One of the limiting traits of the human mind is the tendency to cling tenaciously to old habits of thought, old ways of doing things, simply because they are familiar. This attitude of thought shies away from the disruption that new ideas, activities, and environment sometimes cause. Even when old habits bring negative results, the tendency is to think in terms of the old saying "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know."
But new, fresh ways and means do not need to be devilish in their outcome. If they emanate from God, divine Mind, the source of all real thought and action, they can lead us to a sense of harmony and satisfaction that we never dreamed was possible. Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, states forthrightly in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, "When outgrowing the old, you should not fear to put on the new."Science and Health, p. 452;
New concepts, new ways of doing things, demand an alert response and, often, hard work. This demand, when met, brings sure success and a rewarding sense of conscious worth. On the other hand, inert, apathetic contentment with what is easy and undemanding leads to frustration and unfulfilled hopes and ambitions. Not everyone has a desire for strenuous difficulties in out-of-the way places. But anyone who is trying to accomplish something worthwhile right where he is knows that he cannot reach his goal without a mighty effort to lay aside laziness, the tendency to drift indolently wherever mortal mind would take him.
