The essence of all progress and happiness

Individual courage to deviate from the norm when it makes sense is crucially important for progress and happiness. Opportunities are distributed without apparent order in the market and each of us possesses more knowledge than we are aware of, but knowledge and opportunities won't do much good if you are not willing to do what's needed.

In many cases, you are going to be first unable to name the reasons behind your intuitions, but after some reflection, you will come up with the real reason that is driving you to try something new, something outside the norm. Your experience, skills and alertness can detect subconsciously many chances that you will only succeed in verbalising after extensive reflection. That's perfectly normal. That's the key to improving your station in life and raising your level of happiness.

If you are used to thinking creatively, you are bound to be puzzled when you encounter people who are psychologically immobilised, unable to attempt anything new, incapable of learning, used to silencing their curiosity and suppressing their ambition.

Psychologically immobilised

Many of those people will feel unable to take risks because they have suffered losses in the past. "Why don't they take their losses and move on?" you may ask yourself. Are they not clever enough to see that immobility inevitably leads to failure and unhappiness?

The determining factor in pursuing progress and happiness steadily and courageously is not intelligence, education or age. If you look around, you will observe self-defeating behaviour in large segments of the population. Paralysing conformity is affecting both ignorant and educated people, both experienced and young individuals.

The key ingredient in the answer is that, before you can move forward, you have be willing to get unstuck, which is something that requires effort, dedication and patience. Before you can focus your vision on a better future, you have to be willing to open your eyes and recognise that the present is less than desirable. Before you can use your resources productively, you have to set your energies free. You have to set yourself free from what is keeping you stuck. Free from what? 

• From tasks, chores, and activities that you don't like, and that you are doing out of an irrational respect for tradition, custom or conformity.
• From people who don't appreciate you, ignore you, or waste your time, people with whom you are putting up out of excessive benevolence.
• From challenges, goals and interests that are not really your own, that you have picked up somewhere along the way but that are now preventing you from doing what you know you should be doing, from what you know you need to do in order to move forward.

A crucial choice

A day will come in your life when you must choose between giving up your dreams and staying put, or dropping all dead weight so that you can move forward. When that time comes, you really need to make the right decision.

Make it easier for you to get out of the rut. Pick up a sheet of paper and make a list of people to ditch, things to dump, and races that you are no longer willing to run. Start discarding today everything that doesn't work, and you will soon be amazed at how resourceful you have become in pursuing the few things that count.

Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com

Image: Photograph of classical painting. Photograph taken by John Vespasian, 2016.

For more information about rational living, I refer you to my books

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Here are the links to three audio interviews just published:

• John Vespasian interviewed by Dr Benjamin Page on "The Wellness Farmer" about how to live undisrupted in today's world.
• John Vespasian entrevistado por el Dr Benjamin Page en "La Salud Integral" sobre como vivir sin interrupciones en el mundo de hoy. 
• John Vespasian interviewed by Chris Shea on "On Finding Peace" about the book "Undisrupted: How highly effective people deal with disruptions."

How to turn a desperate situation into a resounding victory in five simple steps

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"We will all be dead soon," predicted centurion Millius, looking over the ramparts at the barbarian hordes surrounding Rome in the year 536 C.E. He had good reasons to feel discouraged, since Romans were outnumbered 30 to 1 by the attackers.

General Belisarius shook his head. "If we use our forces effectively, we will prevail," he replied. History proved Belisarius right: He succeeded in defending Rome with 5.000 veteran Roman legionnaires against an attack by 150.000 barbarians.

The heavy losses inflicted by Belisarius on the attackers made them give up their siege of Rome three weeks later. 90.000 barbarians lost their life during their failed attempt to conquer Rome. When they retreated, Belisarius pursued them across Italy, and finished them off. A crushing victory.

How did Belisarius manage to turn a desperate situation into a resounding victory? His strategy has been profusely studied by historians. The five steps taken by the Romans in 536 C.E. can be recommended to anyone facing a major crisis. Here is a summary of those five steps.

First

The first step consists of stabilising the problems you are facing. Belisarius took immediate measures to stabilise the situation. When he heard that attackers were approaching Rome, Belisarius had his troops work day and night at reinforcing the city battlements, and digging deep ditches to protect the ramparts base. In addition, Belisarius had a thick chain drawn across the river in order to prevent enemy ships from entering the city from the riverbanks.

Second

The second step consists of dealing with the essential necessities. Belisarius then allocated minimum resources to cover the essential defensive necessities. To each crucial area of the ramparts, he assigned a lieutenant and a small group of legionnaires, giving the instruction that no man should ever leave his post under any circumstances. Belisarius knew that he had to maintain his outer line of defence intact. Otherwise, Rome would fall into the attackers' hands.

Third

The third steps calls for focusing your resources on the most urgent issues. Hour after hour, Belisarius concentrated his forces on fighting the most urgent danger at each time. On each occasion, he used his soldiers to inflict maximum damage on attackers with the minimum possible risk. Once and again, he climbed the ramparts, picked up an arch himself, drew an arrow, and ordered the Romans to aim at the closest attackers. The rain of arrows decimated the barbarians, making them retreat and allowing Belisarius to focus on the next problem. He simply walked from one critical area to the next.

Fourth

The fourth step consists of staying calm, no matter what. Belisarius maintained his serenity, shifting his resources from one pressing emergency to the next. He kept his presence of mind in the middle of dead and wounded soldiers, identifying the most urgent problem to be addressed at each moment. His mind was concentrated on the problem at hand. Belisarius had no time to grow stressed, anxious or depressed. He simply did what he had to do, hour after hour. By moving his forces quickly from one critical point to the next, he multiplied their effectiveness, and achieved a remarkable victory.

Fifth

The fifth step calls for taking initiative. As soon as he perceived an opportunity, Belisarius took the initiative. Each time that Roman archers repelled an attack making their enemies flee, Belisarius ordered to open the gates, and had his cavalry pursue the barbarians, causing heavy losses amongst them. When your are facing a crisis, you will do much better if you move from a reactive mode to a proactive one.

For fifteen centuries, Belisarius' strategy has proven effective on innumerable occasions. Stabilising your situation, addressing your most pressing problems, keeping calm, shifting your resources as needed, and taking initiative are the key steps you need to take in order to turn around difficult situations. Belisarius' wisdom contains lessons that we all can apply in our own lives today in the twenty-first century.

Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com

Image: Photograph of classical building. Photograph taken by John Vespasian, 2016.

For more information about rational living, I refer you to my books

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Here is the link to an audio interview just published:

• John Vespasian interviewed by Andrew Schatkin on "The Andrew Schatkin Show" on 26 February 2019.

Undisrupted: How highly-effective people deal with disruptions

Is your life running smoothly, always filled with success and happiness? Or do you sometimes face disruptions and periods of chaos? If this is the case, you need the lessons contained in this book:

• How industrialist Savva Mamontov could have prevented disruption from destroying his life.
• Why Albert Schweitzer only grew happy and famous after turning his life upside down.
• The disruptive strategy that enabled Joseph Paxton, a simple gardener, to become wealthy.
• How it is possible that the all-powerful Knights Templar were wiped out overnight.
• The method conceived by Abbot Suger in the twelfth century for running projects smoothly.
• Which variation of positive thinking Emile Coue invented for overcoming disruptions.

This book presents real-life lessons that can massively increase your ability to succeed in the face of disruptions.

TABLE  OF  CONTENTS

 Introduction

Chapter 1 - The key to dealing effectively with disruption

An example taken from real life

The type of disruptions you should embrace wholeheartedly

A powerful insight emerges: Kovalevsky's discovery

Do this, and you will avert catastrophic consequences

An unchangeable principle, although so often ignored

Chapter 2 - Using disruptive moves for career success

A habit that you absolutely need to acquire

Why I am in favour of risk reduction

The zero-risk approach: a model to imitate

Progress will be smoother if you don't force the machine

Disruptions that create opportunities for advancement

Chapter 3 - A fruitful way to turn your life upside down

The perfect antidote against feelings of dissatisfaction

Surprising decisions will stir up opposition, so what?

When your best option is to turn your life upside down

A resilient lifestyle and its favourable consequences

Negative criticism that has proven unjustified

Chapter 4 - The nonsense of going back to nature

Countryside quietness can be deceptive and harmful

How people develop unsustainable views

Confusion and disorientation are not heroic

An unstable personality is a recipe for disaster

The delusion of a peaceful, undisturbed life in nature

Chapter 5 - Stop listening to prophets of doom

Beware that not all knowledge is created equal

Listen only to those who offer you a workable approach

Attain general victories by overcoming specific disruptions

Give me real solutions, not statistical data

Why millions of people keep suffering from anxiety

Chapter 6 - How to make yourself immune to disruptions

Two talented men, two heavily contrasting results

A relentless focus on existing opportunities

Productiveness as a way of life: the underlying philosophy

Low-cost innovation can make you dramatically stronger

Solid structures and solid routines keep disruptions away

Chapter 7 - People who survive extreme situations

Can you find a way forward despite severe setbacks?

Effective strategies after encountering extreme disruptions

Thriving against all odds in hostile environments

Fell from a flying aeroplane, survived and recovered well

Questionable certainties in the face of disruption

Chapter 8 - Proven recipes against vulnerability

Less vulnerability, fewer disruptions: an illustration

Victory over vulnerability in four simple steps

The art of rendering yourself more resistant to disruptions

Segmentation: a solid strategy you can implement today

How to structure your day, so that it's remarkably strong

Chapter 9 - The poisonous myth of the inception point

A dangerous fallacy that is leading many people stray

The Knights Templar: fierce warriors, easily overturned

Beware of false narratives of prosperity and strength

Overnight demise is a fairy tale for the unwary

Individuals who undermine their own defences

Chapter 10 - Master's lessons for thinking on your feet

Here is a formula that always works to your advantage

The light touch of the master: no fear, no overreaction

Making good choices in the face of overwhelming pressure

When you are given only ten seconds to save the day

The right way to repair structural damage

Chapter 11 - Never late, never defeated, never derailed

A universal method for handling destabilizing factors

This mental trick from the Middle Ages is still working

Kilograms, meters, hours – what do they have in common?

A crash course on error prevention

You don't need to employ more than six elements

Chapter 12 - Overcoming physical and mental disruptions

How a desperately ill woman turned her life around

The resistance to acknowledging past errors

A decisive step towards a new life

Taking a close look at faith healing

Here is a variation of positive thinking that really works

Chapter 13 - A controversial recipe for smooth living

Learning to look beyond bits and pieces of information

Ingredients of a lifestyle that keeps disruptions at bay

How to perceive signals well in advance

Accepting the drawbacks of simplicity and speed

Eight preventive measures against disruption

Discard ideas that are keeping you weak and vulnerable

Conclusion

Recommended reading

Index

How to optimise your chances in the face of deficiencies, errors and failures

 

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Past mistakes have taught me many lessons. The most essential has been to realise the crucial value of ideas. Amongst the obstacles you'll find on your way to a better life, wrong ideas constitute the largest hurdle to overcome. Poverty and lack of opportunity can keep you down for a while, but wrong ideas can literally destroy your life.

Sound philosophical convictions play a determinant role in success and happiness because they enable you to focus on goals and pursue them consistently. In contrast, wrong ethical values are rendering people blind and leading them stray.

Individuals who have embraced irrational ideas are unable to perceive opportunities and move forward. Nonsensical convictions are rendering them passive and vulnerable. In particular, the following two ideas represent enormous obstacles to success:

First, the idea that you should feel ashamed by your deficiencies, errors and failures. In fact, there are no limits to the motives you can use for feeling ashamed. You can make yourself ashamed of being too quick or too slow, too small or too big, too young or too old, and so forth. It doesn't matter what motive you are using because they are all worthless. You should not let them discourage you from working steadily at improving your lot.

If people criticise you, listen carefully and see if they have a point. Then try to improve the situation, assuming that it is something under your control. Do your part, display good efforts, and move on. Life is short. You have no time to waste. Use you energies for pursuing worthy goals, not for lamenting your weaknesses.

Whatever you do and no matter how well you do it, lots of people are going to dislike you out of envy, ignorance or fear. Learn from their remarks if those make sense, but then shrug your shoulders at the rest, and continue to advance on your chosen path.

Second, the belief that life is unfair and that you have no real chances to improve your lot. This false idea is widespread in society because there will always exist people who possess everything you want, and who seem to have attained it without much effort. Maybe this is true, but so what?

I am not denying that some individuals owe their success to inheritance, luck or family connections, but this does not mean that you should be paralysed by envy. The fact that other people are ahead of the game, for whatever reason, does not mean that you should give up your hopes of success. Not at all. Other people's good luck is irrelevant to your personal achievement. Just keep doing what has to be done, and you will optimise your chances.

Imagine, for instance, that a competitor has fantastic connections and that you have none. If such connections are required to succeed in a certain field, you'd better acknowledge reality, but that doesn't mean that you have no chance to move forward. Take notice of the situation, and focus your efforts on areas where you have better prospects.

Even if you choose to devote your life to improving society, you should not fall prey to the delusion that you need to change the whole world before you can become prosperous and happy. It is simply not true. It helps to remind yourself daily that, on the road to achievement, wrong ideas will always constitute your largest obstacle. Discard them today before they can do any damage. 
 
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com

Image: Photograph of classical painting. Photograph taken by John Vespasian, 2018.

For more information about rational living, I refer you to my books   

 
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Christmas, a time to slow down in order to advance faster

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"You are a strange man, Ludovico," complained Alessandra Benucci. "You say that you love me, but you care as little for me as you do for your career." Ludovico Ariosto looked out of the window and did not reply immediately.

His new job as governor of Lucca was difficult and his salary meagre, but the beauty of Tuscany never ceased to astonish him every time he looked outside. "Sometimes, you have to slow down to prepare yourself for a long run," answered Ludovico, shrugging his shoulders. "Anyway, at this moment, this was the only job I could find."

"But you promised that we would get married soon," went on Alessandra, walking up to him and setting her hand on his shoulder. It was June of 1516 and, in three months, Ludovico would be forty-two years old. He turned around to face Alessandra and saw his promises reflected in her eyes.

"I am just asking you to have a little patience, my love," he said, taking in a deep breath. "We will be married as soon as I have saved enough money to lead a proper life." How often had he tried to explain that to her? A hundred, a thousand times? It didn't matter.

Ludovico had changed jobs often, always moving forward, working endless days only to be able to devote the nights to his passion. After years of efforts, he had just completed his poem "Orlando Furioso," although he was still planning to make some revisions.

"You should just let it stand as it is now, Ludovico," exhorted Alessandra. "Your poem is more than good, it is even more than wonderful! It is high time for you to publish it and work on something else. Why don't you write a comedy to please the Bishop? Or a song dedicated to the Duke?"

During the following eight years, Ludovico saved as much money as he could from his salary. Shortly after his fiftieth birthday, he fulfilled his promise and married Alessandra. The couple purchased a small farm near Ferrara, and retired to live there.

When Ludovico Ariosto published his poem "Orlando Furioso," only eighty six copies were printed. During his retirement in Ferrara, he never stopped revising the poem. It is believed that he rewrote parts of it at least two hundred times.

Little by little, the reputation of "Orlando Furioso" began to grow. By the time Ludovico was fifty-seven, his poem had been reprinted many times, and was already considered the work of a genius. Nevertheless, Ludovico continued to make revisions. After his death, Alessandra Benucci published the final version. It was absolutely perfect.

Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com

Image: Photograph of classical painting. Photograph taken by John Vespasian, 2018.

For more information about rational living, I refer you to my books   

 
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