Real Talk with Judge Dawson
Avoiding negative interaction with the legal system and living your best life requires a strategy. If you leave success to chance there's a good chance it will not happen. The same is true for avoiding negative interaction with the legal system, you have to be intentional about your desires. Number two of my "Cycle Breaker Leadership Principles" is to set your mindset right. A "right mindset" is one that is ready for success. Success readiness is displayed by your walk, talk and daily actions. From what I see everyday, there are many people who need to check and then re-set their mindset. From conduct at restaurants, at clubs, while in traffic or while in court people are displaying the most causal non-engaged approach to success. Recently I found myself mentally drained after dealing with 15 young men and women being paraded into my court in chains. Why was my energy drained? I was drained because I don't just process these men and women, I minister to them and in these people I saw mental hopelessness. I've said it many times, I personally feel that my position as a Judge comes with responsibility. Not just the responsibility to judge fairly and impartially, but the added responsibility to be a resource of change and empowerment. That's why I can't let a person leave my court with out them receiving some tool or resource for success. Regardless how tired I may be, I have to speak life to these people before they continue on their journey, whether that journey is out of the system or on to jail.
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What I am doing is engaging in the process of helping them get the right mind set. For you, the wrong mindset might be thinking you can't Finish or restart school. It might be that you can't see your way out of a bad relationship. For the people who go in and out of jail, the wrong mindset is the acceptance of being in bondage as normal. Going to jail is not normal.
For the men and women in my court, I usually wait until the end of my proceedings before I talk to them about their mindset. I've been doing this so much that my staff already knows when it's coming. "You are not supposed to be in chains" is usually my first statement, "the world has up you duped. It has become an acceptable occurrence to see African Americans in bondage. Not only have we long passed this embarrassing stage in American history but it was never supposed to be." Once we realize that we are born to be great and that bondage is beneath our potential, we will begin to develop the mindset for success. Here are a few steps to change your mindset: 1. Ackowneldge your history. You can go as far as the beginning of humankind or as recent as the victories you've overcome during the last week. Survival and greatness is in the human DNA. 2. Understand that you will have challenges. Look your current challenges in the face and accept them as just another obstacle to overcome.
3. Choose to win. Winning shouldn't be judged in the moment but over a period of time. As my mother would always say, it's not about winning the battle but instead it's more important to win the war. When you change your mindset you are on the road to victory!
For more discussion on this subject or others, join Judge Dawson’s Cycle Breaker/Finish First program on Monday nights at 5:30pm at the East Cleveland Municipal Court. East Cleveland Municipal Court’s Judge William L. Dawson is on a mission to help people to Finish First, live their best lives and be Cycle Breakers!
Social Media @JudgeDawson
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