Daily blog #88

Know thine enemy –

One of the rules of combat is that you must first identify your enemy. But what happens when you discover that the enemy is you? In The Art of War Sun Tzu says: “One who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be defeated in one hundred engagements.”. Surely many of us have heard that we are our own worst enemy. But what exactly does that mean? An easy example to wrap your head around is the very first conflict of the day we all encounter, occurring between you and your alarm clock. Who decides to hit snooze only to retreat beneath the comfort of warm covers and go back to sleep? Who rationalizes why you should drink sugar or eat a donut on the way to work? Who stays home after work instead of going to the gym like you said you were? You. You don’t have to be a military general to see how most people are getting decimated in “combat” by themselves daily. Why is discipline is one of the most valued merits in a soldier? Would you want someone who “isn’t a morning person” to fight along side you or “watch your six”? Fortunately for us, not many things in life are truly sink or swim but it’s not a bad idea to view them that way. Little mistakes on the battlefield amount to loss of life, yet in the comfort of our modern world we simply brush them by while we continue to trudge towards mediocrity and spiritual death. What if every time you carried out a bad habit you thought to yourself, “dead”. Poor diet? Dead. No exercise? Dead. Though it might seem disturbing to some, what might be more disturbing is that many of us need that reality check to start making positive changes for our own benefit! Now bad habits are nothing to feel bad about, we all have them, they’re for you to do something about! The first step is to identify the ways in which we coddle ourselves and justify our behavior. Then, start to think of it as a war, can you help your tribe survive from the oncoming intruders who want to burn your city to the ground? No army has a perfect record but if you aren’t keeping score, you’re losing. Remind yourself of this every time you do the following:

Hit snooze.

Eat junk.

Don’t exercise.

Don’t educate yourself.

Treat people poorly.

Don’t give your best.

Go back on your word.

Tell yourself you can’t.

These are just some common examples, but learn about your enemy (yourself) and start keeping track of internal wins/losses, it may surprise you. I know many strong men and women who have shown the strength, courage and self-awareness to change their lives and become much happier as a result. There’s no reason you can’t too.