Today I want to talk about why the articles you read, the people you hang out with, and the media you consume directly shapes your life, for better or worse (and how you organize your environment to create your best life possible).
It was Fall of 1997, and my oldest brother was finishing up applications to a couple colleges.
I didn’t know much about them, except that they were military schools. I knew even less what that meant, but I was curious like a cat. So when my brother was invited to spend a couple days at West Point, NY, I tagged along.
So my dad, my oldest brother and I took a plane (my first plane ride ever!) to New York.
I spent a couple days walking around the most bizarre place I’d ever been to in my life: everyone dressed up like they were in a perpetual state of groundhogs day from 1850; students were always in a hurry, running from barracks room to classroom to everywhere in between (and they’d get yelled at if they weren’t doing it fast enough); and after classes, they’d have to walk in formations with their rifles for hours, or play some kind of sport (intramural or core/club squad sports were mandatory for all cadets).
It looked demanding. It looked uncompromising. It looked hard as hell.
I was hooked. I wanted in.
And so it happened that a rotund 11 year old set his sights on gaining acceptance into the United States Military Academy at West Point.
7 years later, I got accepted.
All freshmen had to – it was mandatory.
While most people looked at it like a haze (and it certainly was that), I loved it.
There was something about the adrenaline I got from entering the ring, the surge of excitement I got from standing toe to toe with a competitor with nothing but my fists to protect me, and the raw intensity of dishing out (or the threat of receiving receiving) a beating…I couldn’t shake it. I had to get better; I had to keep fighting; I had to make the team.
So a scrawny 18 year old set his sights on competing for a spot on a nationally ranked boxing team.
A year later, I made the team.
As a logistics guy, I figured I’d do some “Fobbit” job (forward operating base + hobbit…get it?).
Maybe I’d coordinate some transportation movements. I’d probably do a lot of paperwork. I’m sure there would be some danger, but mostly I’d be safe.
At the end of the day, I figured it would be a really long, hot, boring experience.
When I got on ground, our Battalion was responsible for not only the logistics of the Brigade, but making sure those supplies got where they needed to go safely. This meant securing the convoys that went out every night.
I immediately volunteered to stand up and lead the convoy security platoon.
Over a hundred missions later, and after getting called a “cowboy” more than once, my gun truck platoon of cooks, drivers and warehouse workers returned home without a single combat related casualty (for the record, I think this had more to do with luck / Divine Providence / the Soldiers I worked with than my own skills).
I share these stories to point out that it's easy to make any story into a story of "success."
But the reality is, these events weren't successes. They were just moments in time where I took responsibility, and then I did the work.
I spent thousands of hours hustling academics, sports and extracurricular leadership activities to get into the Academy (not to mention another 4 years hustling to survive and graduate the Academy on time). I got battered and bruised competing for a spot on the boxing team (and took my fare share of blows trying to keep my position on the team). In Iraq, I rode outside the wire almost every night of the week. My brain was in a perpetual state of alert, practicing in my mind what would happen if one (or many) of my vehicles got hit by IEDs, and how I and the rest of my crew would respond. It was exhausting.
This is the reality of victory. It’s also the reality of failure. And it’s most certainly the reality of life.
Life is hard.
We all experience our fair share of bruises, setbacks and failures.
The question isn’t: how do we avoid these trials and tribulations – how do we avoid the pain? That’s foolish and naïve (not to mention impossible).
The question is: how do you overcome the struggles you will inevitably face? How do you push through fear, pain and uncertainty? How do you conquer your wolf?
But most importantly, how do we do all of these things in order to create and live the life we want to live.
There are 2 techniques I personally used (and continue to use) that helped me get through the darkest, most painful parts of my life.
They may or may not apply to you, but for what it’s worth, here they are:
When I set a goal, I etch it into my brain (a lot like Edmond Dantes etched words of encouragement into his cell wall). There is no other option than achieving what I set out to achieve (or die trying).
No, this is not always pleasant. Yes, sometimes I commit to the wrong things and regret the decision.
Inevitably, however, I make it to the end (bruised and battered, maybe, but still standing).
It’s not a technique for everyone, but if you must achieve something, I highly recommend it…
This is essentially an extension of the first technique, but it’s so important it deserves individual attention.
The person who sets a goal but doesn’t change his behavior is done before he starts.
Setting a goal, by its nature, REQUIRES change. And it requires the right sort of change if we hope to find success. But to create the right kind of change, we need to immerse ourselves into the subject/topic/activity we hope to achieve success in.
Just like the fastest way to learn a new language is through immersion into the environment and culture of the language you want to learn, the fastest way to achieve a goal is through immersing yourself into the goal itself.
I immersed myself in the application process for West Point by reading books, strategically creating my resume, and learning from cadets who had recently been accepted. I immersed myself in the boxing world by jump-roping every morning, hitting the heavy-bag every night, and by watching “Gladiator” way too many times. When I became the Battalion’s Convoy Security Platoon Leader, I immersed myself in small unit tactics, mobilized and dismounted infantry strategies, and enemy techniques.
At the end of the day, immersion, more than anything else, helped me achieve my goals by forcing me to live and act as the person I hoped to become.
“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” - James Allen
If you’re hoping to find success in any endeavor, the right mindset will be your greatest ally.
Conversely, the wrong mindset will be your greatest enemy.
Changing your mindset takes unreasonable commitment and immersion into the philosophy you want to live.
Which is why it’s essential you:
For the former: this isn’t something I can help you with directly. You decide the people you let into (and keep out of) your life. If you’re not sure who to keep in your life and who to avoid, my best advice: examine their character.
As for the latter, well, that’s the point of this blog, my books and my podcast: to immerse you in a mindset that could change your life for the better.
A few weeks ago someone expressed interest in having other ways to consume the material I create, in particular, by recording audio versions of my articles. I
figured I’d give it a shot, so here it is.
Below (or by clicking the image to the left) you’ll find my first ever Resistance Broadcast Audio Session’s CD. I took 8 of my favorite articles and recorded them into high quality MP3’s you can listen to on your phone, MP3 player, computer, or burn to disk and listen to them in your car or on your boombox at the beach.
Grab Your Copy of The Resistance Broadcast Audio Session CD 1 Today By Clicking Here
What's the point of it all?
Simple: to provide you an additional resource to immerse yourself into the right mindset to fight and win your inner creative battles and create your life's work.
Will this single CD change your life?
I doubt it - doing something once rarely changes everything...
But could listening to this CD (and others like it) more than once, reading this blog (and others like it) consistently, and earnestly putting into practice the philosophy you learn in this material change your life?
Without a doubt.
So I hope you enjoy today's article and I sincerely hope The Resistance Broadcast Audio Session CD 1 inspires you to keep going, even when things get difficult.
And things will get difficult...
Good luck and keep fighting.
p.s. the CD is free, so you can't lose 🙂
When I was a sophomore in college, I tried to do something I wasn’t sure I could do.
I decided to compete in the Brigade Open Boxing Tournament.
The Brigade Open is an annual event at West Point. It’s a chance for anyone to enter the ring and compete for a title belt. It’s open to all students, but the winners are almost always those on the boxing team.
So entering with very little experience and going up against legitimate national champions probably wasn’t the smartest idea.
I did it anyway.
It had nothing to do with winning - I didn't think I could - but everything to do with at least trying.
I made my commitment several months out from the first scheduled fight of the tournament and got to training.
Every night, after hours of class, drill, intramural sports and homework, I went up to the boxing room, by myself, to hit the heavy bag (like a Nike commercial, but less dramatic).
Every morning, I woke up at 5am to jump rope in sweats. It was exhausting, but the only way I stood a chance was to cut weight.
When the first fight came, I was trembling. I didn't feel ready. Even though I cut weight to be more competitive, my oponent was bigger than me. It seemed, at that moment, I had committed to nothing more than getting my face knocked in.
The bell rang and the fight started.
In the middle of the second round, the referee blew the whistle. A stoppage. The referee was concerned one of the boxers would end up seriously injured.
I won my first fight.
I was pumped.
And then I realized what winning actually entailed.
If I had lost, I could go back to my regular routine. I could have given myself a pat on the back and still walked away proud for trying. I didn't think I could win anyway.
But now, by winning my first match, I had to fight another. And by trying to do something I wasn't sure I could do - and then doing better than I expected - I raised the bar for myself.
Now "who cares if I win or lose," turned into "I might actually be able to do this."
I trained harder.
The next fight came. Once again, I went up against someone who seemed my superior. I felt weak from cutting weight and training - maybe I overtrained. Once again, my chances didn't look good.
I entered the ring, the bell rang, the fight started, and the whistle blew two minutes later. Stoppage.
I won my second fight.
Somehow, against all odds, I would be competing for the championship belt at the finals.
For the first time, I knew there was a chance I could win.
The next fight was filmed by ESPNU with Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore commentating (a big deal in the boxing world).
The ring stood in the middle of a giant auditorium, professional spotlights hung from the ceilings, and spectators crowded the bleachers; the bar had been raised.
My fight was moments away.
Unlike my last two opponents, this guy was the real deal; he boxed on the West Point boxing team and was a serious contender for regional and national champion.
The only advice a friend could give me: knock him out in the first round.
He knew what I didn’t want to admit to myself: I wouldn’t last three rounds with this guy.
The fight started.
First round came and went – I landed some heavy hits. No knockout.
The only strategy I had was out the window.
The fallback plan: survive.
The second round tested my resolve and the sturdiness of my face. On more than one occasion the blows should have knocked me out. Somehow, I made it to the end of the round. Bloody, but not broken.
The third round delivered even more devastation. The referee came close to calling it but I wouldn’t stop pressing. I could have hung to the outside of the ring, but I knew that would give a reason to end the fight. Even though I took a beating, I kept pressing. The bell sounded and the fight ended.
I made it to the end of the third round. I finished the fight.
I lost.
The next day, one of my teachers who watched the fight live sent me this quote in an email:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Theodore Roosevelt
After the quote he wrote two words:
Keep Fighting.
Anytime I’m nervous, or scared, or uncertain, or worried that something I do might not work, or what I write won’t resonate, or after months and years of passionate commitment my project won’t make it and I’ll be left with nothing…
Anytime I start thinking this way, I remember to keep fighting.
Why?
Because it’s better to be in the arena and fail, than a spectator who knows neither victory nor defeat.
I kept fighting.
My tenacity earned me a spot on the boxing team.
I won my first tournament later that year.
One thing Teddy Roosevelt forgot to add: victory tastes better when you’ve known defeat.
And so I urge you, those of you starting something new, doing something important, or chasing your vision quest:
Keep fighting.
It's not always easy. But it's worth it in the end.
Every act of artistic creation (business, blog, book or otherwise) begins in the mind.
They begin as acts of love (we care about our ideas) and defiance (challenging what is with what could be).
But being inside your own mind isn’t a pretty thing. It’s nasty in there; what is right seems wrong; up is down; and every course of action can be rationalized (adding to the frustration).
Struggling with a creative puzzle or wrestling with a conceptual problem is brutal.
It challenges your skill; do you have the ability to bring this vision to life?
It challenges your character; do you have the fortitude – the grit – to take it all the way?
It challenges your belief in yourself; can you keep working toward an elusive goal, even when nothing pans out for weeks, months or years?
Do you really have what it takes to fight these creative battles, day in and day out?
And if the answer is YES to all of those questions, are you sure you’re not just lying to yourself?
These are the internal battles of someone trying to do something new, of someone building something from scratch, of the person creating something unique, not because he was told, but because he chose.
It’s not reserved just for writers (experienced as writers block) or entrepreneurs (experienced as failure to launch), but for every single person who stands up and challenges the group; who leaves the tribal boundaries; who demands self-determination, regardless of the consequences.
It’s a battle waged by artists and inventors; by builders and breakers; by warriors and leaders.
It’s a war fought by those brave enough to question, challenge, and try.
And like any war, there will be casualties: your dreams may not become reality, your goals might not pan out, and your projects might fail.
It’s difficult, it’s unforgiving, and it’s (often) unfair.
When I characterize creation as an act of war, I mean it.
And yet some of us still feel compelled to create, even with this guarantee of discomfort.
Perhaps it’s because we expect the discomfort will fade when we “make it.” And it might.
Or perhaps it’s because we believe the reward at the end will outweigh the pain of the process. And this might be true.
Or perhaps we have no other option because the discomfort of not creating is more painful and terrifying than the possibility of trying and failing. And this is probably the case.
Regardless the reason, the fact that some still want to create, still need to create, is what matters; because these are the people who will create.
Winning the creative war isn’t a matter of how. For the creator, it’s a matter of when.
Oddly enough, that is exactly how you win.
It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much can you take and keep moving forward? That's how winning is done. [Rocky Balboa]
p.s. are you fighting the creative war right now? Share with us in the comments below what you're creating and where you've found success (or how you've dealt with failure).
The project you’re working on; the goals you set this year; the strategy you spent months planning – all of it will break.
This goes for everything tangible in this life:
The factory you built: at some point in the future, time and the elements will collapse it - another will come and take its place.
The product you crafted: someday the hardware will degrade and stop working correctly; the software will become buggy and obsolete; your brilliance will be a used trinket in the back of a storage space.
Those relationships you developed when you were in middle school: people change; you and your friends will move apart, or, if you do stay connected, your relationship will alter and morph.
People, places, projects: they all eventually break.
This shouldn't come as a shock – it’s simply restating a simple principle of life, one that we all intrinsically understand: nothing stays the same.
But – and here is the thing that might shock you – this is a good thing.
Life is good because things can break.
What would be the point of setting a goal with 100% certainty of its attainment? With the steps all laid out? With a guarantee that there will be no hiccups, setbacks or failures along the path? That everything you see before you is precisely how it will be when you get there - perfect, safe and everlasting?
If this were the case, if uncertainty (and thus the possibility of things breaking) were taken out of the equation, you would be left with exactly what you see, no more, no less.
There would be no struggle. There would be no dragons to slay. There would be no risk.
And if there were no risk there would be no need for courage or boldness.
In a world without dragons, there would be no heroes or champions.
In a world with no breaking, no uncertainty, no possibility of failure, there would be no struggle, no need to try (it would already be a guarantee), and ultimately no need for virtue.
We don't read the story of St. George because we know he wins.
We read the story of St. George because he might lose - things might break - and because of this his actions are courageous and bold.
If there were no chance of breaking, there would be no dragons to slay; just imitations easily ignored.
We don't build empires because we expect them to turn out exactly how we planned.
We don't build empires because they are guaranteed to work.
We don't build empires because we expect them to last forever.
We build empires because deep down in our hearts there is something goading us, something compelling us, something pushing us...
We build empires because deep down we must build...
We build empires because deep down we were made to be heroes and champions.
there is something in the universe more mystical than darkness, and stronger than strong fear. [G.K. Chesterton]
This something might just be our ability to struggle for something worthwhile, to fight and slay our dragons while they try to destroy us, and to build our empires even if they might break.
What empire are you building?
Subscribe to The Resistance Broadcast and get updates like this 3 days a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and receive a free copy of my book The Art of Instigating.
Never fight alone. Join The Resistance.
In the first part of this series, I described the conventional forces of the Enemy – the Army of Bad Habits (the largest of Enemy forces)
In the second part of this series, I explained the unconventional force of the Enemy: Negative Self-Talk Propaganda (the most insidious of Enemy forces).
In this third part of the series, we will examine who leads these Enemy forces, why he is invincible, and what we can do to outwit and beat him.
The leader of the Enemy forces isn't your boss or your competitor; it’s not the world conspiring against you; it’s not your bad luck or your genetics.
The leader of the Enemy is nothing external at all.
The leader of the Enemy is the battle-hardened, combat-veteran Commanding General: your brain stem.
The brain stem is that small part of your brain, way in the back, which connects to the spinal column.
“The brain stem is the Commanding General of the Army of Bad Habits, and it will stop at nothing to keep you from creating your life’s work.” [The Art of Instigating]
The brain stem is the conduit from your brain to the rest of your body, and it controls life-sustaining, essential functions, including your heart beat and central nervous system.
That’s right: the same thing that is essential for your existence controls the Enemy, seeks to destroy your worthwhile project and will put a halt to your life’s work if you're not aware of it.
Without the brain stem, we can’t live (hence, the brain stem is invincible).
But without outsmarting the brain stem, we can’t create our life’s work.
Outsmarting the brain stem is simple if we understand two basic facts:
1) The brain stem’s existence is to preserve itself
2) The brain stem is living thousands of years in the past
When we understand these two basic facts – that the brain stem’s motivating factor is self-preservation and that it’s living in the past – we can develop a fighting style that outwits and beats the Enemy.
Since the brain stem’s purpose is self-preservation, it hates anything that might expose us.
That’s why it’s so hard to produce creative work; when we do something extraordinary, when we become the outlier, we stand out from the pack.
And standing out from the pack does not improve our survival rate.
Because the brain stem is living thousands of years in the past, it doesn't understand that standing out from the pack today is actually nonlethal.
Today, we can separate ourselves by being great at what we do with no threat of being destroyed by wild, man-eating animals, but our brain stem doesn't understand that.
No amount of rational thought will convince it otherwise.
The brain stem is unforgiving and irrational.
For the brain stem, shipping your product to market and exposing yourself to criticism is like taking on a monster-sized, man-killing wolf with nothing but your bare hands.
It’s hard; it’s scary; you might not make it.
So how do you outsmart and beat the Commanding General of the Enemy?
You do it anyway.
To beat the Enemy, to outsmart the brain stem, all you have to do is get to work.
When you take action, go to work, and start creating, the bull**** of the Enemy goes away.
But it will come back.
It always does.
And that’s why taking action every day is so important.
No matter how many times you go up against a monster, it never gets less scary.
But every time you willingly go up against the monster, you become stronger.
When it comes to instigating your life's work, creating something worthwhile, and building your empire, your goal is to become the strongest.
So go be the strongest.
Get to work.
You’ve made the decision; you’ve stepped into the arena.
You’re fully aware of what this means – there will be pain, setback, and failure.
But running blindly into battle isn’t the point. Any ‘go-getter’ can take an idea and run with it straight into oncoming traffic.
No, the skilled fighter understands that while he will take a beating, that’s not his job – his job is to give a beating.
The point of accepting future failure isn’t to justify recklessness; it’s to prepare accordingly to ensure success.
Before conducting any form of operation, military leaders do something called Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield, or IPB for short.
The purpose of IPB is to identify failure points.
IPB is a process where military leaders define the battlefield environment, describe what effects the battlefield will have on friendly and enemy forces alike, evaluate the enemy threat in the area, and determine possible enemy courses of action.
Its purpose is to let us know where we are weak and where we are strong, but most importantly, to let us know where we are most likely to fail.
Here’s how you can apply IPB to your project so you can:
The following are 4 simple steps to identify and overcome failure before it happens:
Before we dive straight into writing our epic 1,000 page novel, it behooves us to take a step back and consider the environment where we do battle.
If you’re writing a 1,000 page novel, you’re not in the comic book arena. Nothing a comic book writer says should affect your writing.
If you’re building a new monthly subscription / web-based software platform, you’re not in the digital download arena. Your content is web-based on purpose; people pay to use it monthly and expect all the benefits of cloud based service. Nothing a digital download developer says should affect what you create.
If you’re the CEO of a small startup that sells rubber kettlebells, you’re not in the treadmill arena. You’re also not in the free weight arena. Your product is very specific and serves a very specific audience.
Key Takeaway: Identify your area of operation and your left and right limits. Make sure you know your objective, what you’re doing, and how you plan to get there. Avoid distractions. If you don’t, you might find yourself wildly off course and months behind deadline because you wandered into someone elses battle space (i.e. started drawing pictures instead of writing).
“Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” [Napoleon Bonaparte]
Once you understand where you’re doing battle, you can begin to analyze how the battlefield will affect you and the Enemy.
If you’re writing a novel, the journey is long, lonely, and has virtually no intermediate reward. The payoff, if any, will be at the end. This can break even the strongest spirit.
On the contrary, writing a novel is a solo project and requires virtually no capital. You don’t need a team, just yourself. The downside risk is limited, the upside potential unlimited.
The Enemy benefits from the long journey (more chances to stop you, break you, and make you quit), but because there are less moving parts, the Enemies efforts to disrupt your progress will be limited.
The small business owner has a team to support him, but more moving parts mean more possible failure points.
The Enemy can’t use the same psychological warfare on the person with a small team that he can use on the solo writer, but he can create even more diversions by making the owner focus too much on one aspect of the problem, or get him to sidetrack the entire project to work on a tertiary aspect of the business.
Key Takeaway: Get to know the environment you’re working in so you can better prepare yourself for the (inevitable) Enemy attacks. Understand that every battlefield environment can benefit you in some way and hinder you in some way. Never forget the same goes for the Enemy.
This one is a given.
You’ve entered the arena. This is where fights take place.
Only a fool would enter the arena not expecting another gladiator to emerge.
Key Takeaway: Analyze and study the Enemy. Know you will encounter the Enemy. Find ways to break the Enemy faster than he can break you.
“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.” [Sun Tzu]
By using historical examples from your own experience and others who have gone before you, you can predict with relative certainty how the Enemy will try to thwart your plans.
For the writer, the Enemy will use psychological operations to destroy morale. The Enemy will taunt the writer telling him he can’t make it, his work isn’t’ good enough, he doesn’t know anyone in the business, and who is he to even try. The Enemy loves using status quo propaganda against the writer, and will constantly work to stop the writer from doing what he must do: write.
For the entrepreneur, the Enemy will use disruptive bad habits to destroy the project. The Enemy will focus on developing poor time management skills in the entrepreneur. The Enemy will create disruptions and diversions by drawing attention to tasks that don’t need to be completed (to actually ship the product), or superficial time wasters that have no impact on the success of the venture. The Enemy will keep the entrepreneur from doing the one thing every entrepreneur must do: sell the product.
Key Takeaway: Predict possible Enemy attacks so you are better prepared to deal with them. Knowing how the Enemy will attack allows you to counter the attack and finish your project on time.
Have you identified your failure points?
If not, you’re betting on luck to get you through to the end.
Take the time to identify your failure points and prepare yourself ahead of time.
Your success depends on it.
If you haven't had a chance yet, make sure you sign up for the Resistance Broadcast. It's a free weekly newsletter with exclusive tips and tricks to help you start, finish and ship your product.
Never fight alone. Join the Resistance:
Almost 2,000 years ago, in 52 AD, dozens of Roman captives assembled in front of the emperor Claudius. These captives were about to take part in a major gladiatorial event – a mock naval battle.
The Roman captives gave a salute to the emperor before the “games” began:
“Nos morituri te salutamus (We who are about to die salute you).” [Lives of the Caesars]
By the end of the day, one thing was certain: they would all be dead.
The Arena of Creativity
It’s important to accept, before you start, that you will fail.
While the artist, writer, or entrepreneur won’t physically die like the gladiators before them (thankfully), their work most surely will (at one time or another).
Failure is an essential part of creation. Nothing is perfect in its first form (if it is, it’s probably not perfect). The greatest pieces of art went through revision after revision, draft after draft, scrapped copy after scrapped copy.
How will your project be any different?
Understanding that you will fail, that there will be setbacks, obstacles, and breaking points, shouldn’t be a discomforting thought. On the contrary, by understanding this in ADVANCE, we are better suited to deal with these struggles when they occur.
And they will occur.
Are you ready to enter the arena?
If you haven't had a chance, make sure you sign up for The Resistance Broadcast, a free newsletter with exclusive content. Don't miss it - your project depends on it:
