Faith, Patience, and Your Moment in the Sun
January 18, 2010
Please Note: This is a guest post by Srinivas Rao, from Skool of Life.
Faith
“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.” (Voltaire)
The principle of faith is something that I seem to keep coming across lately. In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill talks about the power of faith and how it is has driven the success of many of the most successful people in the world.
In the last week, my own faith in the power of autosuggestion and self-help was tested with incidents like my car accident and the homeless guy who stole my keys. In order to reach our potential, we must have faith that we will indeed reach that potential regardless of what the universe throws at us. It’s likely that everything that is thrown at you is nothing more than a test of your faith.
Patience
“Patience and fortitude conquer all things.” (Emerson)
For the most part, human beings are impatient. In fact, if you look at how we’ve progressed as a society it’s largely been driven by impatience. We created faster cars so we could get from point A to B faster. The irony is that we’ve created so many that we now have something called traffic.
We created email to speed up the rate of communication. We’ve created text messages in order to get our words across faster. Yet, with all these advances in technology, our communication skills are actually getting worse. For example, somebody you are talking to at a party will tweet that they are talking to you rather than being present in the conversation.
We’ve used technological advances such as the internet to keep us from waiting in lines. I personally hate waiting in lines, but over time I’ve become somewhat patient. The area in which our patience is truly tested is in achieving success or finding our perfect wave. Sometimes you really do just have to wait.
Your Moment in the Sun
“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” (Disraeli)
With faith and patience it’s inevitable that you will have your moment in the sun. When that moment comes all you have to do is go for it. The sun will light your path so brightly that it truly will be your moment in the spotlight. In that moment you must forget the past, forget the future and focus on your moment, and you will then make the most of your moment in the sun.
Yet another post inspired by the magic of the ocean.
What about you?
When your moment comes along, will you be ready? Do you have enough faith to know it is coming, and patience to wait for it?
Srinivas is a personal development blogger at The Skool of Life, where he writes about spirituality and personal development, and finds most of the inspiration for his content through his love of surfing. He also runs a surfing blog called Stoked for Life.
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Hi Srinivas.
Do you think one could argue that there are two kinds of faith, one being beneficial while the other not. I sometimes wonder between having faith in oneself and having faith in some external being. I find the former harder, but likely to bring about the results one wants while the latter is easier, but causes you to take what gets dished out to you.
Any thoughts on this anyone?
Gordie´s last blog ..How To Stop People From Driving You Crazy.
Hey, Gordie!
I’m sure Srinivas will be replying to comments a little later, but figured I’d throw my two cents in here. My personal thought on this is that it’s important to believe in something, though the particulars are not as critical. The power here being that, if your mind believes you can do something (either through your own abilities, your deity, or whatever) then it is at least possible. If your mind believes you will fail, then that is likely to happen.
It’s the old Henry Ford saying: “Whether you think you can or can’t, you are probably right.” But you have to “think you can” to a ridiculous degree (aka: faith). Even when the odds are stacked against you, and everyone thinks you would fail, and any rational being would have quit a long time ago, you keep believing. When people give up hope, dreams die.
What do you think? Reasonable?
I see where you’re coming from and I agree. What I was getting at is that belief in oneself means that you’re in the driving seat while a belief in a Deity or Force perhaps puts one in the passenger seat.
Any thoughts?
Gordie´s last blog ..How To Stop People From Driving You Crazy.
Not necessarily. I know several scientists who are also religious, and I think they lean more towards the Free Will side of things than the Predestination side. I don’t know the details, but I guess they figure there is a creator with a Master Plan for how things turn out, but then we each have the power of choice along the way.
So, for instance, I am your goddess, and I determine you will be born on this day, and you will die on that day. I plant the seeds of greatness in you, as I do in all my children, and it is up to you to develop them or neglect them. You can die a great man, who has lived much, loved much, and contributed much. Or, you can just die. Your choice.
Maybe. Total guess here, since my faith is not in a creator or in my own powers. I tend to believe everything in nature has a state of equilibrium around which all sorts of opposites engage in this delicate, sometimes passionate, tango and, in the end, it all works out as it should. Maybe I’m a non-practicing Taoist… or just a Libra… or simply obsessed with Balance, Nature, and a really long term view of life.
What is your faith in? What do you believe beyond the shadow of a doubt? Do you know?
I’m an Agnostic, a fence sitter. I’m content with not knowing. My life is like one beg suspense movie where the suspense never ends.
Gordie´s last blog ..How To Stop People From Driving You Crazy.
See? You really are L’il Isis! Look at you, just determining birth and death dates, planting seeds of greatness. You’re like, the best deity, ever!
Jay Schryer´s last blog ..The Miracle
I know it, right? That felt kinda natural. Perhaps I should choose the goddess route for my career path. After all, lots of people are looking for something to believe in.
Gordie,
I think faith in yourself is important. Whether or not you have faith in an external being is a personal choice. But I do believe there are external forces that help direct us.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Your Toughest Critic
Hi Srini:
Your life reads like a journey on an emotional roller-coaster. There have been so many ups and downs in your life, it would fill volumes.
Thanks for sharing such details about your life: it is humanizing.
This is, once again, a good post: your penmanship is exemplary. However, I pray you will stay out of trouble in the future? I am not blaming you for what’s happened in your life, but try to be a little cautious from now on, if you can? We, who read about such accounts, become a wee bit anxious for you because we are well-wishers and want to see you succeed and be happy in your life.
Yes, patience is a virtue. And discretion the better part of valor.
@Archan: Thanks for the insights. I do agree that it has been a series of ups and downs. What I realize is that if I hadn’t had the ups and downs then I wouldn’t now have as much to share with the world as I do. But I agree that getting to a point of stability is key. I think I’ve started to hit my stride so I’ll quote my friend Alex from Unleash Reality one more time “THe Future is so bright, gotta wear shades”
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Your Toughest Critic
James Allen dedicated the last chapter of his Book ‘As a Man Thinketh’ to the subject of serenity. He opens with the following words:
“Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of a ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought”
That’s the thought that was going through my mind as i read this article. Thanks Srinivas for the inspiration… and ooh, let me not forget Lisis for sharing
Christopher´s last blog ..Authenticity in Spontaneity: a Case of Healing from Tragedy
@Christopher: I’m glad you enjoyed it. Patience is something that seems to come with age. Maybe it’s that we just don’t have the energy to be impatient as we get older. In the midst of impatience we make some very tragic mistakes. I know I have.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Your Toughest Critic
I like what Srinivas says about patience; it is definitely a virtue we need to increase in our society and I also need to increase within myself. I agree that there are certain moments in our lives that are great opportunities and it is important to be aware of these moments to really make the most out of them.
lena´s last blog ..Poem: Cage
@Lena: I think the more patience we cultivate, the more successful we will be in all our endeavors. While it might be challenging, I often think the payoff is worth whatever we have go through.
Hi Lisis,
Thanks for another opportunity to guest post here. I figured I should expand on how I came up with the idea for this post. One of the things the ocean teaches you is patience because you are on the schedule of mother nature, not yours. I remember this day vividly because the waves had hit a lull and I was getting agitated that I was sitting in the water. But, it was absolutely beautiful outside. The sun was lighting up the peaks of each wave. In order to catch a wave you look for the peaks and if you are in the spot where the peak is, you’ll catch it. As a result of that I had to have patience and faith that the wave would come and I would catch it. The other thing is that the sun was lighting the peaks so brightly that day that when I did catch anything it was truly like a moment in the sun. The result was this post. I’ll be replying to other comments too
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Your Toughest Critic
In order to reach our potential, we must have faith that we will indeed reach that potential regardless of what the universe throws at us. It’s likely that everything that is thrown at you is nothing more than a test of your faith.
Here’s my take. The universe doesn’t throw anything at anybody (or it throws everything at everybody). The earthquake in Haiti, for example, didn’t occur as a test. It occurred because certain physical elements of the planet were in place. If no humans lived on the island shared by Haiti & the Dominican Republic, it still would have occurred.
Thinking that the universe acts as it does to test certain individuals (or groups) elevates humankind to a pedestal, one we most likely don’t deserve.
The Rambling Taoist´s last blog ..Wen Tzu – Verse 122, Part I
I tend to agree with you. I can’t wrap my head around a Universe that singles out individuals or groups for anything. Everything in Nature tends to just sort of “happen” by some system that’s certainly not random, but also not discriminating. I can’t even wrap my thoughts around this answer, but… I agree.
I have to be honest, Lisis, my brain is kind of mush right now. I’m not sure I’d recognize an opportunity if it walked up and offered me chocolate!
But I do know what you mean about feeling tested and I am working on keeping my equanimity.
Hayden Tompkins´s last blog ..4 Steps Toward A Better 2010
I mean, Srinivas!!!
(See what I told you about the mush!!)
Hayden Tompkins´s last blog ..4 Steps Toward A Better 2010
Ha! That’s CLASSIC! I’ll let Srini reply to the post-related comment, but I thought this one was pretty funny.
@Hayden: If we were always on, we’d probably be dead within 10 years
. Sometimes we just need to have our brain be mush and embrace it.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Your Toughest Critic
Hmmm, I wrote a whole big thing and apparently deleted it. I guess I’m a bit mushed today too. So I’ll try to recap, but forgive me if this shows up twice…I think you’ve nailed it, Srinivas and Lisis. I believe faith and patience are IT. If we can cultivate those two things, then we will be assured of living a meaningful life, no matter what. For me, faith is about hope, optimism, trust. In order to claim it I need to reach back to a more innocent part of myself and let it live in the world. Patience is about living each day, right now. Balancing the vision of what will be with the truth of what’s right in front of me. And there must be something in the air, too. Today another of my favorite writers, Belinda at the Halfway Point, wrote a lovely piece on hope, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
p.s Is that true? Do people really tweet a conversation when they’re right in the midst of it, real time? Wow. I know Twitter can be a great resource, but for now I’m a confirmed twitter-phobe.
@Patty: It’s ridiculous with the Tweeting thing. I’ve been anti-twitter for a while. But I’ve joined the bandwagon. But when I’m out at a party or event, I’m there and nowhere else. As I’ve cultivated more patience I think thins have come into my life much faster.
I have run across several blogs today that have spoken of faith/belief. This is interesting due to the fact that I have been dealing with a lot of chaos in my life of late. And I feel that this idea of faith has been lacking for me for some time. Perhaps the universe and/or God and/or my internal “force” are trying to tell me something.
Sanford´s last blog ..Helping Haiti
@Sanford: I had a chaotic week to start the new year. The month prior I had been religiously affirming all good things. So I have faith that it is just playing out the way it’s supposed to. I accept responsibility where I can, but I don’t make myself crazy trying to understand every little thing.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Your Toughest Critic
Patience, yes. Patience, love, allowing, being still to see what really is, being aware…
Faith, I’m not sure about. What is faith? If faith is loving ourselves enough to be open, then yes. I question it because we are conditioned to believe in hope and God and faith, but what do these really mean? With awakening, I’ve found that beliefs, even our virtuous beliefs, are quite limiting. Do we believe because we are uncomfortable with emptiness? Is that a good reason to believe?
It’s a very thought-provoking article, thanks!
k
Kaushik´s last blog ..Allowing the Disturbing States
@Kaushik: Definitely some profound thoughts as always from you. I’m not sure if there is a right answer to everything. To me, I’m not uncomfortable with emptiness. I guess I’m just comfortable with the notion that there is a great force that is helping me.
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Damn… Why did you have to ask that question? I suck a patience. I’ve always been the type of person who wants the big picture now. I work extra hard in order to obtain it and often times gets discouraged when I don’t within the first couple of days.
My twin boys have taught me a great deal about patience. I’m working on that daily.
Great question.
Jason, I think Patience is one of the toughest Virtues for our modern minds to cultivate. We live in a time of instant gratification, when everything is available at all times. But some of the most meaningful and important endeavors take time. That’s all there is to it. You do your best, you learn, you contribute, you throw it all together… and then you let it simmer. It’s during the simmering process that all the good stuff comes to be, and we have to sit, and wait.
I’m sure your sons will help you refine that skill.
Like Will Smith said ” If you stay ready, you never have to get ready”! Be ready for all opportunities by working hard, keeping the faith and believing in the impossible because it truly is possible!
That’s a great saying, Jonathan! Thanks for sharing it.
Faith isn’t about what we think, it is what we know. You know gravity works all the time (here on earth). If my apple rolls off the table, I will have a bruised apple for lunch. I know in my heart it will fall to the floor. I have no doubt.
Now to have faith in daily matters seem more difficult for all of us. We try to work out all the variables. We get into the “only thing we know for sure is bad things will happen” thinking and it becomes a deep rooted belief; which feeds into our faith.
Faith is assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 New American Standard translation.
I am glad to see so many comments about free will. We do choose our destiny, our goals, our ability to lead joy filled meaningful lives. We choose to have faith that mostly good things will happen or mostly bad. It is never all or nothing, all good or all bad. Rejoice in the good things and count your blessings. Thanks for a thought provoking post.
Erin, that’s a GREAT point about faith… it isn’t a half-hearted, fair-weather sort of idea. Faith is when you KNOW something beyond the shadow of a doubt, even if you can’t explain it, see it, or even fully understand it. Having that conviction about anything is extremely reassuring.
Srinivas,
Interesting post! However,I don’t think we need the faith as Voltarie defined it: “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe”…
Most people tend to have faith in that way: ‘I have faith that I will succeed’ would be “translated” as per that definition as: “To succeed is beyond the power of reason to believe, but anyway, I will believe that I will succeed”
I prefer to have confidence: Once you experience by yourself what a right attitude may bring you, then, you will KNOW that you can expect reasonably certain results… This is not a blind and desperate faith, but a confidence obtained by trials and errors, by practice and continuous and conscious action.
All the best!
Boris
Hey, Boris! That’s an interesting take on Voltaire’s quote. I’ve always taken it to mean that it is “beyond the power of reason” because we can’t see or explain or fully understand something… we just KNOW it (in our hearts, if not our minds).
I didn’t take it to mean, “It’s not reasonable, but I’ll do it anyway.” It would be interesting to read it NOT in translation (except I don’t speak French) to get a better feel for what he meant.
Either way, it comes down to that confidence of KNOWING something with certainty, no matter what.
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