The people who stand before kings may look like they did it all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot. It makes a difference where and when we grew up. … It’s not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words. It is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn’t. p.19

We pretend that success is exclusively a matter of individual merit. But there’s nothing in any of the histories we’ve looked at so far to suggest things are that simple. These are stories, instead, about people who were given a special opportunity to work really hard and seized it, and who happened to come of age at a time when that extraordinary effort was rewarded by the rest of society. Their success was not just of their own making. It was a product of the world in which they grew up. p.67

Outliers are those who have been given opportunities – and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them. p.267

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers – 2008

Charlie Rose: “There is a book out by Malcolm Gladwell, which is called ‘Outliers’, it really is the story of looking at success and performance and talent, people who have achieved something special. … You are sitting here, because you had parents who lived in LA, who were willing to make some sacrifice, who cared about you have a chance to pursue your dreams, but if you had grown up somewhere else, with different kind of parents, you might not be sitting here, as Leo DiCaprio, one of America’s and one of the world’s well-known actors.”

Leonardo DiCaprio: “That and a combination with the fact that you have that one lucky moment. And that you can’t discount. I don’t care what somebody else says, whether somebody has talent or not, or whether they were destined for a certain career, if you don’t get that one opportunity and you where not there at the right time to seize it and you didn’t go for it, none of it would have happened. I would not have the career I have right now whatsoever.”

“You are simply not gonna win all the time, you’re gonna loose some. If somebody says: what do you have to be to be a successful coach. I say: you gotta get over the bad times. If you never had adversity, you ain’t gonna be nothing. You got to have adversity to built your character. And find out how tough you are, and find out how well your judgement is.”
Bobby Bowden, Florida State University – Head Football Coach

“The school of life is the place where you are always given an opportunity to learn. The process of learning makes the journey more interesting and gives you a chance to evolve. Exams in this school can be simply described as crisis years or times of drastic transformations in life. These are the years that test how well you were able to learn the lessons offered by the Universe and how well you have managed to implement the solutions to challenges in life. If you pass the exams, you are offered a chance to get to the next level in order to meet new teachers that help you learn new things about life.

Life Cycles and How to Do Well
in the School of Life

It is great when you have the knowledge on how to pass the tests that crisis years bring, but what if you don’t. The major signs that you are failing one of the exams are problems with health, personal as well as professional life.  Even if you have failed the exam, it doesn’t mean that your cycle of life ends.  If one of the exams turns out to be an unresolved challenge, you still have a chance to fix it during your next cycle. However, they do tend to pile up which makes it much harder to pass the exams of the previous cycles. Besides, you still have things to deal with during your current cycle. Constant failure can eventually lead to being expelled from the school of life, but sooner or later you would still have to pass the exams, perhaps in your “next life”

Just like everything in the Universe, human life has its cycles. You are probably well aware of different periods or stages in human life: you are born, you go through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

29-35 yrs

During this 7-year “semester”, you begin to exercise your own will. By this time you should have already discovered at least a hint of what your true purpose is. In other words you should know what makes you happy and now you have the energy of your will to make it happen. This is the cycle when you become the creator and you begin to test the limits of your creativity.

You are free to exercise your will within the limits of your mission and under guidance from your Higher Self (5th energy center or chakra is responsible for your own voice and willpower).  Your creativity has to be supported by your strong will and by the practical knowledge you have gained from previous experiences. Expression of your will in the right direction (the direction that is given to you by your own Spirit, Higher Self or simply intuition) can produce great results and satisfaction.

You should be careful though. Many people during this cycle find themselves living according to a strict schedule (home-work-home) and that they have almost forgotten how to truly enjoy life. You might get scared that you haven’t accomplished much by 30 years of age (as many people believe that this is the age when they should already have everything: family, house and fulfilling job) and you might even start trying harder when perhaps you need to stop.

You might also find yourself in full disappointment and depression since you didn’t reach the goals that you had set for yourself. It could lead to becoming passive (when it is actually the time to exercise your will) and you might even consider yourself a lost cause – the truth is that the real life hasn’t even started and you are just learning the tools and skills that will help you be happy and successful. Remember – it’s not about the destination, it is about the journey of reaching your full potential.

There are also those who are really scared of making decisions since they believe that it is their last chance to change anything in their life. The choice is once again quite simple – you either become an average member of society or you follow your heart and intuition in realizing your potential through exercising your creativity. You have to carry out inner elections and either vote for a stable boring life or life full of miracles and extraordinary events.

Once again, you are trying to find the correct way through trial and error, but his time you are testing your will and determination. Luck is always a bonus to the one who has courage, perseverance, faith, patience, and passion.  During this cycle, you get the chance to make your own choice – and give your final answer – material things or spiritual/creative journey.“

Source: https://www.lifescriptdoctor.com/crisis-years-cycles-of-life-and-how-to-do-well-in-the-school-of-life/

“Early Adulthood (Ages 20-35):  Enterprise –  It takes enterprise for young adults to accomplish their many responsibilities, including finding a home and mate, establishing a family or circle of friends, and/or getting a good job.

Midlife (Ages 35-50):  Contemplation – After many years in young adulthood of following society’s scripts for creating a life, people in midlife often take a break from worldly responsibilities to reflect upon the deeper meaning of their lives, the better to forge ahead with new understanding.”

Source: http://www.institute4learning.com/resources/articles/the-12-stages-of-life/

 

Check out Wikipedia:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xennials

In 2014, I was 31 at the time, I met with my first coach. She taught me about ‘the wheel of life’. It was so unlike anything I ever learned in school, it fascinated me instantly. So recently I looked it up and it’s a real thing.

“A researcher observed a young butterfly’s exertion and struggle to get out of its cocoon. He thought he would help and used a scalpel to make a small slit in the cocoon, thus easing the butterfly’s task. Soon, however, he discovered the butterfly could not fly; its wings had not been strengthened through the effort of escape. The butterfly died because it was not strong enough to become airborne.

In a similar manner the struggle and suffering we encounter in life can be strengthening. If it is avoided then our lives may lack the strength and resolve needed to seek and engage transformation. Psychological and spiritual growth is always difficult. It is like the birth process in which something new comes into existence. A new level of maturity is brought into being. Birth involves struggle and with struggle comes not only suffering but strength.

Let’s look at one frequently occurring example of the “Wheel of Life.” It is a wheel surrounded by four different images of one person. At the top of the wheel is a well-dressed person, smiling and content. This person is in the position of happiness and success. As the wheel turns clockwise on its axis, the next image is of the same person appearing distressed as he falls head long into the abyss of change and loss. Fortune has turned, and the wheel continues to move. At the bottom of the wheel the person is naked and is in suffering as he lives through the experience of loss. This is the position of despair and loss of hope. Once again the wheel turns and the person rises in hopeful expectation. The person is again clothed and has a look of anticipation as he moves towards the top of the wheel.

These four images represent the phases of life which are in continual movement. These phases can be distinguished from the stages of life. Life stages are broad divisions such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, adult, midlife, and old age. The four phases of the wheel occur within these stages in an on going cyclical manner. As individuals living in the world, we are always at one of the life four positions: Happy, Loss (Descending), Suffering, or Hope (Ascending). Because the wheel is continually turning, we can assess our present position and look ahead to where we will be next. If we are presently happy, it will not last. If we are falling, it may get worse. When we are suffering, we may get through it to rise again in hope. Happiness will be regained, but the wheel also continues to turn. The cycle is repeated, and such is life.”

Source: http://lessons4living.com/wheel_of_life2.htm

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

– Steve Jobs

A friend once told me “I think now it’s time for you to find your own Leonardo”. She was teasing me. She knew I had been a life time Leonardo fan, Leonardo DiCaprio that is. The greatest actor of our time, every girl’s dream, at least that’s what I thought. I remember the first time I saw him on the big screen, I was fourteen years old and Romeo + Juliet had just come out. And then there was Titanic and the phenomenon it was. Leonardo starred as Jack, chasing his Rose on board of this unsinkable ship, that sank on it’s first voyage across the Atlantic. “I’ll never let go Jack, I’ll never let go”.

Also read [Bamboo Plant]

Also read [The Monkeys up in the Trees]

Sometimes in life you wipeout through no fault of your own, this too is life, the Surf of Life. Life is no linear upward line, or a nice round circle. Life is like a set of waves, sometimes you’re up and sometimes you’re down:

• Accept that sometimes the waves just wash over you
• Remember that not every wave is for you
• Know that there’s no surfing without waves