The saying “Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price” is from Chinese General, Military Strategist, Writer and Author of The Art of War, Sun TZU. Master Sun lived in the Eastern Zhou period of China and influenced Western and East Asian philosophy regarding military thinking (NationalGeographic.org).
One of his philosophies was measuring five factors to make assessments and comparisons when strategizing: The Way, The Weather, The Terrain, The Leadership, and The Discipline. These five measurements were assessed at home base or headquarters and compared between yourself and your opponent. Analyzing these factors can give us an upper hand when planning our strategy or plan of attack.
When we think about and evaluate warriors, the military, and soldiers in general, we can see some of the sacrifices they make to serve their country. We can see that winning battles always comes at a price. Whether that price is great or small, the price one has to pay to achieve their desired goals, always deals with self-discipline, self-confidence, and an uncanny determination to succeed no matter what challenges come our way.
Many warriors use affirmations or war cries to help them prepare for battle or appear more intimidating to their adversary or opponent. Some Vikings would yell “Odin Owns You All” or “Tyr” the name of their god of war to get them in the mindset of battle (artofmanliness.com). Former Emperor of France and revered military strategist Napoleon Bonaparte galvanized his troops by leading the charge in battle and using war cries as many military leaders do as well (ngv.vic.gov.au).
When there’s conflict, whether on the job, in our personal life, or within our mind, using affirmations and knowing The Way, The Weather, The Terrain, The Leadership, and The Discipline can help us devise a plan of action that can yield the best or most favorable results. Knowing the literal and metaphoric meaning of each factor can better prepare us for battle (challenging situations or obstacles we need to overcome) as well.
When I was stationed in Fort Benning GA (Rock of the Marne) for basic training, we used “Hooah” or Hough as a way to communicate or acknowledge that we understood commands from leadership. This is a term used throughout the US Army to indicate the message has been received and will be implemented on the battlefield or training environment. It was also our battle cry and motivational phrase that helped us get through challenging times.
When we had a big field exercise to complete before graduation, our Drill Sergeants focused our training on it to further prepare. There was a lot of anxiety surrounding this FTX(Field Training Exercise) that me and my battle buddies weren’t looking forward to. Looking back and knowing the five factors that Master Sun spoke of in The Art of War, I can see now the importance of applying that perspective to our approach to training.
The Way to the field exercise was roughly 19 miles in which we had to walk with 40lbs on our backs and got little rest to prepare for. The Weather was cloudy but still muggy, so we made sure to wear padded boots and loose fitting uniforms to help combat heat exhaustion. The Drill Sergeants notified us about the weather the morning of which wake up was at 4:30am and formation 5:00am.
The Terrain was hilly and bumpy so we had to be mindful of where we stepped. The Leadership was our Drill Sergeants. They yelled at us not to fall out and led by example marching with us. The Discipline was us training hard and working our way up to this march with PT (physical training) and mock road marches prior to our journey.
In other words, we had the skills, training, and tools needed to conquer our opponent or opposition. We just needed to put them into action. We needed to take the necessary steps to address each factor from all perspectives. This was half the battle and extra motivation to be victorious or make it to graduation.
Though in pain and ready to quit a few miles in, my Drill Sergeant said if we fell out and had to ride in the ambulance to get to the site, we wouldn’t get to see our families or graduate on time. I wasn’t sure if he was bluffing, but I knew I didn’t want to miss out on family day for no one! This gave me more motivation to suck it up and keep going.
My discipline kicked in and I was able to view the way to the site, as the way to see my family or reach my goals. It was mind over matter at this point. I’ve felt this pain before in training though not as intense, but if I could overcome it then, now should be no different.
I let out a war cry and looked at my drill Sergeant and said; “you’re not taking my family day from me!” I picked up the pace and didn’t stop until they gave us another break. As I had my head down, blinded by sweat and aching all over, I zoned out and trekked on. Every break we had (which was seldom due to time constraints) I took a sip of water, walked in place, kept my mind focused, and kept my heart rate up.
I encouraged myself with the thought of my family to make sure I made it across the finish line. Yelling cadences, letting out war cries, and affirmations were also a part of training as it put us in a different mindset and helped us act instead of focus on fear, pain, or the challenge ahead. Whether cadences or drills, we used “Hooah” to further prepare and condition our mindset for soldiering.
Though I could barely walk once we arrived at the site, I blocked out the pain, turmoil, and focused on what was really important to me, graduating and seeing my family. I took one step at a time and reached my goal to get to the site without falling out! Graduating and seeing my family in the future, was more important than my challenges I had to endure in the present for basic training. I overcame the rocky terrain of self-doubt and pushed past it.
I understood the commands or instructions from leadership and allowed my discipline to kick in. I trusted the process of becoming a soldier and began believing and seeing myself as such. This is where the true power of affirmations and belief is realized or discovered. When we say something so much we began to believe it, that’s when our true potential can be revealed, harnessed, and applied to difficult situations. And though the field exercises had their own challenges because they simulated war-time scenarios and we had little sleep between missions, we came too far to give up.
We were out in the woods/training field for 3 days. Sleep deprived and hungry, we had to function at a high level as we had tests we needed to pass to graduate. Similar to those warrior tribes who have a rite of passage that involve painful tests, we had to subject ourselves to painful exercises and endure hardness as good soldiers (2 Timothy 2: 3-6). After 3 grueling days of training, we marched roughly 7 miles to our ceremony of completion. After walking 12 or so miles to get to the site, this was a fairly easy task.
The motivation I had from completing the road march, gave me added fuel to overcome training and walk with fervor, though sleep deprived, hungry, and in pain. They played the song God Bless The USA by Lee Greenwood once we completed our mission and I couldn’t have been more proud.
This was one of the most challenging situations I’ve faced in my life apart from being deployed to an active war zone for almost a year in 2003 during Operation Enduring Iraqi Freedom. In an active warzone, we had to be prepared for anything: mortar attacks, small arms fire, perimeter breaches, chemical attacks, 24 hours a day 7 days a week with little to no rest most days.
This is where my training in basic, AIT(Advanced Individual Training) and Permanent Duty Station really came into play. We were warriors/soldiers on a literal battlefield fighting against a real enemy that wanted to end our progress, our lives, and keep us from completing our missions/goals at all costs.
Moral of the story is, Patience and Strategy is Key, Conflict and Challenges are Inevitable, but Determination, Discipline and Mindset are a must to be victorious in life. Though the tasks were great and conflict overwhelming, we did what we had to do to overcome. We used our training and discipline to be successful in our missions and planned for the challenges ahead of time. We used affirmations and battle cries to keep our head in the game and align with our mission/purpose as well.
Another point Master Sun made in the book The Art of War was that military action is important to the nation- “it’s the ground of death and life, path to survival or destruction.” As well as planning for challenging times when it’s easier or more convenient and not in the heat of battle.
When we’re in the heat of battle, we may find ourselves overwhelmed by the enemy. But we can be militant against the enemy (negativity, opposition, self-doubt) in our lives without ever being in the military. We can make a positive impact in our society/nation (our country, our family, society, lives of our colleagues, and those we have influence with) by strategizing, planning, and mapping out our victory beforehand. This is one of the best paths to reaching a better version of ourselves in life.
Mindset plays a huge part in reaching our goals and getting the win as well. Verbal Affirmation is good and effective, but affirmations without belief or emotions are just words or sentences without effect. We have to FEEL and BELIEVE what we’re saying for it to change our mindset and trajectory in life. I kept saying that I would see my family again until I felt something shift in my mindset and believed it. This allowed me to push through the physical, mental, and often painful challenges we had to endure.
You may be in tears and feel defeated depending on where you’re at in life, but saying affirmations or prayers are most effective when they stir up a positive response or emotion. Self-doubt, self-loathing, depression, fear of moving forward, are challenges and negative emotions we can combat by seeing, believing, and moving towards our desired outcome strategically, one step at a time. But how do we believe when we don’t see any change or positive situations in our life?
Just like we believe a chair will hold us when we sit down without thinking twice, or our car will start without hesitation, we jump into action towards our goals with the same faith and confidence! We believe our preparation will hold the weight of our journey, challenges, job position or career. We jump into action once we’ve mapped out our strategy to become victorious.
Here are several steps we can implement to help us be successful in the battles we face in our personal and professional lives:
- Training ourselves to speak life often (seeing the positives or opportunities and believing we can accomplish them) when facing challenges or dead situations. This is where our positive/warrior affirmations can set the precedence in our lives. When there’s an opportunity to speak negative, change directions and change your thought process by speak positively. The more we do this, the more natural or routine it’ll become.
- Prepare for the negative weather/storms or terrain by having the proper gear (discipline, motivation, mindset, goals, and plan of attack) to shield/guide us.
- Not dwelling on the negative or failed attempts to win/overcome but looking for the next chance or opportunity to win/succeed.
- Not listening to negative people who put us down and don’t believe in us and our dreams or goals, rather focus on your progress and opportunities along the way.
- Lead our own charge by example (taking the steps to operate in authority over the challenges or negativity/opposition in our lives) and consistently moving towards our goals. Once we map out our strategy and plan of attack against our opponent (challenges or obstacles) it’s time to take the steps towards our desired outcome and be persistent.
These are actions that can be the catalyst for positive change and continued success in our lives. We’re all warriors of our own destiny and God is the author and finisher of our faith. When our faith and destiny/purpose collide, we’re at our highest form of effectiveness, the best version of ourselves, and have the best opportunity to impact our lives and society as a whole.
I knew my goals, my obstacles, and desired outcome throughout my journey in the military and workforce. When I had setbacks, after shaking off the dust and getting back on my feet, I saw it as a setup to come back even stronger. This approach becomes more routine the more we practice it. Though some days are harder than others, perpetual gratitude, positive thinking, and self-affirmation can help us overcome consistently.
In basic training, I told myself “don’t give up” over and over again in my mind and played back all the good times I shared with my family to make sure I would see them during graduation. I also carried this mindset into my professional career as I faced difficult situations and obstacles.
When I got knocked down, I got back on my feet and reevaluated my plan of action and adjusted accordingly. I spoke affirmations that “I Can Do This” “I Can Overcome” “I Will Be Great Today” “I’m Not Your Average Boss” “I Am A Great Leader” “I Am A Great Spouse” “I Am A Great Father” “I Do Bring Value To This World” “I Do Have A Purpose” to keep my mindset positive and focused on making a difference and higher achievement.
We all have the propensity at any level in our lives or careers to be positive and persevere. As an athlete and starting running back in the 9th grade, I saw the power of hyping myself up before a game; with prayer, music, yelling affirmations, and jumping around with the team.
The first half of the football season was great! I was focused, motivated, and scoring touchdowns. The second half wasn’t so great due to me seeing someone in a football game on TV become paralyzed after being hit. I was reluctant to run with the same reckless abandonment and vigor after that. My mindset was directly tied to how well I performed.
Our mind is a power tool and one of our most powerful weapons against mediocrity, negativity, depression, self-doubt, and challenging situations. It’s up to us to keep it sharp with self-discipline, confidence, arduous tasks, and intentional routines to further prepare ourselves for the battles we face everyday
Though I didn’t play football for a team after that, I did shift my focus to wrestling and had a winning record when I graduated. My setback was a setup for something greater. It gave me a foundation of determination to build on when faced with challenging situations.
What goal(s) are you yearning to reach now? Do you have your plans written down or etched in your mind on how to reach them? How have you conditioned your mindset to overcome roadblocks in your path? Have you mapped out your plan of attack on how to reach your goals, dreams, and aspirations? The answers to these questions can further prepare us to be successful on our journey ahead.
Regardless of how it feels, seems, or the discouraging situations your facing right now, we have the ability to live the life we truly desire by visualizing the best version of ourselves and writing down the practical steps we can implement right away to achieve it. You can do this! You are great, you are a winner, you don’t have to be victimized by self-doubt, your past, or negative situations any longer.
We can be victorious in all that we do! Though it may not seem like it at times, we have everything we need to be successful. Even if resources are lacking, the knowledge of how to obtain them is still within our grasp. We just need to apply ourselves in look/research in the right location (books, credible online resources, leveraging social media for positive growth).
This is not a setback but a possible setup for something even greater to help us accomplish our goals, dreams, and aspirations. It’s up to us to prepare, study, plan, and believe our desired outcome is obtainable. We have to know and believe our opposition is defeated before our victory is actualized!
Don’t Give up! Your biggest opportunity or victory may be one step AWAY. Below are a few affirmations we can say every morning or day as well as a 30 day self-care challenge we can take to assist us on our journey to conquering our challenges.
Remember, saying these affirmations out loud, with confidence, visualization, and belief, is the most effective way to change our mindset and outlook on our lives. 30 day self-care challenge here.
Not Your Average Boss 