 Ahhh… the stock market. What is this place of so much prestige, power, and peculiar pangs of price, probability, and prized payments? I’ll tell you what it is: one big, fat, lie. Or is it? In a nutshell, the stock market is a place where belief not only outmaneuvers reality; it’s also a place where belief actually CREATES an entirely different realm of reality. In psychiatry, when one creates a different realm of reality, that person is said to be psychotic, or at least having an episode of psychosis. And yet, there we were in 2008, witnessing the historic downfall of our splendid financial systems: billion-dollar banks were being swallowed up by other bigger-billion-dollar-banks; governments crammed subsequent billions of bucks into the commercial marketplace; and the stock market inspired yet another break from reality. How does this continually happen? Why does it repeatedly occur? And what does the stock market have to do with you, he, she, and me anyway? Quite simply, the stock market is a place where, if enough people think, believe, and act like a stock is worth more (or less) than it is currently valued, then (guess what?) the stock is worth more (or less) than what it is currently valued. If more people desire said stock, the price of that stock goes up. And if more people desire to get rid of that same stock, the price goes down. Now this may be a simplistic explanation of the stock market, given the vast sums of money that flow through the various world exchanges on a daily basis. Nonetheless, it is an accurate description (except for the fact that billion-dollar hedge funds contort the market and actually usurp and undermine the marketplace concept – but that’s for another blog, on another day). So, ask yourself: What happens if and when people are wrong? What happens when people think the stock will appreciate in price, but it subsequently goes down? And vice versa: What happens when people speculate on a decrease in the price of a stock, but the value of the stock actually goes up? Quite simply: one person’s loss is another person’s gain. Therein lies the magic of making money in the market. It’s all based on the outcome. Or, more specifically, it’s based on the outcome of the person who gains the most benefits from the trade. But let’s not forget one critically important fact: Regardless of the outcome, the entire transaction started with an expressions of individual BELIEF. And, truth be told, if enough people simply believed that all the stocks were worthless, every stock would become worthless. If enough people believed the American, Australian, or Canadian dollars were worthless, each of those currencies would immediately become worthless. FACT: Our financial system is based almost entirely on faith. Likewise, the same is true of life outside the world’s stock markets. Right where you are sitting or standing, your ultimate outcome is heavily influenced by your very own beliefs. “Outcome to what?” you may ask. Well, that’s your question to answer. My purpose is to provide you with yet one more Dare. And today, I dare you to… Accept Your Fate. In fact, as we build on Dare #1 through Dare #7 and begin moving toward a higher sense of self, and as I dare you to Accept Your Fate, I am also asking you to get a little crazy and give yourself a break from reality. Yes: join me as we go through our very own path of psychosis. Don’t worry… this won’t hurt a bit. But like the various stock markets (which seems to control the world), this little journey will, indeed, require your profound ability to sincerely believe what I am sharing with you. [And, by the way, in case you haven’t noticed, we have already inculcated ourselves in daily rituals of psychosis, or “breaks from reality.” We now afford ourselves a break from reality every time we tune in to the television, turn on our favorite radio station, or scroll through the smooth little screen on our smartphone (not really “here,” but “there”; not really “there,” nor “here”). And if you don't think this type of behavior is at least a little bit crazy, then you might want to double-back to the last challenge (Dare #7) and “Know Your G.P.A.”] But I digress; we were discussing my dare to Accept Your Fate. I guarantee you: regardless of what you have been told about this word “fate,” today is the day it gains a better meaning for you and for everyone who knows you. This little four-lettered word has so much meaning, and yet it remains mired in so much misunderstanding. To be clear: the textbook definition of “fate” centers on the idea that life is (somehow) predetermined. And perhaps it is. But for me, the word "fate" is a very specific algorithm for achieving blissful balance. And in a connected, yet seemingly disconnected world of, shall we say, wonderful people, I find myself using this algorithm more and more with each passing day. As an author, I am an avid wordsmith. And I enjoy some words more than others. The word “fate” has allowed me to set my daily sights upon a belief that has literally changed the world. I’m not worried about being redundant. So, for emphasis, I will repeat that last sentence: This word “fate” has allowed me to set my sights upon a belief that has literally changed the world. Yes: this one little word has changed the world. For you see, (like the two previous dares), FATE is an acronym: ~ Faithfulness And Thankfulness Everyday ~ Notice the insistence of these four separate yet integrated words: || FAITHFULNESS || When you are faithful, you are not just full of faith toward your committed ideal. You are actually devoid of hopelessness toward the same. You literally have no room for decreased commitment; you are all in on what you believe. The question is: To what are you committed? What are you full of? || AND || Yes, this little word “and” is a very important part of the acronym FATE. No matter where you go or what you do, there is at least one other person who needs you… or who YOU will need. Period. Moreover, You are not just You. By the mere act of reading this, You are now You **and** Me. By my sharing of this essay and its precepts across Facebook, LinkedIn, and several other sites… for days, weeks, moths, and perhaps years to come, You and this newly defined interpretation of FATE are now linked with untold other readers. It is the AND that makes us THIS (whatever “this” may be). It is the AND that makes You much more than who you were. It is also what makes our human problems global, if not universal. || THANKFULNESS || Of course, the simple definition of thankfulness is “full of thanks.” A better definition is found in the act of being “expressive with gratitude.” After all, being thankful is not just about saying, “Thank you,” and then moving on. Being thankful is more about “being the thank you” and then passing it on in the form of being a more appreciative You. And, much like faithfulness, when you are full of thanks -- when you are BEING the thank you -- there’s very little room for any action that is remotely dissimilar or opposite to the action of a person who lives a life of gratitude. I’ll try to be overtly clear: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ When we are thankful, there is absolutely no room for apathy toward our fellow humans; no room for criticism concerning **our** Creator’s creatures; not enough space for dishonoring our friends and enemies; no extra leeway to disregard human rights; no spare contempt for disrespecting different tribes; no ready reservoir for hatred to be hurled across the aisle, street, or kitchen table; no excess capability for issuing ignorance in place of insight; no idle time for exhibiting indifference to known injustices; no unused hate to fuel insensitivity to the less (or more) fortunate; and certainly no extra room for an overall misunderstanding of men and women by other respective men or women. Take a step back intellectually, and a step forward spiritually to realize that, when we are full of thanks, we are empty of enmity, because we are far too busy counting our blessings, showing our light, and increasing the value of our personal stock. || EVERYDAY || And finally, the last word of this powerful acronym is a tall but accessible timetable for you to follow. I won’t belabor this straightforward point of expectation except to say this: When the day for which you are less than thankful arrives, your fate might already be sealed. So… what is my overall point? After all, I started this essay with a nod toward the stock market, and wound up asking you to commit a tiny but powerful acronym to memory. FATE: Faithfulness And Thankfulness Everyday! (As an author, I tend to be a bit wordy. On the bright side, this post is free! You don’t have to spend cold hard cash buying any of my books!) Anyway… here’s my point: In the final analysis, our existing prosperity is not based entirely upon what we have, but rather on what we believe. To wit, the smartest person in the world is actually senseless without a firm belief in self - and a true application of that belief. These days, it seems most people equate prosperity to economic wealth. Yet, the wealthiest person in the world is not the one who has the most money, it is the person who is fulfilled by the four corners of self. Interestingly, in Latin, the word “prosperity” has the root words of “fortune” and “hope.” So… to be prosperous is to be “fortunate and full of hope.” Are you, he, she, and me actually fortunate? Yes. And if you’re not, flip the switch and watch your fortunes turn. This is to say that, in reality, when we appreciate certain things, those same things ultimately appreciate in value – to us. Thus, we are as fortunate as we are thankful; if we can somehow be continuously thankful, we can more easily see just how fortunate we really are. And if you are grateful for every moment - including the (perceived) good, bad, and ugly moments, then you are most appreciative, most grateful, and most fortunate. Perceptions are most important because, in the reality of today (now - this very moment), there is neither good nor bad… except for how YOU define it and plan to leverage it in the very near future. And that brings us to the little thing called hope… a parallel to “faith.” Faith is the substance of things hoped for. It is the assurance of things not seen. And the truth of the matter is: Going forward, everything is not (yet) seen. So again, the central question is, “What do YOU think; what do YOU believe?” More precisely, “What do you CHOOSE to believe?” If everything forward is unseen (and it is, indeed, ALL unseen and unknown), shouldn’t we CHOOSE to be prosperous – full of thanks and appreciation for what was - and full of hope for what can be? To choose anything else is proactively setting up our personal stock for future failure. Instead of setting our personal stock up for failure, let’s invest ourselves wisely: Every single day, we must be full of faith toward our commitments. Every single day, we must be full of thanks. Actually, we must BE the thanks. If we can do this, we can truly begin to accept our FATE. Accepting such a FATE is perhaps more simplistic than easy. It’s not easy having faith in me, this writer whom you don’t even know… Moreover, it’s not easy having faith in… …your president, prime minister, or powerful political opponent… …these liberals… those conservatives… …this neighbor whom we do not know… …this neighbor whom we might not love. But if we could somehow extend a little faithfulness AND a little thankfulness, every single day, I believe we would all do well to accept just such a fate. Dare I say: We could very well predetermine our very own glorious global fate. Today, I dare you: Accept Your FATE.   John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist. He believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need. And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me). Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}. An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!  An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, "The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life," a teen-focused guide, "Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens," and the Christian-based book, "God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life." He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and “authorize” people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets. His trademarked phrase is a winner:  |
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