The Coveted Commandment: SURRENDER YOUR WEAPONS (c) 2014 by Wayne Dan Lewis, Sr

Happy New Year to all of you as we all embrace a very exciting new year in 2014. I personally anticipate that we will see a tremendous number of outstanding developments in the upcoming year. From the world of politics, to economics, to the environment, to Wall St., we are all going to see some fantastic set of developments unfold right before our very eyes. And, guess what? We have the opportunity to have a say in how those things evolve. Right here, in America, we have a great chance to be apart of some great changes for the future. We have that power, if we are willing to embrace all of the great things that 2014 means for us. Whatever the outcome for 2014, I can only wish that we will all strive to reach our greatest potential possible, allowing for nothing, or no one to deprive us from achieving our various goals and dreams that we would like to see come true in our lives.

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will." Vincent T. Lombardi [1]

But even as 2014 is here, for several of us, myself included, that as we briefly reflect on 2013, we found ourselves falling far short of reaching many of our most valued goals. Here is where we need to be very careful in this transition from 2013 to 2014. Even for those of us who achieved many of our 2013 goals, we need to be extremely careful that we don’t allow one of two things to happen:

We don’t get too comfortable in our achievements that we become complacent, and think that we have got it made;
We don’t become too upset with our shortfalls that we allow negativitism to work to destroy whatever achievements we have accomplished so far.

That’s my gift. I let that negativity roll off me like water off a duck’s back. If it’s not positive, I didn’t here it. If you can overcome that, fights are easy.

George Foreman [2]

Weaponizing Negativity

Negativity in our thoughts and actions are important to identify so that we recognize what they are, and how, if we are not careful, we may allow those actions and thoughts to prevent us from achieving our next level of success. In recognizing how potential negativity is to our goals, dreams and aspirations, it shouldn’t be beyond reason that we maybe weaponizing our negativity. What does this mean? It means essentially, that we understand the empowerment that negativity takes on when we hold at the ready, the slightest response to a failure, or shortfall, that can keep us from achieving our goals. While can I give some of our own personal examples, let us look at how history has developed because negative wasn’t allowed to be weaponized. Here are a few examples:

© If Scientist Alexander Fleming, had weaponized his negativity who knows how long it would have been before people would have ways to stop infections because penicillin may not have been discovered[4];

© If Barack Obama had weaponized his negativity every time he was told that he could not be president of the United States, his pursuit of becoming the first African American President would have been long destroyed.

These and many other examples like them are indicators of how easy it could have been for many of the greats of our times to have thrown in the towel, or to have given up in their lives on many of their greatest ambitions. Understanding just how important a positive attitude is, is just as important as understanding how powerful a negative attitude is because, a negative action equals a negative and destructive result. That destructive result is essentially fatal to not only our dreams, but to the detriment of others as well. We cannot afford to be so discouraged from our failures, or shortfalls, that we are blinded to what our dreams mean to not just us personally, but to others as well. We must be encouraged enough to know that our dreams aren’t just our dreams, but that our dreams belong to the world.

2013 for any number of us, may have resulted in our starting our own businesses. But unfortunately, we may have fallen short in reaching our goals, for any number of reasons. We may have missed our mark of success because of: unrealistic sales goals, market changes, failure to market, shortage of personnel, customer service, or maybe, the weather. The bottom line is, 2013 is gone. What failed, failed. Embrace the good times, learn from the short falls, but let us know hold on to what might have been. Let us put into place everything necessary to move forward into 2014. The only thing that can really stop us from this point forward, is any negative attitude that we packed up and brought with us from 2013. And if we are packing those negative attitudes, 2014, is already rittled with disaster. In short, those negative thoughts and actions have been weaponized.

Implementing weaponization

Here is what we have to watch out for when it comes to weaponizing our negative thoughts and actions:

Acknowledging that there is sort of a weaponry-like approach to negativity thoughts and actions; What this means is that, we must understand that our words and actions are extremely powerful when it comes to how we feel about the goals, dreams and aspirations that we are seeking to make happen in our lives. If our goals, dreams and aspirations are that important to us, we cannot afford to say anything, or do anything that could affect not only how we feel about we about to accomplish, but also how others perceive what it is we are trying to accomplish as well;
Realizing that those weaponry-like approaches are easily acquirable, and unfortunately, sustainable when times get rough; It is easiest to say something very destructive when we are frustrated, especially when something goes against what we have planned in our pursuit of excellence. Because we are human, and because of the fact that what we want to accomplish so many great things in our lives, it is of the utmost importance to us, when something goes wrong, at the worst possible time, we have to be careful that we don’t fire off words and deeds that reflect the greatest level of anger and humiliation when so often we put so much into what we do. It is almost without forethought that we may, without intent, damn our projects, damn those who are involved, or damn anything and everything that has just as much to be upset or affected by the outcome, that if we aren’t careful, the project is virtually doomed.
Our destructive actions could be as dismissive as daggers, if we are not careful, we could destroy what little effort we may have made towards either one of our goals, dreams or aspirations, or worse yet, destroyed a very valuable set of relations with others; As achievers, nothing is worse than realizing the negative impact of our thoughts and actions after we have said something to someone, or about someone who has played a tremendous role in our growth. And in that instance of weakness, we forget all the contributions that others have played to help us to a progressive point in our lives. The destruction, or damage caused by failing to recognize the value of not only our own work, but that of others becomes the epitome of dropping a bomb on our dreams.

Surrender your weapons

The danger that we need to be careful of, is not to get so wrapped up in what went wrong in 2013, or at any point in our lives that we go into self-destructive mode. We need to be careful going forward, because the extreme danger that is possible can be very well due to our failure to stand down and return to the inspiration that first motivated us to pursue our dreams and goals. If we don’t want to continue to weaponize our negative thoughts, then it is time for us to surrender every negative thought and action that we have. It is time to put those negative attitudes down, step away the negative actions that we have weaponized, and take a more proactive stance for the goals, dreams and aspirations that are ours to have.

Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, Make me feel important. Never forget this message when working with people.
Mary Kay Ash[8]

If 2014 is going to be an improvement over 2013 for those of us who fell short in reaching our goals, we will need to be on guard against discharging negativity that prevents us from moving forward. If 2014 is going to be our best year yet, we must be ready to surrender any urgency to curse our failures. If we are going to be on guard from this point forward, we must be confident that nothing we do, or fail to do, will cause us to take action that could seem remotely close to a self-destructive response. We are better than that!

"Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success."
- Thomas J. Watson[9]

Going into 2014, we must be sure to divest ourselves from concealing any attempt to exercise negative thoughts or actions that will stand in our way of achieving our goals, dreams or aspirations. We must surrender any mindset that places our goals and dreams in harms’ way. This must be our pledge, that from this moment forward, we can no longer be so easily distracted by any failure, that the failure becomes bigger than the dream. From this point forward, we must put aside any influence that seeks to overshadow the value of any of our dreams to:

Embrace our goals, dreams and aspirations

If I dwell on how unproductive 2013 was for me, then I’ll be reaching for one of those negative weapons that some of us tend to keep stored somewhere in our lives. I’ll be guilty of weaponizing my negativity. I don’t want to dwell on what didn’t happen for me any more than I want either of us to dwell on what failed to happen in our lives. It’s time to learn from our mistakes and move on. It’s time for us to embrace our original goals, dreams and aspirations. It’s time for each of us to use our positive minds, our God-given talents, and our richly, inspired souls to envelope all that is important to achieving our best.

Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain... To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices - today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.
Kevyn Aucoin [10]

Embrace 2014! This is our year. Let each of us put forth our very best effort in everything that we do. Let each of us look forward to each and everyday’s opportunities to bring forward the very best of who we are. Let us all embrace 2014, knowing that no trip, stumble or fall will be sufficient enough to cause us to curse one error, or damn one mistake, because we are destined to achieve our greatest ever.

Finally, let us embrace one another, on each of our respective journeys, not as enemies or adversaries, but as respected comrades, as partners, as cooperates, or as investors in this great world of ours. Let us each work together, passionately to make great things happen not only for ourselves, but for our families and friends, for our communities and for the world at large. Surely, if the telephone, the airplane, penicillin and the ability to become President of the United States can have a profound world effect, whose to say that our dreams are not next in line to make the same type of impact on the world, and the universe as a whole, beginning in 2014?

For you see, we have evidence that all around us that anything is possible, don’t you give up!

For you see, we have evidence that dreams do come true, for those who persevere, don’t you dare give in!

Last, but not least, we are just as capable as anyone else to achieve that which is ours to have, all we need to do is simply this: Prepare for Your Next Move![11]

Here is wishing for all of us the very best that life has to offer, and a tremendously, Happy New Year in 2014.

Disclaimer: Information deemed to be from reliable sources but not guaranteed. Please consult with your respective professional in those areas in which you need consultation or direction.