No need to reinvent the wheel

You know successful people. You have people you admire for their accomplishments. You have people who you are modeling yourself after. You are interested in accomplishing something similar to them. What are the things in common among them? What do they all agree on? The things they all agree on, the things in the center of that Venn diagram — that’s gold. That’s the center of the bullseye. Focus on those things.

Determine where what you are doing is in relation to that map. Determine how far you are from doing those things. Figure out what you would need to do to bring yourself in closer alignment to that profile. Find out how to do them. Make the adjustments in your actions.

It’s true that some things we can’t control. We have no control over our genetics, or our prenatal conditions, or our historical background, etc. But there are many things that we can change. Directed, focused application of time and energy toward smartly designed goals can change lives.

We are all standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. We are the beneficiaries of their knowledge, their effort, their accomplishments, their experience, their discoveries, their wisdom. They have gifted us with a head start. It is our job to continue the progress. Our contribution is to that legacy, and ultimately to all mankind. All our actions in some way impact the entire world. We are the next link in that chain. Our successors will continue our work after us.

Peace,

Dave Roel.

Our job as adult human beings is to clearly define the path leading to a life of contribution, joy, and growth, and then to walk it.

- Steve Barnes

Romantic Music

When you talk about the history of music you will probably hear about the era's that music history is divided up into. The medieval era lasted from 1150 to 1400. From 1400 to 1600 was the renaissance era . After 1600 came the Baroque period and lasted until 1750.The classical period spans 80 years until 1830 until the Early Romantic period came along and lasted until 1920.

I would have to say that the Romantic period is the best of all. The music was ahead of its time. Beethoven served as the bridge from the Classical to the Romantic era. His later works were harshly criticized because they were just completely different and music was changing. Many pieces of popular classical music were not accepted at the time they were written.

One of my favorite romantic composers is Hector Berlioz who is considered one of the only true romanticists because of his life. Hector Berlioz fell in love with a woman who did not love him back. Because of this he decided to kill himself by overdosing on opium. Instead of dying he fell asleep and had a dream about being marched to the scaffolding because he killed the woman he loved. This dream drove him to write his most famous work Symphonie Fantastique. People didn't believe that someone could have written something so horrible. Some critics are quoted saying that "it was not music".

Music from the Romantic area has many specific characteristics that set it apart from all other music. It tends to contrast the extremes of the keyboard by playing on the lowest octave and moving up to the highest. The pieces are usually written in a minor key. Most romantic music starts out slow and beautiful, but can sometimes turn very fast and vigorous.

I believe in the preservation of classical music and I think that it's great that it is still being played today in concert halls for many people. I think it will take hundreds of years for the classical music that is popular today to be forgotten. 

Individual lines of development

So we have identified our four important life areas. We can now break down the broad categories of the quadrants into individual lines of development.

Individual-Exterior, body:

Health & fitness	Maintaining, enhancing, and restoring our health, vitality, and well-being.
Diet & nutrition	Learning and practicing the principles of healthy eating.
Exercise & activity	Learning the principles of effective exercise, and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Collective-Exterior, mind:

Education & skills-building	Obtaining the education and training we need to attain our goals.
Career & calling	Choosing a career, and working to become successful at it.
Finances & investments	Creating and maintaining the financial resources we need to stay comfortable and to support us in our life's path.

Collective-Interior, spirit:

Relationships & marriage	Building intimate relationships that are loving, enriching, and encourage growth.
Sexuality & sensuality	Developing an intimate, meaningful, and fulfilling sexual relationship. Learning to appreciate the sensory experiences of the world we live in.
Family & children	Creating a strong, loving family and raising children who are happy, healthy, and well-adjusted.
Friendships & community	Developing strong, mutually-supportive communities, and establishing healthy friendships.
Society & culture	Contributing to and helping to create a healthy, just society and an enriching culture.

Individual-Interior, self / shadow:

Spirituality & personal development	Working to grow as a person, become more conscious, and attain higher stages of development.
Emotional processing & psychological health	Establishing, maintaining and enhancing our psychological health and emotional stability.
Values & worldview	Considering our philosophical positions on what is most important to us.

This breaks down the four important life areas into individual lines, so that we can refine our efforts more precisely.

Here's a cartoon. ☺



Peace,

Dave Roel.

We are the fruit of our past and we are the architects of our future.

- Matthieu Ricard

Interrelating goals

First, understand that you have chosen to make your life happy, healthy and balanced in a self-sustaining and honorable way. Second, understand that there will be fear. Overcome it. Third, get clear on your goals. Fourth, progress on your goals at the rate of 1% per week. Fifth, find others who will help you, assist you in your efforts. Sixth, stay motivated through love and faith. Seventh, teach others your path.

Every one of your goals interrelates with the others. For instance, your physical health gives you more energy to devote to your work and your relationship. A good, stable career contributes to a good relationship and assists you in maintaining your health. A good relationship gives you the emotional stability to be effective at your career, and motivates you to exercise. Every one of our important areas is connected to every other one.

Visualize your goals in each area, morning and night, in this way. Slowly breathe, and visualize them. Implant them in the deepest core of your being. Commit to these goals with every level of your consciousness. Particularly your inner child, and your inner elder, the part of you that is still age five, and the part of you that is the eighty (or ninety?) year old you will be. Connect your promise and commitment to these goals to those parts of you.

You might consider doing a visualization implanting while working out; visualization implanting during a cardio session or some yoga moves can be very powerful. (But be careful; some yoga moves and much strength training require full concentration.)

☺

Peace,

Dave Roel.

It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.

- James Gordon