Remember, we are what we make of ourselves. You can choose to be either your own best friend or your own worst enemy. All your strength must come from within, because no external source can provide it. Nature has given you the strength you need. Now you must learn to believe in yourself. Take an in-depth inventory of your strengths and weaknesses Take the time to understand who you are, what you stand for, and what you intend to do with your life. Now that you have assessed your body, mind, and spirit through Nature’s eye, and armed yourself with Nature’s mandates, you are qualified to make your way in the World.

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Chapter 4: Finding Your Place in the World

Even if we are fortunate enough to have close family and friends, the reality is that we come into this life alone, we fight our battles alone, we endure consequences alone, and we die alone. Yet, in order to survive, we must find where we fit in this World and how to persuade it to work in our favor whenever possible. The World is made up of everything around us—both animate beings, such as people, animals, and plants, and inanimate objects, such as our homes, cars, and other material possessions. The World runs on cultural, political, and economic forces, which result from our interaction with each other and our environment. As we embark on our lifelong journey, it is important to understand the World as it exists according to Nature. As you assessed yourself in chapter 3, now take a good, long look at the World in which we live. Where might you best fit in? How might you serve others while also advancing your own cause? No one can answer these questions but you.

We live in an age of marketing, and in this arena you must know your product—yourself. You must also be able to appraise the marketplace before you release your product into it. This World is not a playground as many would have us believe. Instead, it is a battleground in which the rules of engagement are constantly changing. It might comfort us to remember, however, that one factor has remained constant throughout the ages: human nature. The dynamic between an ever-changing cultural context and unchanged human behavior is one of the most striking features of our relationship with the World. In the past, human beings killed or hurt each other for trivial reasons, using sticks, stones, and knives. We continue to do so today, the only difference being that we use more accurate, sophisticated, and lethal weapons. To be successful in such a World, we must be alert, agile, affable, and assertive. These attributes lead to success even in the most fiercely competitive environment.