Dr. Thomas Maples

Daily Inspiration

Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.

Saint Augustine

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.

George S. Patton

The Philosopher’s Corner

Success is not final. It is a journey of never ending first steps. This is the lesson life affords each and every one of us.

Opportunity is abound. As children, we sought to rise towards a dream, but quite possibly, somewhere down the line, we developed some form of self doubt. Possibly through our education, or even possibly from the loving comments from parents or other early teachers in our lives, we stopped believing in our capacity to create the dreams we wish to attain.

We must confront, overcome, and put to rest the foundation of this messaging if we are ever to achieve that which we desire. When you were a child, and learning to ride a bike, you did so by falling. You feared the fall. You may even have scarred knees because of your early efforts to learn this skill. But you stuck with it… and I guarantee you if you did, you can get yourself from point A to point B via bike with very little effort. The same goes with your having learned how to drive. So if life is a series of practicing events, why is it that we create so much anxiety about our capacity to engage our dreams to their full capacity?

Again, the messaging of our foundation has to be overcome so that we can aspire to knew heights.

The builders of the Empire State Building did not skip floors one through 32. If they did, the building would not stand. That is the wisdom behind the profound quote from St. Augustine. Work on your foundation, and make it strong. As General Patton reminds us, if we have a strong foundation, the bounce back when we fall is the true measure of success.

Thank you fellow travelers for reading and until next time…

Believe… Achieve… Advance Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams.