To Get Peace You Must Surrender This Character Trait
- Original Professional Hustler
- May 5
- 6 min read
This is not a virtue; although everyone seems to think it is.
THE BEST LIFE TRICK
“Sometimes things happen as we expect and this coincidence tricks us into believing it can happen again.” Christopher Knight Lopez, International Best-Selling Author.
THE HIDDEN LIE
We believe what we see. We believe what we hear. We believe what we touch. These basic senses serve as guides for many. Few are aware of the intangible. Fewer are aware of senses not traditionally discussed.
Chemoreception is the ability for one to sense body chemical changes.
Proprioception is the ability to have awareness of the body.
Nociception deals with your sensation of pain.
Equilibrioception deals with your balance.
The best deception is one that solicits partial sensory recognition. It is difficult for many to deny what they see. It is unlikely for someone to deny what they touch. It is challenging to deny words spoken clearly.
I get how partial evidence could convince you of an idea. I really do. Many create future expectations because of partial evidence. Some call these goals. Others aspirations. The negative of these are fears (i.e. fear of loss, fear of betrayal, fear of being wrong).
When one future expectation is confirmed by evidence of sight, touch or hearing it’s compelling to believe all future expectations work this way.
DELUSION WHICH COMES FROM SELF AFFIRMATION
Partial evidence leads one to want what they want — not accept whatever results from honest effort. It leads one to refuse to accept anything other than desired results. Effort no longer matters. Intentions are irrelevant. Results are all that matter. I struggled with acceptance for a long time because of this deception.
Accepting what things are is not easy when one believes what they previously saw, heard and felt. My entire life was modeled off of unlikely successes against the odds if I simply had faith.
Become a state champion in football. Check. Become a distinguished graduate in the military. Check. Become valedictorian in university. Check. Make a million by 24. Check. Own over twenty properties by 25. Check. Manage a hundred million in assets. Check. Manage billions in assets. Check. Become a best selling author. Check. Get to settlement with the SEC. Check. Save one of my brother’s life from criminal threats. Check. Go bankrupt and still acquire a home for my daughter to keep a promise to return to her within 12 months. Check. Believe a bullet would misfire at close range which would have killed me because I had faith God would stop it. Check.
Compelling evidence for me to believe all future expectations could be met if I simply had the right intentions. Then these events happened…
Prevail legally on a criminal indictment due to good intentions (with lack of knowledge of bad actors actions) and acting with no malice. Not checked.
Prevail from house incarceration based on obvious lies which outright contradicted the truth. Not checked.
Prevail in saving my marriage through insurmountable effort despite past mistakes. Not checked.
Total loss on those. These losses caused deep reflection. My expectations were always met in the past. I used to say I was the most fortunate person in the world — all I needed was noble intentions. God always answered my prayers in the past. I wondered why God would not answer these expectations now?
YOU CANNOT CONTROL OUTSIDE EVENTS
I developed a false assumption. My false assumption was my noble intentions somehow controlled outside events. My noble intentions did not. In the past I tried to use my noble intentions to petition God to influence, seek change and force alternatives. This caused me a lot of stress. Honestly, I never knew peace. This also created a delusional idea that my noble intentions somehow made impossible things happen.
How can one be at peace when one is constantly seeking change of their present? One cannot. It is impossible.
How can one find peace when one wants others to feel differently? One cannot. This too is impossible.
How can one find peace when one wants another to do something else? One cannot. This is always impossible.
I have learned much from my life through these past thirty six (36) months. One of these lessons is we cannot control nearly anything.
WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL
You cannot control what happens to you. You cannot control what others think about you. You cannot control what others believe about you.
You can control your response to all uncontrollable events. These responses are your opportunities to develop virtue.
You can be resilient in the face of injustice. You can be kind in the face of insult. You can be empathetic in the middle of personal attacks. You can be patient when someone fails to meet you on time. You can be forgiving when someone betrays you. You can be merciful when the person does not deserve it.
The way you do anything is how you do everything.
I have finally discovered peace. Peace in the midst of asset seizure, pending sentencing, potential removal of my freedom, my wife’s divorce filing after reading my presentencing report recommendation, one of my brother’s deep betrayals, and loss of my home.
THIS IS NOT A PERSPECTIVE SHIFT ARGUMENT
So much opportunity is missed by people. Bad things are still bad things. My topic is not about saying bad things are good. My objective is to say you can use bad things to be the best version of you.
The things that happen to us are irrelevant. What matters is the meaning we assign to these things.
Meaning is also controlled by you. Meaning is not determined by others.
Control the meaning of all your events. Respond according to your choice.
I have used each one of these terrible events to practice virtues. So many of them. I am truly a transformed man. For once, I do not seek to control nor influence any thing. I simply seek to prove I am more than an equitable person (treat unto others as they do you). I offer kindness to those who hurt me. I offer forgiveness to those betray me. I love those who say they hate me. I speak truthful good elements about those who lie about me. I am faithful despite no evidence God will provide for me.
Can you truly be the virtues you claim? Or are you simply a conditional person of equity? Hard times serve to expose the hypocrites.
For instance. My ADA is a very prudent and unpredictable person which allows for amazing leverage to obtain the results best in benefit of the government. The agents who investigated me are relentless in their efforts and they make amazing resources for the government to fulfill their objectives. They are formidable opponents and reflect well on their respective agencies for pursing what they believe are bad actors.
Everyone is filled with good. Everyone has noble things about them. There is too much hate in this world. Too much pride. Too much unforgiveness. Not enough mercy.
Surrender the idea you can control outside events and you will find peace. As I have. Control only the meaning you assign to the uncontrollable and the responses you choose. The future belongs to God — not you.
CLOSING VERSE
The Final Testament. The Holy Quran. Sura [11:123] To GOD belongs the future of the heavens and the earth, and all matters are controlled by Him. You shall worship Him and trust in Him. Your Lord is never unaware of anything you do.
IN CLOSING
Sign up for free to listen free of charge to my chapter in “Many Paths To Profit” to read about how I look at things. My dynamic form of observing and reframing will help you to accomplish things like what we have discussed in today’s article. I have a free podcast called Hustle Kick as well which teaches you how to hustle for free.
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 on some of the psychology I use to take me through difficult circumstances.
This article is meant to provoke thought — not argument. It’s a way of opening up the mind to alternative ideologies based on what one reads — not what one hears. The belief is personal and of course I respect everyone’s personal beliefs. I condemn no one for choosing whatever path — as clearly I mean to choose my own.
To Your Knowledge Success!
Sources
The life of Christopher Knight Lopez a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”.
As Hyperlinked throughout the article.
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Not a form of investment advice. Please consult a professional registered to give you advice about your individual circumstance. This is not formal counseling or a form of psychology. Please consult a licensed therapist or psychiatrist for psychological concerns. Please do not email the author about advice on investing or strategies on making investments. This article is for educational purposes and entertainment purposes only.
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”. See more at www.christopherklopez.com.
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