Throughout your life, you will encounter naysayers who insist that certain goals are too difficult to achieve. While these individuals may speak from their own experiences, their limitations do not have to define your potential. Welcome, reader, to a special story about rising above adversity and creating your own path to success.
Maintaining a super attitude that you can achieve your goals is easy when you’re in the brainstorming stage, enjoying the development of your idea as it begins to come to life. The real test of your dreams comes when you introduce them to the world.
The world is full of people who have lost, who have succeeded, and, more importantly, those who know there is a balance between losing and winning.
An even smaller group of people view this balance as winning and learning. When we have a great attitude, we can get through anything. There’s a strong idiom that reflects this: when it rains, you can be wet and miserable, or you can simply be wet.
Learning to interact with life in this way is a practice to be honed, not an overnight sensation you can flick on like a light switch. We must practice how we use our feelings. Think about it; we go through different experiences every day, introducing new elements into our thinking all the time. It’s nearly impossible to live the same day unless you’re Bill Murray from Groundhog Day, and even then, Bill experienced the same day in new ways.
Similarly, we are never the same, no matter how similar our days may seem. More commonly, especially for people who travel, create, build, search, and explore, life consistently brings new ingredients to our days. We must learn how to incorporate these new elements with the ones we already know how to use.
Change is the greatest constant in life — a beautiful irony that the sooner we accept, the sooner we can synergize with it. As a traveler and immigrant, I know how normal change is. Born in Texas, raised in Massachusetts, self-sustained in Rhode Island, and now immigrating to Toronto, some of the greatest lessons I’ve learned are to be patient, open-minded, and ready.
Patience
Patience is a virtue, a phrase coined by Cato the Elder. The phrase appears as, “Of human virtues, patience is most great.” With patience, we give ourselves time to see things as they are rather than through our own lens. Patience helps us avoid projecting preconceived notions onto new ideas. It also creates room — mental and emotional space to explore deeper dimensions. Some of us don’t understand these dimensions because we haven’t practiced developing them. Logically, the 1st dimension is a point, the 2nd is a line or plane, the 3rd is space where matter exists, the 4th is time, where things compound, appreciate, and depreciate, and the 5th dimension, where imagination lives, combines our mentality and emotions. It is here in the 5th dimension that patience resides.
Patience is like a plant; we can grow it by providing the right environment and nutrients. If we don’t practice patience, we may fail ourselves when tested. There are countless ways to cultivate patience. Teach someone or yourself something new — learning and teaching center on patience. Practice a sport, yoga, or meditation. To develop in these areas, we must be present in the moment. Mindfulness techniques, such as focusing on your breath or a specific task, anchor you in the present. These practices help train your mind to stay calm and focused. Even a few minutes a day can significantly improve your ability to remain patient. For more on cultivating patience and creativity, you can refer to Train Your Creativity.
As we expand this dimension of our thinking, we can take on bigger challenges in life, like running a business, creating a family, or making a product. With patience, we can overcome even the greatest challenges.
Open-Mindedness
Like patience, having an open mind is priceless and can open the most wonderful and powerful doors. Being open-minded means accepting the world for what it is rather than how we think it is. Open-mindedness is a tricky mentality because it can easily escape us. However, just like patience, we can create more room for open-mindedness in our lives, allowing us to practice this mentality to flow and embrace all facets and moments.
This act of non-judgmentally accepting the world as it is, rather than as we believe it is, involves dissolving the ego. What is the ego? It’s the perception of who we are based on preconceived notions and imposed dogmas — a challenge every human being experiences. It’s impossible not to have some sort of ego; after all, we are born into a world that offers us identities and personalities to model after. Freud believed the ego mediates between the id, superego, and reality, maintaining rational thought and identity. Jung advocated that the ego is part of the broader Self, crucial for balancing conscious and unconscious elements and achieving individuation. Erikson contended that the ego develops through resolving psychosocial conflicts across the lifespan, contributing to a coherent sense of identity.
The psychology that explains the ego goes hand in hand with developing open-mindedness. As we redefine the absolute truths of life based on the purest forms of information, we can leave behind the turbulence caused by misinformation handed down through generations. This is why modern culture emphasizes “break the cycle” mantras. People are very aware that we are elevating beyond our predecessors’ understandings in the same way our predecessors had to rise above the dogmas and psychosocial conflicts bestowed upon them.
To practice open-mindedness at the highest degree, books like “The Four Agreements” and “The Power of Now” provide insights on how to be self-aware and act from a place of love. What this article articulates is nothing new; rather, it is ancient wisdom rephrased for contemporary reasons. Modern problems require modern solutions! For a deeper dive into related themes, consider reading Mind Over Matter.
Being Ready
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Make your own luck?” Many people have similar quotes, and the person who reminded me of this is Rob Dyrdek. However, his wisdom of making your own luck came to me years after learning a special equation that truly createsmagic: Preparation + Opportunity = Luck! Similarly, Darren Hardy wrote about creating luck in his book “The Compound Effect” and defined it as Luck = Preparation (Personal Growth) + Attitude (Belief/Mindset) + Opportunity (a Good Thing Coming Your Way) + Action (Doing Something About It).
Being ready is all about building yourself into the person you want to be and equipping yourself for the life you want. For years, some of the most famous people in the world worked without praise or admiration. Prolific book writers, thought leaders, and business owners alike have to undergo a period of disillusion — meaning what they are doing is so contrary to the standard that they seem to be going totally backward. Yet men and women like Martin Luther, who wrote a manifesto on what he thought were the best virtues for humanity to live by; Martin Luther King Jr., who unwaveringly fought to bring equality to a volatile America; Marie Curie, who tirelessly pursued her groundbreaking research in radioactivity despite numerous challenges and opposition; Maya Angelou, who wrote and spoke about her experiences with such powerful honesty that she became a beacon of hope and resilience; and Oprah Winfrey, who overcame a difficult childhood and numerous setbacks to become one of the most influential media moguls in the world, show us that perseverance and dedication can lead to extraordinary achievements. For more inspiration on personal growth, you can read Inspired to Grow.
All these people are miracle workers; they truly created their own luck by honing their practices and continuing down their paths no matter how dark things became. They had an attitude of “Yes, We Can,” even in the darkest hours. They acted, stepping up to present their innovations and ideas even when it was absolutely unpopular. Being ready doesn’t mean waiting for the stars to align; it means showing up to the moment with the determination to championyour dream! For further insights on navigating life’s journey, check out Prologue: Where Are We Going?.
In Summary
In life, we will inevitably encounter people who tell us that our goals are too difficult or unrealistic. While these individuals may be drawing from their own experiences, their limitations do not have to define us. Rising above these attitudes requires a steadfast belief in our own potential and the ability to maintain a positive outlook even when faced with setbacks. Maintaining an unwavering attitude is easy during the planning stages of our dreams but becomes challenging when we introduce those dreams to the world.
Success is not solely about winning but learning from every experience. The true test lies in our ability to navigate life’s ups and downs with resilience and adaptability. Cultivating patience and open-mindedness is essential in this journey. Patience allows us to understand and accept life as it is, while open-mindedness enables us to embrace new ideas and perspectives. Together, they create a mindset that is flexible and prepared for the inevitable changes life brings.
Moreover, being ready is not just about waiting for the right moment but actively preparing ourselves for opportunities. It involves personal growth, maintaining a positive attitude, and taking decisive action when opportunities arise. Figures like Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., Marie Curie, Maya Angelou, and Oprah Winfrey exemplify how perseverance, dedication, and the willingness to act can lead to extraordinary achievements. These individuals remind us that we can create our own luck by consistently showing up, ready to champion our dreams with the determination of true visionaries.
Join Us at Empower Us
Thank you for reading this article. If you found inspiration and value in these words, we invite you to follow the Empower Us Publication on Medium. At Empower Us, we are dedicated to sharing stories that uplift, inspire, and empower individuals to achieve their highest potential. Whether you are a reader looking for motivation or a writer with a powerful message to share, we welcome you to join our community. Follow us here to stay updated with our latest articles, and consider publishing your own stories to inspire others. Let’s rise above and empower each other!
