Exhaust All Avenues
“To find what you seek in the road of life, the best proverb of all is that which says: “Leave no stone unturned.” — Edward Bulwer Lytton
In an ancient Greek fable, the playwright Euripides conveys a story of an army general who buries a large treasure in his tent, following his defeat in battle. When the conquering general and his troops couldn’t locate the treasure, they consulted the Oracle of Delphi who advised them to look under every stone. The conquering general returned to the site where the tent was situated, ordering his troops to search under every stone until the treasure was uncovered. The tale by Euripides, used since the 1500’s, depicts man’s unbending desire to pursue every course of action to achieve his outcome. Consider the relevance of this story in your own life. Is there a goal or dream you are determined to achieve with a strong desire?
Giving up is an easy way out since it abandons the need to concede failure and the ensuing emotions which arise from defeat. Yet character is formed in defeat, similar to the process where carbon dioxide when applied with intense heat and pressure, gives rise to form a diamond. I’d like you to consider leaving no stone unturned in your pursuit to realise a particular goal or outcome. That is, adopt an unrelenting desire to pursue that which burns deep in your heart. Have you noticed, those who strike upon success have an unyielding tenacity not to lose sight of their vision? Similar to a dog who refuses to let go of his bone until he has gnawed at it, thus reducing it to nothing more than bone fragments, we must strive to exhaust all avenues before retreating into defeat. Often, we believe every course of action is being undertaken, yet something is always lurking around the corner, waiting to command our attention.
People who seek a cure for disease or illness, may spend years searching for a solution to no avail. Yet, as they abandon hope, a likely solution is brought to light when they least expect it. Therefore, we must remain vigilant, yet in a state of expectation without a projected outcome of how our goal will come to bear. Consider your answer to the following: What do you truly desire? We spend a great deal of time protesting what we don’t want, to the detriment of our true desires. Our subconscious mind constantly scans our innermost thoughts and daydreams. It does so by filtering pertinent information to reveal patterns of thought, particular to our character. Therefore, given our commitment, giving up should be the last resort until all avenues have been exhausted. Similarly, what we set out to achieve may not be realised in the form we intended. Many of the world’s greatest inventions came to life because of an accident or mishap. Consider the inventions we take for granted nowadays such as: Post-it notes, Penicillin, the microwave oven, Velcro and x-rays. Such inventions arose out of mere accident and countless errors.
Don’t Abandon Hope When All Seems Lost
“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” — Og Mandino
It is no surprise that vigilance, tenacity and an unrelenting desire are paramount in our quest to succeed. This principle applies to most areas of life: improving our finances, career, entrepreneurship and seeking a committed relationship. Therefore, we must think in terms of infinite possibilities. Regrettably, most people adopt the suck it and see approach to goal attainment, eluding to the English expression of “giving it a go” while being attentive to what eventuates in the process. Whilst merit is gained in adopting this approach, it is better suited towards smaller goals rather than risk gambling with the game of life. A more likely strategy calls for developing a compelling inner resolve to pursue the goal til the end, since far too many people give up, just when the tide turns.
Whilst we may not appreciate how close we were, in hindsight we might lament our missed opportunity. It was the late author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn who invites us to reflect upon regret when he said: “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” To leave no stone unturned in our quest for success, requires restrained patience and biding our time. In support, a steadfast vigilance to realise a successful outcome is paramount. We should try to alternate between these two states, given that patience and vigilance tend to oppose one another. We mustn’t abandon hope when all seems lost, since that is the time when the tide turns in our favour. Life is bound by unexpected change when we least expect it.
In concluding, we ought to pursue everything in our power to realise our goal, then turn it over to the universe to usher in the ideal outcome. It was in Dan Millman’s book Way Of The Peaceful Warrior that he reminds us of this timely truth: “I no longer presume to know how life should come or go; letting go in this way brings a sense of freedom. This doesn’t mean I don’t care or have no preferences. My actions naturally follow the call of my heart, my interests, my values. I make efforts in my personal and professional life in alignment with my goals. But once I’ve taken aim and loosed the arrows from the bow, I can only wait with interest to see where it will land.” Assume the same inner conviction towards your vision of success. Sure enough, when you least expect it, success will greet you in the timeliest hour.
Originally published at The Medium