The Fire Within
That line, the ‘fire within’ is one that speaks great volumes about the warrior mindset. And it calls to mind lyrics from another song: ‘Hearts On Fire’ by the (excellent) band Survivor.
A great line from that song goes:
In the warrior’s code, there’s no surrender.
Though his body says stop, his spirit cries: “Never!”
The Fire Within
So, what is this telling us about the warrior mentality? Simple: warriors don’t give up and they don’t give in.
(I also enjoy Vegeta’s line: you may have invaded my mind and body but there’s one thing a Saiyan always keeps… his pride!)
So how do you gain this kind of iron will and determination? How do you develop the unstoppable ability to never give up?
It starts by knowing what you want to achieve and by having a set of your own principles.
To use yet another quote, Alice Cooper and Xzibit sang:
If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.
And this is completely true. If you have no specific goal and no set of values that is entirely your own, then how can you be expected to stick rigidly to those values?
If you haven’t defined who you are, what you’re about and what is important to you, then of course it will be easy to get tempted by good food, trashy TV or other ‘easy options’. Of course, it will be easy for you to be swayed by the influence and the politics of others.
Moreover, having a goal is what will give you the motivation and the energy to get up and work toward the things you are truly excited about.
Think about someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Dwayne Johnson. These are people who have accomplished incredible things and part of the reason for that is undoubtedly their seemingly endless energy. Their ability to get up every single day and know what they want to do.
Can you imagine seeing the Rock look tired and dejected? Have you ever seen Arnold Schwarzenegger look indifferent or bored?
These people have tireless energy but it comes from a vision and a goal. And so it is with all the most accomplished people throughout history.
Arnie said this of his burning desire and how it led him to accomplish his goals:
With my desire and drive, I definitely wasn’t normal. Normal people can be happy with a regular life. I was different. I felt there was more to life than plodding through a normal existence… I have always been impressed by stories of greatness and power. I wanted to do something special, to be
recognized as the best. I saw bodybuilding as the vehicle that would take me to the top, and I put all my energy into it.
The point is: knowing what you want from life will fuel you with energy, whether that is wanting what’s best for your family, wanting to achieve creative accomplishments, wanting to reach a certain point in your career… etc.
Think about a new parent. Parents have seemingly endless energy and will sacrifice their sleep, their finances and their happiness to look after their children. They can accomplish anything because they have found something greater than themselves.
A parent’s love will give them that warrior’s mindset but you can’t rely on just that. In order to accomplish the most and to build the best world for your family and friends, you also need something that is intrinsically motivating to you. In other words, you need a purpose and a goal that doesn’t rely on anyone else – so that even when no one needs you, you still have the strength to pull yourself out of bed and to refuse distractions and unhelpful desires.
Once you have your goal, you will find a passion. And once you have a passion you will find that you have endless energy and drive and that you even speak with more conviction and greater charisma.
Did you know that we gesticulate more when we speak about something that we’re passionate about? That’s because we are now speaking with our entire bodies – our body language is congruent with what we are saying.
And did you know that when people see us speak in that way, they actually rate us as more charismatic? More inspiring? And better leaders?
When we really believe in what we are saying, we will be more efficient at getting others to believe it. This is how movements are started and this makes us far more attractive and magnetic.
And with your goal and your objective, you will better be able to make decisions and to avoid unnecessary distractions. You will be more decisive and you will be more impressive. Why? Because you can consider every decision through the following lens: ‘does this help me to achieve my goals’? If the answer is no, then you do something else.
What career path should you take? The one that helps you to achieve your overarching goals. What party should you vote for? The one that helps you to fulfil your vision.
