Always More Audacity

Gentlemen,

Aphorism…

If you don’t know this word, unfortunately you’re an idiot.

I’m joking, I didn’t know what it meant til this week, but nonetheless…

An aphorism is a concise statement of a principle. Short, potent statements that describe a meta-principle for life.

They are weapons to use against doubt, lethargy, laziness, fear, temptation, and angst. They are easily memorable, repeatable, and simple statements ready to be deployed against your lower self.

Many of history’s great men coined their own aphorisms and said them all the time, constantly repeating these phrases audibly and inaudibly.

Why is this important? Because repetition is persuasive. Repetitive thoughts become things, this is a universal law. So, if you’re constantly repeating empowering statements that charge you up to take action toward your vision, you will inevitably heed the advice hidden in the meta-principle that that statement holds and bring forth your vision.

Here are some of the aphorisms that history’s great men used to conquer and what they mean:

1. “Get Action” - Teddy Roosevelt

This is intentionally oversimplified. It’s literally a plead to himself to get action. Make a move. Take a step. Get the ball rolling. DO SOMETHING.

A sedentary, lethargic life is a no life at all. Only those who take massive and consistent action know what it means to live.

Teddy Roosevelt was a profoundly active person - he accomplished more than the vast majority of men can even dream of.

He included this aphorism in this longer quote, “Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action.”

Get action fellas.

2. “Always More Audacity” - Winston Churchill

Audacity means the willingness to take bold risks. Churchill, aka one of humanity’s greatest wartime leaders, would say this constantly.

The message is to be bold and courageous. Do not wither away in doubt, fear, and angst, but instead, be audacious. Act with boldness. Dare greatly, take risks.

Churchill also said this, “The first quality that is needed is audacity.”

Without the willingness to take risks, what can be done in life? Nothing of any consequence or relevance. No honor, glory, or impact can be given to the unaudacious man. Those rewards are saved for the men who live boldly.

Doubt creeps into your head about taking that initiative? You fear getting rejected by the beautiful girl? Angst about the future is telling you to not launch that business or take the hill or accept that challenge or have that difficult conversation?

No matter, “Always More Audacity.” Act with it and live by it.

3. “Action Changes Everything.” - John D. Rockefeller

Rockefeller is one of the wealthiest men to ever live; his advice may be worth our time.

I don’t know if he said this repeatedly, but he wrote it in a letter to his son, so it’s clearly an important principle to him.

The lesson here is simple: action is what changes things. Yes, thought - both conscious and subconscious - is what instigates action, but thought with no action is a non-factor, a non-producer… It has no effect.

What produces results is action. What changes things is action.

Feeling down? Do pushups, you’ll feel better.

Feeling stressed? Pick a task and complete it, you’ll feel better.

Tired? Jump up and down and smack your chest.

Thinking about a task, a challenge, a workout, a flaw, or your state of mind does nothing, but exagerate the negative associated with those things. Act.

Action begets action. Action Changes Everything.

4. “By endurance we conquer.” - Ernest Shackleton

Ernest Shackleton one of the world’s greatest explorers. He lived a truly amazing life and accomplished amazing things. Look into him after this.

What does this aphorism mean?

It means that we conquer by not quitting. By continuing to fight. A battle is not won by the most well-equiped or talented army, it is won by the army that continues fighting the longest.

Life is a war of attrition within which we fight many wars of attrition; the only way to win the ultimate war is to not quick. It’s that simple.

The game of life is won by enduring the hardships, enduring the challenges, the ups and downs, the triumphs, the defeats, the mistakes, the peaks, the valleys, and everything in between. The enemy is conquered by endurance. By the unwillingness to capitulate.

Endure and conquer.

There you have it. This is a small sample size, but these are incredibly impactful statements if implemented into our lives.

Aphorisms are important and there is a reason that many great men used them consistently.

Perhaps it is worth the time to create one of your own, but in the meantime use these to win battles and bring forth your vision.

Onward & Upward,

Nolan