on August 11 | in Cover, Defining the Modern Gladiator, Issue 9 | by Martin Alvarez | with No Comments

Be Successful at Sharpening Your “Steel”

How do you measure success in your life?

How do you measure success in your life? Is it by the home you live in, the job title you hold, or perhaps the car you drive? Success is viewed differently by just about everyone—we each have our own barometer by which we define what is successful and what is merely an attempt at being successful. In any case, success can simply be defined as the accomplishment of one’s goals. Viewed in this way, success is not necessarily a refinement of riches or power or anything that has a monetary or grandiose attachment; instead, success comes when we finally accomplish goals we’ve set for ourselves.

When you do an inward assessment of your goals and accomplishments, how do you personally measure success? For some, it might be raising their children properly and seeing them off to be mature adults that are productive members of society, for others it may be as simple as making sure that your family has what it needs in the way of sustenance, yet still another may have ambitious desires to be prominent, perhaps a leader of a corporation or other organization. Whatever your goals are in life, we all should have the desire to be hard working, productive contributors not only to ourselves and family but also to those outside of our immediate sphere of relationships.

Whatever your goals are in life, we all should have the desire to be hard working, productive contributors.

In part 1 of Steel Sharpens Steel, we discussed how important it is for us to “hone” our edges by means of sharpening one another. In that analogy we mentioned how in order for steel to sharpen steel, the instrument used to do the sharpening must be a stronger and coarser material. If we are to aid in assisting others and sharpening them, we must be strong and have the ability within us to impart something that will help sharpen and make others stronger. On the onset that may seem a bit daunting, but is it really? Let’s analyze this for a moment.

We all have special skills and unique qualities that identify us and set us apart from others—we are all unique and different in our own special way. When we look at it from that vantage point, we begin to see that we all have something that we can contribute to others that they may not already possess, and in turn it can contribute to make them stronger. To understand that we are all unique and strong within our own abilities (but whether or not we choose to use those unique qualities) is entirely up to us—we alone can make the decision if we are willing to share and impart those “gifts” to help others.

Imagine if we all had the mindset to help sharpen our fellow man—can you just imagine the positivity and interchange of encouragement we would all receive on a daily basis? It would make a formidable difference and impact the lives of not only ourselves but of others as well. Then, imagine the feeling of contentment and success, knowing that in a small way you contributed to building up another!

True happiness comes by having an “inner peace.”

When we start thinking in terms of living not only for our own success but also the success of others, we begin to understand that true happiness and contentment comes not from accumulating material possessions but by having an “inner peace” in knowing that we have done something positive to contribute to someone in need.

What are some practical ways we can go about in accomplishing this goal of being successful in sharpening others? First off, we must be genuinely concerned about their welfare. Here are few thought provoking questions we can ask ourselves:

1. 

   Road rage—”me first” attitude

   Do I put the needs of others ahead of my own or do I have more of a “me first” attitude?

2. When you see someone in distress or struggling, do you think, “Too bad for them, poor sap” or “I wonder in what way I can be of assistance?”
3. Is your natural inclination to react and “spring into action” when adversity strikes or do you tend to “bury your head in the sand” and act as though nothing is wrong?

By doing an honest evaluation of our intent and motives toward others, it may enable us to come to a realization that perhaps we need to make some adjustments in our thinking of how we view our fellow man. If we have the intent and desire to make this world a better place, we must first start with ourselves. We must probe deep into ourselves and recognize that we bear a brunt of the responsibility for not only our own happiness but that of those around us—our family, friends, workmates, neighbors, and the world over.

Imagine a brotherhood where men are “looking out” for one another like a watchmen in a tower, ready to forewarn of impending danger. Imagine a brotherhood where your fellow brother is not looking for only his own interest but he is looking out for yours as well. Imagine a brotherhood where like-minded men are at your back, willing to fight for you and wanting to see you succeed! Imagine a brotherhood where the bonds you develop with men of like-minded desire are stronger than the bond of steel!

Imagine no more, for it is here and upon us—the stage is being set and the momentum is building! Join the brotherhood of gladiators, join the the revolution of men that are determined to sharpen one another as steel sharpens steel!

Imagine a brotherhood where men are “looking out” for one another like a watchmen in a tower.

 

Related Posts

« Smart Health Tips: How to Protect Yourself from Skin Cancer This Summer 3 Critical Steps to “Knocking Out” YOUR Fitness Goals »