Life, Paying it Forward, Success, The Power of One, and Infinite Intelligence!
It is always darkest before the dawn. Cliche´ or not, it is true!
When I think back to last November, just 12 months ago, I quite literally thought I would be gone by now. I was making final arrangements and wanted to leave behind some sort of legacy…helping people, “Paying it Forward,” whatever.
I had it all wrong!
Instead of improving my life and the lives of those closest to me, I was fixated on some “larger purpose,” this notion of a legacy.
Silly?
Yes!
But when faced with your own mortality, “The End,” rational thought isn’t always available, particularly when the mind is clouded by all sorts of medications. Not to mention being scared out of your wits! But somehow, I got through it and came out the other end.
Nothing short of a miracle!
I firmly believe the entire battle for life and battles of life are won or lost in the mind, basically in our will.
Free Will?
We either continue and press on…or we give up and give in!
It is during the toughest times of our lives that we are forged into whatever it is we are becoming. The test of an individual, the real test of our mettle, is in being able to make it through these life altering, life changing, even life threatening events a better person.
Profound! Huh?
But true!
There are many people who have never made it, lost it, and have had to make it all over again. It is in facing failure, financial ruin, even death, we find out who we are and what we are made of. It is in working through failure and triumphing in spite of the possibility of ruin and death that we are reborn and forever altered…hardened and focused in a way others cannot, will not understand.
You see, I don’t think we are in full control of where we are going…or why. I believe control is an illusion. Without the illusion, many of us could not, would not be able to make sense of the reality of our existence, either as individuals or collectively, as a species here on Earth.
Many of us, “control freaks” or not, would simply crash and burn without this illusion.
And yet?
And yet control is an illusion!
Why?
Well, there are so many variables impacting and affecting our lives, we simply can’t account for all of them, much less control them. Any researcher will tell you control is an illusion. You may attempt to set up controls but there are so many confounding variables, events and occurrences simply unaccounted for, unable to be accounted for, that complete control is an unattainable construct…it is simply not possible.
And yet we are all fixated on control!
The fact is we can’t even control ourselves. The example many of the 12 Step programs are happy to offer up is about a certain bodily function:
If you think you have control, try controlling yourself when you have (the runs)!
It’s not a pretty example but it is one that brings the point home.
When faced with adversity and with events seemingly beyond our control, it is up to us to press on, get through, and be wise enough to realize that whatever we come out the other side as…it is what was meant to be. Not in the sense that that was the only outcome…it is simply the only outcome you have, the one you must make use of and build upon.
After all, what’s the alternative? There isn’t one!
You are faced with certain events, issues, and obstacles in your life and your success or failure depends solely on how you deal with them…or not!
I am not a fatalist or a determinist…at least I don’t think I am?
I am something of a realist. At least I think I am?
However, being a realist is a difficult thing to be. Realistically speaking, of course! Just look up “Realism” on Wikipedia. Talk about a smorgasbord! You can, quite literally, have it any way you want it, fit the word to just about any classification and definition…within reason, of course.
But we are getting off the subject.
I believe that somehow, someway, as long as we persevere, we triumph. I don’t believe that is predetermined or preordained. I believe it is up to us, we are actively engaged in our own lives, or not, by and through the decisions we make every day.
The decisions we make!
That’s about as close to control as we get. However, our decisions are affected by a myriad of circumstances, many beyond our control. Thus, we are back to the illusion!
The alternative?
If we don’t believe we have the ability to shape and reshape our lives?
We are doomed to continually relive the difficulties of our past…or our present!
I believe there is a synergy of energy, ours and that of Collective Consciousness…or Collective Unconscious (as some people refer to it).
Meaning?
Well, without getting all mystical on you, we all have our own, undeniable energy and power, a certain irresistible force within us and, when we combine our force, our power with that of the collective energy, power, and focus of the Universe, whether you call it a Collective Consciousness, a Higher Power, God, or whatever, the results are incredibly powerful, particularly when focused in our lives…again, both individually and collectively.
An example (and not the greatest, I’ll admit):
Have you ever met a person with what is referred to as charisma or personal magnetism? Have you ever met an individual you were immediately drawn to; their power, energy, drive, and magnetism palpable? I believe we all have that quality, that power within us, it’s just that some people are more adept at tapping into it, focusing it in their lives, either for personal gain or for the “greater good.” The topic of another article, to be sure. We all know this kind of person and we have felt this awesome power.
An integral aspect of success, the linchpin if you will, is knowledge of Self and the ability to focus on, and tap into, this reservoir of power. Significantly, I sincerely believe this resource is available to all of us. Many people fail to understand this power and others are simply ignorant of it, ignorant in the sense that they simply have no idea this sort of power exists, much less being available to them in their own lives.
We all talk about persistence and determination as the crucial ingredients, the key components making success possible. In my opinion, it is this wellspring of Infinite Power, combined with Self-knowledge, determination, and persistence, that defines us and our ability to reshape our lives.
We have all heard the Yogi Berra quotes. Interestingly, many of these quotes are very insightful. Part of Yogi’s charm is the kernel of truth, or at least the reflection of how we perceive the world, in many of his quotes:
1) “If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.”
2) “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
3) “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”
This is precisely how most of us view the world and live our lives…
“Whether we are 100% aware of it 50% of the time!” (Yours Truly)
Or maybe…
50% aware of it 100% of the time!
No, that would make sense and be fairly accurate.
But seriously folks…
Think about numbers 2 and 3 for just a moment. This is how many of us live our lives!
Number 2? We get to a fork in the road, we have to make a decision and we make it…over and done! Little thought given to the actual decision. Just Do It! The end result will be what may.
Number 3? This is how 80%, 90% or 95% of the world lives their lives each and every day. The range between 80% and 95%? That’s simply a reflection of research and writer bias. One author or researcher says 80% live this way, others say the number is as high as 95%. I think it is probably closer to the latter than the former but the actual numbers are impossible to know and are irrelevant for this example. The important thing here is that most of us live rudderless lives, being blown this way and that by the strength of current “hot trends” and latest occurrences.
So?
Without a clear destination, mapped out in the form of clearly defined goals and a plan of action, we may take the wrong fork in the road and may be blown repeatedly off course by the slightest wind…or adversity. If we define who we are and what we wish to accomplish, we are ahead of 80-95% of the population! We are on our way to success in our lives.
Now, there comes a point in our lives when we find out just how much control we really have. This loss of control, or the illusion of control, may hit us as an illness, an economic setback, the loss of someone important in our lives or some other unforeseen catastrophic event. It is at this point we must have Faith is something greater and larger than ourselves or we will not make it through, regardless of how much power you may think have and how goal directed you may be.
There comes a point when you must say I need help, this is bigger than I am capable of handling on my own and I need help!
For some, the help will come in the form of organized religion, others will find solace and strength in a personal spirituality and a belief in the power of an Inner Self, still others will find strength in family and friends, and finally, others may have access to a mastermind group of some sort, a group of like-minded
Individuals focusing on similar goals by creating a Collective Consciousness, a mind greater than any one mind…a very powerful concept suggested and developed by Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich.
Regardless of the specific strategy, there comes a time when, if we don’t learn to turn to a source of power outside ourselves, if we aren’t smart enough to “turn it all over” to that group or Higher Power and say, “Help me!” or “Your will be done!”, you will fail.
I am not a religious man, or at least I thought I wasn’t. However, I have witnessed too many amazing things, been provided with second, third, and twentieth chances when I didn’t think I was going to make it through the day, much less be here twelve months later, for me to believe their isn’t this wellspring of Power, in all of our lives and at many different levels. It is up to you to understand it, develop it, and access it for your personal benefit and for the benefit of those around you.
Significantly, this last year started with the overwhelming urge to Pay it Forward, reinforced by a challenge from a good man, and developed by education, not only education in the traditional sense but in the “other worldly” sense. There is something greater, something more profound, something infinitely more powerful than any one of us understand alone. However, collectively we are more than One, we are more than the Group.
When we access this “Infinite Intelligence,” this “Higher Power,” we become greater, in fact we become great, and we begin to realize that indeed:
“All things are possible!”
By understanding that, as William Shakespeare wrote in 1601:
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” (Hamlet to Horatio, Act I Scene V)
In combination, these final quotes bring it all together. We must first accept that indeed “All things are possible!” And, once accepted, we must be willing to accept the belief, and this is where the real power rests, in belief that there is more in heaven and earth…and that it is available to us if we will only act, and believe.
Because:
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve!” Napoleon Hill (my personal favorite)
Belief, in combination with Faith, Persistence, Determination, and Infinite Intelligence, however Infinite Intelligence manifests itself in your life, is an irresistible combination. When combined with a goal directed life and the recognition of the many being greater than any one individual, anything is possible because:
“All things are possible!”
John
Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
866-835-2913 (toll free)
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@johnzajaros.com
