The Power to Influence:

We are each created as creatures of influence - to influence and be influenced. It follows therefore that we are each created to lead and be led. There is possibly no better place to see this than when you see two people going on a walk. They both walk at a new pace, different from their individual paces, but in sync with the terms of the engagement. Each is influencing and being influenced.

Equally true is the fact that these dual influences are not equal. One is determined by the environment one finds themselves. The other is determined by the state of the persons inner organization and war. A disorganized inner organization and a defeated person have little to nothing to influence others with.

Your power to influence and thus lead others is determined by the power obtained from organizing yourself, finding your own peace, winning the war within, and thus leading yourself.

Are you winning?

The Saint.

Power Does Not Corrupt:

Charlie Chaplin puts it this way, "You need power only when you want to do something harmful; otherwise, love is enough to get everything done." I used to struggle with this, in time past, but no more. I have seen and experienced enough of life to be a witness to its veracity.

I have seen erstwhile, supposed, humble (truly humbled) people transform into beasts, only because they tasted power. I like to say, "everyone needs to be given power to know who they truly are." Power does not corrupt; it only reveals who a person truly is.

If you cannot lead without power, you cannot lead with power. Margaret Thatcher captures this perfectly, when she said, "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

Don't get me wrong. Power has its own place. It is a deterrence that needs never to be used. It comes from an inside work of winning the inner war of your being. People smell the result of the inner war. And the respect is thus reflected in the way they deal with you.

Are you truly winning?

The Saint.

The Extra in the Extraordinary:

Life is about being good at what you are good at. And not assuming nor taking for granted your being good at it. 'Tis one thing to be good. 'Tis another thing to excel and differentiate yourself in the thing that you are good at. Talent is not enough. Dexterity and circumstances don't cut it on their own. Practice and diligence differentiate the extraordinary from the ordinary. 

The example that typically comes to mind for me, in this wise, is Nani and Ronaldo. Both were a cut above others. Both were Portuguese and played for Sporting Lisbon. Both moved to Manchester United at about the same time. One rose to notoriety. The other did not. One we heard of the extra he put in. The other did just what every other person did.

Which are you?

The Saint.

Be the Best You not Another:

If you are a fish, build excellence and performance on swimming and water related activities. Stop struggling with the monkey on climbing and jumping between trees.

If you are a monkey, build excellence and performance on climbing and jumping between trees and such related activities. Stop competing with the fish in swimming or water related activities.

What or whoever you are, be a good one and the highest expression of it. Stop playing second fiddle, when you can play first fiddle.

You were not fashioned to do all things well and or efficiently. That is why we do SWOT analysis. It is not just for organizations. It is also for individuals just as well. Every individual is an organization of internal systems.

Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? If not, why not? Is your life that cheap? If yes, what are you doing with it? Who bewitched you to not harness your strengths? Where did you get your learned helplessness from?

Time is ticking, so should you. Let’s go.

The Saint.

Take Heed:

Ancient wisdom admonishes us to "Take heed therefore how ye hear." The world "hear" can be replaced with all the ways in which and by which we interact with, and interpret, both the visible and the invisible space or realm. Take heed therefore how ye think, talk, see, feel, smell, hear...why? It affects your disposition, attitude, and response to life, as a whole.

What stands between you and your true potential is how you think, hear, talk, see, feel, smell, and hear. Ancient wisdom expatiates further, “for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” Your increase (or decrease) is determined by the way you think, hear, talk, see, feel, smell, and hear.

'Tis an inside job.

The Saint.

Attending to my Attention

Attention is a word and concept most of us take for granted yet is what is at the center of who we are, how we affect, and are affected by the world around us. It affects and determines our attitude and how the world sees us, just as much as how we see the world.

Attention is the greatest gift we have and give to the people and things we hold most dear to our hearts. It is the way by which love is shown and seen above every other thing. Love is attention. Attention is love. It is the way people know they are seen, heard, understood, and thus loved, above all else.

Attention is limited. We only have so much of it. It is a scarce commodity. How we thus use it makes all the difference in the world. It is one of the ways we exercise our agency. What we give attention to is an exercise of our agency. No one or thing can make us attend to what we choose not to. We are thus responsible for how we CHOOSE to use our attention.

Let’s be mindful of how we use our attention. We only have so much of it and it determines our happiness or misery, richness or poverty, amongst many other things.

Together, let us finish 2026 strong, stronger than we started it.

I love and appreciate you.

The Saint.

Book Club with The Saint | The Confidence Game | Chapter Four | The Rope...

#bookclubwiththesaint #theconfidencegame #thecongame #theartofswindling #therope

Welcome to our Book Club. So glad to have you join us. 

We continue with our Ninth Book in the series. It's the "The Confidence Game" by Maria Konnikova. We are reading three other books along with this, to aid in getting a deeper and wider value on the topic and subject. These books are "The Big Con" by David W Maurer, "The Art of The Con" by R. Paul Wilson, and "The Mark Inside" by Amy Reading. Looking forward to another exciting and treasure filled time and sessions.

Get yourself a seat, tighten your belt, and let us take flight. 

The Saint.