The Power of If (Part 4)
Sunday 25 October 2009 - Filed under gaps + thoughts
I can think of no better introduction to the next lines of Rudyard Kipling’s poem, ‘If‘, than those of author, public speaker and advisor to world leaders, Anthony Robbins. Mr. Robbins’ counsel, “Goals are a means to an end, not the ultimate purpose of our lives,” soundly echos what I believe Rudyard Kipling (RK) meant when he said…
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
We often fall victim to the very human phenomenon, I refer to as the forgotten objective. We get so caught up in the journey, that we lose sight of the original destination. Death bed confessions are replete with accounts of lost focus and painful regret. In the frenzy of work and the blur of checklists, it is all to easy for The Power of If, to be supplanted by the whimper, if only.
A complete recitation of Tony Robbins’ quote provides further insight, ”Goals are a means to an end, not the ultimate purpose of our lives. They are simply a tool to concentrate our focus and move us in a direction. The only reason we really pursue goals is to cause ourselves to expand and grow. Achieving goals by themselves will never make us happy in the long term; it’s who you become, as you overcome the obstacles necessary to achieve your goals, that can give you the deepest and most long-lasting sense of fulfillment.”
The subsequent lines to RK’s If …
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
… aptly illustrates that like Robbins, Kipling recognized that the competing apparitions, ”Triumph and Disaster,” are truly impostors. Such impersonators can never, “give you the deepest and most long-lasting sense of fulfillment.” The experiences that hold the greatest value, are discovered in deep waters, far from the shore of public opinion and beyond the light cast by our fifteen minutes of fame. ~Russ
Twelve lines down and twenty to go.
(Sources: Awaken the Giant Within-Anthony Robbins) -Available on Amazon
2009-10-25 » Russ Leseberg
27 October 2009 @ 6:23 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Russ Leseberg and Atlanta, Carla J van Rensburg. Carla J van Rensburg said: RT @rleseberg experiences that hold the greatest value, R discovered in deep waters, far from the shore of public opinion: http://ow.ly/wNnD [...]
29 October 2009 @ 11:16 am
Russ, you ought to read “This I Believe” and check out which is its related website. More thought provoking stuff.
1 November 2009 @ 7:50 pm
Valuable thoughts and advices. I read your topic with great interest.
3 November 2009 @ 1:47 pm
excellent; very thought provoking and true!
10 December 2009 @ 10:27 am
I have to disagree somewhat with Robbins. By saying that ‘it’s who we become that provides satisfaction’, he’s substituting one ‘end’ for another. It’s not who we become at the end, or at any interemediate point, guided by our goals, that makes us happy. though there are moments of satisfaction in that. But true satifaction comes in savoring each minute of every day along the way and so building up a treasure chest of positive memories, doing worthwhile things that brings satisfaction. When I think about who I am now, I can list of my traits and reflect on how I acquired them, but there is geared satisfaction in sweat memories along the way. You touch on this at the but I think it deserves more emphasis
When my wife’s father was dying of cancer he did not reflect on what goals he had accomplished or what they had made of him. He reflected on the body of joy of the experiences he had accumulated and regretted that he had not slowed down and taken much more time to enjoy the journey.
Maybe it’s a different, complementary way to look at but from my experience, I think it is crucial.
Jon