Teddy Roosevelt: The Definition of 'Beast Mode'

The Cowboy President

Theodore Roosevelt, more commonly known as "Teddy" is by far one of the most well-accounted and idolized figure in American history.  A man's man, Teddy Roosevelt epitomized masculinity and leadership.  In fact, in an election speech in October of 1912, Roosevelt was shot in the chest by a would-be assassin.  When the smoke cleared and the crowd was calmed by the presidential candidate, all the man had to say was, "It takes more than that to kill a bull-moose," revealing his bloodstained shirt and continuing on his speech which lasted close to an hour.  

His wound was not fatal, as the bullet passed through his thick coat, steel eye-glass case, and the thick notes of his speech.  But let's not look over what he just did.  The man was shot, the assassin aiming for his chest, blood soaking his clothes, and he still went on to complete his speech.  He makes Chuck Norris look like Goldilocks.  

This incident, and the way Rooseelt carried himself in it, is but one of several incidences that showcased this man's bravado, courage, and inner strength.  He would go on to become the 26th Presidents of the United States of America and founding the Progressive Party he lived the life of a cowboy and is always remembered as a Bull-Moose.  

One Generation to the next

It seems as if one generation wants to constantly do battle with the next.  There is a constant struggle to prove one mindset over the other, the older seeing themselves as more superior to the younger.  Each is dogged with the conundrum of why the other acts the way they act or do the way they do, seemingly absurd to each other.  

This goes beyond the classes of understanding that exist between the sexes, the social classes, and the ethnic/cultures.  This generational divide is a boundary between world-views of one of the largest groups of human beings, discriminated on a temporal basis.  It’s not like sexism and racism whereby we move in progress to understand one another and quell discrimination over time.  You literally have only a defined period of time to understand two unique groups of people before the elder one dies out and is replaced by the previous subordinate one, the cycle continuing.  

The Generation Gap

This lack of understanding seems so prevalent that people describe it as just a way of life.  "You’ll grow out of most of it and become like the predecessors." This isn't exactly the case, as each generation retains the core qualities that characterize it, regardless of where they are in their lives.  The Baby Boomers have their thing, the Xers, Yers and Zers all have unique characteristics to them.  And when two generations confront one another, there is always a clash of not being able to understand where one comes from.

Do you feel a great divide with people of the other generation?  

Attaining Ascension

The past few posts have had a historical flavour to them and its so hard not to, for me.  I love combining the recorded achievements of people before our time.  Its just has this odd surreal feeling.  Today however, I want to shed light on something without going too much into detail of its history.  

It is time to surpass current abilities.  It is time to take the next step forward towards reaching your full potential.  It is time to ascend to the next plateau.  Months of planning, networking, execution, re-evaluation, and dedication lead up to this moment. You’ve drilled every cue, placed yourself amongst mentors to stoke your ambition, and emulated the accomplishment hundreds of times in your mind.  Now do it.  Ascend to the next level.  Such a task has tested you through and throughout.   Now more than ever, on the brink of a new plateau, will you be tested like never before.  This baptism will see you come anew as a warrior of your craft.  Seek it with certainty, seek it with vigour, and see ascension come into your grasp. 

Like Goku, you have to push yourself into that realm where you truly test your mettle and push the ceiling of your potential

 It is during these times, when on the brink of attaining the next level that we must call on something else that we have not physically or mentally been prepared to do.  It is that something that resides deep within us.  It is our hunger to attain the goal.  It is the blazing phoenix that is our passion, raw and untamed, never fully let out in its totality. Such an entity tends to manifest itself in the successful overcoming of doubt along the journey.  On the contrary, it allows itself to be known only in mild spurts only to dissipate before given a chance for the person to understand where such reserves of energy came from.  It is such a thing that must actively be drawn upon to attain that next standard.  Whether it is a major academic examination, a career changing job interview, a high-level athletic endeavour, or a monumental step in bridging or advancing a personal relationship, that beast that is desire is needed.

Raw, untamed, passion

You cannot call upon it, like you do the will to keep going on each day.  It is something that comes from immense drive and dedication but also from at times, breaking away from the subconscious barriers we place upon ourselves.  The identifying and breaking of said barriers are how we attain true ascension.  The trouble is that you cannot identify such obstacles until you are put in situations where you are pushed to your breaking point.  You need to be pushed beyond past boundaries.  To there, yonder!  At times such breaking of barriers calls for relinquishing personal restraints because in fact, many barriers placed before us are self-made.  These barriers are to a larger extent under your control because they are internalized.  They cannot be strategized around in the same way as obstacles placed by others in your path.  They are to be dissolved from within.  Let it go. Let go of your personal self afflictions.   

We place these barriers upon ourselves for many reasons.  Self-doubt, self-sabotage, a feeling of not being good enough, and a fear for what others will think, are just some of the seemingly reasonable rationalities that we use to explain our cowardice.  Largely however, these barriers are placed to prevent something powerful, primal, and otherwise untameable, from bursting out.  That passion is viewed as self-destructive.  Maybe it is.  In the grand scheme of things, to let this beast that is our passion out to its full extent may prevent actual work to be done.  It may prevent us from making progress on the grind that is the journey to attaining our goal.  But, what does one do when faced with that obstacle that eclipses all others.  Such an obstacle cannot be outmanoeuvred through planning or aide from others.  Such obstacles can only be overcome through the desire of the individual to be victorious, or die trying.

   

Attain that new plateau

Alas, the justification in those times of futility is to reinforce those self-constraints.  However, there are certain circumstances where that primal beast needs to be let loose to give that extra "Oomph" to attain the seemingly unattainable.  Sometimes, it is our primal essence, in all its rawness that is necessary for us to ascend.  So there is nothing else we can do except, let it all go. 

Indomitable will

You have to go to that place where you are afraid to go.  You have to go to that mental state that has all-or-nothing as its mandate.  You have to go to that place where you are set on accomplishing the task at hand without fear of death.  Why?  Because that raw passion, that fire you have for what you do drives your life.  It makes life worth living and without it what desire is there to live?  Life without passion is one of desolation. Such seemingly unconquerable obstacles are direct threats to the preservation of that passion and thus your reason for living.  There is no other way but to do or die, to ascend or be expended. 

  

The experience of ascension is not an easy task by any means.  As one approaches this seeming barrier of the possible, one will be shaken on all planes of their foundation.  Mentally, physically, spiritually, the very pillars of these structures of your being will be shaken with the fear of falling apart, of dying.  The reality that you might die from this experience, and not necessarily in the literal sense, can be construed by this experience of testing your limits to reach the next plateau.  But when you do achieve it, when you push through the apparent barriers of your being, and you bask in the new realm of the possible, you think back and wonder, “How much farther could I have gone?  How much more could I have withstood?  How much more am I capable of?”  Thus the hunger for the next plateau is renewed, the journey ready to be re-embarked upon, to reach a new definition of possible.

 

 It is that point where the task becomes more important to you than anything, not even your life.  Do not care of what others think, about the physical hardship, or anything irrelevant for that matter.  Stay focused on ascending.  It is that desperation which allows us to grow over the most sought after achievements and most noble of feats, and to become that version of ourselves that, initially, were too frightened to become.