Past the breaking point

The whole idea of success is reshaped by athletes of extreme sports who dare to push the limits.  Their idea of success involves teaching their bodies not to listen to their minds when their brain tells them they are in pain and should stop. On the contrary, this is when they learn to forge on.

Consider Tammy Van Wisse, from Victoria, Australia.  She apparently started swimming about the age of 11. At the time, she was taunted for being overweight. By 2004, she had swam the equivalent of 1+ 1/2 times around the world and holds many records. She specializes in cold water, distance swimming.  In June of 2004. Tammy swam the Gippsland lakes in fridgid waters 24 miles in less than 10 hrs. She attributes her swimming success to eating junk food and teaching her body to metabolise and work efficiently, based on her fat stores.

Consider David Harper who managed to complete Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon in sandals. I'm surprised the rubber soles didn't melt onto the asphalt which heated up to 150 degrees.  The air temperature rose to 124 degrees.  If that weren't enough of a challenge, this is a California trek that begins in Death Valley, the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level. The race finishes at 8,360 feet, covering 3 mountain ranges for a total of 13,000 feet of vertical ascent and 4,700 feet of descent. The race ends at the trail head to the Mount Whitney summit, the highest point in the U.S.A.  Not a bad race course, if you live 'on the edge'.

Runners must finish this 'the world's toughest footrace,' in under 60 hours to get a special T-shirt. To get a belt buckle, they must finish within 48 hours.  Sound doable? At 40 miles into the 2006 race, Harper had developed terrible blisters. At 80 miles into the race, and after many shoe and sock changes, and repeatedly taping his feat to dull excruciating pain, he opted to wear open-toe Keen sandals. This tactic slowed his pace to a crawl, but he ended up finishing 57th out of 85 runners.

It's worth noting that more people have climbed Mount Everest than have completed this Badwater ultramarathon. Do you really wonder why? Consider the Age's Top Ten world-class races for Athlete Adventurers.  Would any be your 'cup of tea?' http://www.adventurecorps.com/news/bw/2006theage.html 

When you least expect it

I believe in guardian angels.  I sense their presence all the time.  Yet, instances occur where they let seem to us know they're really there for us. They seem to go out of the way to facilitate things so details of our lives come together. At least that's how I choose to interpret certain events.

Consider when you're driving somewhere and you have time constraints. How does it happen that you get mostly green lights? Sure, you can attribute this to alpha thinking and attracting the most desirable circumstances into your life. You could have the same response when you seem to stumble on a parking spot right near the entrance of your destination. Yet, might a Divine explanation exist?  Are you convinced you have power to intend events to happen on your own?

What about when you desperately desire to organize travel plans at the last minute to attend a funeral or another special event, and singles seats appear on the planes so you can miraculously make all your connections?  Everything seems connected--how we think, what we think about, even if the links seem subtle. You can dream about the future and events come true. Your life experiences evolve into situations you somehow predicted, or reinforce what you already know.

I read about a six year old girl who fell into a deep coma riddled with cancer. She later recounted how she had shocked her mother and all the doctors when she awoke very lucid. The medical specialists were stunned when a series of tests revealed the cancer was in total remission. They decided it could only be described as a miracle. She explained how while in the coma, she heard a voice speaking through her as if she was talking to herself. She had no argument or objection because she already understood the explanations for everything. She believes it connected her to a presence she had always felt and still feels to this day. On awakening, she learned to forget what she was convinced she knew. She still senses invisible helpers.

Think your own thoughts. What really happens to you and around you? Interpret how you choose. Everything about your life can seem to make perfect sense. How do you define the workings of your real world? Is life as you see it made up of a series of coincidences, illusions or, is it growing based on nuances beyond your scope?

Animalistic tendencies?

Enough is enough. Whatever people are doing around you, this doesn't mean you have to think like them or behave like them. You can decide to change the view you have of yourself. Did you ever begin to expect positive personality changes in your life? People may overlook you and your many efforts. Yet, if you keep doing the right thing, your life is going to unfold in ways you may never have thought possible. Amidst all of this, would you have animalistic tendencies?

Some people begin to compare themselves to an animal based on personality traits. You may hear people may call themselves or others: "lazy as a sloth," "forgetful as a goldfish," "slow as a snail," "sly as a fox," "vain as a peacock," "unpredictable as a chameleon," "neurotic as a male hyena" or, "talkative as a parakeet."  These particular comparisons are criticisms that don't bolster positive thinking.  Why would we go so far as to reinforce the negative with such vivid visual examples? Would it be a desire to drive the self-doubt home? Why might you associate yourself with creatures you don't reallly like? This may signal that deep down, you don't like aspects of yourself. Why not turn the tables so that a positive side shines through?

Comparisons with some animal and insect personality traits can indeed be very uplifting and complimentary. You may have heard, "wise as an owl," "industrious as an ant," "loyal as a dog," "conscientious as a chimpanze," "graceful as a swan," "social as a butterfly," "soar like an eagle" or, "improvise like a grasshopper." These views reflect compliments which carry over to enable people to feel good.

As you realize you have choices and free will, you can step back and visualize the traits you believe you have hidden inside or would like to develop. You evolve into how you think. You can envision 'the new you' by making comparisons with animals and personality traits you admire. If you desire to become a more effective communicator, decide you will.  Seek out desirable situations. Decide to be "happy as a clam." Extroverts hone their social skills.  It enables them to "transform like a dragonfly." The opposite effect may happen with introverts who decide to be "quiet as a mouse," "invisible as a spider web" or "uncomfortable as a fish out of water."

What does all this mean, you ask? It draws attention to not only the choices of words we use to describe ourselves, but also the complex ways we go about clarifying how we see ourselves and others. Whether or not animal and insect personalities offer insight into human personalities is less important than the perception we and societies have of such comparisons. Its useful to recall animal personalities have more than one side. More than one trait or personality associated is associated with each animal. As you review the influences on your mindset, you might consider animal personallity traits and which matches yours? https://www.seeker.com/animals-and-their-characteristics-1768684135.html

Silence is golden

Take the risk to be still. Know provocateurs can't touch your inner peace unless you let them. Anyone can verbally attack another person. You may know a smart aleck or someone who would like to get your goat. Why permit that?

Anyone can be angry and express things with the aim of harming others. Anyone can be sarcastic, devalue and belittle people. Silence is a universal refuge, a place to ignore such behavior and project a very poignant reply to insults. Silence is a peacemaker.

It takes a warrior to be silent and to recognize the benefits and strategies of passive action. Silence is very powerful. Silence can also enable you to spread love, compassion and positive feelings that some adversaries wouldn't expect. Manifest and intend good things from inside you. This will set yourself free.

Silence is more valuable than you might think. Spiteful words can injure feelings, but silence can highly influence the soul. Have you ever thought that silence can actually be the loudest voice and leave the greatest impact?

Silence is a source of great strength. The best weapon against anger and volatility is silence. Why add fuel to a fire? Sometimes saying nothing is the best answer, the most compelling speech. Its not necessarily a reprimand, but can acknowledge the foolishness of certain acts that aren't worth your time or energy.

"The world would be much happier if men had the same capacity to be silent that they have to speak."   –Baruch Spinoza

Agree to disagree

How often do you encounter people who continually disagree with you as if to spite you? Why is that? Some people seem born to challenge you or to make your life difficult. Is it possible you attract troubled people into your life? Why?

Why would leaving your emotions behind seem like a perfectly logical thing to do? Some people learn to become detached and at least act disinterested, but it may not answer the question 'why resorting to this is needed.'

You could always ‘agree to disagree’ as a way to resolve conflict. Yet, adversarial types don’t desire to compromise.  By nature, they appear intolerant. They reject views, opinions or positions because they feel like it.  What do you do with people who act as though additional conflict is called for, effective and desirable? They may avoid amicable terms and continue to disagree because they have never learned how to agree.  Why has nobody taught them?