iEvidence-The Life Chart of Steve Jobs

Steve has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons. His on-going battle with cancer has meant he has had to step down as CEO of the company he founded-Apple Inc. Although still Chairman of the Board, he has knighted his successor for the day-to-day role. Now I'm not much of an IT type (strictly home grown), so I decided to do some research on why Apple were putting an 'i' in front of products like an iPod? The answer for the iPod, was back in 2000 a consultant likened the new product to a scene from the movie '2001-A Space Odessey'....so it really stands for nothing in particular. However the whole world knows about it and uses it in everyday speech. That's kind of the exact opposite of 'Life Cycles'. It's known only to a small community, but it does represent something very important indeed: the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle known as 'The Meaning of Life'. That's a big claim I know, but each time I find straightforward evidence, it becomes harder and harder to just dismiss it out of hand. So, in honour of Steve Jobs, let's have a look at his Life Chart together and call it iEvidence.

Let's start with Steve's age 19 'Year of Broken Pathways' (Feb.1974 to Feb.1975). Were there any turning points and challenges? He had dropped out of college and had returned to California, attending weekly meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club and taking a summer job at Atari to get money to go to India. When he got to India he backpacked around, attended an ashram, became a Buddhist (which he still is) and returned with his head shaved. His best friend Steve Wozniak said:- "he was into everything hippy". There is no question, that according to him, this changed his direction and shaped his life. He also began his working career with computers. His challenge became how to integrate these values, a couple of years later, into his computing start-up company called Apple.

Now let's skip forward to his first age 24 'Year of Revolution' (Feb.1979 to Feb.1980). What sort of upheaval and new age happened then? This was not the founding of Apple, as this had already happened, but it was the birth of the Macintosh project (in Sept.1979) and the accidental discovery by Jobs of the thing that changed personal computing forever. He made a visit to Rank Xerox's research facility in Palo Alto (in Dec.1979), where he saw the 'mouse-driven graphical user interface' and had the now widely-reported and legendary epiphany about how to incorporate it into the Mac. I know, I know. I'm beginning to sound like a geek, but that's because I need to inhabit my subject's world, whoever they are. These fateful breakthrough moment's are exactly what characterises a 'Year of Revolution'.

OK, so far so good, now where to next? The answer is always straight to his age 31 'Year of Broken Pathways' (Feb.1986 to Feb.1987). What was the turning point and challenge in his life then? Well he had just left the company he founded due to management issues (he returned to Apple in 1996) and an opportunity to purchase Pixar (the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm) came up. This went on to lose Jobs quite a large amount of money in development for the first few years, but it also went on to make him his first billion. It was also in this year that the Pixar short animation 'Luxo Jr.' had it's world premiere. Is this enough of a new direction and challenge? Does it meet every definition of 'Year of Broken Pathways' including the several years of an uphill struggle? You betcha.

Now let's try his age 36 mid-life 'Year of Revolution' (Feb.1991 to Feb. 1992). What was the upheaval and new age then? This period was dominated by two events. The first was his Buddhist marriage to Laurene Powell, by whom he has three children, the first one being born about six months later. The second was the signing of an agreement with Disney Studios in May,1991 to produce six animated feature films. Each of these films has gone on to sweep across the US and the rest of the world, producing great wealth as well as awards and honours. Jobs went on to become Disney's largest shareholder, with a seat on the Board. Can you see his commercial success spelled out in capital letters in each 'Year of Revolution'? Age 24:- Birth of 'The Apple Mac. Era.' Age 36:-Birth of 'the Disney/Pixar Era.' It's plain as the nose on your face.

I can do more of course, but I'm running out of puff. Now here is your question. What is more important at the end of the day:- the Apple letter 'i' in iPod, which means effectively nothing, or the highly statistically significant 'Life Cycles' theory, which is largely unknown but contains an enormous wealth of meaning? You be the judge. Till we meet again:- "May the cycles always bring you good fortune".

Just Who's Revolution Is It Anyway? - US Open Men's Final-Djokovic v. Nadal

Hi to everyone! I've been immersed in the epilogue for 'The Life Cycles Revolution', so I haven't been very active with the blog. However I want to change all that and give you this post as a bonus extra for September-the main story will follow. This is really by way of showing you 'Life Cycles' theory in action. My attention was originally drawn to a comment by Most Profound (who has one of my favourite blogs and is also one of my favourite people on Blogoshere), when he left a comment on my post on Djokovic saying :- "It will be interesting to see how the future goes for him". Because I often take the long view, I was thinking of his next 'significant year', which was seven years away. Of course the comment was made post-Wimbledon, but pre-US Open, so I along with many others took a close look at this prestigious tournament.

In order to understand anything from a 'Life Cycles' perspective you have to ask what happened to the person in their last 'significant year'. This is very straightforward. When I saw Nadal cruise his way through to the final by brushing aside World No. 4 Andy Murray, I asked myself 'How old is he?'. The answer was 'he was 25' (born 3rd June, 1986). So what were things like for him when he was aged 24 (3rd June, 2010 to 3rd June, 2011)? The first fact I noticed, is that in this year he regained the World No.1 ranking by winning his 5th French Open title. This occurred when Federer lost to Soderling in the quarters, so things were working for him. He held it for the rest of this 12 month period, in spite of his losses to Djokovic. He next won Wimbledon and the US Open, clinching the year end No.1 title. He ended the year winning 3 Slams, 3 Masters and edging out Roger Federer for the first time for the Sportamanship Award (which he had held for the last 6 years). It was described by commentators as 'an incredible season'. Will history see it as a high-water mark? Too soon to tell, but it was a career peak and he was on top. This was all in his 'Year of Revolution'. Where was 23 year-old Novak Djokovic then? It was all Nadal and Federer.

Now you all know that Novak turned 24 in May, 2011 and I already covered what happened to him in the Wimbledon Final. He was now indisputably World No.1 and he simply outplayed Rafa that day. It was now his 'Year of Revolution'. His turn in the sun. So now to Flushing Meadow. Things did not look good in the semi-final against Roger, who had been playing superb tennis and had the crowd behind him. He won the first two sets and was leading 5-3 in the fifth with 40-15 and 2 match points. What chance Novak? You'd have no takers on Sportsbet I'd reckon. Then in Novak's own words :- "I decided to gamble it all on a service return. These shots go out as much as they go in." He returned a Federer 180km first serve with a crashing forehand to win this critical point. Roger went on to lose the game and the set and the match from here. This is the power of the 'Year of Revolution'. This is the fateful turning point, when the tide is at its fullest. He had such a moment at Wimbledon as well if you remember.

So now to the Men's Final. Just who's 'Year of Revolution' was it anyway? Rafa tried supremely hard throughout this scintillating final, full of tennis at the very highest level. He rallied and won the 4th set tie-break, but it did him no good at the end of the day. Novak had his measure. He is now talked of as the better all-round athlete (something Rafa held unopposed last year). He is agile and tough and his attitude is solid. Stay in the moment and don't get temperamental. There is no doubt it's Novak's year. He's on top. Yes it's his Revolution.

If you think I'm just lucky or I only point out the good stuff, just wait till you read my devastating evidence in 'The Life Cycles Revolution'. I actually lay an open challenge to the sceptics to prove me wrong! No other theory can or would be able to do this, I'll be back soon so don't go away.

2,000 Years In The Making- The Life Chart of Cleopatra

It's time to tune up the sistrum and don your ceremonial headdress, because today we are invited to the court of Cleopatra. She has achieved a form of immortality through her extraordinary life. She and Marc Antony were the original power couple long before the term was ever heard. Just about everyone knows her story and that's what makes it so interesting for me. If I can show a credible correlation of her life's major turning points and 'Life Cycles' theory, it becomes some of the most stunning objective evidence you will ever see. Can other systems of knowledge replicate this kind of result? I think not.

She was featured in many books and movies and played by a variety of actresses- Elizabeth Taylor being the most famous. In terms of her 'Life Chart', it is reasonable to go to her first adult 'Year of Broken Pathways' at age 19 (Oct. 50BC to Oct. 49BC), to see what fateful events happened to her, to change her destiny. It is recorded that at 18 she became Queen Cleopatra VII, but shared power with her younger brother. When she was in her age 19 'Year of Broken Pathways', she became the bitter enemy of the Gabiniani. These were the Roman troops, who protected the throne, and had adopted the ways of Egypt and become alienated from Rome. They refused a request of the sons of the Syrian Governor to fight the Parthians, because they liked their comfortable life and had murdered them instead. Cleopatra, who wanted to be pro-Roman, had the assailants arrested and handed over. This break with the Gabiniani was to be the main cause of her loss of power, which soon ensued.

Next we go to her first adult age 24 'Year of Revolution' (Oct. 45BC to Oct. 44BC). There is no doubt that this was the period in which Julius Caesar was murdered in the Senate. She had born him a son called Caesarion and was living with him in Rome. The fact that Caesar planned to marry her outraged the conservative Republicans, as it broke the laws against bigamy and marrying foreigners. She was seen as a dangerous seductress. The 1963 movie shows a scene the day before his death, when Caesar wanted absolute control as Emperor, which would have given Cleopatra everything she desired. However, in one fateful day it was all brought undone and she had to flee Rome instead. This was her personal 'new age' and the very definition of what a 'Year of Revolution' stands for.

Then we visit her next 'significant year', which is her age 31 'Year of Broken Pathways' (Oct. 38BC to Oct. 37BC). There is a famous scene from the movie, which shows Cleopatra being summonsed to Antioch by her lover Marc Antony and arriving in splendour on her Royal Barge. They get married in this year, which involves Antony later having to divorce his wife, who is the sister of Octavian (co-ruler of Rome). This is a very fateful turning point, because it legitimises the children born to Cleopatra and gives her continued political power as Pharaoh. It also earns her the bitter rivalry of Octavian and is not dissimilar in nature, to what she did at 19 with the Gabiniani, It is also to lead on to the 'Donations of Alexandria' (34 BC), in which Antony cedes much of Rome's territory in the east to Cleopatra. It is again the very embodiment of what a 'Year of Broken Pathways' stands for.

Finally to her last 'significant year', which is her age 36 'Year of Revolution' (Oct. 33BC to Oct. 32BC). Cleopatra issued a coin with Antony's portrait on one side and hers on the other. The inscription read 'Queen of Kings and her sons who are Kings'. This combined with Antony's intention to establish a second Senate in Alexandra was the perfect moment to get an inquiry started to strip Antony of his power. Octavian illegally seized Antony's will. The Senate apparently were not moved by making Caesarion as Caesar's legal heir, or leaving his estate to Cleopatra's children; but it was his desire to be buried alongside her in Alexandria that outraged them. The Senate declared war on Cleopatra, which of course meant Antony as well. This was her fateful turning point. It was to directly lead to the Battle of Actium and the demise of both her and Marc Antony. It was of the exact same character as what happened to her at 24. The split with Rome after being tantalisingly close to achieving her lifetime ambition, with the restoration of the Ptolemaic Dynasty and inheritance by her successors of the Roman Empire.

This is how a 'Life chart' is constructed. It says quite simply:- can analysis of what happened in the 'significant years' tell a cohesive story of some of the main events in a person's life? Moreover are the themes of the 'Years of Revolution' and 'Years of Broken Pathways' linked, so that they reveal your life's true purpose? Don't for one minute think, that something as seemingly remote as the 2,000 year old story of Cleopatra, cannot be duplicated by someone making the news right now. Next month we are going to analyse another woman in the news, whose attraction to power brought her undone.......who is she? Till then:- may the cycles always bring you good fortune.

The Best Day of My Life-The Life Chart of Novak Djokovic

I admit I had a famous historic personality all lined up for this month, but I just witnessed such an inspiring Wimbledon Final between Djokovic and Nadal, that I had to do a quick check of Novak's young life. I am a life-long tennis player and a keen fan, so this was not entirely by accident. There is wonderful drama in sport and you don't even need to be a follower to get caught up in it. Just about everyone knows Wimbledon -it's the pinnacle of world tennis. When Novak lifted the trophy he declared:- "This is the best day of my life!" Let's examine why this is so typical of what can happen in a 'Year of Revolution'. Let's then do a quick 'Life Chart' analysis and examine, as much as we can, his 'significant years'. 'Life Cycles' is unerringly accurate and remember I did this 'at the drop of a hat'.

Novak turned 24 on 22nd. May this year. It ushered in his 'Year of Revolution'. Often the most significant time in the life of a young adult. What happened to him? Just recently he learned, that on making the Wimbledon final, he had become World No. 1. This capped off a remarkable year so far. He, however, didn't see it that way. He said that it meant so much more to win at Wimbledon, than to get the top ranking. This was his dream, that he had since he was a small child. Even though he had victories over Nadal recently, he had to do it again on the grandest stage of all. There was a moment in the second set (which Djokovic won 6-1); when after a long rally he got an almost impossible drop shot return, for a cross-court winner. His box rose as one, their fists in the air and Novak thumped his heart and let out a 'primal shout'. This is the fateful moment, you don't know what you can do until you do it.

Could this match have gone either way? Few would doubt there could have been a five set upset to Nadal with the scores 3-3 in the fourth set. But it was Novak's day and his destiny. This is how many of us can feel in such a variety of ways in our lives and often it can correlate with being in a 'Year of Revolution'. Now in order to do his 'Life Chart' we simply try to get material on his only other remembered 'Year of Revolution' at age 12 and then see what, if anything, happened in his two 'Years of Broken Pathway' at 7 and 19.

Let's take his age 12 'Year of Revolution' first. His official website confirms that it was at age 12, he first went on an unaccompanied 3 month trip to Nikola Pilic's famous Tennis Academy in Munich, Germany. Up till then his parents went with him everywhere and as they were not a rich family, this was a personal sacrifice they made. It was a character forming time for him and taught him independence at a young age. His association with the Academy went on for quite a few years and was the basis of his entry into top-level junior tennis. There is no doubt that his first 'Year of Revolution' ushered in a new age in his life and a high point.

Let's fast forward now to Novak's age 19, 'Year of Broken Pathways' (May, 2006 to May, 2007). We are looking for direction-altering moments. The first thing I see is that there was a strong rumour in May, 2006, that the entire Djokovic family might emigrate to the UK. The drama surrounding this did not affect his play however and his path to the top commenced, when he reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and then his first-ever tournament victory in the Dutch Open (without losing a set). After a second tournament win he reached the world Top 20. His own biography section says of 2007:- "and then the dream year arrived". It said his career 'took off' after his Master's performances at Indian Wells (losing to Nadal in the final) and his first Master's victory at Miami (known as the fifth Grand Slam). He was now a confirmed Top 10 player and capable of beating the best. Yes, this was all within his 'Year of Broken Pathways'. His direction was to the very top of world tennis and his challenge was to get there.

Finally let's go back in time to his age 7, 'Year of Broken Pathways'. could anything have happened then? He took up tennis at age 4, running after the older kids at tennis camp and trying to hit the ball over the net. However at age 7, he was discovered by the famous coach Jelena Gencic. She said:-"this is the greatest talent I have seen since Monica Seles". As his coach, she has been attributed as 'creating his career and instilling in him the right attitude to sport and to life'. There is no doubt he owes her a great deal. This was his direction-altering moment and his challenge was to learn all he could.

So can you see for yourselves how a 'Life Chart' builds for such a talented young adult. Each of the 'Life Cycles' significant years represents a tangible milestone in his life, that can be measured objectively. Am I continually just lucky? Actually the odds on me being correct are astronomical, but of course it doesn't seem that way. Unless, of course, I'm correct and 'Life Cycles' is the newest and the best form of Life Analysis there is. So straightforward it's almost science.

My guest next month has waited some two thousand years to be unveiled so I hope she won't mind waiting a little while longer. Tell me who it is? Until then:- "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".

Hello Indonesia-The Life Chart of Mr. Arifinto

One of the great joys of blogging is checking your stats (as I'm sure most of you do) and seeing, on some occasions, the wide variety of countries that are represented. A recent example for me was the 10 page views on the Royal Wedding post from Iran. It is a rare privilege to think that someone from that country may have read about 'Life Cycles'. I believe my topic is a universal one and new knowledge is always appreciated by some people. Also, when I see smaller countries like Guadalupe and Nepal in the list, as well as the well-known larger ones, it is very rewarding.

However I have a special greeting for the people of Indonesia. Ever since the popularity of my 'Tree Man' post last year (which I regard as a personal favourite); I am aware that I have a larger than expected following in the country, which lies just to the north of mine. So in honour of your country I will present another story of one of your citizens. This time the nature of the saga is a high-profile meltdown, but the intent is to show that by playing detective you can piece together a portion of a 'Life Chart' from very little information.

Mr. Arifinto (no article I read mentioned his first name) was until recently a senior politician in the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which was a Conservative Muslim party in Indonesia. He had responsibility as a lawmaker and was a founding member of the Party. He was photographed by a journalist in Parliament watching a pornographic movie, on what was called a 'tablet computer'. He at first tried to brazen it out, by saying that he didn't do this intentionally and that he had opened an email attachment by accident. However his screen was shown to be full of thumbnails of different sex videos. This caused huge embarrassment because the PKS were the most aggressive advocates of the 2008 Anti-Pornography Law. So what has this got to do with 'Life Cycles'. The thing that first drew my attention was that he was said to be 55 years of age at the time and thus in his 'Year of Broken Pathways'. This totally unexpected scandal was his challenge, that was set to last for the rest of the years of his current cycle. More dramatic than most, but it meets every criteria. It could never have been foreseen and try as he might to squirm out of it, his life altered for good and all at that moment.

In fact he virtually tells us what lies ahead as he tries to climb the mountain to seek redemption. The Shariah Board will dismiss him from it's advisory council and he will apologise to the Party and seek religious forgiveness:- reciting the Koran and engaging in acts of piety. He doesn't want to leave the Party or political life, so I'm sure it'll be several years in the wilderness for him. Now how do you construct part of a 'Life Chart' from this? I could find no biography and no career summary and as I said no-one even mentioned his first name.

All I had to go on was that he was a founding member of his Party, so I went to a profile of the PKS Party. The Party was established as the Justice Party on July,20 1998, when I would estimate that he was aged 42. What event happened in the next year (being his 43rd 'Year of Broken Pathways') that would have provided a much younger Mr. Arifinto with a challenge? The answer, in fact, does exist. In the June, 1999 general elections (when he was aged 43) the Party failed to get the required 2% vote to contest the next 2004 elections. In other words they couldn't survive on their own. He would obviously have been challenged and was trying to come up with strategies for the future. Then, in 2002, they merged to become the Prosperous Justice Party.

So, following this, is there evidence of an upheaval and new direction for Mr. Arifinto when he was in his next 'significant year', which was his 48th 'Year of Revolution'? Remember 'Life Cycles' can set up some exacting tests and I use only the public record. Once again though the answer is 'Yes', for in the April, 2004 elections (when he was clearly aged 48) the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) won 7.3% of the vote (giving it 45 out of 550 seats). They were now the seventh largest party and his political career reached a new high and it was his new age/direction. Can you see how 'Life Cycles' operates in the life of Mr. Arifinto? As always, if I can't ever find any supporting evidence for what I say, I would simply fade away and just play tennis, chess and poker. But that is not how it goes. I have the evidence in abundance. I know I have a mission and it is the most important contribution I will ever make.

So please let me know if you enjoy this post and if you would like me to feature someone from your country in the future. One thing I know for sure is that 'Life Cycles' only has meaning if it can relate to you personally. As always I wish you well and until next time:- may the cycles always bring you good fortune.