The Doctrine of the Mean - A Classic of Eastern Thought

The Doctrine of the Mean is a text rich with symbolism and guidance to perfecting oneself. The mean is a state of equilibrium of the mind and the internal harmony of our being. 

Confucius said, “The virtue embodied in the doctrine of the Mean is of the highest order. But it has long been rare among people.”

Look within for all the answers you seek about your purpose. Listen intently to the yearning of your heart.

The path of the mean is not far to seek; each man has the law of it in himself; and it is to be pursued with earnest sincerity.

Only the Superior man can follow the mean; the Mean man is always violating it.

The superior man, while there is anything he has not studied, or while in what he has studied there is anything he cannot understand, will not intermit his labor.

While there is anything he has not inquired about, or anything in what he has inquired about which he does not know, he will not intermit his labor.

While there is anything he has not reflected on, or anything which he has reflected on which he does not apprehend, he will not intermit his labor.

While there is anything he has not discriminated or his discrimination is not clear, he will not intermit his labor.

If there be anything which he has not practiced, or his practice fails in earnestness, he will not intermit his labor.

If another man succeed by one effort, he will use a hundred efforts.

If another man succeed by 10 efforts, he will use a thousand.

Let a man proceed in this way, and, though dull, he will surely become intelligent; though weak, he will surely become strong.

---

The above abstract was culled from one of the Four Books of Confucian philosophy – strive to adopt such mode of thinking towards your life.

Willpower - Building Mental Toughness

I'm sure, at some point in our lives, we have all heard the faint voice of doubt at the back of our minds saying - It's done... I've failed... I'll try again next time... Maybe tomorrow... I can't do it... and so on... At the same time, there's an even fainter voice that says - Maybe one more time. Henry Ford depicts this scenario perfectly in his famous quote: "If you think you can... If you think you can't... Either way - you're right."

This blog post has been pending in my mind for quite some time now. Only recently did it occur to me that if I keep waiting for the perfect conditions - to write the perfect piece on willpower - it may never be written. Procrastination is indeed the thief of time - and in this case, the thief of blog posts. In the famous words of Pearl Buck, "I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work." And all of a sudden I decided to give my take on this very important nugget on success – Willpower.

Willpower is simply the difference between action and inaction. Have you ever thought of doing something then suddenly you realize your plan may be a little more farfetched than you initially thought. In this case, fear is the only thing stopping you from holding on with conviction to attain that which you're willing to strive for.

Some may call this the fear of failure - why try when you're going to fail anyway... Right?!? Wrong. Someone very wise said, don't' try. Just do it. Start by stating to yourself, with true conviction, your plans and then following through by making a plan and applying the steps - one at a time. The mistake so many people make is attempting to convince others of their plans and having to ask for permission to bring their dreams to reality. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with an ever-present supporting cast constantly chanting - You can do it!!! Go for it!!! You're the best!!! You can't fail? And so on…

The bottom line is until we can come to a place in life where we become our primary and most influential cheerleader, we will always be hindered from reaching our true potential. When others are exhausted and saying, "it's a wrap." You, on the other hand, KNOW it's not over yet. That's willpower. This is the purpose of willpower. Gradually building your mental toughness up to a point where you trust your capabilities. You refuse to believe that you are inadequate, that you’re unequipped… Refuse to give up.

One of my all-time favorite motivational quotes, stated in various versions by many greats including Churchill, Edison, Coelho, and many others, "You're never failing once you're trying... You're only failing when you're failing to try." You build mental toughness, grit, resilience, persistence, willpower by trying again. Believing in yourself that if you think you can then it is truly possible. Even when everyone else says it's over, it can't be done, failure is inevitable… There's that ever-present voice of conviction saying it's possible.

It could be academics, entrepreneurial goals, sports, athletics, life in general... Build that belief in possibilities... possibilities in your capabilities that you can do it. Even when others in your shoes would have thrown in the towel, you will look ahead with conviction and say I promise to be the last man standing when the smoke settles... I promise to adopt the mentality of a champion and not give up regardless of how bleak the surrounding evidence is... That is willpower. The mindset of gods to never give up and believe in one's self… Against all odds.

Life Lesson by Maya Angelou

“There were people who went to sleep last night, 
poor and rich and white and black, 
but they will never wake again. 

And those dead folks would give anything at all 
for just five minutes of this weather 
or ten minutes of plowing. 

So you watch yourself about complaining. 

What you're supposed to do 
when you don't like a thing is change it. 
If you can't change it, 
change the way you think about it.” 

My newest Mantra... Every Damn Day!

You don't have to be the strongest, fastest or smartest to be the best but... As long as you keep trying... pushing... recovering and choosing to never give up... you can be sure that there's a reward waiting at the end of the tunnel. It's a tried and true fact of life. Check it. Anyone who's ever succeeded at anything in life has had to encounter some form of failure along the way. 

Regardless of the venture, goal or dream, persistence is guaranteed to pay off in one way or the other... Reminding me of one of my most favorite quotes... "A big shot is just a little shot that kept on shooting".

Go hard, every damn day and you'll live a life of satisfaction knowing that your time on earth, which is very limited, is invested in something. A great mentor of mine has been known to popularly say, "Only a fool lives without goals".

I'll add one more gear to the above and say, if you keep at it, keep working, putting in time, sweat and effort, every damn day... you might surprise yourself at where you'll end up...

Give your personal best, 100%, everyday...

Every damn day!

Dale Carnegi - Abstract

Carnegie was also like Franklin in that he saw the amassing of wealth merely as a means to an end, an end the men shared—retiring early, becoming a man of culture and letters, writing, doing public service, and being an active citizen. Carnegie was not only a “captain of industry,” but a husband and father, an abolitionist and peace activist, a writer and world traveler. And he was one of the greatest philanthropists of all time.

Abstract from - the following link

2013: An Optimistic Call for Reflection, Reassessment & Action

Move before you are ready... Any result-oriented individual that's always focused on moving forward must be willing to accept challenges outside their comfort zone. Only by abandoning our familiar "safe place", can we truly discover our inner strengths. In the Chinese language, the symbol that represents crises comprises of  two characters; danger and opportunity.

Semantically speaking, if we look deep enough, there's an opportunity that lies in every difficulty. This is more than just a "glass-half-empty or half-full" analogy - this is short mantra that holds the key to greatness for all those who are willing to accept it.

A wise man once said, "Those that look are many, but those that see are few". The next time you're met with some sort of opposition - before you blindly react and fold under the pressure, take a few seconds to reassess the situation and see any new opportunity that might be lurking in the shadows. This strategy can help us switch gears in life from a dormant/reactive state to an alert/active state.

Don't shy away from difficulty or sudden challenges, take the time to reassess the situation and you might find an advantage. I'll round this post up with a favorite quote of mine by Thomas Edison; " Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work".

Mastery by Robert Greene

Just reading Robert's new book and I'm really excited about it. The first time I read his first Best Seller was in 1998 - The 48 Laws of Power. I'm an avid fan and I look to apply most (not all) of his strategic advise on how to live life to the best of my abilities.

http://powerseductionandwar.com/blog/

"Never say Never, because Limits, Like Fears, are only an Illusion."

MJ

"Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed."

Arthur Schopenhauer

Five Tips to Help Strengthen Will Power

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi wasn't physically a huge man but he will forever be remembered for breaking the British shackles from the  Indian colony...

According to Baumeister, willpower is not a personality trait, a skill or a virtue. Instead, it operates like a muscle. And as such, it can be strengthened - but also easily exhausted (Baumeister 2003).

Act in line with our highest goals, and not with our immediate appetites. 

Challenges are there to limit successes, but with the right attitude and willpower we still can achieve extraordinary feats...

In the 1960s, Walter Mischel tested four-year-old children for self-control in "The Marshmallow Test": the children were each given a marshmallow and told that they can eat it anytime they want, but if they waited 15 minutes, they would receive another marshmallow. Follow up studies showed that the results correlated well with these children's success levels in later life.

Focus on long term goals... like a career path... 

Five Tips to Help Strengthen Will Power

1. Reset your internal hard drive: Know thyself... Focus on your goal: Intensity beats extensity every time... "You are the only person on earth who has your ability." Zig Zigler
2. Surround yourself with the right people: "Tis better to be alone than in bad company." George Washington. Understand the demand placed on you by your relationships and prioritize.
3. Get to work: Stop analyzing, over thinking or doubting... start doing... read biographies, research alternatives, ask people.... keep working on it... "I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work." - Pearl S. Buck
4. Believe: “You may fetter my leg, but Zeus himself cannot get the better of my free will” Epictetus quotes (Greek philosopher associated with the Stoics, AD 55-c.135. Fear Nothing: Nihil Timendum Est. You're never failing once you're trying... the only true failure is failing to try...
5. Take good care of your physical body: Eat well, sleep well and dress well and every other thing you do will be done well...

References:

http://www.ideafit.com/library/how-to-strengthen-willpower-part-1

Photo Courtesy: http://www.articlesweb.org/lifestyle/strengthen-your-willpower

Men of Honor!

I can't propose that everyone wants to be the best they can and live life the right way, but for those of us that do... here's a tip for change... Lead a life of honor... Respect authority, our parents, our spouses, our relatives and everyone we come across. We may not agree with others all the time but because of our quest to become the best, we'll honor them.

The irony of such an ideology is that some people may think that they are being honorable for the sake of others, but that's not the case... We lead honorable lives for ourselves. We're the ones that have to live with ourselves anyway.

Men of honor keep their head up and do what's right out of respect for themselves.

It's true that sometimes we may fall off the wayside of the track we would like to live, but a great philosopher once said, "It's not where you stand that matters, but the direction you are going".

Let's continue to sow seeds of greatness in our lives by living honorably and kick negatives like pride, jealousy, sarcasm and disrespect out the door. Remember, this doesn't mean we're weak, but it shows our strength to deliver upon our own expectations.








Photo Courtesy:
http://www.du.edu/studentlife/studentconduct/honorcode.html


Pic

A Better Man Post #1

“ No longer talk at all about the kind of man a good man ought to be, but be such. ”

— Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

STRATEGY; The Art of Transforming Ideas Into Action

Focus on a lifestyle that bridges the gap between knowing and doing.


With each passing day, moment, second... life is slipping away... Make it count by being the best every moment requires.


"Space we can recover. Time, never." Napoleon Bonaparte

"A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment".

If one fully understands the present moment,

there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. 

Live being true to the single purpose of the moment."

Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Pressure Makes Diamonds

Embrace challenges...

Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion...

MJ

“Ne Te Quaesiveris Extra.”

“Do not seek outside yourself... Look within ..."

Employ the Key of Confidence... Always...

Constantly second guessing yourself is very dangerous. Fortune is a woman and whoever wants her must be adventurous, as opposed to proceeding cautiously. I love the way Robert Greene shed more light on the subject of confidence in chapter 28 of his bestseller, "The 48 Laws of Power". He says, Enter Actions with Boldness: If you are unsure of a course of action, don't attempt it. Hesitation puts obstacles in your path, boldness eliminates them."

In life, not many people get second chances... It's not a Nintendo game, there's no replay button... Move ahead, forge forward with confidence and if you're lucky and you have a second chance of doing it again... Then make it better. 

I have no doubt in my mind that the human being is an amazing machine... a machine which, if maintained and efficiently maximized, can do miracles... As individuals, opportunities are limitless for those who eliminate the barriers of fear. Don't be a scientific calculator with an an owner who uses it for only basic arithmetic.

A favorite quote of mine goes thus, "On the lands of hesitation, lay the bones of countless millions who on the dawn of their victory lay down to rest, and while resting they died"...

I'll end this heartfelt rant and begin my weekend with the following Latin line: 

Nihil Timendum Est... 

Fear Nothing.

The Pen is the Tongue of the Mind

Photo Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/qisur/4350431493/

No Fear. No Surprise. No Hesitation. No Doubt.

Richard Templar