The 1 Trait That Will Determine If You’ll Be Successful
Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, banished his only daughter to an abandoned island off the coast of Lazio. Five years after her exile she was moved to Rhegium, modernly known as Reggio Calabria on mainland Italy, she was faced with a slow death rumored as a case of malnutrition. She incurred a terrible faith even though she was born into the highest state of royalty, some may call her unlucky but there was one trait which by lacking, spelled her demise.
Her name was Julia.
You see, Julia was charged with adultery. During her intimate relationship with Tiberius, the heir to the throne, she was given a bad reputation because of the extramarital affairs she had with senators, nobles, and even slaves. This would’ve been forgiven by Augustus, a sign of his merciful nature, if only it had not become a public demeanor…all the citizens knew of her acts of indecency, and it just couldn’t be overlooked. She needed to be banished, and thereby she was.
In complete contrast, we have Claudius. Claudius was the step-grandson of Augustus, he was part of the royalty but was treated like a fool in his own home. His mother despised him. His grandfather pitied him. His only loyal friends were his brother and his tutors. Claudius was like a thorn to the nobles, he was despised for his obscene nature, his crippled demeanor, and his god-forbidden stammer. The likes of Claudius were not to be seen among any nobility, but his banishment from noble events became the least of his worries. As you can see, Claudius wasn’t the type of person to care for his higher status, or lack of for better word, his biggest goal throughout his life was to commemorate the life of his father and grandfather who had been taken from him too soon. Instead of placing his presence in the noble events, he found himself in the library where, with the assistance of his tutors Sulpicius and Athenodorus, he spent hours studying European history.
Despite all of this, Claudius was set to be a future emperor — a position of absolute power that I’m not sure he would have ever wanted.
Do you see the pattern? The only child of Augustus was condemned to a life of banishment and imprisonment. The step-grandson of Augustus was condemned to the life of an emperor. The irony here can’t be ignored. A man who was pitied, hated, and ignored for his defects became the most powerful in Rome even while competing with numerous amounts of contenders, who were physically more capable than he was, in the form of his siblings and nephews. In this chaotic society of deceit and cut-throat competition, what made him come out on top?
His self-control, that’s it.
Claudius, who was born a cripple, forced to marry a metaphorical ‘ogre,’ and hated by his mother, did not lead a life wishing for revenge. His face wasn’t red and smoke didn’t leave his ears. Instead, he accepted what was within his control and worked diligently at documenting the life of his father and grandfather. There were little to no expectations for what he could expect from the world, he was in complete control of his fate and he refused to be swept away by the vicious winds of hatred he faced..
Though we live in a society that is much more forgiving than ancient Rome, we can learn a thing or two from Claudius. Self control in its simplest form is knowing how to act in settings you can’t control. Julia given absolute power from birth was condemned to a life of banishment simply because she could not control her yearning for lust. She dug her own grave. Claudius, despite all his misfortune, stuck to his purpose and was recognized for that. He led a solemn life and was rewarded for it. As is this example, self-control can be the difference between life and death.
The self-control you have over your mind breeds character. That character determines your destiny. What destiny tells you becomes your fate. Will you become condemned to a life of barren banishment or a life of overwhelming glory?
