READY. FIRE. AIM: Jake Walton's Top Ten Life Principles
There is a night and day difference between playing paintball with your buddies and SEAL Team 6.
Paintball with your friends includes unplanned and random fun. Giggles, reactive, and unprepared movements would do a good job of describing the boys just getting together and seeing what happens. To be fair, if fun is the goal, there is a good chance that’s exactly what’s happening.
SEAL Team 6 operates at a different level of focus. They have formed a “Plan A” and a “Plan B.” They have practiced it to the point of exhaustion. They are the best of the best. There is a level of focus they bring to the table that would break most, if not all, people. And that is what makes them the best.
Unfortunately, most people in life live the same way our first group plays paintball. Reactive. There is no plan, just a hope that it will be “fun” and entertaining along the way. Floating down the river of life, tossed to-and-fro by the various circumstances, pondering possible outcomes along the way. I join in the Wisdom of Zig Ziglar, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” Too many folks lack FOCUS and DIRECTION, which results in a wasted life. And to that mentality, I scream WE MUST BE BETTER. Our children, grandchildren, and all in the future generation need people who will selflessly stand in the gap and refuse to let others waste their lives away.
How do we gain this kind of focus? We need a target, a purpose, a code that we not only live by but one that we hold the youth in our lives to live by as well. The following is my code for the principles I am and will live my life after. It is not final, just like I am not perfect. But I press on, refining my principles and refusing to give up. My code is only a start-up kit for you to create your own. Teach these principles to your children, hold to them yourself, and attract friendships with people of like-minded purpose. Because at the end of your life, you will reach your final destination, but you do have a say in how you get there.
10 Principles of my life
1. I will love God with my whole heart by reading, studying, and obeying His Word – Psalm 119:105
I have spent many tears, heartbreaks, and lonely moments to myself because I “followed my heart.” I have learned that my heart will lead me places I should not be and say things I should not say; it really can’t be trusted. The only thing that can truly save my tears, heal my heart, and give me peace in lonely moments is Jesus Christ and the inspired Word of God. It is what I go to when I need guidance. It is what I go to when I need help. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments,” and David, the man after God’s own heart, said, “Thy Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.” It has been a hard road. God has not and will not ever waste a broken heart, for there are many things learned from it. But by His grace, I have come to a place of understanding that if I love God, I will learn His book, apply His principles, and obey His commands.
REAL LIFE
Is your version of Christianity worth dying for? If not, something needs to change. Either you need to stop telling people you are a Christian, or you need to fall more in love with the Savior. And that will not happen unless you work your way to it. People are watching you, sometimes they are about three feet tall, and kind of look like you. May you move with focus towards the God you claim saved your soul.
2. I will fear nothing because I pray for everything – Philippians 4:6-7
I am a person who always gets worked up and anxious about most circumstances in life. I become so fearful of people’s opinions or judgment, it keeps me from trusting the One who controls everything. My future is His. I will pray for His wisdom to “use well” what He gives and will give me. I will pray that His hand is on my life. I will pray that He keeps me from evil. Lastly, I pray that I leave a legacy to my family, the realm I rule, and the people that I love, all for the glory of God.
REAL LIFE
Honestly, I must not believe that prayer works, or else I would do it more. Maybe you can relate. Therefore, my first two prayers should be “God help me” and “God change my desires.” Because I do believe if I truly understood the power of communicating with God, it wouldn’t be a nice thing for me to do occasionally, it would be my highest priority, and main action. CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD.
3. I will be honest with the gifts and abilities that God has given me and use them for His glory – Matthew 25:29
The book of Romans tells believers that they should give “sober judgment” with their gifts and who they are. For someone to be used well, he must learn who he is and what God has given him.
Gifts – God has given His followers spiritual gifts. I am held accountable to learn them and use them within the church and in sharing Christ with the world.
Abilities – God has given me something that I am naturally very good at, which even others will notice in me.
Skills – I might have the ability to do something naturally, but I must work hard to do it to the very best of my ability.
Passion – Shat is that one thing that I would do if I were paid nothing to do it? Search your heart and find out what on planet earth makes you come alive?
REAL LIFE
You can’t be anything you want to be, but you can start being a whole lot more of what you already are. Therefore, spend time getting to know yourself well, primarily through your past. What did you like, what were you good at, and what was most fruitful in those experiences? May those answers give you a map for your future.
4. I will bring value to others by affirmation, encouragement, and honesty – Matthew 25:40-46
A close friend is someone who…
Knows everything about you, yet totally accepts you;
Will listen to your most heretical ideas without rejecting you;
And knows how to criticize you in a way you’ll listen
REAL LIFE
Let’s be honest, life is hard. The Lord gave us people for a reason, and if they are one of His most cherished gifts to us, we ought to make becoming a GREAT friend to others as one of our highest priorities. When we ask great questions that go below the surface, when we empathize with people as they share their deepest hurts, and when we have the courage to be honest, we build bonds no circumstance can tear apart. If you agree with everything I just said, it’s time for you to become a better friend. Don’t know how? Well, you aren’t dumb, I think you can figure it out.
5. I will become a master of intentionality with the jobs I work and the people that I love – I Corinthians 10:31
I believe an individual could wait their whole life, waiting for the perfect circumstances, or the perfect moment in which they could be on top of the world. Excited about what could be or how it could happen. The truth is, today is all you’ve got. This is the only day on which I can love people and make them feel special. Today, write thank you notes, encourage someone, and make someone smile, pray for someone, cry with someone, and make each day your masterpiece. Because in reality, it could be your last one, make it special for another! Even if taking a step way out of your comfort zone to make another person feel valuable or wanted will go a long way, both to the giver and the receiver. I will remember names. I will remember requests. I will remember facts and bring them up so that I genuinely make an effort to touch someone else’s heart.
REAL LIFE
Perhaps the saddest day of anyone’s life will be the day that everything finally aligns with their most idealistic dreams, only for them to realize they were their own problem all along. You are where you are, so become the best freaking version you can be. Clarity comes in life as you do all the things you don’t want to do, but in a way like you wanted to do them. That is a powerful tool. It not only strengthens your muscle of resolve, it also gives you opportunities in the future because the people around you saw firsthand what you were made of, and they will speak on your behalf. So go after your supervisor’s job like you will be the future him. Treat every person with tremendous value, knowing that God has placed them in your life for a reason, maybe not for them to touch you, but maybe for you to touch them.
6. I will be courageous – I Samuel 17:45
The United States Marines say that courage is saying what needs to be said and doing what needs to be done. If these men can have courage in defending our country, how much more could a believer stand up for what he believes in with the God of the universe as his Defense? Simply put, the “I was gonna people never did.” We let the fear of failure, the fear of the unknown, and the fear of commitment keep us from pursuing or fighting for the very things that we love and dream of doing. This principle will remind me to never let fear control me, not because I’m the big man on the block, but because my Dad is with me “wherever I go.” At the end of my life, I never want any excuse to be that I was too afraid to try or speak up for what I believed in.
“Say what you mean and mean what you say.”
REAL LIFE
I’ve been courageous in my past, but I need to stop taking credit for the things that happened years ago. What new ground must be gained now? What action do I need to take that will absolutely horrify me if it should fail? Because that feeling of helplessness, followed by moments of courage, is what life is all about. Want to feel alive? Then start living like you're about to die.
7. I will defend the weak – John 15:13
“A strong man stands up for himself. A stronger man stands up for others.”
So many times growing up, I was hurt by people who made fun of me or put me down in front of others. I can never remember an older or stronger person standing up for me in those moments and protecting my heart. I am going to live my life in a way that will defend the weak, the widows, the orphans, or those hurting and helpless. I want to help those who aren’t able to help themselves, no matter what the price; I want to protect and defend the hearts of others.
REAL LIFE
Now this is starting to crack the nut of real religion. Doing selfless things for people without attention or glory. To buy the homeless person a meal, to adopt a child who has no one, to get your hands dirty. Nothing will demonstrate more the heart of God, and not much more would ever bring you closer to God. To be strong is to defend the weak.
8. I will ask forgiveness and take responsibility – Psalm 139:23,24
My generation doesn’t like taking responsibility or even asking for forgiveness. They think it is a sign of weakness to admit they were wrong. I don’t want to be like this at all! I don’t want to send a message to people that I am better or deserve the best. I know I will make many mistakes, but I want to be a man who owns up to those mistakes and makes things right. A man who takes complete responsibility for what he has done and fights to change! I will not use phrases like “I will try” or “I will do my best” because those words avoid taking responsibility for what needs to be done. Men like this are the ones who leave their families, run from their trials, and use excuses for why they won’t change. Real men ask forgiveness for their wrong and fight to change!
REAL LIFE
It’s not your boss’s fault, it’s not your mom and dad’s fault, it’s not your circumstances’ fault, IT’S YOUR FAULT. This should not defeat you; it should empower you. Look and the mirror and maybe for the first time in your life take responsibility for where you are. This extreme ownership mentality will refuse to let you live your life as a victim. You can tell the size of a person by what it takes to stop them. Stand up, smile, and remember, pain is a gift.
9. Love to learn – Proverbs 19:2
I want to keep learning. I want to fill my mind with truth so that “I may teach others not from a pool but from a flowing river.” I will read books, listen to teachers, and learn to ask great questions to other people so that I might gain from their wisdom.
REAL LIFE
Yes, experience can be a great teacher if you pay attention. But those I’ve come across that refuse to dive into Scripture, books, and teachers are people who will, yes, learn from a lifetime of experience, but mostly from the experience of regret and stupid decisions. A wise man learns from his mistakes, but a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others. God gave us books, not an accident. Study, and may your roots go deeper.
10. I will never Give Up – Proverbs 24:16
In the past, when things got hard, I would run or avoid the truth because it would hurt so deeply. I would avoid conversations and conflict just because I knew it would break my heart. I allowed hard circumstances to dictate my decisions, and I would just give up and run. Well, times have changed. I, by God’s grace, now understand those things that mold us and form us into God’s image when we fight for them. We gain victory when we don’t give up and run, but stand our ground and stay committed. When we walk in accordance with God’s Word and are faithful in the relationships we have. I never want to lose hope or surrender fighting for things that I care about and the people that I love. No matter how hard it gets or how many times I fall, by God’s grace, I will “rise again.”
REAL LIFE
It will always be a battle, but the best things I have in my life are because people around me said, “Don’t stop fighting.” Just keep taking one more step. If you determine before the battle that you would rather die than surrender, you’ll NEVER believe you are ever out of the fight.
