Here, secure in my sanctuary among my many volumes of books, I assume a comfortable lotus position with my spine erect and my head floating, as if suspended by a thread from heaven. Then, I close my eyes and deeply inhale the sweet scent emanating from my diffuser – a pleasant chocolate mint aroma. I calmly quiet my mind and body, feeling the gentle heat of the sun as it pours through my window, warming me ever so slightly and blanketing my room in a golden hue. Sitting stoically, I allow the usual anxious thoughts to come and go – painful emotions of past events and frightening fantasies of an imagined future. I permit my mind to visualize and plan a productive day, one filled with potential distractions and rewards, as well as survival threats and erratic emotions conjured from some long-lost memory – thoughts that have become myelinated and made permanent. I shift slightly forward, reaching for and picking up my favorite blue fountain pen, write away my pains, express gratitude for rising this morning, record my past, and plan for my profound future.
Let me begin by apologizing for my forthcoming cynicism…Now indulge me for a moment.
In my experience, success lacks a universal solution. Far too many invisible variables )that we or research can account for) contribute to a person’s success. And what about the many who failed at the same task that we forget to account for? What can we learn from their failure? Too often, we ignore the fact that far too many others have failed and fallen into obscurity over time.
While we may learn from other people’s journeys, we have to keep in mind that unique circumstances, strengths, and struggles shape each person’s path to success. Blindly following the footsteps of others does not unlock success. Instead, we can use them as inspiration, points of departure, and references, adjusting and shaping our paths according to our individual needs and abilities, enabling us to achieve our goals and objectives. However, we must write our own song and steer our own ship. A mentor once said to me: “Learn from the greats, then become one on your terms. Learn from their mistakes, but remember they lived in a different context, under different conditions, and remember we can “never step in the same river they did.“
Success lacks a universal solution. We learn from other people’s journeys, but we must keep in mind that unique circumstances, strengths, and struggles shape each person’s path to success. Blindly following the footsteps of others does not unlock success. Instead, we can use them as inspiration, and points of departure and references, adjusting and shaping our own paths according to our individual needs and abilities, enabling us to achieve our goals and objectives.
It remains natural to admire successful people and draw inspiration from them. However, we must also remember that every person’s journey differs. The same plan that worked for someone may not work for us. Let us identify our strengths, recognize our limitations, and overcome our challenges to discover what works best for us. The secret to success may or may not lie in adapting an old blueprint; nonetheless, we should not fear making changes to our approach, even if it means completely deviating from the paths that others have taken.
While taking inspiration from others seems ideal, so far, I admit it has not worked for me. Perhaps we would find better use of someone’s luck as inspiration to create a new path and walk it as they often did, at their own pace to the tune of their own music and rhythm and on their own time and terms.
Let me advise that we use the experiences and lessons of others to shape our individual journeys in a limited fashion or creatively tailor them to our own personal needs, abilities, and aspirations. Then, let’s create our own lives, illuminate our own paths, and follow them with our own light.
Musings on Martial Arts, Taoist Philosophy & All Things Wellness Related. 