judge me by (some of) the
companies I keep

It's a Jungle Out There

Self Realisation is the belief in oneself, so that you can maximise your God-given talent.

Have you decided whether it was the chicken, or the egg? In that vein, do great men or women make history, or does history make great men and women?

Which comes first - does one succeed because you believe in yourself, or do you believe in yourself because you enjoy success?

We are nothing if we do not believe in ourselves. But for the unitiated, true Self realisation can not - and WILL NOT - take place without following a Plan of Action: we must make ourselves believers. And this is best done in phases ...

BELIEF # 1:- THE JUNGLE IS NEUTRAL:

Like our forefathers, we are living in a jungle - there is only one difference ... the trees have made way for concrete.

"Nature does not care whether the hunter slays the beast, or the be ast the hunter. She will make good compost of them both, and her en ds are prospered whichever succeeds." John Burroughs (on the Am erican Wilderness)

The first belief that you have to accept is that the Jungle is not fi lled with predators out to get you. Ask Corporal Chris Ryan MM, of th e British SAS ... no packs of desert wolves swarmed to devour him, wh en late in the evening of 24 January 1991, in the heat of the Gulf Wa r, his eight man patrol was compromised deep behind Iraqi lines. He pr oceeded to walk 300 Km's through enemy territory in seven nights, wi th no food and practically no water, through desert heat, blizzards an d a snow storm, with inadequate clothes, and no proper sleep or shelter.

Their secret? They were prepared for their ordeals, and they refused to lie down and die. They simply faced adversity, and refused to give up .

The entire universe is not out to get you. The odd's are not stacked up higher than you can reach. There aren't predators hiding behind ev ery corner to guzzle you up. Intrinsically, people are more good th an evil. the evil exists first in our own minds. People actually wa nt to help you - let them.

BELIEF # 2:- YOU ARE ALL THAT YOU NEED TO BE

"Most people don't know what they are capable of until they are put to the test." Chris Ryan MM (From "The one that got away") Y ou must believe that you already possess all that you need to be a surv ivor - you simply have to develop and hone your skills, and you have to set your sights on the goals that are worth the struggle of triumph!

BELIEF # 3:- TAIL FIRST

You can solve any problem and overcome any obstacle. You can "eat the elep hant". If you do it one bite at a time, and if you start with the tail . Firstly because it's juicer ... but mainly because it's smaller, and you get to see results faster. That way you can convince yourself that you're up to it by the time you get to the rump.

Set small, measurable and ACHIEVABLE goals. Then conquer them. Then set a slightly more challenging goal, and lick it. And so on. It's also known as the Snowball Principle, or the One Step at a Time Phil osophy.

What follows is PMA - a Positive Mental Attitude. It can't be stopped, it c ant be suppressed. No matter how hard you (or the predators) try. It w ill overpower you. It will empower you. It will make you a surv ivor, and it will set you free.

Until next time ... GOOD LUCK!