There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself. – Louis XIV
Do you really need to check your e-mail again? Will the world end if you don’t check your social media until this evening? What can you do with the time you just freed up coupled with the belief that you are unstoppable! Get busy!
What does that mean?
This quote is about what you do after you finish doing this quote. In that blog post I discussed how challenging it can be to change yourself and to conquer your desires. Today’s quote talks about the person who has (largely) completed this journey and is now looking for something new to do.
The person who could be that honest with themselves about their faults, be that dedicated to have eradicated each flawed desire in their life, these people will be hard to stop. On top of that, they will have few vices or other issues to hold them back or to slow them down.
Once they have conquered themselves, what could possibly be a challenge to them going forward? They have already beaten the toughest of all opponents, namely themselves. Now, as they turn their sights outward, can you imagine any obstacle lasting very long, if they decided that it was in their way?
Why is the conquest of self important?
Conquering yourself is largely a matter of self discipline. However, like most things in life, it is more about technique than brute strength. Even people known for having an iron will still succumb to temptations from time to time.
To me, conquering yourself involves something deeper than just will power. It involves finding ways to reduce the desire in the first place and then replacing any less-helpful behaviors associated with the desire with a behavior that is helpful to you instead.
Once you have taken care of your weaknesses, your fears, your temptations, and all the other things that hold you down or slow you down, you are free. Free of the baggage, and free to take on the next challenge in your life, whatever it might be.
Where can I apply this in my life?
Please note that I don’t believe that working on yourself precludes in any way, shape or form, any other activity outside of your self-conquest. Unless you are in a situation where you have no outside responsibilities or needs (like a hermit, perhaps), you will have to do both at the same time.
You can refer back to the prior post (see the first paragraph of this post) for hints on conquering yourself. This post will focus more on what you will do once you have sorted yourself out, or are in the process of doing so.
Take a moment and consider all the time you spend on things you know you shouldn’t do, things you know are a waste of time. If you could conquer yourself and say ‘no’ to the temptation, what would you do with all that extra time each day? What could you do to help yourself or others live a better, happier, or healthier life?
Now consider what you do with your money. Are there things you buy that you don’t really need? Could you save some money by not eating out as often? Are there other ways to have fun that doesn’t cost as much? If you were able to resist the temptation to buy things you don’t need, or resist the urge to spend as much money, what would you do with the extra cash?
For those who are following along with the other blog post, the things you came up with (both the things you could do less of, and what you would do with the extra time or cash) could be used as additional leverage to help you hold steadfast in the face of temptation.
I’ll take a guess that you are still working on the final battles in the war to conquer yourself. That being fairly likely, let’s consider what you will be like when you are finished with the battle, and have claimed victory over the weaker parts of yourself.
What kind of changes would you start making in the world around you? How would you change the way you relate to other people? How would you better deal with stress? How would you use your extra time and money? What would life feel like once you got there? How much more rewarding would it be to be able to do those things? Take a moment and really let that sink in, savor the feeling. That’s your goal, right?
Now consider what you can do, starting right now. What steps can you take that will lead you in the direction you wish to go? Sure, you’re not unstoppable just yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make some progress with the time and money you presently have, and the best ‘you’ that you can muster today.
Think of something and get started. You probably already do something (or a few somethings). Take a moment and decide how you might do a little more in one or more of these activities. You might even identify something you’re willing to give up to get the extra time or money (or whatever other resource you may not be making the best use of) to help you in your effort.
While there is little that can withstand someone who has conquered themselves, there are plenty of things you can do in your present level of self-conquest. Don’t wait until you are perfect. Get started now, and keep working to improve yourself.
From: Twitter, @Quote4UDaily
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/louisxiv183417.html
Photo by Ed Yourdon
