Shake It Off

We all have a sphere around us that we can directly influence.

There are people, business matters, circumstances, and events that we can immediately touch to implement our will. These situations can be transformed into what we want but if they are not, we can always decide to pursue a different course.

Then there are people and events outside of our realm of influence that we can only touch by resting our energy on them or assisting those who are in the realm of influence. Any responsible man or woman operating in the capacity of a decision maker, or close to one, would take concerns under advisement.

Bringing in a new year, especially this one for some reason, makes us take stock of the circumstances we have created in our lives. We make firm, and not so firm, decisions to do better and this is where some measure of difficulty arises. This is where time will be the judge of our actual progress or our falling off the wagon.

People make these decisions based on their faith, desires, knowledge, and experience. We also consider past lessons learned when we recognize we are on a familiar road. Then there are those who make decisions based on lessons others have learned.

Making a good decision can catapult you into happiness and desirable circumstances while making a bad one can send you tumbling into unhappiness and having less than you want. So, the actual power must rest in our ability to make a good decision.

Innately, we know what is right and wrong. There is an uneasiness and self-accusing spirit that arises when a wrong has been done or the wrong road is being considered. Do we continue down this road for some reason of greed, guilty pleasure, or believing this is all we can get? Or, do we forsake this path and take pride that we did what was right?

After making a good decision, the additional challenge of having the will to see it through presents itself and this is yet another chance for self-development. Perseverance and building the will takes work and there is an established set of trials that will appear: discouragement, loss, and weakness.

You will get discouraged if you experience set-backs or don’t see progress, you may have had something or someone taken from you in order for you to evolve, and you will be pushed to the brink of totally giving up when you find yourself alone and destitute. You will become unhappy and if you are not careful, you will be in an ocean of bitterness surrounded by bitter people and bitter circumstances.

Of course, knowing this does not make it any easier going through it. But somewhere in the midst of suffering for a good cause is a light that shines in the darkness.

Sacrificing things that you have grown accustomed to is not easy but it is absolutely necessary to create better life circumstances. Initially, you will feel the loss but if you hone in on the light, you can breathe through the pain. After sticking to a good decision, all of a sudden amazing things start to happen. Better people, better business dealings, better events, better circumstances appear and you begin to reap the rewards of doing the right thing.

When taking stock of your current environment, it will be sobering to take responsibility for bad decisions of the past but as long as you are alive, you are empowered to make things right.

Nothing beats a made up mind

Making up your mind that you want better is the first step to a good decision. It means that anything or anyone that is not complimenting your efforts for a good life, a prosperous business, and other goals you have set for yourself will not be tolerated. If you don’t make up your mind and continue to settle for less, the stumbling stone in your path to success is you. You can create heaven for yourself or you can create hell for yourself.

If you make up your mind and say, “Hell no, I don’t think so”, the power of Almighty God will be unleashed within you and He will help you with a mighty help. There is even a verse in the Quran that says that it is incumbent on Him to help the believers. Meaning He is obligated to help those who believe in Him. Wow. Love it. So, that means we have to line up our decisions to those that warrant His blessing.

There is another verse that says He doesn’t change the condition of a people until they change their own condition. And when making decisions, we should think of the effect they will have on our realm of influence and how they will add to the big picture. If Black folks, despite all of our differing opinions, developed the same will to succeed as a people and actually wanted for each other what we want for ourselves, our condition would be changed overnight. We would leave a lasting legacy to those who will only know us by the decisions we made.

It is not anyone’s mission to make our agenda someone else’s.

The people involved have to hash out the issues in discussion and each individual has to decide for themselves how they will proceed. This doesn’t mean settling for something you know is not right. Not in business and not personally.

Settling for the wrong thing does not serve you, the couple, the business, or the group and doing this will place you outside of Divine help. If there is not mutual respect and a willingness to do the right thing, the simplest thing to do is to deny them you.

The good news is that if everyone is on the same accord, even if you disagree, you can step back and allow their will to direct the current situation. And even if there is a parting of ways, the will for the big picture of all involved to reach success will prevail.

“Gotta do what’s best for me. Baby if that means I gotta-shake you off.” Mariah Carey

Will your success into reality. Only you can make it happen. Metropolis

Photo: Robert L. Thornton, III

Leila Khaled, Editor and Publisher

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