A Maze of Mondays!

Have you ever had one of those weeks that felt like a maze of Mondays? Sometimes it can be hard to keep your head up when it feels like everything around you is intent on knocking you down. It’s in those times that I like to refer back to one of my favorite poems known as, “Invictus”.  

It was written by William Ernest Henley in 1875 (though it was not formally titled “Invictus” which means, “Undefeated” in Latin until later). Henley’s life was one of hardship having contracted tuberculosis of the bone at age 12. He wrote the poem shortly after having to have his leg amputated below the knee because of his illness. The fact that he was able to look within himself to find such stirring words says a lot about the level of his inner strength and the amount of willpower he possessed. The poem has since gone on to inspire many to persevere through their darkest hours.

The poem was recently given revived notoriety from the movie sharing its title, which details career highlights of Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa and winner of a Nobel Peace Prize, as he worked with the Spring Boks to help solve racial tensions and unite South Africa.

Mandela credits the poem as having acted as a strong message for him in his own life, having written it down on a sheet of scratch paper and carried it with him through his 27 years of prison. Mandela has been quoted as saying that he probably would not have made it through the long years in prison were it not for the words of the English poet, William Ernest Henley.

The poem is an inspiration to anyone who is facing difficulty to remember that they are in control of their own destiny. So many people choose to simply react to what happens to them in life instead of formulating a response, but, “Invictus” reminds us that no matter what situations we find ourselves in, we still have the final word on what the outcome of the situation will be.

The next time you’re having a “Maze of Mondays”, reflect back to the poem, “Invictus” and take control over your day. It’s not always easy to become motivated in the face of adversity, but if we’ll choose to accomplish amidst conflict, we’ll find ourselves overcoming each hurdle in the journey we face.

I’ve included the poem below.

Invictus

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.