Real wisdom is always relevant and applicable no matter when the words that formed it and the message contained within it were first sent out into the world.  Like a classic song is timeless and can be played in a variety of styles by musicians who may be poles apart in style and genre; wise words can fit different situations whether you apply them directly or laterally with much benefit.

To show you how wisdom can be pulled out of the ether of philosophical thought and applied in your everyday life for the good of yourself and those around you, we are going to look at five pearls of knowledge from the great classical Greek philosopher, Plato.

For those who are not familiar with Plato, he was born around 428 BC and was the student of another great thinker, Socrates. Plato’s birth name was actually Aristocles –a name given to him in honour of his grandfather – however, he was given the name Plato by his wrestling coach due to his broad and powerful physique (it being derived from the word platon meaning ‘broad’).

That’s right, Plato wrestled as well as being said to be taught gymnastics in his formative years, such was the nature of Classical Greek society. These people recognized how a healthy mind and a healthy body were not diametrically opposed ideologies and that they actually went hand in hand to benefit an individual as a whole; that is an idea that we at Confitdent want to promote and nurture.

Wisdom On Inspiring Others

“Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.”

Positivity can have a snowball effect on itself. The more good you do, the more good comes to you, the better you feel, and the more you feel like doing good. When you are in a positive frame of mind you feel like you can take on the world – feeling strong and skyscraper tall. People (especially friends and family) will really notice you when you are in this zone and you will be at your most influential and inspiring, some will comment on this and others will want to know what your secret is and potentially follow in your footsteps.

I would like to give an example of this from my own personal experience. At the beginning of my journey to being the person I am now I made a decision to get in better physical shape as I was overweight and unfit. Months of hard work and commitment to reaching my goals helped carve out a new me – inside and out. Then people in similar situations to the ones I started in began asking me for advice on how I did it, so I took a little time and the knowledge I had and I showed them what to do. The original good thing I did for myself became something I could give to others, and when those people started hitting their goals and gave me positive feedback to me it helped usher me towards a life in the fitness industry and as a writer. Now things have come full circle.

For another, more global example of how a cycle of positive and empowering actions can blossom, take a look at the phenomenon that is Movember. What started as a few guys growing moustaches to raise money and awareness for testicular and prostate cancer has turned into a global event every year, with more and more participants finding the courage to grow ridiculously unattractive facial hair for charity. A few created a good example that many have followed and consequently a lot of money has been made for a good cause as well as encouraging camaraderie in males through the month of November, not to mention how many lives might be made better or saved in the process.
Whatever you are doing in your life that is having a positive impact on you and where you are headed; whether it is hitting the gym or learning a language or doing charity work, share it so that positive impact may grow and help give others a push to do the same.

Wisdom On The Company You Keep

“People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.”

What you are as a person is a product of your environment, how you choose to live your life, and your experience. To some degree the people in your life will influence all these things.
To hark back to the previous lesson in a succinct manner, positivity action creates and attracts positive outcomes.

If you surround yourself with people who are working hard to carve their own path in life, this may inspire you to be driven also. If you surround yourself with people who are fit and active, this may inspire you to take your fitness seriously. If a lot of your friends are talking about a particular TV show or Band, then you might be inclined to check it out. If the people you surround yourself with hit the bar every night then maybe you have trouble getting up in the morning for work too.

These are basic black and white examples on how the people around you can influence your life. There are going to be those among you who have a strong sense of identity and individuality who are more the leader to follow than playing follow the leader and as such you will thrive under your own power if you choose to regardless of who you choose to hang out with.  But what if you are a person who wants to alter their lifestyle to one that is diametrically opposed to the one they and their friends have been living? One example of this would be someone trying to get in shape and attain a more healthy lifestyle having previously hit the bar most nights and imbibed alcohol with great regularity. Switching up to a more health conscious way of life and a moderate approach to their pub time might come across opposition from their drinking buddies. It is in the early stages of trying to make a new habit that the habit you are trying to make stick is at its most vulnerable. Much like a clipping from a larger plant that is trying to grow in a new pot, its surroundings will have a massive effect on whether it will thrive or die.

Consequently, the people you surround yourself with could have a big effect on your success depending on whether they are supportive to your lifestyle choices or not, there are always like-minded people out there who may in part share similarities with your journey or situation. These are the people who will help nurture you in this stage of your life until you have found your feet in your new direction, then you will already be well on your way and the people who were once obstacles could possibly be following your example having being inspired by your strong and determined actions.
Never underestimate the how connected you are to those around you and their influence… and vice-versa!

Wisdom For The Impatient

“As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser.”

 In the times before bricks, breeze blocks, and other prefabricated walls; the builders of everything from cattle sheds to fortresses would have to rely on a variety of sizes of stones in order to build something structurally sound. Nowadays this process might be more-straight forward when it comes to building but the principal still applies when it comes to everything from planning to climb a mountain, learning a new trade, or perhaps training for an adventure race. Lots of smaller efforts and goals are needed to reach the big prizes.

For example, your big goal for the year may be to take part in something like Tough Mudder or Spartan Race; only thing is that you are a little out of shape from overindulging at Christmas and need to start hitting the gym again. In order to be ready to get through the race in a few months you need to start putting in work now. If you do not prepare yourself in the right way that means your structure may collapse as it is just a collection of ill-fitting larger stones. That means lots of smaller efforts made every day pushing you towards your objective; everything from eating the right meals to increasing how many miles you can run and how many press ups you can do.

In another example, you may dream of starting a band and getting onstage but do not know how to play the instrument you want play. So you are first going to have to learn the basics, practice and develop your skill into a fluid art before you start finding band members (which will be the next step once you are ready). All big dreams are a collection of small actions and investments of your time leading you to your end game. So whatever it is you want to do and no matter how impossible it may seem now, plan how you are going to build up to it stone by stone, making them fit until your structure is complete.

Wisdom On Stress

“There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot.”

 Anger that is not controlled and channelled is as destructive as a wildfire, burning and harming all it comes in contact with. In the right environment something as destructive as fire can be channelled, such as the spark and flame in an internal combustion engine that then provides the force to drive a vehicle forward. The same can be said for anger, if it is looked at as an energy source that can help drive you forward instead of burning you then this emotion can be a powerful catalyst for changing the situation that angered you in the first place.

You may find yourself in a situation that causes you to get angry, ask yourself if there is anything you can do about it? Maybe you look in a mirror and don’t like what you see to the point where you feel an angry reaction towards yourself. Here you find that you are in a situation that you have the power to change and you can use that anger to push you to do something positive about it like start a new workout plan or taking better care of yourself.

Perhaps you are in a job you hate and you get mad and stressed about it way too much. Have you done everything you can to find another job?
Yes? Then you are in resigned to keep trying until something comes up and there is not much else you can do but knuckle down and soldier on, there is no point in letting it eat you up and chip away at the good things in your life. Now is the time to count the things you have to be happy about no matter how small and keep working on making the bad things better.
No? Then you can get motivated and try to see what else is out there and what skills or qualifications you have or may need to get ahead and better your situation.

Here you have channeled anger and turned it into determination, what was once potentially harmful to you has now been transmuted into a means of you to take care of business by. Next time you get angry ask yourself if you are in a situation you can make better, you have more power to change things than you may give yourself credit for.

Wisdom On Will & Attitude

“To conquer one’s self is the best and noblest victory; to be vanquished by one’s own nature is the worst and most ignoble defeat.”

Sir Edmund Hilary famously once said “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”. Having been the first confirmed person to make it to the top of Mount Everest he would know a thing or two about that. The mountain itself was never his opponent, whether or not Hilary attempted to climb Everest was of no consequence to the mountain as it is not capable of thought or having a competitive nature. The challenge for Edmund or anyone attempting to climb a mountain such as Everest is their personal ability, determination, and power to overcome the voice inside that says “This is impossible, you cannot do this”. That voice will likely be the soundtrack to the internal struggle anyone has while they attempt to achieve something challenging or out of their comfort zone, especially if they are pushed to the limits of their abilities or simply thrust into the unknown. It is having the power to believe you can do something and make that the mantra of your inner monologue which will help you conquer yourself.

As a human being it is crucial that you accept that your nature is made up of traits that could be interpreted as positive and others that could be interpreted as negative. For every virtue you possess you will likely have a flaw and vice-versa but either way these will help dictate the way you think, act, and your state of mind – in essence who you are as a person.

The internalization of that person has the power to be your greatest ally or worst enemy in any given situation and your success will depend on your ability to overcome extremes of hopelessness. Or you may even be the sort of person who is overconfident to the point of arrogance and may have to overcome and temper that in order to get your feet on the ground and make sure it is your ability that gets you through a task instead of under-performing due to ones ego acting like a speed hump.

When you are afraid of something it is you whom the fear is being manufactured by but it is also you who has the courage to overcome that fear, you are potentially a double-edged sword that can scare you into inaction or empower you to success.
Don’t let it be you making the barrier keeping you from what you want!
So what if you approach the attractive lady in a bar and it does not go according to plan? If you don’t try you will never know and at least you won’t be wondering ‘what if’.

Don’t let your self-manifested fear be an opponent that keeps you from stepping up to the plate or into the ring where you should be facing your real challenge. Whether you think you can or can’t do something, you’re right. So start thinking the former and you’re already halfway to what you want as well as keeping in check a potentially deadly rival: you!

Looking for more wisdom and tips to be your best? Be sure to like us on Facebook.

[signoff]