We all have 4 cylinder engines. Everyone. Don’t be mistaken by those that drive like they have a v6, v8 or v10…they really only have 4. But how can they drive like that? Let me tell you a story.
I had a dream one night where I was floating above my life and got to see everything that I had done, I was currently doing, and a distant blurry fog in the future. The coolest part of the dream though was the location. I was on top of a mountain and my body below was walking around a temple that had three pillars. The first pillar was the one of the mind…the second was of the body…and the third was of the soul. It took me a while in the dream to realize what the symbolism was of the three pillars…but then a voice explained it to me.
Your world is made up of the three.
Aha. These are the three pillars that create my foundation. Triangles are one of the strongest shapes out there because of their abilities to distribute loads. The voice then explained to me that when one of these pillars is in trouble – you are sacrificing its integrity in some way – your foundation will begin to crumble and eventually the other two pillars will be brought down as well. In order to create the strongest foundation you possibly can, all pillars must be rooted in virtue and integrity.
There was a fourth pillar.
The fourth pillar was a little bit more complex and harder to understand. In fact, it took me a while to completely grasp what the significance of the pillar was. It was centered in the middle of the three other pillars and had moments where it would light up and then dim back down. Sometimes it would spark with electricity…other times it would lull. But then a few days ago it came to me – the fourth pillar represented a bigger idea than it all. Call it harmony, call it energy, dreams, goals, motivation…basically put it all into one pot and mix it up. This was the pillar that lit up when everything else was working at full force. This was the pillar of greatness.
You can think of the pillars like cylinders and your energy like gasoline.
We all have the capability to run a 4 cylinder car…but if one or two of the cylinders is in jeopardy…then we will never reach our full potential. When our engine is sluggish we fail to reach our potential. We become dragged down with the negatives of life and the cycle of negativity continues. It is in the integrity of our mind, our body, and our soul that we can truly confront life’s challenges and move forward. When those pillars are in sync – we then get to experience what life is like when we engage that fourth cylinder. We have more power, we are motivated and inspired, and we go out and live bold lives. Our energy is like that of 100 octane gasoline.
I believe that in order to go after your dreams and your goals, you have to be in integrity with the foundation of your life. If you don’t know what your foundation is made of…create it. I have built mine around love, passion, and a never quitting attitude. Then, when all of those pieces to the puzzle are firing, you will get to experience the thrill of going full throttle – and experience you will never forget.
What’s your foundation?
Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project
That was a fantastic post! What a fascinating dream. And an interesting question: What is your foundation? Mine has been shaken recently, however, the shaking has made me see the world around me, the one that I helped to create, all the more clearly. Clarity and insight have motivated me to take an action I would have thought impossible due to fear. I have been motivated by this newly found clarity and insight to decide to break the negativity cycle that has been swirling around me, and create a new world where I can live without negativity and incorrect perception. Everything finally came into view like having blinders taken off. Suddenly, I knew what had to be done, and had the motivation and courage to do it. Thanks for the fantastic post!
Love the quotes. Fantastic post. I really liked this part:
I believe that in order to go after your dreams and your goals, you have to be in integrity with the foundation of your life. If you don’t know what your foundation is made of…create it.
Well said. I absolutely agree: the achievement of your goals hinges on the depth and soundness of your foundations. In fact, I think that our goals are almost always determined by our foundation (or what we place our faith in and define ourselves by.) When we are on our way toward our goals it is in the darkness of trials and hardship that we most desperately reach out for our virtues. It is also in these moments that we learn whether our virtues can really be trusted or not, or whether they were ever really there at all.
Great article. Thank you for sharing it with us.
LOVE this – was a great first post/read to start my day with. Thank you