How can you and I achieve Magnum Opus? I know some of us may not be able to answer this. So, let us first define and understand what Magnum Opus is? Then we will delve into have you reached it or how you can reach it. Magnum opus is a Latin term defined as someone’s greatest life achievement. The concept extends beyond any specific human learned skills and can literarily apply to something you have achieved or would like to achieve because of your inner passion, and it represents the pinnacle of an individual’s creative and/or intellectual output. Irrespective of your age, skin color, nationality, every one of us has done something that has some impact on other’s life. Or for sure would like to do something to improve our own life or someone else’s. Now that gives a perspective to further drill down on this concept in a way to pull each one of us toward something positive, effects of which must reverberate so that people around you could notice. With that goal in mind let us proceed.
At every stage of life, regardless of age, sex, or educational level, there resides within us a quiet ember of passion and a yearning to create, to achieve, or to become something. Some recognize this inner fire and actively stoke it, forging ahead with purpose. They chase dreams, fueled by determination and a sense of purpose.
Yet, there are others like you and I, who harbor this passion in the quiet corners of our hearts. We know it is there, like a hidden treasure, but we have not consciously explored its depths. Life demands, along with the relentless pace of our digitally connected existence, often distract us. We are swept up in the currents of responsibility, deadlines, and obligations.
And then, there is a third group I call “asleep at the wheel.” They also have the passion of Magnum Opus, but they are not paying attention to it, because it is never in the forefront of their conscious mind. They also carry within them a flame they have never fanned. They have never paused to ponder their inner longings. Perhaps fear, practicality, or life’s complexities have kept or keeping their passion dormant.
Each one of us has a potential or talent or a learned or unlearned skill, in which we excel the most. It is a different thing that most of us are not aware of it. The best way to hone your Magnum Opus is to reflect on yourself to find something you have done or would like to do, which utilizes your highest hidden potential to add value / meaning to your or others life. If you close your eyes and reflect on your past, you will be able to conjure one incident that has solved or resolved a unique challenge / problem because of your unique potential and because of your manifestation. That will be your Magnum Opus. Let us reflect on some known personalities Magnum Opus:
⁑1⁑ For Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475–1564), it is the massive painting of biblical narratives on the Sistine Chapel ceiling in Rome.
⁑2⁑ For Albert Einstein it was the Theory of Special Relativity (1905) and General Relativity (1915).
⁑3⁑ For JK Rowling, it is Harry Potter.
⁑4⁑ For Lionel (Leo) Messi, is his win of the record eight Ballon d’Or awards, recognizing him as the world’s best football player [1].
⁑5⁑ For Nelson Mandela it was the negotiation of the End to Apartheid, and then his unwavering commitment to multiracial democratic transformation of his nation. Then becoming the First Black President of South Africa in 1994.
This list can go on indefinitely. However, we are looking for our own Magnum Opus, and how to understand what it is that will open the door to achieve it. Sadly, few people get to achieve their magnum opus or even attempt for one, despite having potential to achieve this within them. Most people spend most of their lives in a career that falls short of inspiration. According to a Gartner study of employees across the U.S.A., half (46%) of employees is dissatisfied with their work experiences [1]. On top of it, according to a past Gallup survey, approximately 70% [2] of Americans either hate their job [3] or are completely disengaged. This could even be confirmed from a Pew Research Center report titled “How Americans View Their Jobs”, [4] from March 2023, the results are almost similar.
So, the next logical question is to understand “why” this is happening. Everyone has a massive amount of potential, whether it be an invention, a painting, a song, a journey, a book, an idea, you name it. But very few get to flourish and reach for that potential. Why is that? When you were a young child, you held a belief that anything is possible. No dream is too big. So, what happens between childhood and adulthood that crushes so many dreams? Why are so many people unsettled? May be because…
⁂ We are not living in the present (meaning now!). Some of us are always living in the past and others are behind future so busy they are missing on the present.
⁂ We lack a belief system.
⁂ We were never taught or trained to think like this.
⁂ Our education system is not capable of stimulating us on our own Magnum Opus.
⁂ Of our internal fears.
⁂ The present-day challenges of life never permit us to re-visit our childhood dreams.
⁂ The doubt in you that is not allowing you to succeed. As doubt is the ultimate crippler of ambition.
⁂ The financial insecurities of the present-day.
⁂ The rigamarole of present days’ lack of time management that never allows us to reflect on ourselves and on our past. Just recall in your recent interactions, how many times you have heard “Oh… I did not have time to do that!”
Regardless of the cause, each of us should hold an unwavering conviction that there is something we excel at more than anyone else. The key here is one should have a strong belief in oneself. You become what you believe in and in this context, attitude is more important than IQ. An inventive mind can manifest whatever you want.
In medicine this is referred to as “placebo effect.” Ask your doctor next time you meet him/her.
Let us acknowledge our options to change our thoughts from within ourselves are limited. Nevertheless, they are there. So, the next logical question is how do we manifest those? The answer is externalizing feedback, reading, befriending someone with higher potential, so that they can pull you up and sow the seeds of innovative ideas. Do brainstorming on how something could be accomplished, given so many resources we have today at our fingertips. All these could lead to improved mental thinking and unclogging of our minds. Remember, life is NOT controlled by the outside forces, no matter how much they dictate that they do control you. Mind is and should absolutely be controlled by yourself, your thinking, and your past experiences; you are in the driver seat. You decide where you are going on the road ahead of you. In extreme and rare cases, you may have to engage in a therapy session, if your mind is controlling you, rather than you are controlling your mind.
Engage in this straightforward exercise to channel your energy to discover your magnum opus journey. Begin by jotting down activities you genuinely love, skills you excel at, and services people are willing to pay for. The point where these three intersect is your sweet spot.
Consider blending elements from all three categories. The secret to achieving your magnum opus lies in identifying this sweet spot and acting on the findings of this exercise.
Then grant yourself one or two years of precious timespan to pursue your magnum opus. Whether it is embarking on that transformative trip, completing your graduation or post-graduation or Ph.D., establishing a farm, learning computer programming like Python, or learning medicine just for understanding purpose or conquering a mountain peak, or launching a business, or buying a new house, or an EV, you decide and commit to it. Each one of these activities requires the following:
(a) Specific skills / acumen within you,
(b) Access to resources to accomplish it,
(c) Time is a universal resource, equally accessible by all. The key lies in how effectively we allocate it to manifest our ideas to life. So, the one who uses it wisely wins!
(d) The most crucial point to remember is, your chosen activity for Magnum Opus must fall in the sweet spot, to make its chance of success go higher.
If all the above four (4) criteria are met, then the probability of you successfully achieving your identified “Magnum Opus” is extremely high.
Silence the voices of fear and doubt, which will be plentiful around you. Be audacious and unconventional. Remember, if your dreams do not provoke laughter, they are not grandiose. Dedicate this year to following your passion and leaving an indelible mark on the world. Seek out your sweet spot as it holds the key to your extraordinary journey. The worst possible scenario is that you come right back to where you are now. There is nothing to lose in that case. You owe it to yourself to take a chance. If you have spent a major part of life doing what you are doing, with an assumption that you are diligent, perhaps hard working, because that is how you identify yourself and yet not accomplished your Magnum Opus, then maybe something needs to be changed. It is time to stop and re-think. Yes, it is challenging; otherwise, everyone would be doing it.
Now, venture beyond the tangible aspects of your life like the phone, the computer, the car, the music, the news, the digital games, and transition from something to nothing. Imagine diverting your attention away from familiar places like your workplace, your home, the spot where you sit, and taking the journey from somewhere to nowhere. This shift involves transcending away from the predictable predicament of your future that you were engaged in creating. This will be moving beyond yourself. As you embrace pure consciousness, you detach from this world’s three-dimensional reality. If you are successful in this, then rest be assured you are controlling your mind and not the other way around. Remember, sometimes the greatest transformations occur when we explore the intangible. You mind and your mindset (for more check here) is the key to your success.
In the grand symphony of existence, our magnum opus awaits. It beckons us beyond the mundane, urging us to transcend the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary. As the final notes resonate, let us not merely leave footprints in the sands of time; let us etch our essence into the very fabric of the cosmos. For within our magnum opus lies not just personal fulfillments, but a legacy that reverberates through generational testament of our audacity, resilience, unwavering pursuit of greatness and to excel in this life. Remember these words… your magnum opus resound is like a crescendo of purpose, passion, and possibility that you decide and enact, without anyone’s permission and without spending a single penny from your pocket. The question is will you consciously start working to achieve it?
About The Author:
Asad Syed is a graduate of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics. His experience spans in Security Architecture, Security Operation Management, Digital Investigations & Forensics, Crisis & Threat Simulation, GRC Management, Threat Hunting, Cybersecurity Emerging Trends & Threat Mitigation, Database Security, Identity & Access Management, and Identity Federation. His interests are in the application of newer technologies, to enhance the output performance of technologies with which he is working. He is a writer, teacher, and cybersecurity evangelist, who has worked for multiple fortune five hundred companies and currently providing cybersecurity consulting to the upstream operations of the oil and gas industry. Reach him via Asad at ASyed dot com. ■
