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30 June 2010

I am the master of my fate


"Self-mastery is the ultimate test of our character." -President James E. Faust

Mind is the master power that molds and makes,
And we are Mind, and evermore we take
The tool of thought, and shaping what we will,
Bring forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills,
We think in secret, and it comes to pass -
Our world is but our looking glass.
-- James Allen

I LOVE this poem. I really do believe that our minds have great potential and that we can shape ourselves and our attitudes by mastering our mind. By mastering our minds we are controlling our thoughts, by controlling our thoughts we are focusing our attention to the things that are most important to us, and by focusing on those things we are that much closer to becoming the people we want to become. Like Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do." I could expand on this poem in so many directions... obviously one lesson to learn is how thinking positive and having a good attitude makes all the difference in life. The greatest lesson I learn from this poem is that of self-mastery... mastering our thoughts, desires, and actions.

I control my thoughts, I control my habits, I control how I react to situations, I control my moods, I control myself. One of my pet peeves is people blaming bad habits or a bad attitude on outside sources and not accepting responsibility for themselves.
For example: I'm in a bad mood because of the weather, I pick my nose because of my dad, I can think dirty thoughts because I'm a guy, I'm addicted to shopping because I'm a girl, and worst of all: I get [angry] because "that's just how I am," ... those are random and made up examples, but I think you get the point. Believe me, I haven't got this self-mastery thing down, but I'm at least willing to take responsibility for my choices and attitude. Nobody can make me be mad, angry, happy, sad, annoyed, or overjoyed. People may help influence me in a certain direction, but in the end it's my choice. Click HERE if you would like to read good talk on self-mastery. 

Sorry for that rant. Those thoughts lead me to this wonderful poem...

 "Invictus"
William Ernest Henley 
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud:
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed. . . .

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

With all of that being said... the pressure is on. The Lord and I are at the driving wheel of my life and because of that I will act and not be acted upon. I have no excuses for not being happy and loving life. Don't get me wrong, right now life is great and I am very happy! But once school starts up again this post may come in handy for me. School is about the only think I can think of that I blame things on. For example: I can hear myself say, "School is making me go crazy! School is stressing me out. This class is irritating me." This will be a hard one to fix, but I'll try... because "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." 

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