On a blank page anything is possible. – Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong(1893-1976) commonly known as Mao or Chairman Mao, was a Chinese dictator, serving in that capacity from 1943 until he died. Like all dictators, he ruled by force, from fear and with repression. He had his successes and his failures, his greatest success being he managed to ensure his people ate regularly, something that had not always been the case in China, even during his regime.
Mao believed his blank page theory as a revolutionary. He knew exactly what he wanted for his country and he was prepared to pay whatever price was required. Like Hitler, Mao had four traits that led to his ultimate success as a totalitarian ruler.
- He had a plan.
- He made the execution of that plan the primary focus of his life
- He came back strong from defeat
- He believed his ultimate success was a foregone conclusion. (This was a trait Hitler had in spades.)
These four traits are not reserved for the evil amongst us, though. Lincoln, Churchill and FDR, among others, had them, too, but that doesn’t mean they are reserved for those who live down the ages. These are traits you and I can have, too. In fact, they are traits we must have if we are going to have a life that is worth looking back on. We must have a plan. We must execute that plan. We must come back strong from the inevitable reverses and setbacks. We must believe our success is inevitable.
As we say here often, it really doesn’t matter what that plan is. We were all issued different talents and ambitions at birth and what interests me might well bore you to tears. It’s the way the world is built. All that matters is that your plan comes from inside you, that it is in step with the talents and interests you were born with.
All of us have a blank page every day, and it is with our talents and interests that we fill this daily blank page. We all have 24 hours every day, the only commodity all of us are issued in equal measure. Those that get on in this world are the ones who put those 24 hours to work for them. When we do that, the life we were meant to live is there for the taking.
The Thought for the Day runs regularly. Gaylon began stockpiling quotes in 1988.
