The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Philosophy’

What does the word contemplation mean to you? How often do you take time for contemplation? Once a day? Once a week? Never?

How do you know if you are on track? How do you know if something in your  life is working or is not working? Do you ever take time to reflect on the things that you hear, see, feel, sense and taste? What do you do to engage all your senses?

Achieving success and unleashing your inner genius requires nuturing your soul, as well as feeding your mind. You have to take care of all of you, both the inner and the outer, the seen and the unseen.

Below is a poem about contemplation by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German writer who lived in the 18th and early 19th century. Is the poem really about contemplation, or is it about something else? What do you think?

Book of Contemplation – Five Things

WHAT makes time short to me?

Activity!

What makes it long and spiritless?

‘Tis idleness!

What brings us to debt?

To delay and forget!

What makes us succeed?

Decision with speed

How to fame to ascend?

Oneself to defend!

By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Now that you have read Book of Contemplation – Five Things, what are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with the point of view? Now read the quotation below by Heraclitus, how do you feel about it?

“Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.” Heraclitus

Are people with a good character likely to manage their time effectively, and make decisions quickly and decisively? How would you connect the poem and quote? There are no right or wrong answers. The point of this exercise, is to look at life more broadly and with different lens so that when you are faced with challenges, you will identify solutions that are superior because you have such a unqiue look on life.

Combining works by Goethe and Heraclitus, or other great thinkers, can only lead to superior thinking. Try comparing and contrasting the works of other greats thinkers, what discoveries do you think await you?

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Photo Credit: Avil Beckford

Note: I have written this blog post based on information that I have researched on Earl Nightingale, and I have added my perspective to drive home his point. I have really appreciated Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret and Lead the Field, two of his audio programs. This blog post is my attempt at distilling what he would blog about for his success tips.

Earl Nightingale‘s Success Tips 101

1. The key to success is that “we become what we think about”
2. You have to pay the price to be successful “As ye sow, so shall you reap”
3. Returns = Success: Enrich others and you will be enriched
4. Know where you are going
5. People who are successful have goals. Have a definite goal, focus on that important goal, channelling all your energies into accomplishing it
6. Act promptly and decisively
7. Knowledge is power when you take ACTION, always apply knowledge
8. We can do more than we think we can, so each day do just a little more that you have to do, even if it’s only one percent, because with the cumulative effect you reap big rewards
9. Read broadly and “study the world’s great religions, philosophy and psychology“
10. Be curious

What do you think about the success tips listed above? Do you agree or disagree with them? Think of someone who would make a great Invisible Mentor for you. Study that person and list 10 tips that you believe that person would deliver. How does it feel to do that exercise? The point of this exercise is to learn more about others so that when you are problem solving you have a larger body of knowledge to draw on. This exercise also expands your thinking.

Recommended Reading and Listening

Click here to listen to The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale

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“A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all thoughts,” says James Allen in his 1908 classic bestseller, As A Man Thinketh. As the title suggests, the book is about how your thoughts influence your results in life. Allen explains that we are where we are in life because of our thoughts, and if we are in an undesirable situation, we have the power to change our circumstances by changing our thoughts because we are the directors of our lives, and masters of our thoughts.

In Allen’s own words, “Every man is where he is by the law of his being. The thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there… Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life.”

Five Great Ideas

1. “A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.
2. Man is where he is so that he may learn and grow.
3. Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves.
4. A strong man cannot help a weaker unless the weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself. He must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another.
5. He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little. He who would achieve much must sacrifice much. He who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.”

At 22 pages, the e-Book version of As A Man Thinketh can be read in no time at all. Despite the length of the book, it is chock full of nuggets of wisdom. I recommend this book. To download a complimentary copy of As A Man Thinketh click here.

After you have read As a Man Thinketh, what principles can you apply to your life? Do you agree with James Allen’s philosophy?

Excerpted from April 2008 Ambeck Edge

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Your destination in life is important. The route you take to get to your destination is sometimes important. But as you journey through life, it is important to enjoy yourself and be aware of your surroundings. Take time to engage all your senses, reflecting on what you see, hear, taste, smell and feel. Are you really experiencing what you think you are experiencing, or is it an illusion?

 Stop for a minute!

 Are you truly happy with the life you are living? Are you living your life on your own terms, or are you living the life that others expect you to live? And most importantly, are you living up to your true potential? Are you the absolute best that you can be?

 These are a lot of questions, and I provide no answers. It’s not my job to give you the answers. My role as the Invisible Mentor is to assist you to be the best that you could possibly be by unleashing your inner genius. My role is also to heighten your awareness and raise your level of consciousness.

 Let’s play the Game of Ones

1.  What is one thing that you could effortlessly do to change your life for the better? Do it now.
2.  What is one book you have always been meaning to read but haven’t got around to reading it? Make a commitment now to read at least 15 pages each day until you’re finished.
3. What is one film you have been meaning to watch? Watch it now.
4.  What is one course that you have always wanted to take? Enrol today!
5.  Which friend have you been meaning to call, but have been too busy to do so? Call her now!
6.  What is one whimsical thing that you have always wanted to do? Do it now.
7. What is one thing that you really enjoy doing – that will not harm you, or another – but haven’t done it in a while because you simply haven’t had time? Give yourself the pleasure and do it now.

 What is your contribution to the Game of Ones? What changes could you make?

 Now that I have taken you all over the place to change your reference point, I will bring you back to where we started. What is your true destination in life? What is the best route that will take you there? Who would you like to accompany you on your journey? When will you begin this important journey?

 “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” says Lao-tzu the Chinese philosopher.

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Photo Credits: Avil Beckford