Waging a war to fight, disarm & defeat our internal enemies are more testing and challenging to the human heart than the enemies that lie outsideout-side of us. We often mistakenly delude ourselves in the discourse of self-preservation by fencing around to endorse our vigilance against the external forces posing threat to our accomplishments. But it is the sleeping monsters inside all of us which are predominantly committed to run our territory and influence their maliciousness to thwart our noble struggle for an eventful life. These vicious forces by and large subtly dismiss recognizing themselves to be ferocious and rather squabble for being true comrades of our well-being. Their unprincipled stand on the vices & wrongs to expand & own the horizons of mediocrity and scantiness that substantially consumes us to settle for less than what we can do, be or have. This inner battle against brutal and hostile powers of internal enemies necessitates our prudence in utmost action to corner their inopportune conditions and set out the new wave of inherent intensity of strength, conviction and purpose.
To name some of these deadly enemies who are at silent war with us to kill the possibilities of our good life are stated below.
Indifference: It is a disaster for an indifferent individual who let his life to slide & drift to non-essential. The man seems to be so unconcerned to the course undertaken that he is not bothered about his casual drifting. Your success demands your personal responsibility to keep you busy with adding value and not to let hang on with the tide to send you off-track. Remember, casualness leads to casualties. Indifference invites dullness and carelessness to be its comrades which chokes up our sophistication. This malicious attribute is a manipulation to our inherited powers with which we claim unprecedented life achievements.
Indifference sanctions its influences in mysterious ways. A man who is unconcerned with his little yet important routines neglects his duties of more value and worth. The man of indifference falls little by little until he degenerates into an ambitionless person. Indifference invites thoughtlessness in a man and slides in apathy, inactivity and laziness which are fatal and inclined to grow duller and weaker. Then, this lethargy seriously cripples the chances of a successful and healthy future. One of the greatest fatalities of indifference is that it drives away more businesses than entrepreneurs can bring in by advertising.
Indecision: The hesitancy to step forward is another plague that one needs to be at a war to counteract. It is sometimes called as a thief of opportunity as it holds us back by playing it safely. One of the great writers puts it as; by not deciding you are making a decision not to decide. And remember that “It is in the moments of decision, that our destiny is shaped”. Indecision is a great waste of power and becomes a mental illness to yield procrastination as its forerunner. It mostly arises out of fear that benumbs our initiative, kills our confidence and causes indecision that further makes us afraid to begin doing things. A person who is cursed with the fatal habit of indecision will be incapable of ever under any circumstances arriving at an intelligent conclusion.
Worry: We all worry a lot unnecessarily for the things which are unlikely to happen. The habit of worrying deprives a man for his glorious gift of courage. Courage & worry can’t coexist in the human heart. We got to get rid ourselves from this deadly enemy which deludes our perception by tampering conditions and disguise their originality for causing a momentary distress and anxiety.
When our mind is filled with discord, worry and anxiety, it sends our brain and body out of tune. Worrying minds grind away the delicate human machinery to cause his brain losing all its cunningness. The fact of the matter about worry is that it discourages its dweller to ruin its efficiency. As Mr. Beecher says that “It is not the work that kills a man, it is worry that kills him”. It is not the movement that destroys the machinery, but friction. Worry to a human brain is what rust is to a blade. Dr. G. W. Jacoby has profoundly stated that worry kills as surely, though not so quickly, as ever gun or dagger did, and more people have died in the last century from sheer worry than have been killed in battles. There is no mental attitude which is more disastrous to personal achievement and personal happiness in the world than worry. Nobody can do his best when he is caught by worry.
Over-Caution: It is quite normal to be cautious but not over-cautious. This approach obstructs us at the pretext of deep care. Imagine driving yourself a car on a free highway with over-caution. Guess what, all the cars coming behind yours are likely to bang you from the back to crush as you cause their speed an illegitimate halt. Timidity creeps up when we turn to be over-cautious and it paralyses our possibilities to grow and prosper.
We must keep in mind that he who waits for certainty never wins. The timid people are crowded with below mediocrity as they must understand that it is not only the brave people who succeed in life but also those who dare to take chances. Timidity perishes man’s courage and leads him to the defeats of life. It weakens the man’s resolve, self-confidence and the spirit of resolution to put it into execution. Nobody likes to be partnered with frightened people as they hinder human freedom with their timid nature.
Doubt: This enemy is like a disease that infects the mind to question everything. It creates the mistrust of the people and their motives. The worst of doubt is to doubt yourself and your own abilities of self-worth. Just imagine that a wall that you build around yourself for stopping evil to come also stops the reach of the good. It is absolutely fine not to believe everything at its face value and legitimizes a bit of investigation. But we shouldn’t let this search to be broadened widely that it imprisons our creative thinking to suspicion. The majority of the failures begin to deteriorate by doubting themselves and consequently losing confidence in their own ability.
Doubts cause stagnation through self-demagnetization and in process the desired things flee away. A doubting mind is always saturated with the fear of failure and blocks his power of insights to see through the splendid possibilities of life locked up in his nature.
Procrastination: Delaying the matters for later unduly. People are filled with excuses to put off their scheduled tasks deliberately and little do they know what it costs to their future. One of the reasons I think people procrastinate is that their mediocre set goals are not letting them to feel the sense of urgency. Procrastination is like an excuse-making highway on which people travel to their set destinations. It acts as a thief for stealing the people’s time to kill their aspirations. Sometimes people delude themselves to delay by reasoning their perfect timing to do what they want to do. We must, with all our might to be at forefront war to detect and detest this enemy of success.
As H.W. Shaw has put it so brilliantly saying that the greatest thief this world has ever produced is procrastination and he is still at large. Procrastinated people are always behind in life and in its promises.
Pessimism: Boy, this is ONE is BIG. This mental bug is insidiously endangering the man’s creative mental abilities to succeed and leads to an ugly life. This plague always makes people to look at the negative side, the discordant & dark side of the life and comes up with so many reasons why something can’t be done. Pessimism is darkness and we can’t thrive in dark. The tendency of pessimism distorts our way of thinking and looking at the things around us. It poisons the very source of life by sapping energy, enthusiasm, ambition, hope, faith and everything else that makes life strong, vital and creative. In a nutshell, pessimism is an achievement killer and a great destroyer against which we should firmly guard ourselves not to be affected by its deadly force. It must be replaced with optimism as the presence of one excludes the other.
Complaining: People feel it comfortable to justify their stand by complaining everything except their own attitude. They find fault in all things they are handed over. The habit of complaining, criticizing, grumbling and faultfinding over the trifles is one of the most unfortunate attributes of the life. Complaining people are like walking advertisements of their own failures who are always talking, talking but never doing. Every time one complains or finds a fault, he is only acknowledging the power of his enemies to hold him down and make his life disagreeable.
Some people have become habitual of constant growling to complain about everything their hands fall on ending up regretfully. Mr. Jim Rohn has well said about people who complain by saying that spend five minutes in complaining and you have wasted five. He further goes on saying that don’t waste your time in complaining. Because half the people don’t care and the other half are glad that you are upset.
As the Agis-II famously puts it that the Spartans didn’t inquire how many enemies are there, but where they are? Therefore, it doesn’t matter how powerful these homegrown slayers are to block our way to personal success, all it matters it to recognize, acknowledge, dare & conquer them with your wit & wisdom. This unfathomable triumph will revitalize your proclamation that “WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND THEY ARE OURS”. Solemnly pledge yourself to disdain these brutal slayers and bury them under the accolades of your personal success. As a closing remark, I would like to quote Mr. Goldsmith who says that “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”.
May the spirit of Success be your Comrade to defeat the homegrown slayers.