This essay is a result of a lecture I gave back in 2020 to a group of close friends. I didn’t have any plans to make this information publicly available, UNTIL NOW.
From the earliest days of my recollection, an ineffable yearning to inscribe my name upon the annals of history has taken root within the deepest recesses of my soul. This fervent aspiration has fueled my pursuit of exceptional influence, a legacy that would stand unparalleled in the annals of human achievement.
Yet, I beseech you, dear reader, to not mistake this longing for the commonplace ambitions that drive men to scale the heights of temporal hierarchy; for my desires transcend the boundaries of such trivial pursuits. I seek not the mere trappings of power, but rather the indelible imprint of my essence upon the tapestry of time.
The majority of men, constrained by the limits of their imagination, gauge success by the tangible markers of wealth, prestige, and authority. They are captivated by the ephemeral luster of worldly attainments, ensnared within the gilded cage of their own making, oblivious to the more profound dimensions of human potential.
In contrast, I strive for a legacy that reaches beyond the superficial measures of societal accolades. It is the realm of the extraordinary, the space where the indomitable spirit of man can soar to dizzying heights, that I aspire to inhabit. My heart is set upon leaving an indelible mark upon the world, not by amassing fleeting treasures, but by etching the story of my existence into the very fabric of history.
There’s nothing wrong with that (as the title of this essay clearly suggests), but to men like myself, that is not enough.
Divine will has no boundaries, it works through laws known and unknown, natural, and seemingly miraculous.
It can change the course of destiny, wake the dead, cast mountains into the sea, and create new solar systems.
Man, as an image of God, possesses within him that all-accomplishing power of will. I have desired to be revered like the likes of Buddha, to be as wealthy as John D. Rockefeller, and to be as powerful as Alexander The Great. I’ve wanted these things for as long as I could remember, and settling for anything else will be tantamount to suicide.
Alexander The Great
If you have read this far and think all this is impossible, this essay IS NOT for you. But for the readers who are insane enough to believe these things are possible, please read on.
The journey to greatness requires a little bit of delusional thinking, and an abundance of faith, because without faith, NOTHING can be accomplished, with it, nothing is IMPOSSIBLE.
As with all lofty ideals, achievability is crucial. It’s not enough to want often times, such lofty goals are considered impossible by the common man. They tell you to dream, just don’t dream too big. They tell you to hope, just not for too much.
If you are afraid of criticism, there is a sure way to avoid it; BE NOTHING, AND DO NOTHING. Get a job as a street sweeper and kill off ambition. The remedy never fails.
Who told you “it couldn’t be done” and what great achievement has he to his credit that qualifies him to judge your ability?
I believe there are certain laws, which when followed, are guaranteed to get you to the pinnacle of greatness. Just as there is a law of thermodynamics that defines physical quantities such as temperature, energy and entropy, there are certain principles that govern greatness.
This is an exact science and any man who obeys its laws will achieve his ideals with mathematical certainty.
The Law Of Teachability
As we journey through life, we must embrace the art of being teachable. To become a student of life is to open ourselves to endless possibilities for growth and development. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.”
Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson
To be teachable is to have a curious mind, a heart full of wonder, and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. It means being open to learning from all sources – be it from a teacher, a mentor, a colleague, or even from nature itself. Being teachable is not a one-time occurrence but an ongoing practice that requires humility, perseverance, and dedication.
The first step to achieving the greatness you seek is learning from the masters who came before you. You should select at least 50 men and women who have had the greatest influence upon humanity.
When you succeed, you will be self-realized, powerful, wealthy, intelligent and with a character that pleases both man and God.
I cannot stress enough the willingness one should have to learn new things while discarding the old.
And not just learning for the sake of learning, but learning and applying. Look for books, essays, lectures, or quotes by and about the people you wish to emulate and teach yourself how to think and act like them.
“Cogito ergo sum. (I think, therefore I am.)”
― René Descartes.
To get you started, here is my personal list of these men and women:
Jesus Christ
The Buddha
Confucius
Elon Musk
Albert Einstein
Steve Jobs
Charles Darwin
Augustus Caesar
Constantine The Great
George Washington
William Shakespeare
Alexander The Great
Thomas Edison
Oliver Crowell
Simon Bolivar
Queen Isabella I
William The Conqueror
Sigmund Freud
Lao Tzu
Ludwig Van Beethoven
John F. Kennedy
Cyrus The Great
Peter The Great
Henry Ford
Benjamin Franklin
Nelson Mandela
Martin Luther King Jr.
Isaac Newton
John D. Rockefeller
Andrew Carnegie
J.P Morgan
Napoleon Bonaparte
Francis Bacon
Queen Elizabeth I
Leonardo Da Vinci
Shih Huang Ti
Umar Ibn Al Khattab
Howard Hughes Jr.
Jeff Bezos
Warren Buffet
Mohandas Gandhi
Abraham Lincoln
Wolfgang Mozart
Vincent Van Gogh
Winston Churchill
Paramahansa Yogananda
Asoka
Aristotle
Thomas Jefferson
Johann Sebastian Bach
(I highly encourage the reader to write up their own list).
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations. The only sin is limitation. As soon as you once come up to a man’s limitation, it’s all over with him.
Learning, however, should not be limited to the 50 men and women you have selected.
I’m yet to meet an avid reader who hasn’t achieved some degree of success.
The Buddha
In the grand tapestry of my existence, woven with threads of myriad experiences, the act of reading has emerged as the most splendid and cherished of them all. For it is through the indulgence in this noble pursuit that my mind has been ushered into an expansive realm, replete with uncharted thoughts and perspectives, shimmering like the stars in the infinite heavens above.
As I lose myself in the embrace of the written word, I find that it has illuminated the labyrinth of life’s possibilities with a dazzling array of opportunities. These opportunities, often hidden away in the shadows of the mundane, reveal themselves to the adventurous spirits who dare to delve into the depths of literature, seeking the gems of wisdom and knowledge.
Indeed, it is by courting the boundless universe of the written word that I have come to discover the exhilarating potential that lies within the grasp of those intrepid souls who venture to dream beyond the ordinary. These bold men, like daring explorers of yore, set sail on the uncharted seas of human intellect, braving the tempests of skepticism and doubt to uncover the treasures that lie hidden beneath the waves of ignorance.
In conclusion, dear reader, I implore you to indulge in the divine act of reading, for it has the power to not only transform the landscape of one’s mind but also to bestow upon the seeker the keys to the doors that lead to the wondrous realms of enlightenment and self-discovery. In doing so, you shall undoubtedly find yourself among the ranks of those fortunate few who dare to seek the endless opportunities that await us in the great ocean of human knowledge.
And remember, the law of teachability includes both your willingness to learn, to accept change, and to act upon the things learnt.
The Law Of Belief
The more freely we think, the bolder we can be. When we are bolder than others, we make mistakes that they do not risk making. However, rather than admiring us for our courage, often they simply condemn us for our errors.
The criticism of the group may convince us to yield to their pressures, to close our eyes to new possibilities, and to live the safer, surer, more restricted life that the communal rules prescribe. We retain the option of choosing not to give in.
Once you learn to stand alone against a group, typically, you find yourself able to face down those less independent people who follow the dictates of the group. This is harder than you think.
In the face of their challenge to your individual position, it’s difficult not to be overwhelmed with self-doubt. It’s hard to maintain confidence in your personal beliefs when faced with doing it alone.
Believing in ourselves can increase our strength.
-Sheldon Kopp
Faith is the starting point of all great deeds. To become that which you seek, you must first believe. Faith is born of right thinking.
Your habitual thinking and imagery mould, fashion, and create your destiny; for as a man thinketh in his subconscious mind, so is he.
The saints of old, from Christ to Buddha, to Krishna, knew that in order for the impossible to be accomplished, one had to believe.
Lord Krishna
It’s this immense faith that allowed them to perform seemingly impossible feats such as walking on water and healing the sick. You too, have such powers within you.
Take, for instance, my goal to become a TRILLIONAIRE.
Any sane man will scoff at the idea and regard it as an impossibility. But where’s the fun in being sane? Where’s the fun in pursuing goals that mere mortals pursue? Greatness does not arise from rational thought; you need to a degree of insanity to be great.
For such a goal to be achievable, one must believe it’s possible as a realistic and doable goal. The way to do this is simply by doing the math, it simplifies the objective. Getting to one trillion dollars is about numbers.
One trillion dollars looks like this: $ 1,000,000,000,000
To get to a net worth of $1 Trillion in 30 years, what I need to strengthen my faith is to have a look at the numbers. $ 1 Trillion sounds like a huge sum, but once we break it down into numbers, it becomes more believable.
Assuming I work a typical 8 hours a day, that’s 480 minutes.
If I take out my weekends and holidays, that’s 252 days of work a year (or 120,960 minutes)
Working for 30 years, that’s 3,628,800 minutes of work.
Therefore, to get to $1 Trillion, I need to calculate my earnings per minute.
Whatever aspirations may dance upon the stage of your heart, whether it be to pirouette with unmatched grace as the world’s most eminent ballerina, to weave a symphony of celestial melodies as the foremost piano virtuoso, or to conquer the verdant greens with the precision and poise of an unparalleled golfer, let them flourish with unbridled ardor. For it is within the boundless realm of dreams that the human spirit finds its wings to soar towards the loftiest heights of greatness.
Allow yourself to be guided by the unwavering flame of faith that burns within the depths of your soul, for it is this very essence of belief that shall illuminate the path towards the zenith of your ambitions. Trust in the whispers of destiny that beckon you to embrace the extraordinary potential that lies dormant within you, awaiting the moment when it shall unfurl like the petals of a resplendent rose.
Nurture the seeds of your dreams with the fertile soil of dedication and the nourishing waters of perseverance, and witness their blossoming into a magnificent garden of achievements. Do not be deterred by the inevitable storms of doubt and uncertainty, for it is through the crucible of adversity that one’s mettle is truly forged.
So, my dear dreamer, let the radiant tapestry of your aspirations envelop you in its embrace, and find solace in the knowledge that with unwavering faith as your beacon, the world shall bear witness to the symphony of your triumphs. For it is in the pursuit of these dreams that the human spirit transcends the boundaries of the ordinary and grasps the ethereal essence of the extraordinary, gifting the world with the enchanting melodies of greatness that shall echo through the annals of time.
Your mind is your limit; if you can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it – as long as you believe 100%.
The Law Of Action
If you cannot do great things, remember that you can do small things in a great way.
It’s not enough to sit around all day and wait for your goals to come to fruition on their own, faith is only part of the equation, and the other is action.
Faith will not attract greatness unless it’s organized and intelligently directed through practical plans of action.
All your actions must be one with the divine. Don’t do things half-heartedly; do them as if your life depends on it, because, it actually does.
To be great at whatever you do, you must do it with love, you must pour your whole heart into it., you must be willing to bleed for it and die for it.
Your eyes must burn with the fire of Martin Luther King Jr fighting for black rights. Your soul must sing with the intensity of Frank Sinatra in the Copa Room at the Sands Hotel and Casino.
Martin Luther King Jr
Conclusion To The Science Of Greatness
The men and women who wish to attain greatness must spend their leisure time contemplating the laws outlined in this essay and in earnest thanksgiving that their dreams will be given to them.
Whoever practices the foregoing instructions will certainly be met with success, and the success they receive will be in exact proportion to their willingness to learn, the steadiness of their faith, and the intensity of their actions.
Remember, there is nothing you cannot do, there is nothing you cannot be, and there is nothing you cannot have.
You are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul.
Steve Logarn is the Founder and CEO of HostGuest Limited. In his private time, he enjoys reading books on Philosophy, engineering, Computer Science, and Psychology.
Everytime I read your blog I always find myself getting a bit more enlightened but then again, that’s my mantra; ‘Always the student’.
There is an insight in such a simple and realistic manner especially for a person who needs a dictionary (not me😁) to understand even half of what the ancient philosophers (Plato, Socrates, Homer, e.t.c) were trying to say.
Teachable, Belief, Action.
Takes but a moment to understand but a lifetime to master.
Amazing work.
Everytime I read your blog I always find myself getting a bit more enlightened but then again, that’s my mantra; ‘Always the student’.
There is an insight in such a simple and realistic manner especially for a person who needs a dictionary (not me😁) to understand even half of what the ancient philosophers (Plato, Socrates, Homer, e.t.c) were trying to say.
Teachable, Belief, Action.
Takes but a moment to understand but a lifetime to master.
Amazing work.