On the
Path of Winners
By Bayo
Ogunmupe
How you
create your fate
WHY are
some people more successful than others? And why do so many people live lives
of quiet desperation? The reason is attributable to Aristole’s Principle of
causality. Today we call it the law of Cause and Effect. This law means:
everything happens for a reason, for every effect there is a specific cause.
The Greek philosopher, Aristotle was the first person to aver that we live in a
world governed by law, not by chance. Thus, the search for truth, for causal
relationships among events, has led to the rise of the West in science,
technology, philosophy and warfare for more than 2000 years. Today, this focus
has shifted our mindset and is driving the development that is changing our
world so dramatically.
This law says
that personal and business achievements are all the direct or indirect, results
of causes or actions. This means that if you know what you want, you can
achieve it through observing others who have achieved the same goal. By doing
what they did, you can get the same results. Success isn’t an accident, you can
create it by your actions.
In the Bible,
the law of cause and effect is called, the Law of Sowing and Reaping, which
says, ‘whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap’. Sir Isaac Newton
called it the third law of motion. He said that for every action, there is an
equal and opposite reaction. But for you and me, the only relevant expression
of this law is that thoughts are causes and conditions are effects. Put another
way, this means thoughts create. You create your world by the way you think.
People and things in your life, have only the meaning you give them in your
thoughts. That is how you create your future by the way you think.
Thus, the most
important principle of personal success is simply: you become what you think
about most of the time. This is the principle upon which all religions and
philosophies are based. This principle is as applicable to individuals as to
organizations. It is not the outside world that dictates your circumstances, it
is the world inside you that creates the conditions of your life.
Besides, you
are always free to choose. You choose your own destiny. Four other laws flow
from the law of cause and effect. They are the laws of Belief, Expectations,
Attraction and Correspondence. One, the law of Belief says: whatever you
believe becomes your reality. You always act in a manner consistent with your
beliefs. Often, you don’t believe what you see, rather, you see what you
already believe. You reject information that contradicts what you already
believe. But most of the time, your beliefs are not based on facts. You may be
prejudiced, meaning you prejudge an event without reason or facts.
A good success
strategy is to refrain from judging other people or situations until you can
make an informed decision. This extends to self limiting beliefs. Don’t ever
limit yourself in any way. Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, you can
achieve.
Two, the law
of expectations which translates to: whatever you expect becomes your own self
fulfilling prophecy. You are a fortune-teller in your own life. What you think,
talk and believe are going to happen to you. What you expect from people
determines your attitude towards them. If you expect good things to happen to
you, good things usually happen and vice versa.
David Mc
Clelland of Harvard in an experiment, found that the very best and happiest
families were characterized as positive expectation families. So expect the
best from others. Three, the law of Attraction says you are a living magnet;
that you invariably attract into your life the people, situations and
circumstances that are in harmony with your dominant thoughts. This is a great
law of success. This law has been discovered in Egyptian mystery schools 3000
years before Christ. This law affects anything you have in life, you have
attracted to yourself. And finally, the law of correspondence, meaning, your
outer world is a reflection of your inner world, it corresponds with your dominant
thoughts. Thus, it is your responsibility to create within yourself the mental
equivalent of what you want to experience in your life.
Our champion
for today is Harold Alexander, in full, Field Marshal Harold Rupert George
Alexander, the first Earl Alexander of Tunis. Born in London on 10 December,
1891 and died in June 1969, Alexander was a British military commander and
field marshal who served with distinction in both world wars. Afterwards he
became Governor General of Canada and British Minister of Defence.
Born to
aristocratic parents, he was educated at Harrow and the Royal Military College,
Sandhurst. In 1911 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Irish Guards
and promoted lieutenant in 1912. Alexander rose to prominence through his
service in the First World War, receiving numerous honours and decorations. He
continued his military career through various British campaigns across Europe
and Asia. In World War II, Alexander oversaw the evacuation from Dunkirk and
subsequently had high ranking field commands in Burma, North Africa and Italy,
including Commander-in-chief of the Middle East and the command of the 18th
Army in Tunisia. Then, he commanded the 15th Army for the capture of
Sicily and again in Italy before receiving his field marshal’s baton and being
made the Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean.
Alexander was
one of a few platoon commanders in history who survived to become field
marshal. Twice wounded in battle, on 14 October 1931, Alexander was married to
Lady Margaret Bingham, daughter of the Earl of Lucan and with whom he had two
sons and a daughter, he also adopted another daughter while Governor General of
Canada. By reputation, Alexander was regarded as the best military strategist
since the Duke of Wellington. (1769-1852). He signed the bill finalizing the
union of Newfoundland and Canada in 1949.
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