Your Ego Is Not Your Amigo by Ox Socrates is quoted as having said that “The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.” And while I will assume that he was being literal, I think we can all agree that even the most intelligent of individuals, in the grand scheme of things, know very little. Furthermore, I think there is a great deal of value in being able to acknowledge that even the things we think we know, including ourselves are subject to varying circumstances and therefore, subject to change. What was proven yesterday we claim to know. But considering the fact that change is ever-present, perhaps wisdom lies more with an ability to think in the now, accommodate change and remain open to the idea that even the things you think you know are subject to change. Furthermore, if wisdom is the realization of how much you don’t know, is self empowerment the recognition of that which we cannot control? As a bodybuilder, I am constantly trying to improve. Whether it’s a matter of nutrition, training, or my lifestyle in general, for me, improvement is centered around me; learning my body being the short term goal and self mastery being the long term goal. And there is often talk of a plan. I’m constantly asked what I will do to improve, how I will go about filling in the existing gaps and how I know that my plan will work. Truth be told, the more times goes on the less concerned I become with having a plan. I always wonder if chefs open cook books or follow recipes. By no means am I a chef but if I ever do follow a recipe, I do it one time only. After that, I work with the ingredients as I see fit. Is bodybuilding any different? All it really takes is to go into the gym one time with a planned way of training a bodypart. After that, it’s all a matter of adjustment. Following a plan is just like following a recipe; neither allows for the necessary adjustments that, by the time you reach a certain level, you should be able to make every time you enter the gym or every time you think about what you will eat that day. I suppose if I were a piece of machinery, I would be the same tomorrow as I am today and nothing would ever need to change. But the human body is not mechanical and it doesn’t work that way. So I think the ability to recognize that you do not know what the best thing is for you to do come tomorrow only adds to your ability as a bodybuilder. You don’t need to know what to do tomorrow, you just need to know that you can’t know that until tomorrow arrives and even then, you’re still just giving it your best guess. The minute you think there’s only one way to do it, you’re off to a bad start. Just the same, people talk about being in control of their destiny. Many would have you believe that it is you and only you who determine the path your life takes. I was having this conversation on the way home from the gym with a friend of mine. We were a couple exits before a bridge. I thought to myself, I can sit here all day and believe that it’s my destiny to be Mr. Olympia, or a millionaire, or a rock star. And just the same, my friend could whole heartedly believe his destiny lies in doing something else. But say we cross this bridge and it were to give out and we both crashed to the water below and died? Then I guess neither of our fates was what we believed them to be. You can’t know what your fate or destiny is. You may want it to be one thing or another or truly believe it should be this or that but you have no way to know. I’ve sat and listened to people tell me they were supposed to be something in life other than what they became. If you were supposed to be what you thought, then you would be just that. Let’s face facts; there are things which you are not in control of. You can’t control the weather or other forces of nature or acts of God. And if you can’t control those things then there are plenty of other things you cannot control. Can you control yourself? To an extent. But if you believe that you are influenced by your environment or possibly even that you are an extension of it, then there is no way that you can control the things that happen to you or even some of the things you do. Why do some people insist that it is they and only they who are responsible for their success or failure? I imagine that the reason they do it is to feel empowered. But what is more empowering than the recognition that your life will go exactly as it is meant to? I cannot imagine anything less degrading than refusing to acknowledge that perhaps I’m not meant for that which I believed I was. Halfway through life and chasing a dream that seems to elude you to the same degree which you pursue it is a bad place to be. I could only imagine feeling powerless. Don’t get me wrong. I fully believe that each and every day we have to get out of bed and strive for something. We all have to have at least one thing that drives us, gives meaning to our lives and serves as something to aim for. Hopefully that thing is something we love and believe that, at least for the time being, is what we should be doing. But, if you believe that acknowledging how little you know leads to enlightenment, then I think that it’s the recognition of the things that we can’t control or the idea that things change and our ability to roll with that change rather than resist it is what gives a sense of confidence and self empowerment. To discuss this article with Ox and others, click on this discussion thread.