Sometimes the literature we choose is serendipitous. Often times, life presents us with tasks that seem unfeasible to achieve at the moment, or that are unfair; and sometimes your perfect plan will be derailed by the myriad of variables that were unforeseen, or were not considered at an earlier time. Are some of us cursed? Are the cards stacked against us? The short answer is no! Welcome to the game of life, and understand it’s the toughest game all of us are going to play. Player one, are you ready?
Imagine if everyone went around transforming lead into gold. Gold would lose its value. It’s only those who are persistent, and wiling to study things deeply, who achieve this Master Work.” ~Paulo Coelho
Coelho, P. (2015) The Alchemist. Harper One, San Francisco
In the past few weeks I plowed through Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” and I’m nearly finished with Scott Allan’s “Empower your Thoughts”. The beauty of these two books is how they compliment each other in concept and case study. In The Alchemist, young Santiago embarks on a journey to find his fortune. After learning the language of the universe and following the omens presented to him, he overcomes mental, physical, and emotional challenges to realize his personal legend.
The Alchemist shows us how much power we have over our own lives to attain the life we desire for ourselves. Scott Allen suggests the one thing we all have power over is our mindset. We cannot control the outcomes, we cannot control the actions of others, but we can control what we ingest mentally and our own actions when faced with matters of life. The best state of being, to get through the trials and tribulations, is that of a positive mental attitude. A positive mental attitude will bring you to a state of happiness built around personal goals and achievements. This is not an easy task to achieve, but a simple idea to adopt.
“The things we have done or not done trigger regret, and the things we have yet to face trigger anxiety and worry. Regardless whether you flip back and forth to past and future realities, neither timeframe is real. They are illusions created by the mind.” ~Scott Allan
Allan, Scott. (2019). Empower your Thoughts: control worry and anxiety, develop a positive mental attitude, and master your mindset. Scott Allan Publishing
Know your why?
Everyday that passes is filled with opportunities taken and lost. It is up to us to determine which ones fall into each category. Nevertheless, focusing on the present and taking action will result in a more positive outcome than doing nothing. I counseled a Soldier a few weeks ago to see where she stood on developing her five-year plan which we discussed in the previous quarter. She informed me that she still didn’t know what she wanted to do professionally in the future and that she was on the fence of staying in the military or choosing to pursue her dream of becoming a music writer.
The only advice I could give her was to think about the lifestyle she wanted and told her to ask herself which one does she feel like doing on her free time. Make no mistake, if you are passionate in what you are doing you will be motivated to work toward goal accomplishment. Fast-forward to the present and she is now getting ready for the debut of her first single to be aired, vocalized by a major artist in the pop scene. The universe will give you the opportunities, sometimes from the most unlikely sources, but your dream is always there to be realized if you are willing.
“The Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream.” ~Paulo Coelho
Coelho, P. (2015) The Alchemist. Harper One, San Francisco. p. 136-137
Every strategy should begin with the desired effect in mind so you can backwards plan from that moment of success. This will help breakdown the major feat you’re trying to achieve into bitesize tasks. Allan suggests only 20 percent of people who want to write a book will succeed because the majority will give into the anxiety and fear that comes with the process. The solution is to just do. By working toward your dream a little bit each day you will be in a much better position years down the road than you would’ve been if you did nothing. This way of thinking is the foundation of growth mindset. Yes, it’s going to be hard. Yes, your time will always be limited. And yes, you will never have all the resources everyone else has because let’s face it, if you did you probably would be working toward something else.
In the end, no one else can empower you. It has to be intrinsic because it’s the only way it will be genuine. Be grateful for what you do have, live in the moment, and maintain a positive mental attitude and the rest will fall into place. The collateral beauty you will find along the way will also be a gift in its own right. This is the language of the universe, now as yourself if you are ready to take the first step to the rest of your life. Happy Easter to you all … one team, one family! ~Doc