Advanced Self-Mastery For Peak Performance
“I am the Master of my Fate and the Captain of my Destiny.” – Nelson Mandela
What is destiny? This is a mystery in which events will take place that are happening to one person in particular. This all unravels over the course of time.
So can a person break free of their destiny? Is there a way that you can do some kind of self-mastery to help control the destiny you have? Everyone asks these questions at some point in their lives. Often, it is the result of a situation that they find themselves in. While we are unable to choose what we are born as, and what and whom we are born with, we can still choose the people we associate with and the things in life that we allow to impact us.
Self-Mastery
From The Last Samurai:
“Katsumoto: You believe a man can change his destiny?
Nathan Algren: I think a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed.”
In order to better understand this, and how it pertains to self-mastery, we need to remember that life is a mixture of free will and pre-determinism. Although, it is usually the free will that helps to transform our reality, through the things that we do.
“If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” – Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
As we learn more, we begin to realize that there are other things we must remember. These items may have some control over the circumstances we have. But as we gain a deeper understanding of this, we are able to exert better control, and prevent the behavior of those around us from having an impact on our lives. While shit happens at the worst possible moment, how you deal with it will say a lot about who you are.
This is where self-mastery can come into play. Since you can achieve results in your life, and that means a person ends up with the greatest control possible over their life.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” ? C.G. Jung
We often believe that it is easier to control others, rather than controlling ourselves. The truth though, is that a person who can control themselves, is more likely to influence and inspire those around them. In many cases, our devotion and actions inspire the same in other people.
“If you do not create your destiny, you will have your fate inflicted upon you.” – William Irvin Thompson
With self-mastery, we can then forge our own destiny, and be able to handle all the challenges we come face to face with. We can ensure that we face the uncertainties in life, while getting a deeper understanding of things that will help us with our self-mastery. When we realize that change and death are the only two certainties in life, we must embrace the experiences we have and utilize them so we can achieve greatness in the process.
“You will never have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself…the height of a man’s success is gauged by his self-mastery; the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment. …And this law is the expression of eternal justice. He who cannot establish dominion over himself will have no dominion over others.” – Leonardo da Vinci
We can view self-mastery as being the ultimate goal a person can strive for. This is a time, when the person uses the elements at their disposal to make their reality and destiny to happen. It allows us to further chase and create our self-willed reality which can be an incredible experience. At the same time, we will learn that we are only able to control what we have our control over. Perhaps the best and most essential item we can cherish as part of this, is ourselves. After all, we have the greatest control over ourselves.
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ? Ralph Waldo Emerson
Since self-mastery is one of the most difficult, yet critically important journeys that you’ll make, it is important to devote your life to it. Make sure you pay attention to the factors that impact things that occur, and consider each process as they come up. That way, you are able to achieve self-mastery with ease. Some of the items to remember for self-mastery are:
1.The Knowledge of Self-Discovery, and Courage
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle
This is the seed from which self-mastery grows. Think about who you are as a person. What are the gifts that you have been given and even what your flaws are? How well do you actually know yourself and have you discovered who you truly are, and your purpose in life?
While you have no ability to control who you are and what you can do, there are still options out there. Think about your own self-discovery and what you learned about yourself. The deeper of an understanding you have in regard to who you are, the more likely to succeed with self-mastery. Don’t view this as trying to discover others and compare. Rather, you’ll want to understand who you are and then begin to expand on things.
“And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?” ? Rumi
When we have formation, and discover the truths that we have, we are able to gain a deeper understanding of the power we have within ourselves. This gives us true and realistic knowledge of who we are. This can come out as things like courage. Keep in mind that with self-mastery courage isn’t a reckless item. Instead, it is your ability to look directly at truth and understand your flaws and the dangers you have, that limit you. You can use this information to push forward and to achieve new levels of greatness.
With fear, you are also limited, because of your identity. That combined with the fear of the known and unknown, and you can feel like you need courage and knowledge to succeed. Fortunately, those who practice self-mastery will find that this is easy to do and you can regain control over your own destiny.
“Knowledge and Courage are the elements of Greatness. They give immortality, because they are immortal. Each is as much as he knows, and the wise can do anything. A man without knowledge, a world without light. Wisdom and strength, eyes and hands. Knowledge without courage is sterile.” – Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
- Self-Belief
Here is something to remember. If you don’t believe or even trust in yourself, it is impossible for anyone else to. The self-belief you have, is quite possibly one of the most important things to do. The power of the body and the mind are fascinating and it can bring you to greatness, or defeat you. With the power of belief, you can do so many great things, and that is why it is part of self-mastery.
“To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when no one else will.” – Sugar Ray Robinson
In order to achieve self-mastery, you need to first understand that you can become your own master. This will give you the power to understand what needs to be done in order to obtain this mastery and it will guide you in a manner that allows you to avoid many of the pitfalls and failures you’d otherwise face.
- Willpower and Discipline
“Will power is to the mind like a strong blind man who carries on his shoulders a lame man who can see.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
The old saying, “When there is a will, there is a way,” is valid when you look at self-mastery. As we consider that man is free, and that makes him the slave to his own desires, we understand what we can do to regain control over ourselves. Especially, as we connect things to this, like discipline and willpower and essentials for s to succeed.
“If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do… the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.” ? George S. Patton
- The Art of Delayed Gratification
Most people become slaves to their own thoughts. But what if you understood your pain points, then you managed to master them. They would be easier to overcome. In fact, you’d become your own master of pleasure and your own life. That means you have the ability to bring pleasure into your life when you need it, while dealing with other things as they arise.
- Minimalism
This is an important part of self-mastery. If you want to truly be free, then you need to ensure that you are free from others. This means the clutches of obligation and that means minimalizing your life. As you remove the clutter, you have the chance to achieve a great deal more. That is because you remove the external influences you have.
A good idea, is to live a minimalist’s life. This means you are free from ideas, people, and things that can prevent you from being free. When you consider the ways you can use this to help create your own freedom, you can achieve greater results. This frugality and austerity are two things to keep as part of your life. Soon, you’ll have freedom of finances, and have the resources you need to break free. That will allow you to succeed along the way.
- Emotional Control
When you realize that they are linked to the above factor, you’ll note that the virtues of emotional control are also an important part of things. It is impossible for you to master your own fate, until you are in control of things like your thoughts and actions.
Those who end up finding security and a sense of fulfillment internally, will truly become masters. They will also note that with this form of self-mastery, there is a breakaway from the myths and misconceptions that often dominate our lives. As we live our own lives in a natural manner, we manage to create a unique identity that allows us to succeed.
“The most important aspect of my personality as far as determining my success goes; has been my questioning conventional wisdom, doubting experts and questioning authority. While that can be painful in your relationships with your parents and teachers, it’s enormously useful in life.” – Larry Ellison
- Perseverance and Patience
Another essential on your path working towards self-mastery, is the understanding of the countless mistakes you’ll make. Those of which people will consider a failure. However, if you pull yourself out of the mistake and you learn from it and head back on your path towards self-mastery, then it is not a failure. Those individuals in the know understand that a mistake can help you to grow and become a self-masterful warrior that can achieve great things. With that, always remember to continue to push forward and to never give up on the journey that you make.
- Self-Reliance
“The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. “? Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
This is perhaps the most self-explanatory item. This is when the warrior becomes their own rock, and has the ability to remain strong.
- Acceptance
“People around you, constantly under the pull of their emotions, change their ideas by the day or by the hour, depending on their mood. You must never assume that what people say or do in a particular moment is a statement of their permanent desires.” ? Robert Greene, Mastery
The value of acceptance is explored quite vividly in Robert Greene’s bestseller “Mastery”, this is something that is an important part of self-mastery and it remains on that subject. We often learn to accept the things the world tosses at us, even when things are bad. For us to achieve self-mastery, we should instead look at other things as they arise. With practice and endurance, it is possible for us to achieve a new and deeper set of items that will lead us to success and self-mastery along with a degree of mastery over those around us.
In Summary
“I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self.” – Aristotle
Remember, there are successful people in this world who refer to their own mastery of life, when they talk about their success. So that remains part of the journey and something that a person should aspire to. If you do that, then you’ll have the chance to take a journey. One that guides us through the process and allows us to gain a deeper understanding of how we can improve our lives with self-mastery.
