How To Attain Victory In Defeat

Those who are stronger than you win but what if you deny them victory?

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THE OBLIQUE ANGLE

There are those who have more resources, more influence and more time than you. There will be times when you encounter individuals who wield disproportionate power.

Not having much power is not the same as being powerless.

You should know the difference. In my nearly forty years living I am what most call middle aged. I am no longer youthful, but I am not what people consider old. I lived enough time on Earth to know friends who died, reconcile what most thought an impossible situation to remain married, watch elders pass on and mentor a daughter by choice into adulthood (she is turning 18 in December).

These life events have imbued me with some wisdom. I do not claim to know all things. The life experiences I hold are great teachers. My life is full of adversity. I often wonder if life is anything but adverse actions. I do not gripe about it. I have been stabbed, jailed, betrayed, bankrupt and stolen from.

My life is full of adversity. None the less my adversity has been a great teacher. I learned humility and gratitude now. The small things matter most to me. I no longer look for what is better, I value what is currently mine. This wisdom to approach things unorthodox is rooted in my personal experiences. I would love to tell you I learned all my actions from others. The truth is that many of my lessons originate from personal experience.

As a proponent who once said, “The wise man learns from his mistakes, but the wiser man learns from others.” I have come to see there are limitations in the ‘learning from others’ statements. For true understanding comes only from the situation itself. The wiser man understands definitive action with great counsel is the requirements.

UNORTHODOX APPROACH

Most people do not approach things the way I do. If someone tells me, “I am punishing you for your bad behavior!” My response is to say, “Thank you.” This is not a way of patronizing or antagonizing the individual.

This is my way of seeing the situation as its ultimate identity. The punishment is a Teacher. In all instances, we must ascertain the benefits of a situation. There is no punishment only opportunity. When I was rearrested in error on a superseding indictment I gained a powerful relationship in the US Justice department. They met my wife, treated me with an unheard-of amount of respect and formally apologized for the mistreatment I suffered. Although I sat in detention for the better part of the day I gained so much from the experience. The events would pave the way to an incredible exposure of truth which would be described as a gold mine to my legal defense team. That which was meant to destroy me provided me unique opportunity. I had opportunity to practice virtue.

I practiced grace.

I practiced patience.

I practiced forgiveness.

I practiced faith in my God.

All four of these practices strengthened my resilience. This in turn instilled confidence in my family I can protect them from impossible situations with, what I believe, is my God’s protection. Not everyone is faithful to a deity. I understand that. I describe faith to offer you perspective about opportunity. Your opportunities may be different. I also clearly saw my wife’s tangible value. The situation cleared my eyes to what was in front of me and built me anew. She gained undying loyalty as a result and implicit trust for what she did for me. Regardless of any future relationship status she will always have my fealty and loyalty.

It is difficult for people not to allow emotions to overcome them. We often allow anger, frustration and malice to consume us. These emotions are increasingly evident during times of injustice, pain and suffering. It would have been easy to become overwhelmed by feelings of anger or malice.

I did not allow this.

Had I allowed feelings of malice, anger, fear and contempt to overwhelm me I would have lost these precious gifts. The issue with allowing these emotions to run rampant is we lose sight of the entire picture. These emotions have a way of concentrating focus. The focus is often on a single event. The mind refuses to observe any other characteristic. As a result, we miss all the other characteristics of our situation which offer gifts. The world works by gifting you things through difficulty. There is no other way.

As a consequence, your approach must be different. We must thank our offenders for offending us. We must accept our punishments as gifts. We must look at our injustices as great examples of how justice actually works.

We must never allow our mind to deceive us of the opportunity before us.

THE CRUCIBLE OF CHARACTER OR DECEIVER OF OPPORTUNITY

It requires little to no strength to react. Angry people shout. Sad people cry. Malicious people seek revenge. These are all examples of reactions. Character is forged in the crucible of these feelings, but most overlook the opportunity to develop their character.

I have been accused of taking money I can prove I never received. I have been labeled a conspirator in a conspiracy that does not exist. I was accosted in court that I deserved to be in jail despite overwhelming contradictory evidence which rebutted superseding allegations.

To hear the lack of desire for someone to verify anything said would anger most people. Did I feel anger? No. I learned many things during this time. I learned most people often develop their own conclusions. When the mind makes a predetermined decision, it can twist situations to frame things where the individual is deceived to see only a singular outcome. A shadow can appear a monster. An air conditioner rattling is proof someone is trying to enter the house. The dog barking at the neighbor means someone is lurking around the house.

The pursuit of truth can become muddied by the brain’s desire to see its anticipated outcome. The brain can ignore its opportunities to attain victory if we allow our emotions to consume the mind. When the brain is overcome by emotions it blinds itself to see what it only desires. It can miss the opportunity in front of it.

The ability to attain victory.

WINNING IS NOT THE SAME AS VICTORY

In war we were often reminded that winning skirmishes was not the same as attaining victory. In Afghanistan the US Armed Forces killed many enemies. Overwhelmingly our kill to loss ratio exceeded the enemy. This happened on both a strategic and tactical level. Despite these truths many forgot the stated goals of US victory in Afghanistan.

The goal was to: 1) Root out Terrorism within the Country, 2) Install a Democratically elected government, 3) Establish A government which respects human rights, 4) Drive out the Taliban.

Despite tens of thousands of casualties on the enemy’s side none of the four stated objectives were accomplished over two decades. The wins of countless skirmishes resulted in a complete and utter defeat of US Forces in Afghanistan despite the overwhelming success in our skirmishes in and around the country.

Punishing a person with harsh treatment and defaming a person’s reputation is not a victory if you do not attain the original objective. We must remember what the end goal of everyone is. We must not allow emotions to cloud the purpose of our mission. The mission is to discover the truth and corroborate it with overwhelming evidence.

One standard I have learned to apply within every situation is the standard of, “Beyond A Reasonable Doubt”. If there is a reasonable doubt you should not treat a person as guilty of anything. This can be as simple as forgetting to take out the trash. There is no evidence they are simply trying to make you angry. The person might just be forgetful because they are overwhelmed at work. All of us should rely upon this standard when determining our responses. Anything else is just a reaction. Do not react. Reactions are often wrong. Respond. My personal response is to help people understand what not to do. I offer insight no one else can offer.

I am the ultimate authority on what not to do. My much-anticipated new book “Turning Indictments To Dollars” talks about how to avoid the pitfalls I suffered. If you are accused of something you know you didn’t do – this book will offer you the path which grants you success. Trust me you will want to Sign up for free during the pre-release period to take advantage of unique $0.99 pricing on launch.

Sign up for free to listen free of charge to my chapter in “Many Paths To Profit”. You can pick up a copy of my international best-selling and award winning book, “I Made It Then I Didn’t” as well for a deeper insight.

The concept I teach in this article is free. Some of my personal stories are not free of charge as everything costs something. Don’t let pennies get in the way of dollars. There’s no such thing as a free lunch after all this article cost time.

To Your Knowledge Success!

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Sources

1)      The life of Christopher Knight Lopez a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”.

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Not a form of investment advice. Please consult a professional registered to give you advice about your individual circumstance. This article is for educational purposes and entertainment purposes only. Please do not email the author about advice on investing or strategies on making investments.

About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller, Award Winner of the December 2024 prestigious International Impact Book Awards – a premier award program dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the exceptional work of authors around the globe and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”. He is also a Co-Author with Kevin “The Shark” Harrington “Many Paths To Profit”. Christopher has opened over 7 businesses in his 15-year career. Christopher’s purpose is to take advantage of various market-driven opportunities. Christopher is a certified Master Project Manager (MPM), and Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA). Christopher previously held his Series 65 securities license examination and was a Master Financial Planner (MFP). Christopher also held his General Lines — Life, Accident, Health & HMO. Christopher has managed a combined 286mm USD in reported Assets Under Management & Assets Under Advisement. Christopher has work experience in 33 countries, raised over 50mm USD for various businesses, and grossed over 13.0mm in his personal career. Christopher worked in the highly technical industries of: biotechnology, finance, securities, manufacturing, real estate, and residential mortgages. Christopher is a United States Air Force Veteran. Christopher has a passion for family, competitive sports, fishing, martial arts and advocacy for entrepreneurs. Christopher provides self-help classes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Christopher’s passion to mentor comes from belief that entrepreneurs need guidance. The world is full of conflicting information about entrepreneur identity. See more at www.christopherklopez.com.