| I have a couple of analogies to kick off this article; and | | | | articles, but everything wrong with our choices. The |
| they are this way: | | | | reason is simple, we all make our choices basing on |
| Everyone is in detent with what happens in the | | | | our ideals and if they are not clear, we are basically |
| physical world as opposed to what happens in the | | | | shooting in the dark. This is the reason my articles |
| mental world or natural law. | | | | being submitted are evolving around the subject of |
| We all understand that a baby will begin by learning | | | | ideals. So many books and articles assume that we |
| how to turn itself whilst on the floor, then crawl on all | | | | have our foundation on solid ground, and that all we |
| fours, stand, walk, and eventually run. Right? | | | | need is to construct an edifice on a pre-defined strong |
| When it comes to the mental world; everyone wants | | | | base, “of a foundation we already have”. |
| to skip levels and do the equivalent of a baby running | | | | The ideals we hold, knowingly or unknowingly are the |
| in the physical world. We know and do find it obvious | | | | basis on which we inadvertently create the enemy |
| that objects left suspended and unsupported in the air | | | | within. Ideals are also the driving force for the choices |
| fall to the ground. Including the fact that water is wet! | | | | we make, therefore, are cardinal to success. |
| And we also understand that; | | | | There can never be a vacuum of ideals nor an |
| When a car was invented, there weren’t so many | | | | individual devoid of ideals. It is either you consciously |
| rules on the road as they are at this present time. As | | | | know the ideals that you hold or unconsciously do not |
| the vehicle population grew, so did the accidents, which | | | | know the ideals you hold; in which case, I’d liken this |
| required and commanded an exponential increase in | | | | to a back garden. |
| the rules and laws of the road. These rules and laws | | | | If you do not care about cultivating, trimming and laying |
| are there to curb the enemy that emerges when left | | | | out your ideals, you’ll find the exact equivalent in |
| unchecked and not in order; because in their absence, | | | | your mind of what you’d encounter in your |
| chaos is the order of the day. Right? | | | | unattended back garden. Anything can come out of |
| We have seen rules and laws in the aviation industry, | | | | those tall weeds, a snake can come out and do you |
| trains, submarines and bicycles, even communities, | | | | harm. So nurture you thoughts with laid out, trimmed |
| businesses and countries have rules, laws and | | | | principles and by so doing avoid springing surprises. So |
| constitutions, whichever is applicable, upon which to | | | | understand that either way, the mind has to translate |
| function and achieve purpose. | | | | to the equivalent in the physical world of that which |
| This is the orderly flow of nature, there is no way of | | | | you hold in your mental faculty. It shall surely bring forth. |
| truncating that and we all respect and understand that. | | | | So why is it that despite knowing that our ideals are |
| And how about YOU! | | | | cardinal to our success, majority of people never take |
| Are you one of the incandescent individuals, lamenting | | | | the time to clearly define them? |
| in angst that despite reading mountains of motivational | | | | It is human nature to shun that which is befitting and |
| articles and books for years, you still cannot seem to | | | | beneficial to one’s own purpose. If what you set |
| get the efficacies right? Or that the motivation is | | | | out doing does not come out right, you have to move |
| ephemeral? | | | | to an era where you are called upon to raise certain |
| Here is my observation... when you find yourself in a | | | | basic questions about whether an edifice which |
| hole; the first thing to do is to stop digging! And when | | | | produces fear, de-motivation and failure must not be |
| standing still or going backwards, the best person to | | | | restructured and refurbished. |
| know what is happening and understand the reason is | | | | Your thought edifice can only be refurbished and |
| you. But half the time the reason is not known | | | | restructured by clearly defining your ideals [principles, |
| anyway, and all we are saying is check your rules; | | | | values, ethics and morals]. By so doing, we avoid |
| rules = (principles, values, morals and ethics) = | | | | preparing ourselves to gamble with disaster. |
| “ideals” | | | | But alas, beware of the enemy within yourself! Lest, |
| So to recap, when we were younger than we are, | | | | we end up crying with the Apostle Paul; when he said |
| traffic of responsibility was far much lesser than we | | | | ‘the good that I would, that I do not; and the evil that |
| have known. Now that the traffic has increased, we | | | | I would not, that I do.’ We cry out with Saint |
| can curb mayhem by consciously introducing strong | | | | Augustine as he said in his confessions, ‘Lord, |
| ideals, and rest assured the enemy within is | | | | make me pure, but not yet.’ Or we end up having |
| subjugated. | | | | to say with Goethe that ‘there’s enough stuff in |
| It is not everyone in this impasse, but to those who | | | | me to make either a gentleman or a rogue.’ |
| keep on going back to old habits and find themselves | | | | That’s the tension at the heart of human nature. It |
| ephemerally motivated. This is for you... | | | | is not so much of ability but the ‘will’ that one |
| There is nothing wrong with motivational books and | | | | must and will define one’s own ideals. |