Philosophy

THINK AND BE

The brain is a complex structure, defining humans as the most advanced species on Earth. Our evolutionary path has been defined through the workings of the mind, to adapt, create and form social structures from which to flourish within. Mind is also a tool that, when used well, can unlock the potential for bringing much success in life. 

Applied learning of what makes a man tick, can help to broaden the individual's mind. With such a wealth of discovery readily available to us – information on hand through libraries and so easily accessible via the internet, this moment in history brings even greater opportunities to expand our understanding of the world around us.

Many exceptional intellects have pondered what it is to be human and the learnings of these great thinkers, have helped shape our world. Philosophy has attempted to tackle the fundamental concepts of reality and existence. It's these philosophers before us, who have dedicated their lives to rationalising and discussing the subtle intricacies of what constitutes being human, – delving into constructs formed at the heart of society, studying foundations for living with the interplay of knowledge/values forging our very reason and purpose.

Understanding the make-up of man, is something the great philosophers have pondered for millennia. It served as a counter against religious schooling and was therefore a perilous pursuit for those who challenged dogma. People lost their lives standing up for what they believed. Many more great minds have debated the classics since antiquity and their thinking is founded at the heart of our modern-day societies.

Through advances made in science during the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, our great minds search beyond the atomic and deeper into the universe for answers on reality and existence. As religion loses its hold amongst the educated classes of the West, philosophy and the systematic approach to reasoning have also lost their allure as the prestigious pursuit it once was – at least for the time being. 

Knowledge of the philosophies, forayed by the studious as academic tennis and recited for scholarly status is not the purpose for learning the philosophies. Studying the great philosophers and their work will help us to understand such things as good and evil, love, truth and lies. Questions such as: who am I, why are we here, is there more to life and such, are still just as current and relevant to the individual and therefore the investigations/discussions of these subjects, will not only improve cognitive function but also bring new insights into our own lives.

With a quick search, some great free podcasts, and youtube short videos can be found covering the great philosophers – with collections available for beginners and even complete works available online. For an in-depth understanding of Philosophy in book form, a selection of some books to read can be found.

For some on the path to enlightenment, the answer lies in simply being. Kant knew the answers lied within. The fool needs no books. No search is required. No quest. The answers are already known, we simply need to know we have already found them.

Belief

FALSE REALITIES

Truth is an illusion. There is no right and wrong. There is no objective reality – just perception. The only reality is the one you – and only you – believe. 

Having a strong belief in something which can bring greater purpose and ultimately happiness into our lives, is where our energy should be focused. It doesn't matter what anyone else believes in, as it's only your perception that truly matters. If you believe it, then it becomes real.

The cycle of belief, purpose and happiness, all exist and continue to drive us forward. Believe in achieving a goal, take action with determination and a reward will materialise at the end of the work. But ultimately, there is no end, just another cycle of belief until we run out of what we believe in.

In a driven person, the Belief Cycle is a feedback loop between the person's conceptual ideas, the belief in the concepts, potential energy for success attainment, action for achieving and the results manifested. In this model, a cycle dictates that the results one achieves are in direct proportion to the actions one takes. The actions that one takes is determined by the belief one has in their own potential.

Mindset

SELF- FULFILLING PROPHECIES

The directions our lives will take are all determined by our actions. Our actions follow our intentions, which are fuelled by desire. This means we truly can be the masters of our own destiny if we follow our hearts. To achieve goals, all we have to do is conceive the direction we want to go in, visualise the destination and believe in the outcome we most aspire to. Belief forms our mindset and from here onward, we can determine success or failure (self-defeating prophecies), by practising the right mindset.

Many people have learnt the power of intention through meditation, breathing and yoga practice. Others have discovered that good things happen, purely if we go along with the idea of achieving a positive outcome, even if we seem to 'know' it will turn out otherwise. These surprising effects are down to a phenomenon called the placebo effect.

Belief Follows Action
When we can switch off the busy chatter in our minds, quieten the berating, negative voices and focus on what our desires are – the belief that we can achieve happiness, success, positive change – or whatever the aspirations we choose, will be fuelled by our belief. Taking a blind step into the unknown takes courage. Belief will strengthen as we continue to take these steps.

Allowing the mind to quieten also provides the focus to tap into the energy force at the centre of our being – the heart – a place from where we can discover our role in bringing more meaning to our lives. We all have our place and all are worthy. What we desire, can take years of dedication and practice – it can also eat away at us if we ignore our calling. Sometimes, there are sacrifices to be made and we should never compromise on following what our calling is.

Being the world's greatest at achieving something amazing, is not something we should or even could all aim for. Everyone is different. Whatever our driving force, we all can achieve through a positive mindset. Being a loving parent/partner, a considerate, charitable and decent human being, are just as difficult and equally as rewarding pursuits if we put the effort in to be the best we can be.

Affirmations And Confidence
We are our own worst enemy when it comes to motivation. We are at times our harshest critics and at other moments, pumped-up blow-hards – both can affect self-effiacy and general confidence, which has a knock-on effect on our output levels/quality, enhanced through self-motivation or its counterpart – self-depreciation.

One technique to overcome this problem of negative self-efficacy is to start the day with positive affirmations. These needn't be 'confidence' boosters performed in the mirror, like repeating 'you are the greatest' etc. although a fair degree of self-confidence/esteem is required, to make the first steps – it's more about affirming the status quo from a factual point, whereby realising the positive elements about our lives. The starting point is to express our gratitude for all the positive things we have right now.

Being appreciative of our good fortune will immediately bring on a positive mindset. If we have good health, we are automatically in a very lucky group. If we have a roof over our heads, family, friends and love in our lives – we are in the luckiest group of all. From this standpoint, we can overcome any obstacle and gain the confidence to overcome hardship to achieve success.

Setting Up The Day
After a morning of quiet contemplation, ideally after practising life-enriching breathing techniques, mind-quieting meditation and energy-boosting movement – repeat a mantra that sets up a positive affirmation for the day.

The Internet is a wonderful tool. The links provided on this page are purely an example of the many great techniques and wisdom to be discovered with just a click/tap. Make up your own morning routine, practise it alone or with a loved one and see how this magical moment in the mornings can transform your mindset, for bringing greater confidence, meaning, and focus to your day and ultimately, the rest of your lives.

Consistency

GAINING AN ADVANTAGE 

Sometimes, the best way to succeed is to fail. For if we never lose, how can we know what winning feels like? Taking on a tough challenge can highlight where strengths and weaknesses lie as well as where improvements can be made.

Perhaps, slowly over time, by simply turning up every day to learn these lessons of success and failure, we may eventually arrive at the optimum place for continued success, – purely through consistency.

Sticking To A Plan

Defining an objective, containing a series of steps for attaining a goal, is how we set in motion a plan for action. Self-management of our necessary work output to achieve these steps within a set time frame, plus closely monitoring the quality of all our efforts, will ultimately determine the measure of our success. 

All tasks both great and small, will have a start and a finish line. Our will to commence, coupled with our determination to complete, are what motivates us to carry out tasks. No matter the size of the task, it is always how much effort we put in, for doing the task as best we can, that determines the most beneficial outcome at the finish. 

However, for both big and small tasks, we may not always be able to attain such lofty levels of achievement and this can negatively affect the following attempts. So whatever the output levels may be - there is no greater focus, than for ensuring our tasks are carried out consistently well. 

Slow And Sure

The story of the hare and the tortoise, is a clear message for those who believe going quick off the mark are less likely to cross the line before those who take their time. 

In my 365 days of writing a daily diary/blog, there was an initial, enthusiastic burst of energy at the outset. As the first week's milestone passed, there was an increasingly intense burst of inspiration felt, to help elevate me from the bed at 5am. When the luxury of time allowed it, I'd scribe energetically from dawn until dusk. It was at times like these, with such gusto spurring me on to compose the many paragraphs of freshly acquired knowledge, that I realised, I'd effectively created enough foundation context in preparation for a good few mornings to come. And so, throughout the remaining 51 weeks, as the energy levels ebbed and flowed, I found some opportune moments, to sit back, take the proverbial foot off the gas and just cruise along for the ride. 

I had my metaphorical moments of downhill free-wheeling, however, when it came to applying my determination and continued efforts to stay on track, I always managed to retain consistency. This is simply because I stuck fast to my daily blog writing to achieve my goal average.

The Mean Result

Consistency should not be a harsh tool for punishing ourselves with. It needs to be fair and considered. Consistency can be right or wrongly applied for following both good and bad pathways. Hence we can just as quickly undo any good work as we can for bringing any new benefits. So to be beneficially consistent, we need to have a moderator on the speed we work at, so we can still experience the exhilaration of optimum performance – a state of operation which works conversely well for countering those slower, but steadier paced slogs. Yes, we also can have the easy cruise - that's when we get to enjoy the ride most, as we observe ourselves being carried forward, effortlessly in the race towards our goals. 

Ultimately, there is no single way to win - we need all of these ups, downs and in-between states, to flow in accordance with each other. Playing out goals consistently in this way, allows both the hare and the tortoise to cross the line together in joint first place. 

Focus On The Doing

The real moral of the hare and the tortoise should be this: If we want to achieve our greatest work, we can't expect to accomplish this feat by plodding along or running at full speed. It's not achievable or realistic to do either method and win races all the time. Sometimes the efforts we put in, feel overly arduous or offer seemingly little reward. At other times, the efforts are as if no exertion has been expended at all to bring us the best result. Therefore, it surely matters less, how we approach each task's starting line or how we stride each step, but more so, on our need to remain consistent in our efforts right up to and through the finish line.