The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

January 19Unlimited Power

We can fix our eyes on perfection, and make almost everything speed towards it. This is, indeed, a noble prerogative of our nature. Possessing this, it matters little what or where we are now, for we can conquer a better lot, and even be happier for starting from the lowest point. Of all the discoveries which men need to make, the most important, at the present moment, is that of the self-forming power treasured up in themselves. They little suspect its extent, as little as the savage apprehends the energy which the mind is created to exert on the material world. It transcends in importance all our power over outward nature.

William Ellery Channing—Self-Culture (1838)

A belief in the connection among all living things was at the core of transcendentalism. This belief might seem in conflict when juxtaposed with the guiding principle that individuals are at their best when they are self-reliant.

However, Channing's reading might also suggest that it is the careful blending of these two ideas that unlocks a “self-forming” power we are free to tap at any chosen moment no matter where we find ourselves today.

When we begin to see everything as an extension of ourselves, we can let go of comparisons and accomplishments and fix our eyes on the perfection currently dammed up by our ego's need to compete rather than allow.

Test this out by turning to social media and reading a few dozen posts. What's your gut reaction when you do this—is it joy or is something ...