A starting point to make your dreams come true
• “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.”
• “The mould of a man’s fortune is in his own hands.”
• “To thine own self be true.” [ William Shakespeare – 1204]
• “He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.” [Aristotle -322 BC]
We’ve all heard many quotes like these. How is it that we know these sayings? Some are 2331 years old! Of all the words uttered in the course of humanity … these and many more like them have withstood time, why? I don’t know. Like you, I only know that I do in fact know! These sayings are known by all mankind, in all countries, cultures and languages, transcending all biases. We call those who utter such saying philosopher’s. Webster defines philosopher as a scholar or thinker; philosophy is defined as the pursuit of wisdom; a search for truth.
How do I get to “know myself”? For most of us we’ve been told our entire life who we are – our parents, grand-parents, siblings, friends, teachers, spouses have all told us who we are and most of us believe them! Why? [by default, it’s easier, or everyone else does it?] Not good reasons and certainly not who we are. We need to become philosophers – we need to become thinkers, scholars, and we need to pursue wisdom and search for the truth – our truth! This won’t be easy; they didn’t spend even a semester teaching us this in school. They did, however, provide you and me a good grounding in language and language is a great starting point.
Aristotle, Shakespeare, Will Rogers, etc., all had a firm grip on language and more importantly they all spent a lot of time [if not their lifetimes] getting to know themselves from within – “inside – out” and “top – to – bottom” and I’m sure as we say today, “discovering the good, the bad and the ugly.”
I’ve run across a few men of our time who have spent a lifetime pursuing such endeavors. Dr. Robert S. Hartman who grew up in pre WW-II Germany experiencing first-hand the organization of “evil” on a massive scale. It was the Nazi’s party skill at organizing evil that led Dr. Hartman to postulate the question, “What is good?” He wondered how decent, honorable people could organize “good” in a similar fashion to combat such evil. From this first spark of wonder grew a life-long journey that led from wondering what is good; to wondering how to classify good; to seeking to understand how our brain works; and finally, to then understand how we perceive the world around us. To answer the questions scientifically he applied mathematics to the issue, and thus he created a new science, Axiology. [Dr. Hartman earned three (3) Doctorates in his life – Mathematics, Law and Philosophy.] Dr. William Marston developed what is termed the DISC model – his foundational work in the field of behavioral science has developed into the most used behavioral assessment in the world. As early as 444 B.C. when Empedocles first defined the classical roots or elements [earth, air, fire, water] people have been trying to define or quantify patterns in nature and mankind … Hippocrates [400 B.C.], Galen [130 B.C], to Carl Jung [1921] who expanded upon Sigmund Freud’s work and finally in 1923 William Marston published, Emotions of Normal People, wherein he incorporated what had come before into a single and more cohesive four quadrant behavioral model. Finally, Eduard Spranger, a German philosopher and psychologist, in 1914 published a book later translated into English in 1928 titled Types of Men: the Psychology and Ethics of Personality. In it he described his research and observations that led to his identifying six core attitudes or values he found present in every person.
Recently, I’ve become certified to administer the instruments that have grown out of the work of these three men. [Attribute Index-AI, DISC Index-DI, Values Index-VI.] These indexes are the basis of my work with clients who desire to “Know thine Self.” Working closely with my clients and de-briefing them on the content of the three assessments has proven to be very rewarding for them in achieving their quest to “Know thine Self.”
Let me make this crystal clear – once we “know ourselves” from an “inside-out” “top-to-bottom” perspective we can align our lives with our true inner strengths:
- we create an external environment that strengthens and expands our abilities
- we lead ourselves, which is the prerequisite to leading others
- we gain a stronger sense of identity and a clearer sense of direction
- we gain increased confidence and can communicate the “value” we add to projects
- we experience productivity gains in our work; we live in harmony and balance and joy
How might you go about achieving these insights and strengths? Email me
Thank you and until the next time – have a safe and productive day.
Bill Kille
Life Coach, Business Facilitator, Public Speaker