principle of commercial success, and precisely the route taken by classic creators such as King Gillette and his revolutionary razor a century ago.

Bear in mind, however, says Solomon, that God will judge you by what you do in this transient life of vanity -- so whatever you do, do good, and he will reward you for it.

Finally, stay young and vibrant inside, and don’t let physical infirmities and troubles of the body dim your spirit – another popular theme of modern inspirational writers.

As he ends of this section, perhaps Solomon is stressing the psychological essence of leadership, the charismatic blend of courage, dynamism, determination, endurance and enthusiasm that transcends all other qualities and fuses into an inexplicable aura of excellence.