Joan of Arc, also known as the “Maid of Orleans,” etched a remarkable story into the pages of history in the 15th century. Born a peasant, Joan of Arc led the French Army to several critical victories in the Hundred Years’ War. She was a remarkable force to be reckoned though she only lived to the age of nineteen.
France in the early 1400s was under great pressure. The war, essentially a struggle over succession to the throne, was raging and France was still recovering from the ravages of the Black Plague. It was as depressing and discouraging a time as any in the history of the Western world, yet Joan of Arc rose above the lugubrious pall of death and tumult in a remarkable fashion.
When this story is set against the challenges you face, how bad are your troubles, really? Sometimes a little perspective helps to manage a situation. Does the future of your nation hang in the balance of the decisions you will make today? If it does, I feel for you and encourage you to read this blog for inspiration. If not, the decisions you make will still have a great impact on your immediate world, so you likewise should read on. Everyone counts. Everyone matters.
The quote above is one that merits deep consideration. You live your life as you believe in living it. If you were asked, how would you articulate your core beliefs about life? Are you convinced that failure is inevitable or do you believe that you and mankind were born for success and greatness? Perhaps you live your life as Charlie Brown or Eeyore, always convinced that life has it out for you? Or maybe there is a spark of magnificence, struck from the flint of nobility, somewhere deep within you?
Whatever your core beliefs, your life will tend to take shape according to their outline. The envelope of possibility for your life is established by your convictions. You can’t think you’re way into a great life, but your fundamental beliefs do provide the platform upon which your character is built of from which your life expression proceeds. Never underestimate the value of a solid foundation.
Some claim not to have belief in their lives, but isn’t that a belief in itself? Whether you do believe or don’t believe in something doesn’t matter, it all gives evidence of belief! Everybody in that sense is a believer.
So many unfortunate people are convicts of their own restrictive convictions on life, yet strangely enough, haven’t you found that those people tend to be the most prone to blame an external oppressor? For instance, those convinced that Murphy had it right in his Opinion (is it really a Law?) suffer from a terrible and constraining belief, for “we live it as we believe in living it.”
Now that’s not to say that awful things won’t happen to you, to me, because of a revision of our core beliefs for the better. We live in a highly inter-connected world. No matter where you live, what you look like, what language you speak, we are all connected and your every move impacts the world around you. While not everything is your fault it is likewise true that not everything is someone else’s fault. Regardless of the cause, what matters most is not the failure but the remedy.
My call to you through the emotive and passionate cries of Joan of Arc is this: inspect with brutal honesty the beliefs that condition your living. Those beliefs that constrain to death, destruction, failure and limitation have no place in your heart, your mind or your world, for they sacrifice what you are.
Every thought, word and deed born of you in this “one life” must pass through the lens of your beliefs. If you long for meaning, for excellence and for the wise use of the remaining years you have, embrace life with all that you are, all that you have. See to it that your fellows are blessed and uplifted because of a fundamental belief in the irrepressible source and strength of life.
Gregory Hake 
Joan of Arc was an amazing and inspiring woman and I am glad that this quote helped you consider how you live life. Some of her other famous quotes are also worth considering. There is a long list of them available at
http://www.maidofheaven.com/joanofarc_quotes_autobiography.asp
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Thanks for the link and for your comment. She was indeed a remarkable woman, leading where others would collapse, staying true to her deepest beliefs where others would betray and it was unfortunate that she had as little surround and support as she did during her lifetime.
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Gregory Hake (nickname GreggHake) – same from Gregg Hake’s blog? – please continue to review books on Amazon.com. I enjoy your take on things and am interested in your picks. http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2WYOSCCYITYW6/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp
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I’m new to Greg Hake’s blog and recommend checking out his older posts as well. Great use of words and video by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, Jill Bolte Taylor, Benjamin Zander, Coach John Wooden and others.
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Gregg Hake’s is one of the best blogs I’ve been referred to – it’s full of sound and practical advice that can be applied by anyone. Love the added sensory layers of images and videos, in addition to the underlying depth and integrity of all your presentations here.
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Outstanding words to consider deeply and apply with great enthusiasm in every day Gregg! Thank you!
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It really is my pleasure, Melinda. Thank you.
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Amazing, loved this.
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Thanks Heather!
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I can see the need for “taking a look with brutal honesty” at the beliefs which condition our living, NOW. What a shame to look back on our lives when there is no time left to realize what was lost. We each have a unique opportunity to provide something that no one else can, and each day is a chance to wake up and see where there are disconnects in your life from who you belive you are and how others percieve you. I found the life of Joan of Arc to be one of passion, courage and purpose. I will take the time today to check my own heart to find where there is blame, lack of convicton and integrity and make the effort to infuse the world around me with the passion for life that is true for me. Thanks for such wondeful reminders that we all can be so much more!
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Wonderful post from a blogger that establishes the standard of excellence for living a happy and meaningful life! Joan of Arc has been a symbol of living one’s beliefs for me since a child. When I saw her statue in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris I was overcome with tears of joy for one that contributed so much in such a short life.
life is way short and today I am reminded to be alert to every thought, word and deed as all are testaments to our beliefs, conscious or subconscious, we create according to what we believe. Vigilance is my word to become today. Thanks Gregg!
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You pose some pretty serious questions here that got me thinking about the fact that our every action (or non-action) stems from our beliefs, and it is our beliefs that ultimately shape every single aspect of our lives, enhancing it or ‘constraining’ it as you say. Plus, no matter what the challenges are that we face, what is most helpful is to focus on the ‘remedy’ or solution, if our beliefs will only allow it. That’s the only way things can change for the better if they need to.
Good post here, and good work with your blog.
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the remedy will be formed by our beliefs so examining what we believe in has to be first.
my mission today
thanks
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Hi Doug,
17 years ago a group of entrepreneurial sales people I was working with decided to read and discuss Stephen Covey’s book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” in our weekly sales meeting. We had also read Tom Hopkins, Brian Tracy, etc. but what they suggested still required you understand your own beliefs . We realized, just as in the discussion today, that everything starts with our beliefs. We came up with a list of questions, to ask ourselves, to help us determine what our beliefs actually are.
Thought you might find our “old” list interesting.
1. what do I fill my mind with (read)?
2. what do I spend my time on (we called it “life’s currency”?
3. who or where do I go to when I have a problem?
We thought the answers might help us discover more about ourselves.
We also noted that Earle Nightingale’s early book (1950’s) on self exploration, “The Strangest Secret” shed some light as well. “You become what you think about most of the time.”
Great subject today, thanks everyone.
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Very practical points for consideration!
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Letting go of the little things that are always getting in the way of truly being a woman of my beliefs. Their are always people or circumstances waiting at your door to say it’s ok to sacrifice what you believe in. The answer which I see so clearly now is you have to say No!! I am the sum total of what I believe in and no one or circumstance can take that from me, unless I let them.
Thank you Gregg for letting me see Joan of Arc in a completely different way today! The humbling part is I didnt really know how she could be seen as a success, but now I see the light!
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It never hurts to take a look at our actions and see how well we’re measuring up to what we profess our core beliefs to be. To what beliefs am I really dedicated to, and are those resulting in a drain or an increase? At the end of the day, have I really lived a life of integrity that was a blessing to my family, co-workers, friends, to humanity as a whole? Thank you for the reminder of the truth about the interconnectedness of all things and that the integrity of each one absolutely does make a difference, and actually is the only way I can make a positive difference in my world today and every day.
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I read a book about Joan of Arc last year and it is a remarkable story. I enjoyed your thoughts and perspective on her story. Life IS short and moves so quickly. We each have a choice as to how that life is to be lived. Why live a life that is less than the greatest that we could imagine?
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Thank you Charles, I agree!
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Great blog and such sage advice!
No matter where we are in our lives, don’t waste the years we have left!! Life is too short!!
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