Six Degrees of Separation

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“Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people.”     ~Nido Quebein~

The general principle of Six Degrees of Separation holds that we are only six people removed from meeting the right person or people to help us achieve our goal or objective.

Thus, if you wish to meet a famous person or have an interview at a prestigious company which has already rejected your application, then you must only persevere to that sixth degree in order to meet Michael Jackson or get the inside track on a job with a large stock brokerage house.

Thinking back, my most stunning accomplishments or victories over nay Sayers have come when the Six Degree Principle was followed.

Sometimes it may take more steps to the finish line, but if you are fed up with being a victim or a loser then that thorn in the side shouldn’t phase you.

The jewels in this world go to those willing to stick around long enough for success.

Surprisingly, though Six Degrees works far more often than it fails, most people live in fear of challenge and avoid it at all cost.  Far too many complainers and skeptics never get beyond the first degree of separation before the dream-stealers, critics, know-it-alls, and neggies step in to strip them of their determination.

Nothing stands between your well-thought-out dreams, aspirations and goals other than your belief in what is possible.

Guard that gate to your mind vigilantly.

Tiger Woods was as close to a natural as you’ll ever witness.  So was Babe Ruth.  And so may have been Michelangelo and Rembrandt.

One might say that they had the luck of the genetic draw, and few might disagree with that assessment.  But that just isn’t enough to explain why they rose to extraordinary heights while others tragically crashed.

If one took all the raw and precocious talent in the world and matched it up against the raw and dumb bunnies of the world, my guess – based on 65 years of breathing and awareness – would be that the dumb bunnies will consistently rule the roost.

You just can’t measure determination, character and follow through by simply classifying people by their DNA pool, their inherited wealth, or even their circumstances of youth.

Many intangibles are at work when an individual is being chiseled into an adult.  The final work cannot be understood only by measures such as wealth or number of fans, though these are components which convey the adaptability and creativeness of the person.

What really determines the luck of an individual is how he or she deals with adversity and barriers – some self-imposed – which hold him or her back from the glory of success and realization of goals on a consistent basis.

The comfort zone – a place of refuge from challenge, pain and failure – is the choice of many people of intelligence.  They would rather talk a good game than play in one.

Thus, the dumb bunny wins because he or she doesn’t know or care about the self-imposed limits which the educated class smugly cling to when the winds’ of change approach.

If you are too smart for your own good, why not start today by taking the dumb-bunny approach?  Don’t let your brain and your elitist pride stand in the way of your success.  It’s OK to fail and lose because both are elements of victory in the final lap.

Defying The Odds

“Out of difficulties grow miracles”     ~Jean De La Bruyere~

Just a few days ago I had a galling situation with my new doctor.  A few months ago I had angioplasty surgery and had a stent put in my aortic artery.

Since that time my life habits have been exemplary, and as a result my weight has decreased by close to 12 kilograms without starvation and my blood pressure was 110 over 66 the other day.

When I had my worst moment – prior to surgery – I had been fortunate to be in the right place (with a good friend).  He knew a hospital and could pull strings so that I could be admitted as an emergency patient.  Equally fortunate was that I was met by a young, aggressive, knowledgeable doctor who spoke English very well.

The operation and recovery went smoothly.  My rapport with the doctor was good, probably because I knew that my lifestyle in the previous year sucked and that I had to get back on the straight and narrow.  He could sense my determination.

Then the bombshell came  .My cardiologist told me he was changing hospitals and would no longer be able to treat me.  He recommended that I switch to a Japanese military hospital in my area, and he wrote his letter of introduction to be submitted to the new hospital along with my record of illness.

When I met with the new physician a few days ago, he said in somewhat halting English that “I understand your case well.”

I immediately bristled at that presumption.  I said to the doctor:  “You know nothing about me.  I am not a laboratory specimen.  I have spirit and a will to recover and thrive – not just survive on a regiment of pills.”

He was taken aback by my controlled anger, but he shouldn’t have  been.  If we are sick, it is because our thoughts are sick.  I am not a statistic, nor are you.  We all have the ability to thrive and, at times, participate in miracles.

My favored cardiologist was on my recovery team.  The new doctor, unfortunately, was on my survival team.  The previous doctor – seeing how I had mastered my eating and was gradually increasing my exercise level – wanted to do some CT scans to test the amount of oxygen in my blood after moderate exercise.  The new doctor said that that wouldn’t be necessary for at least six months.

Now I am not saying that a person with a heart condition should throw caution to the wind, but I am saying that a resilient human spirit can create miracles.  Cancers can go into remission and hearts can inexplicably regenerate when our attitudes are in the right place.

Never let anyone diagnose you by a statistic.  If you read this newsletter, then you know I believe success is in the cards for you.  Take control of your life and manage your life-sapping habits which can put you on the operating table or in the morgue long before you should be there.