In today’s modern world, we don’t tend to think of people as warriors anymore. Most of us are pencil pushers rather than fighters and it is very rare that we ever have to put ourselves in harm’s way or take on a gang of enemies.
This is a good thing for the most part, but it has
resulted in many of us becoming soft and weak willed.
And the reality is that we don’t need to give up on being warriors. Just because we don’t need to
fight anymore, that doesn’t mean we can’t approach modern challenges as warriors. It doesn’t mean that you
can’t benefit from adopting a warrior’s mindset.
And it doesn’t mean that there really aren’t any modern warriors left. There
are those fighting on our front lines and there are those who simply approach
modern challenges and obstacles with the mindset of a warrior from times gone
by. In this post, we’ll take a look at what makes a true warrior and at whether
you might fit that mold.
If not, then this list will help you to better
understand the areas where you should aim to improve your conduct…
Qualities of a True
Warrior
Takes the Harder Path
The warrior is someone who has a steadfast mission and
who knows what they want to achieve. They have a purpose and a reason for being
and as such, they are driven like few others.
Thus, the warrior doesn’t give in and take the easy
route. They don’t relax on the couch and eat cake, they don’t blame others for
their mistake. The warrior is happy to
take the harder path if it takes them closer to their goal and if it helps them
to become stronger in the process.
Sees Obstacles As Challenges
In a similar vein, the warrior does not see challenges
as something to be feared or cursed. When things are going wrong, the warrior
relishes the opportunity to develop themselves and to test themselves.
Doesn’t Give In to Fear
The warrior is not without fear, but they have it
under control. The warrior knows how to use their fear as a motivator and how
to suppress it when appropriate.
Stays Calm in a Stressful Situations
When everyone else is panicking, the warrior stays
calm and focussed. They know what they need to accomplish and they know that
getting in a flap won’t help anyone.
Looks After Their Body and Mind
While there may be few physical fights left, the
warrior knows that they owe it to themselves and to those around them to look
after their bodies and to train for a battle that may never come. The warrior
doesn’t allow themselves to grow weak in times of plenty, they train, they hone
and they respect their bodies and minds.
Takes Responsibility
The warrior is quick to take action and to make
decisions, the main reason being that they are not afraid to take
responsibility for their action. They gladly carry a great weight on their
shoulders, knowing that they will face whatever comes.
Why Everyone Should Learn
to Defend Themselves
The warrior mindset is an approach to life that
changes the way you handle challenges, setbacks and hardships. Many of us have
simply become too soft as a result of modern conveniences – of being domesticated.
While most of us have no need to fight or to struggle
most of the time, living a life of comfort and indulgence makes us weak and
soft – so that when a challenge does come
along, we are often ill equipped to deal with it.
Adopting a warrior mindset means changing all that. It
means toughening up, learning to live a little harder and to deal with
challenges. And it should also mean
learning to defend yourself.
No, you don’t need to be the next Bruce Lee or Batman.
But you should know some basic
self-defence and have an idea of how to take care of yourself. Here are some crucial
reasons why.
Self Defence Helps You to Protect
Yourself and Others
While we largely live in a time where violence and
fighting is relatively rare (thankfully), the reality is that sometimes you will still need to protect
yourself. Whether you find yourself caught up in a bar fight, or being attacked
in the street. The ability to defend yourself in this scenario could mean the
difference between life and death and it could mean the difference between
being able to protect your family and escape alive.
Self Defence Makes You Alpha
Sometimes the benefit of self-defence is not in its
ability to help you win a fight but rather in the way it makes you feel and the
way it helps you to approach a situation.
Because ultimately, the biggest ‘trump card’ in life
is physical ability and strength. While you might be able to bargain with
someone or pay them off, ultimately, if the person you are speaking to is
stronger, faster and more deadly then they
have the final say about how things go down.
Being able to fight if necessary gives you confidence
and authority. It makes you the ‘alpha’ in a group (yes this applies to women
too) and it means that others can’t coerce you.
Ultimately, being able to take care of yourself will
allow you to act the way that you think is right and without fear.
Training Instils Discipline
Finally, learning to take care of yourself is in
itself a useful activity. Training in martial arts is an incredibly effective
way to develop yourself physically and mentally. One of the biggest hallmarks
of learning martial arts is the focus on discipline. On using correct technique
and staying calm in a stressful situation. On practicing the same kick over and
over again and on learning to ignore the opponent and see only an obstacle to
be overcome.
When you transition this mindset to other aspects of
your life, you’ll greatly increase your ability to get things done, to stay
calm and to be master of your own destiny.
This is why everyone
should learn to fight.
Why Warriors Should Take
Cold Showers
Want to cultivate a warrior’s mindset? Want to become
more formidable, more impressive and more efficient?
Then a simple ‘hack’ that you can use is to take cold
showers. A cold shower is a very useful tool that will allow you to improve
your healthy and fitness while also fortifying your mind and honing your
discipline.
Here’s why taking a cold shower is such a good step
for so many people…
Benefits of Cold Showers
Alertness
Many of us start our day feeling groggy, tired and
miserable. This is certainly not how a ‘warrior’ should begin their mornings
and it’s not conducive to productivity or a positive day ahead.
This is one reason that a cold shower can make such a
huge difference. Cold showers will trigger a release of adrenaline and
norepinephrine, which will accelerate your heartrate and encourage blood-flow
to the brain.
This can quickly wake you up and increase your energy
levels so that you can start your day in a manner that’s productive.
Discipline
The warrior mindset is all about having the discipline
to sometimes do things that you don’t want to do. This is about being able to
force yourself to work when you really just want to relax. It’s about being
able to ignore the desire to eat snacks from the kitchen and it’s about going
to the gym when you’re keen to sleep a bit longer and hit ‘snooze’ on that
alarm.
Being able to step into freezing cold water takes a ton of discipline. Keeping yourself
under there takes even more self-control.
And think of it this way: if you have the self-control
to stand under a freezing shower, then how much easier will it be to make
yourself do some extra work this evening? Or to tidy the house in the morning?
Another benefit of taking cold showers is that they
put you in a certain frame of mind. Did you know that when Hugh Jackman was
first cast as Wolverine in X-Men, he
used cold showers in order to get into the feral mindset of the character?
Health
Believe it or not, cold showers are actually good for
you.
Not only do you benefit from the increased blood flow
and alertness that we have already described; but taking cold showers will also
be able to strengthen your heart, toughen up your immune system and even
increase sperm count for men!
Taking warm baths and showers might actually be bad
news for men. Not only can it reduce sperm count and mobility but it can also
decrease testosterone. Cold on the other hand is known to increase and improve
both, making you more masculine.
And while it might seem surprising that a cold shower
can enhance your immune system, the simple reason is that cold showers force
your immune system to work harder – like a workout!
Oh and did you know that you can burn calories by
taking cold showers? That’s because a cold shower will increase your metabolism
and burn energy as your body tries to stay warm.
Every now and then, things will go badly wrong.
Someone will be injured, you will get lost, or you
will find out that you’ve just lost a huge amount of money.
Your natural reaction now may be to panic. After all,
why wouldn’t you get in a fluster? What will you do now that you’ve lost the
money? What will happen to your friend or relative who just fainted and is now
lying there looking very unwell?
But while panicking is natural, it’s also entirely unhelpful. If this is your response,
then you will be likely to make matters worse
not better and you will potentially cause more problems than you solve.
The best response is to stay calm and robotic. You may
appear cold and emotionless, but this is the most efficient and useful way to
react to such a situation. This is how you’re going to help everyone deal with
the problem – you can panic, cry or mourn later.
The question though, is how you can overcome that
initial emotional response. How can you keep cool when everything is going awry
around you?
Breathe and Slow Down
The first thing to do is to step back and take a
moment to breathe and to assess the situation.
That initial urge to rush in or to cry is caused by a
flood of adrenaline – your fight or flight hormone. This can be immensely
useful for fuelling your reaction speed, increasing muscular strength and more.
Unfortunately, it also suppresses activity in the prefrontal cortex – the part
of the brain that we use for future planning and reasoning.
So instead, you need to learn to control your
breathing and to calm yourself down. This will reactivate your ‘rest and
digest’ state via your parasympathetic nervous system. So breathe in through
the stomach deeply and then let it fill your lungs.
You are not in a massive rush. If you rush, you will
make matters worse. Even in time critical situations, remember the adage: less
haste, more speed.
Look for the Answer
Now look for the best solution the problem at hand.
Try to remove yourself emotionally from the situation by looking at it as an
outsider. Think of this like an exercise and try to narrow down your actions to the most useful few
options.
While in this scenario, you might be afraid to act.
Each action you consider will likely have the risk of a negative outcome and might still make matters worse. But once you’ve considered carefully the
options and efficiently weighed up the best course of action, the next step is
simply to act. Even if you are
uncertain, take positive and decisive action.
Doing this means accepting the possibility that things
might go wrong and that it might be your fault. In other words, it means
accepting your responsibility and being willing to shoulder that responsibility if necessary. It means being able and
willing to put yourself out on a limb and to face the storm that might come.