self motivation

Progressing Through Life in Stages

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while now and glad that I hadn’t rushed it, I have taken an interest into Philosophy and Psychology which has been a fun and fruitful venture! A few things have really stuck with me; Carl Jung’s Four Stage of Life and also his quote;

‘People measure you for what you do, not what you say you’ll do”

Ross' Perspective on Carl Jung's Four Stages of Life

Ross' Perspective on Carl Jung's Four Stages of Life

Carl Jung's Four Stages of Life:

  1. The Athlete: In this stage, which usually corresponds to youth, individuals are focused on physical development, competition, and establishing their identities. They seek to build their skills, explore their interests, and strive for success in various domains.

  2. The Warrior: This stage typically occurs in middle age. During the warrior stage, people often channel their energy towards career, family, and societal responsibilities. They aim to establish themselves in their chosen paths, protect their loved ones, and contribute to their communities.

  3. The Statement: As individuals move into later adulthood, they enter the stage of the statement. Here, people tend to reflect on their accomplishments and contributions. They may focus on passing down their wisdom, sharing their life experiences, and leaving a meaningful legacy.

  4. The Spirit: This final stage is often associated with old age and the approach of mortality. People in this stage may become more contemplative, seeking to understand deeper spiritual and existential questions. They may detach from worldly concerns and concentrate on personal growth and spiritual exploration.

Favourite Quotes

  • “Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
  • “People measure you for what you do, not what you say you’ll do”
  •  “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” 

I never had planned to build a website let alone do it. Every year (for the last maybe 10 years) I’ve set my goals or as most people know them new years resolutions within the start of January. This year was like any other where i had them split into long and short.

Placeholder link – writing goals

On there for 2021 was the usual get fit, Run this, start that, etc. Only after I started chasing on of them – running events did my goal expand into this beast of starting a website and blog.

See the quote above from one of my favourite Anime: Hunter x Hunter 2011. “You should enjoy the little detours to the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want”. I understand this as, even though you may have goals, sometimes the side tracks are where you really find meaning to the goals. 

It all came about as I was training for my link: 50k ultra first lumberjack, where mid-way into a 40K run I thought this is amazing, I want to:
1. Notes for my own records
2. Share my learnings with a wider audience and hope to inspire

For me personally, when you’re out there running for up to 6 hours alone with a flat set of earphones, you have a lot of time to thing (Link to: Japan Bike Tour). So many things are going through your mind but there’s no way to write them all down. 

For me personally, I want to be able to look back at my life and easily see what I’ve done. Not dissimilar to a diary or scrapbook but in a digital and interactive format. I want to see my triumphs, failures and stagnations. Learn from this and go forward.

Leading into the 2nd part, when listing all of these learning, why not share the learnings I have with a wider audience. I always thought things like the school curriculum and life lessons you learn to be almost irrelevant in shaping someone into a future success. Hopefully my way of living “live the life you want to live / live your own life / You are accountable for your own happiness” will inspire others to seek better in their own lives. My wife has taken this own board and just (as of 20/04/2021) posted her newest PB for a park run 29 minutes which she largely attributes to my enthusiasm for running and other hobbies motivating her to get out there.

Finding this website as a detour on my life path has inspired me to further mature and pass on whatever wisdom I can.