An innovation - creation - change - delight - idea - action - that is compelling, you'd probably get done if its odds weren't overwhelming, but who is most likely to press through shuffling odds were you the one: a seeker, a warrior, or a villain?
Welcome to 'how they beat the odds - every time,' Episode 3, curated by your host Neville DeAngelou. We are exploring some of the world's most incredible events, achievements, individuals, schemes, and stories for actionable discoveries to test if we also can beat those odds. What about you?
obsessed: fixated on/upon; preoccupied with; possessed by; consumed with/by; filled the mind up continually, intrusively and to a troubling extent. haunt, plague, torment, bedevil, beset, control, rule
Who-ah.
Along our remarkable journey of life and learning on Mission Impossible we share what we find. We challenge ourselves (and you) toward the reaches of our highest ideals: to be our best, do our utmost, achieve our finest wherever necessary and practicable redesigning the contours of possibility, reshaping human capability. Join our posse. Share your finding. We welcome your perspective. Through these lens of poetry we've spotted another effective element of odds-beaters' artillary. Let's take a look at the process.
how do you approach challenges
- autobiographical planning -
a conscious conscience
Revelation + Mystery. We all tell stories. We tell ourselves stories - stories of victors and victims, stories of heores and villains. It seems we've been telling stories from time's beginning. We tell stories of when time began, its epic moments sketched on the tingles of our senses, its cryptic tensions etched across the rhythms of our defenses. We tell our children stories - even before they are born. Children are telling us stories even before their first word. Thus, unfolds a plight of ambiguity - stretched thin - where victory's sweet poison seep in. Have you ever noticed how when we are privy to but the barest of a tale's bone we flesh out its entirety convenient to the capacity of our mental store? Then we build upon that foundation populated skyscrapers, unmindful of a storm that will shutter, shatter and scatter it all, except for the crumbles escapees scrape into bins fetched to block new winds from its debris shower.
Enter the villain - hero of that other world. Despised. Adored. Confused. Unlimited. Impressive. The epic story of conscience. A thirst for revenge. A cry for justice. A hunger for retribution. That bearer of Certainty - a desperation for the rebuilding of horrors perfectly suited to moonlit tastes and sandfliy bites. Karma? Plight? Hard bodies dropped from trees, wingless, wormless, dropped whilst nurturers (hard-worked) are too tired for tears - or burials - and heroes are left to fight for one less bout of cruelty.
Ah, the mystery of truth: raw good versus crippling evil. Something is awry, but is this a flaw in human design - a disease of the mind - a door to revelation, a feat of the devil, the genius of creation, or a chapter in time?
What story will we speak to share the spurn of this hour? What stories will we tell ourselves to sleep this night? What tablet eases anger? What tales for our sails?
We all tell stories. Jekyl. And Hyde. We tell ourselves stories - puffed fairies - lily lies soothing strains with bedtime lullabies while conscience hides a little while longer. Sweet dreams. Sweet tales. Truth roams oe'r hill and vale, tirelessly and free, across our sky. Quick sleep, sleep tight. Pity is home - sad again - where stories reign and conscience sleeps and monsters scheme more reckless deeds. Who enters next, the sun not yet rising, where evil has no bend nor turning, and good needs rest from wingless never-endings? Who enters next? Who will save the morning?
No mystery.
upending topsy-turvy spicy connundrums
A Moral Compass. "Like any good mother, her desire was for her child to grow up bright and bold, and to be full of good humor and wit, and to be generous and courteous and courageus. For being such, how could anyone not have the most beautiful story. After all, what is the code and concept of life, of living, of humanity, if it is not to find one's calling and to have that calling be greater than one's self; if it is not to pursue that calling and to complete it with joyous self respect? Well? Isn't that a story worth telling through the ages, the kind of story that inspires growth and progress?" _ Flight Of The Fused Monkeys + audiobook
A Compulsive Call. When the call comes and passion is unleashed, moral swage groved square into deed, gut and brain and heart bound as one, what have we got? Monamania! Obsession. Mission clear. Blinkers on. No sacrifice spared on this churned ocean. "And this is what ye have shipped for, men! to chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out. What say ye, men, will ye splice hands on it, now? I think ye do look brave." Ahab, Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
Masterpiece
a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship.
tour de force
The human being in all of its varied fullness - a masterpiece - body, mind, and spirit - is in all degrees, as often told and proven true, available as well to good as it is to evil and to every blend in between. And to think it otherwise is to be utterly decieved. See if you agree. Look across yonder plains how easily deception reigns. Yet they have dreams too. So let's consider this question and see where it leads: is a human's leaning (Ill-will across the spectrum to well-being) predictive of an ability to press through life's shuffling odds in order to achieve a dream?
We've found an answer.
An epiphany!
Breathe. Deeply. This way, please. Keep breathing. You may well "find the future wherever people are having the most fun," where the joy of living is birthing a new creation. Prepare your masterpiece. Will it change our world? Or even one droplet into the river? For better? Or worse? Do Share.
Lets see how those who have gone before got through those pesky odds. How are you pressing through yours? Share.
Come, let us all be friends for once,
Let us make life easy on us,
Let us be lovers and loved ones,
The earth shall be left to no one.
Yunus Emre
A Healing Brew
for bedridden hours
Is it the gut, the heart, or the brain? Which needs the fix? Or is the whole patient sick? We hear the voices floating above our clouds. This one says I go with the gut. That one says I settle from the heart. And the other insists disaster without the brain. And now you! How will you fix this? This - this - this - thing?
Ah! "And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself, whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country." So what shall I say or do, standing on slippery streets?
Less poor reason turn ignorance into fury and fury into madness atop younder cliff, let's from that conundrum smoke this demon out through its sieve so you, for better or worse, might beat all odds to claim victory. Savvy?
Take these in. Seriously. Stir. Simmer. Drink. Slowly.
Triumphs, tragedies and trials are hospices, not hotels, or something like that, I've heard. They are meant to get you out, not keep you in, except when they are just a business, in which case success means different things to that business and to your health, wealth and well-being. Hmm? Lesson learned. Regardless, when it comes to the probabilities of repeatable success, maybe the sage, Chandramootoo, in Sahib Saheeb, was onto something when he said to Obsession,
"Ya beliefs screwed - ya screwed. Ya values screwed - ya screwed. Ya wilfully ignorant - ya screwed. Ya practice now screwed up. Ya screwed. You are screwing you. You are ya demon. Bang chains, scream, shout 'till cows come running, ya bound. Who ya howling for now? Samson? He tired. He
exhausted. Ya beliefs got ya bound. Ya values got ya bound. Ya ignorant; ya bound. Ya demon got ya bound! To exorcise it practice the fine art of unscrewing. And stop making so much noise."
Let's presume for mercy's sake your beliefs are in good shape: they are healthy; your values are healthy; your knowledge base is solid; your skill-sets are right on target, (applause, applause, applause, applause, hip-hip-hooray). Your vital signs are sound! You are clicking.
Oh! But are they in alignment with each other? Are they aligned with the task at hand? Check their alignment or you'll find yourself just chugging along. You want a good rhythm. You want to traverse your curves with ease. You want to ride that terrain like a squirrel riding a tree trunk. (I know, lousy anaolgy, but that's the best I can do in a rush; I'll do better next time.) Check. Check. Check. Check. All A-OK! Awesome.
Then why is the healthy patient still in bed?
Ah, there it is: the demon!
A mockery.
Behind our beliefs, behind our values, aback of our knowledge, aback of our skillset, and within all of the crevices whithin as well as inbetween, as fluid as water, and as perrenial as the ticking of a clock to our breathing, is the story: that story we tell ourself! That's what the odds-blocker demon clings to - our story.
Our stories play unimpeachable roles in outcomes, and some will hold us tied to posts all but dead. It's the story. So, when you hear those atop the clouds saying, it's from the gut, it's from the heart, it's in the brain, hear them saying, that's where the story is. It's the story.
Rev-up your blowers - smoke that demon out.
Relieve your story.
Arise!
There are stories (true & fictitious) and there are lies.
Live your worthy story.
A story is an account of imaginary or real people or events - a narrative - a tale - an anecdote - told with specific intention or a specific set of intentions. You are a story. I am a story. There are stories we share. There are stories we tell ourselves, the stories we choose to believe. (See Riding Moby Dick)
Lies are false statements made with deliberate intent to decieve; they are falsehoods, the cloak of an imposter, the weapon of a destroyer. We tell lies, often to control the outcome, often under the belief or fear that the truth will not give us what we want or will jeopardize us. Ever seen a baby lie? Ever heard a liar telling the truth? Let's be honest now. Lying to oneself - well - oooh! (See Riding Moby Dick) (See Flight of The Fused Monkeys)
Live the story worthy of you - the Real Story - your truth.
Or why dream?
What's to dream for in a land of milk and honey?
A farmer who was on the verge of death wanted to make sure that his sons would overcome their personal quarrels and maintain the farm in a succesful way. So he called his sons together and said, "My sons, I'm about to depart from this life, and you will find all that I have to leave you in the vinyard." Some time later, after the old man had died, the sons set to work with their spades and plows, thinking that their father had buried a treasure in the ground. They turned the soil over and over again, but found no treasure. However, the vines, strengthened and improved by this thorough tillage, yielded a finer vintage than they had ever produced before and it more than repaid the young farmers for all their trouble. There is a moral to this story.
Truth
You can accept it
You can reject it
You can accept it and like it or dislike it
You can accept it and use it or ignore it
You can reject it then regret that you did
You can reject it and return to embrace it
You can embrace it and discover, after all, it just felt true
How does one know the truth? Gut? Brain? Or Heart?
What we are today, what we desire, what we pursue, what we hope to achieve, and very often the choices we make, were triggered deep back in the happenings of our life by a singular touch or taste, by a sound, a sight - one tiny moment so long ago and here we are! Erase that moment, you and I would not be sharing this life-affirming connection. This moment will not exist.
To find that pivotal moment - that touch, that taste, that sound - one has to connect the dots. Connect those dots and one's eyes will open. A curtain will slide apart. All of life revealed there will make a good deal of sense one would otherwise never imagine or appreciate.
Gratitude takes on a new meaning.
For those of you, hard pressed amongst us (and you are legion) blissfully unaware of your guiding constellation (or aware it exists amidst a myriad sparkling moments, shifting shadows and black holes, and have lost sight of that linkage) life is a jumble of experiences - a meaningless mystery.
It almost always seems smartest to keep moving forward - time moves that way (the way we understand time today) - but when we are lost (all other things being normal) it seems smartest to first find our bearing so that we might progress to our next stage. That bearing might well be our constellation. If we have no guiding constellation, no understanding of how and where we are, we may well have to step back to that last place of knowing, and from their find our new bearing, or risk wandering about the wlderness (as one story is told) for forty years. Oooh! Know your story - your true story - and let it be a mighty one. It works wonders every step of the way. Ask the brave ones. They'll tell you their authentic story is their push.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a push."SVEN
P
pressure
a drive
U
URGENCY
a propulsion
S
sensivity
an itch
H
HANKERING
a bounce
The fact is I don't drive just to get from A to B. I enjoy feeling the car's reactions, becoming part of it.
Enzo Ferrari
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
- Marianne Williamson
I am that I am - the strength of my future.
Your Story: Avoid remaining trapped in the narrative of a single story; if you must, then make sure it is an incredibly good story, so outstanding that you are satisfied it will stand the tests and joys of time - forever and ever!
know your story (it's yours!)
your story continues
come to peace with your story
live your own story (it's yours)
Recommendations for your continuing story:
your story is the story you are living out this very moment
your story is the driving force of your ongoing story
your story is an indellible part of the human story
your story has an immovable place in the story of our universe
your story is what it is - your truth!
Don't play the my-story-is-better-than-your-story game.
Don't play the my-story-is-the-worst-story-ever game.
Don't destroy yourself wanting anyone to be convinced of or by your story.
Don't let anyone reduce you to a mere play-piece of any kind in their story.
Don't get stuck in a single story.
Don't allow yourself or anyone else or anything else or any system to trap you in any singular sentence or paragraph or chapter of your story - good or bad. Your story is a continuing story - Your Story. You write it on the annals of time and into the spaces you define, or be left abandoned on the pages of some other story.
Share. Smile. You are awesome. Your story continues.
So, are you an odds-beater?
Not sure? What's your story?
Discovery: Odds-beaters have a powerful story; their story drives them through obstacles. Odds-beaters re-create their authentic story in line with their mission by living out that story. Powerful stories break even all odds.
Action Plan: Accept your story as is and begin creating ITS next chapter. (RESIST EVERY PULL INTO AN OLD LOSING STORY - EVERY NEW MINUTE IS BLANK BEFORE YOU FILL IT IN). Step into your new day. Don't allow yourself to be drafted into irrelevancies. (How about you?) What is working for you? Share. Do you need a championship coach?
Breathe.
We are accompanied.
Balance - Focus - Rhythm
"Life willl keep repeating the same old lesson untill it is learned." _ Riding Moby Dick
I presented the previous sections using various elements of story - poetry, drama, anecdotes, humor, etc - as best I could within these available moments of our learnings and exchanges by way of this forum (there was a surprise celebration on our calendar). In this section, however, I am choosing to share tips we might find useful along our journey, and a few recommendations I promised groups this week. For you too, Jake.
Share yours.
Whatever your journey, your dreams, your achievements, your goals, know we are our stories. Whatever your challenges and adversities, we are all learning as we go. There are many who have gone before us from whom we may gather knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Many achievers have powerful stories, not because their stories were given to them with power or happen upon them with power, but because they made their stories geniunely powerful. Perhaps, it is something we might learn from, yet not copy. Perhaps our stories are ones others might learn and grow from. Perhaps we too might find there is a window in the sky.
I haven't searched out Reddit - so, I have no view on that recommendation. Yet!
And look what I found; I had not seen this before our discussion. Don't you love it when someone else is in your same head space. Hmm? Come to think of it - that might be dangerous.
Takes me back to Math Honors Senior Paper. And I can hear my telecommunication engineering design buddies saying, doesn't everybody already know this?
Perhaps.
Enjoy.
Why is this relevant? Just a way to appreciate the reality of our odds.
Whatever your innovation - creation - change - delight - idea - action - your story makes a huge difference breaking even the shuffling odds of success. Have a powerful story.
A Special Thank You
On October 6th, many of us from across the US, Canada, the Caribbean and South America gathered for a surprise celebratory anniversary in honor of Jennifer Morrison Cyrus, one of the main supporters of this channel and its peripheral services, lauding her accomplishments and generosity. She continues to quietly inspire, encourage and transform lives around the world in very understated ways. Once again, even though she vociferously shys away from the spotlight, I have obtained her family's permission to publicly express our ongoing gratitude in this forum.
Thank You Jennifer Morrison Cyrus
Her personal moto: Live With Purpose
Her favorite scripture:
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
The Journey - Your Voice Illuminated - Our Global Digital Radio Show & Podcast. We stop at exotic places, meet fascinating folks with intriguing stories and novel solutions to some of life's tricky problems. We play a few fun games too, and track remarkable characters of three classics: ILICET - A Time To Begin Again (True Story) SBL Series: 2:26 AM, The Gathering (Matchbox Mystery) and Flight Of The Fused Monkeys (5-Star Series). Life is beautiful and full of surprises. Breathe! Deeply. Enjoy top dramatic, inspirational, mystery, scifi, and true stories from along The Journey. Live. Love. Laugh. Look. Listen. Learn with us. Do you need a coach? We all need one. Secure for yourself an excellent coach: RyoLearn Championship Coach.
ILICET - A Time To Begin Again (True Story) 
