The Essence of Winners - A Roadmap to Arriving!

The Essence of Winners

A Roadmap to Arriving!

Herman Cajigas Jr. (HCJ)

Copyright © 2025 by Herman Cajigas Jr.

All rights reserved

This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author except in the case of critical reviews and other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. To request permission, write to the address below.

Herman Cajigas Jr.

The Essence of Winners

A Roadmap to Arriving!

P.O. Box 940551

Miami. FL 33194

Or fax your request to (305) 220-2666 on official letterhead.

Cover Design by Herman Cajigas Jr.

First Edition 1/12/2025

Printed in the USA

Table of Content

Acknowledgment

Dedication

Introduction

- Empowering Fundamentals -

Self (Awareness)

Desire & Intention

Motivation & Discipline

Perseverance & Resilience

Adversity & Change

Fear & Failure

Stress, Worry & Anxiety

Integrity & Trust

Empowerment

- Triumphant Fundamentals -

Goals

Risk & Courage

Accountability, Responsibility & Commitment

Competitiveness, Success  & Excellence

Self-Confidence & Self-Worth

Honor, Truth & Your Word

Patience

- Living Fundamentals -

Doctrine

Faith & Hope

Mercy & Forgiveness

Duty, Freedom & Justice

Generosity, Abundance & Service

Wisdom

Life’s Purpose

Epilogue

Contact Information

Contributing Sources

Acknowledgment

To all the people who have played a role in my life and made this book possible, thank you for your care, support, and encouragement.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife, parents, family, and friends whose examples of integrity, values, morals, and work ethic set the standard I strive to live for. May God bless their lives and souls.

Introduction

Today, we are being assailed by political, social, and economic division, turmoil, and unrest that is tearing at the fabric and moral integrity of our individual lives, educational and legal institutions, government, and country.

This book shares a compilation of principles, concepts, quotes, and supporting stories that are the essence of living an empowered, successful life. It attempts to remind us of our esteemed past and, more importantly, our bright future if we stop the madness. Its title, The Essence of Winners, refers to the characteristics, values (goals, ideals, opinions), and virtues (integral standards) shared by successful, thriving individuals and our path to future greatness.

The book not only expresses the author’s point of view, but the author now wishes to give credit to all external contributing content denoted throughout the text, including other writers' quotes and stories, artificial intelligence, and internet-based definitions.

It is not rocket science. But for our present culture, the substance of the prose shared throughout these writings highlights the importance of ascribing or adhering to enriching foundational basics, loosely categorized throughout the book as empowering, triumphant, and living fundamentals.

For those who already excel in their lives, the work serves as a reminder of the convictions and building blocks that help one have a rewarding journey. And for all who struggle to make sense of their path in life, the collective worth of the ideas, lore, and thoughts shared throughout this text can serve as a roadmap to a better life.

- Empowering Fundamentals -

____________________________________

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.

– Edmund Hillary

Self (Awareness)

"Knowing yourself is the beginning

of all wisdom."

- Aristotle

Have you ever looked in the mirror and, while looking at your reflection, realized that the one peering out is distinct from the image being reflected? Hopefully, you have. If not, it is my sincere wish that you will have the experience.

For those who have, it is a surreal moment, a glimpse of our true essence, or "self," an awakened instance, if you will.

At this moment, one might note changes in stature, weight, hair—thinning or greying—and skin tone and rigidity—wrinkled, stretched, or loose. The older we grow, the more apparent these changes become. Many of us are concerned, alarmed, or even shocked by our physical changes, so much so that we resort to all types of diets, exercises, wonder supplements, medicines, and surgical procedures to recover our youth.

It is like our body is our car, and our consciousness has discovered its frailties. Whether we are aware or not, the source, energy, and conscience peeking through and operating our body is timeless, ageless, and boundless— the real you. More importantly, this unblemished, omnipotent presence has always been and is at our beck and call for our guidance and empowerment, but only as we become quiet, aware, and present; for many of us, a considerable undertaking as we are predominantly preoccupied with fending for today.

Luckily for us, amid our daily lives, we can empower our lives by cultivating the power of "self-awareness," being conscious of how you perceive yourself; that is Internal self-awareness, which is understanding your thoughts, values, beliefs, emotions, feelings, motivations, and behaviors, and external self-awareness, which isunderstanding how others see you and the impact of your behavior on them.¹

Self (Awareness) will lead to emotional and personal growth and improved relationships. With your profound understanding of self, you become the master of your journey and develop a firm grasp of your personality, strengths, and weaknesses.

When not rooted in

authentic self and awareness,

one can easily become

a victim of

compromising thoughts

and exposures.

- HCJ

A Zen Parable on Self-Awareness

A tough, brawny samurai once approached a Zen master who was deep in meditation.

Impatient and discourteous, the samurai demanded in his husky voice so accustomed to forceful yelling, Tell me the nature of heaven and hell.

The Zen master opened his eyes, looked the samurai in the face, and replied with a certain scorn, Why should I answer to a shabby, disgusting, despondent slob like you? A worm like you, do you think I should tell you anything? I can’t stand you. Get out of my sight. I have no time for silly questions.

The samurai could not bear these insults. Consumed by rage, he drew his sword and raised it to sever the master’s head at once.

Looking straight into the samurai’s eyes, the Zen master tenderly declared, That’s hell.

The samurai froze. He immediately understood that anger had him in its grip. His mind had just created his own hell—one filled with resentment, hatred, self-defense, and fury.

He realized that he was so deep in his torment that he was ready to kill somebody. The samurai’s eyes filled with tears. Setting his sword aside, he put his palms together and obsequiously bowed in gratitude for this insight.

The Zen master gently acknowledged with a delicate smile, And that’s heaven.

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Things to ponder

The Zen Parable on Self-Awareness shares that heaven and hell are states of mind. Heaven represents a positive, life-affirming consciousness, and hell, is our negative, reactionary mind, often resulting from our convoluted, perplexed thoughts. And that we live our best lives with calm, discerning, instructed minds.

Ultimately, "self-awareness" is a psychological state in which our inner person becomes the focus of attention, not as a narcissist who only cares about him or herself, but a reflective, conscious being empowering their and everyone else's lives.A mental and physical reference point in which one is in harmonious balance with one's thoughts, feelings, emotions, words, behaviors, actions, and reactions.

This is what the content of these writings is about: our reacquaintance with our innate might—our intellectual, emotional, and spiritual grandness—our willingness to become mindful, cognizant, and proactive to shake free of our lives' detrimental thoughts and turmoil and enjoy inspiring wellness and success.

Am I self-aware?

If no, why not?

How can I benefit from becoming more self-aware?

"Watch your thoughts,

they become your words.

. . .

Watch your words,

they become your actions.

. . .

Watch your actions,

they become your habits.

. . .

Watch your habits,

they become your character.

. . .

Watch your character,

it becomes your destiny."

- Anonymous

Desire & Intention

"You are what your deepest desire is.

As is your desire, so is your intention.

As is your intention, so is your will.

As is your will, so is your deed.

As is your deed, so is your destiny."

― Upanishads

Our lives are driven by thoughts and words which embody their meaning. And although all thoughts arise from within, they are often triggered by the environment we partake in. Dr. Fred Luskin at Stanford University states that the average person has over 60,000 thoughts a day, 90 % being repetitive from the day and previous days.

Generally speaking, we have positive and negative thoughts related to love, joy, sadness, contentment, anger, desire, intention, etc. Similar to our lives, for the launching point of these writings, we begin by focusing on desire and intention as they are the precursors and impetus for achievement and the topics that follow.

Desire can arise from conceptual thoughts, like a wish, or physical needs, like thirst or hunger. On the other hand, intention is usually seen as an affirming, intensifying accelerant; what we put our undivided attention on tends to grow. Either way, being closely related but still distinct concepts, it is akin to what came first, the chicken or the egg, and at least one must be present to fuel our fire.

As per Dictionary.com and AI, desire is to want or long for. It’s often tied to emotions and can be inspired by personal needs or aspirations. For instance, you might desire success, love, or adventure.

Intention is the act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result. It is more about purpose and direction. It involves making a conscious decision to achieve a specific outcome. While desire can be about what you want, intention is about the actions you commit to in order to attain those desires.

In many ways, intention can help channel and manifest your desires into reality. By setting clear intentions, you can create a roadmap that guides your actions toward fulfilling what you trulywant.¹

"Learn to harness

the power of intention,

and you can create anything

you desire."

- Deepak Chopra

Mastering Desire, Will and Intention

What is Creative Manifestation?

We are creators, and that means we are more than people- artists, writers, teachers, carpenters, welders, electricians, doctors, lawyers, parents, children, etc. We co-create our experience through our thoughts, our words, our deeds, and our will. Everything we do is a creative act. So our choice becomes do we do this consciously or based on habit and previous programming?

Components of Manifestation

There are three key components to creative manifestation:

Desire

From a mindfulness perspective, there are two distinct types of desire. The first is the desire of a wanting mind. It is a thirst that feels it can only be satisfied by something outside of the self. In Buddhism, this would be one of the mind poisons. It is this type of desire that keeps you stuck in the cycle of birth-death and re-birth. This craving is looking to be satisfied, we partake in the desire, we feel a brief sense of satiety and then we repeat the cycle over again.

The second type of desire is the desire to do. This is our want to be connected to something bigger than ourselves. It is about bringing what is within ourselves into the outer world. There is a palpable sense of energy and inspiration about participating in a way that creates something meaningful. Desire is the driving force behind our actions, so the question becomes, does the wanting come from a place of lack, or does it come from a place of adding meaning?

Will

Will is a