Invictus by William Ernest Henley

This poem was written after he had one of his legs amputated when he was a teenager.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Arnold Schwarzenegger – Still Pumping

“That hunger you have to develop. Because, you have to create a goal for yourself. Whatever that may be. A long term goal and a short term goal. And you gotta go after that. If you do not see it and if you do not believe it. Who else will?”

“The Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt

It is better to try and fail than to live life with regret.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

All Black Haka

The Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. In the modern age, their Rugby team, the All Blacks, have a tradition of chanting the Haka before every match. It’s is quite the impressive sight to see. I don’t know what it would be like to stand across from this, but it gives me chills just to see it on video.

The All Blacks vs. England

The teacher of the Haka:

The Power of Purpose – 3 – Craig Hamilton : The Way of the Evolutionary Man

Cosmic Evolution

Craig believes that there is a cosmic or divine force that is directing evolution in the universe. This force is manifested in all things. His idea of cosmic evolution follows this course:

  • Starting with the Big Bang
  • Which then evolved into stars
  • Which then evolved into galaxies with stars
  • Which then evolved into stars with planets
  • Which then evolved into stars with planets with life
  • Which then evolved into stars with planets with sentient life
  • Which is now evolving into stars with planets with sentient life that is merging with tecnology. (The tecnhoverse)

Now, being a scientist, I can say that planets don’t evolve. There’s no natural selection or mating involved. I’m not sure what two planets mating would look like, but I’m sure it’d be pretty explosive.

This overriding evolution is directed by a cosmic force, or divinity, or some kind of guiding influence that is separate from each of us.

Now regardless of whether or not there is a cosmic force that drives us to improve and succeed, the focus of purpose is identifying what you feel urged to do and following that urge. If the source is a cosmic separate entity, then we need to find out how to tap into that source in order to discover our purpose. If it is an inner will that we are born with or developed in our upbringing, then we need to identify if it is real to us and if so, how to follow it.

This drive, or force, which causes to improve is easily identified. It causes us to do certain things like:

  • Learn
  • Take risks (even life threatening ones)

Evolution of conscience

He also believes in an evolution of morallity which follows this pattern:

  • From Animals who live a life of finding food, fighting, or escaping and live in fear of other animals.
  • Tribal Humans who live a life of finding food, fighting, or escaping, and sometimes cooperate instincts who fear other tribes. (The Hatfields vs the McCoy)
  • Modern Humans who live in societies that cooperate for food, fighting, and prospering yet fear other societies. (The Americans vs the Canadians)
  • Global Humans who live in cooperative societies, who cooperate for food, and no longer have a need for fighting and live as one happy global family. (I’m a moral human being or a Saint)

Shedding Fear and Following our Hearts

In order to move from an animal to a global human, the thing we need to shead is fear. In our current age, it is our fear that keeps us from following our passion and our purpose.

Tapping into that divine to access the higher power can give us the power we need to overcome our ego (which is our selfish, fearful side). As you learn to shead fear and follow your hearts and trust in the divine influence of whatever cosmic force is out there, it will feel good to you and allow you to move forward despite the fear. In the end there are two sides: One that lives in fear, and one that follows the higher purpose. You choose which one to follow.

Our need to feel in control can keep us from moving forward and imprison us in a “safe zone” when the reality is nothing is safe. We could all lose our jobs at any moment or our economy could collapse or any number of tragedies could happen. learning to roll with the punches while still moving forward is key to being able to succeed.

However, you don’t just start wondering off. Make a long term plan, work toward it, and trust that things will work out.

Inspiring Song of the Day – Stubborn Love by the Lumineers

I avoid posting love songs, but this one had a few points that I like.

She’ll tear a hole in you. The one you can’t repair.

But I still lover her I don’t even care.

I like these lyrics because they speak of following something that you want without justification.

It’s better to feel pain, than nothing at all.

These speak of understanding that failure is okay and a heck of a lot better than being forever stuck.