Architect of Your Own Fortune

 (PHOTO: Me on part of the Drakensburg Mountains in South Africa)

   

Everyone is the architect of their own fortune. 

This quote (adapted to fit today's language styles) has been credited to various people, but Appius Claudius Caecus (340 BC – 273 BC) said it first in a speech addressed to Cineas, declaring that Rome would never surrender.

 How does that apply to you, here in the 21st century? There is deep wisdom in the phrase. It implies that everyone has the power to direct their own lives; create the fortune that makes them happiest. 

 You hold the key to unlocking your ultimate life. 

           You also hold the key to beating depression, anxiety or whatever you may be fighting. It's not easy to have your ultimate life, or reach your full potential. It's difficult. Really difficult. Most things worth anything are very hard to get, or achieve. That is part of what makes them so alluring, and in the end, so rewarding. Would you feel as proud if you achieved something without even trying? No (well maybe you would, but I'm guessing no), you'd feel bored. Part of achieving your goals and reaching your pinnacle is the road along the way. The obstacles you overcome help you grow and gain strength (mentally, physically and spiritually). 

           Though the path you desire to carve through life may seem daunting, and reaching your goals impossible, it doesn't have to be so. Especially when you remember that you have the power in yourself, and you can control your choices. Control is generally an illusion. We can't control the weather, or nature. But we can control our reactions to events and our choices in life. 

            In following our paths we will come across obstacles, they are an inevitable part of life. We will fall down. Nothing is perfect. Life is not perfect. Life is not fair. There is only one way past these obstacles: "adapt and overcome"; to borrow a phrase used so often by Bear Grylls (survivalist, writer and producer). 

            Though his shows are generally over-the-top, somewhat set-up and usually involve an inordinate amount of creature-killing, his expression is exactly what so many of us need to hear. And it's not just applicable to surviving nights out in the flat tundra of the arctic. 

           To adapt and overcome applies to so many facets of life. Overcoming any obstacle or challenge naturally involves accepting the situation and gradually re-adjusting our route. We can choose to get stuck behind the obstacle and sit there, waiting. But the obstacle will go nowhere and neither will we. Only when we choose to be the Architect of Our Own Fortune and press forward, adapting to our situations and overcoming them gradually with the help of friends, family and other social networks will we move forward on our journeys to health, happiness and success.

Please take a few moments to listen to this very motivating song by a progressive metal band from Sweden:
Circus Maximus - Architect of Fortune

 If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to Conquer The Clouds

Other topics you may be interested in: 

 What motivates you?

Engine for Change - Motivation for self-relection and self-improvement. 

Staying Motivated when Discouraged

An engine for change... motivation for self-reflection and self-improvement

Welcome all to Conquer the Clouds.

I started this blog half a year ago with the intention of sharing ideas and coping strategies, information and other things regarding anxiety and depression, motivation and goal-setting and achievement.

I also began this blog with the intention of helping others along their paths of self-improvement and development. I have long since been interested in the psychology of thought and action, as well as the psychology of mental illness. I never really gave an introductory post for Conquer the Clouds because I was still trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to do with it. It is a learning hub, and an engine for change.

I would like to share some of my background and history with you, in order for you to understand CTC's birth a little better.

I remember when I was 8 years old, reading my mom's psychology textbook (she was taking a course at the time, if I recall correctly). I remember being fascinated by everything in it. In highschool, biology became my passion (I am sure if we had highschool level psychology courses, I would have been right onto it). And then in college and university I pursued biology with ferocity - only adding psychology into my life as electives and hobby-reading.

Coming up on a couple years after having graduated, I feel as though I have learned so many things about living, working and being human in our time and society...
My passions have evolved, some have shifted, some have become almost obsolete...

I realize though, that throughout all my experiences, I am not a collection of segmented memories. I am a fluid, ever-experiencing, ever-evolving, and growing person. Every new challenge, and every new failure changes me for the next.

I would like to work with you on your journeys as I take on my own, to find a place in ourselves where, while the world turns, we can remain strong and knowledgeable.

Learning is the ultimate strength. Knowledge is the tool to move us forward.

Take this challenge, to become the strongest you.

Conquer on!