The Cardinal Points of Life

By Amos Ajo

The road for the journey of life is not linear but winding and meandering. Life is going to take you through different circumstances, at times exposing you to varying degree of situations of known and unknown. You are all by yourself with all the potentials to sail through the different conditions of the stormy ocean. There are possibilities but the way to reach these possibilities may require sailing through some stormy seas. As a captain of your ship, you are in charge. You will need to use your intuition, your gut feelings and due diligence to make smart, savvy, decisions to sail through different stormy weather conditions. This book is about understanding the 39 critical cardinal points of life to help you navigate the complex journey of life. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emphaloz Publishing House
• Release date: Mar 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386346203

Book preview

Introduction

Ralph Waldo Emerson was correct when he said, ‘Life is a journey, not a destination’. I now live in America as a businessman at the time of writing this small book. I was born in Africa - in a very remote village called Tongo without electricity and clean water to drink. From my small remote village in Africa till today, I went through 12 institutions of learnings. I have been thought by over 45 teachers. I have had memberships in over 15 churches. I lived in over 15 cities and visited over 100 cities in 16 countries around the globe. I have had near death experiences, I have had days I went without food and water. I worked as a janitor, as a clerk and as an assistant professor and as a tenured professor and now a businessman. I was almost homeless but now I have over 25 houses and several properties. I was without a single penny but also with millions of dollars.

Looking way back from the time I was born in Africa to this day living in America, it has been quite a long journey. On this journey of life, I have met very nice, kind, companionate and caring people and I have also met very mean and hurtful people. The sum total of my life today is about the lessons along the path of my journey, it is about the hardships and the challenges that I have encountered along the way, it is about the joy and happiness that I experienced along the way, it is about understanding the critical cardinal points to navigate the complex journey of life. The reader will find this book very useful as I highlight the cardinal points of life. The cardinal points highlighted here are not arranged in any order but are written as they pop up during varying situations on my day to day experiences.

Cardinal Point 1

Do Not Shoot Out Of Range

During the World War II, the high-flying B-29 bombers were used to drop real shells on the Japanese military. The anti-aircraft guns available to the Japanese military were not capable to reach the high-flying B-29 bombers. Because the Japanese military did not want to be criticized for not trying to defend their people, they kept up the appearance of defending their homeland by firing blanks. The Japanese soldiers risked their lives just to keep up the appearance of defending their country.

Are you firing blanks? Are you out of the range? Are you aiming at your target? The fact of the matter is by keeping up appearance and pretending that everything is normal has a lot of people shooting blanks. You may have wasted the most of your life pretending that someday your job will provide the comfort of financial relief, but you have known all along that that is not going to happen. But the question is why are you wasting your time? You have known all along that your marriage or relationship is not going to work. Why are you pretending that all is alright? Shooting outside the range it is not just a waste time but also a waste of energy. If the situation is not working do not pretend like it is working. Look for solutions, ask for help.

Cardinal Point 2

Do Not Starve Yourself To Death Amid A Feast

There is a classic scientific research experiment that you may have read about. In this experiment, researchers placed a large pike fish in an aquarium with several minnows. For a time, the pike ate all the minnows. Then the researchers separated the pike from the pool of smaller fish by placing a glass partition in the aquarium. Now the pike could see his lunch through the glass but try as he would, he could not reach it. Finally, after a dozen of unsuccessful attempts, he gave up. Then the researchers removed the glass, allowing the smaller fish to swim freely around the pike. But this time he did not even notice them- and starved to death during a feast.

In this great land of plenty, many, many, people are starving to death. For many they have tried, and it did not workout. You must not give up. The opportunity that is being separated from you today may be available to you tomorrow. The door that is shut up on your face today the window may be open on the other side. Do not starve to death like a pike in the midst of plenty. Keep on trying and keep on searching until you find it.

Cardinal Point 3

The Biggest Room In The House

The biggest room in the house is not necessarily the master bedroom. It is the room for self-improvement. There’s always room for improvement. The more you know, the more you still need to know. There is no limit to learning. In