When you think of a warrior, images of modern-day soldiers on the battlefields of Afghanistan might come to your mind. Or maybe you remember one of your favorite scenes from the movie “Braveheart.” Most civilians would not consider themselves a warrior nor would they equate developing a warrior mindset to success in the workplace.
However, the same steps that will lead a soldier to success on the battlefield can be applied to your business and guide you to do the victory dance in your marketplace. This article is the first of a series of articles on how you can develop a warrior mindset to overcome obstacles and challenges in your business. And it all begins with your mindsets, or your habits of thinking.
What is a warrior mindset? The definition of a warrior is a person who shows “...great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness and who has been engaged in warfare...” A mindset has been defined as “...a habitual mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations...” Therefore, someone who has developed a warrior mindset has developed habits of thinking courageously and is engaged on a mission with purpose and focus, even in the face of adversity (or warfare).
“Warfare?” you might ask, “I’m not in a war.” In Steven Pressfield’s book “The War of Art,” he speaks about the enemy of our success being “Resistance” (with a capital “R”). Pressfield says, “Resistance’s goal is not to wound or disable. Resistance aims to kill. Its target is the epicenter of our being; our genius, our soul, the unique priceless gift we were put on earth to give and that no one else has but us. Resistance means business. When we fight it, we are in a war to the death.”
So it’s war when you decide you want to make changes in your life or business. And it’s not news to you that to change your life, you must change your mind. But to change your mind, you have to first decide to change your mind. There is specific point in time when you know you need to make better decision. A good military term to use here would be “decision point” when you make that choice that if carried out, it could alter your future forever.
A “decision point” as defined in the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms is defined in part as a point in space and time when you are “...making a key decision concerning a specific course of action.” At that point, you have to decide what steps you will take to begin this new mission, this new direction with your business or your life, and to defeat Resistance no matter the cost. It should come as no surprise to you that procrastination is one of the most common manifestations of Resistance. We either put off making any decision or fail to follow through with any decision point.
The “Military Decision Making Process” used by the United States Army is a seven-step process. In brief they are mission, analysis, develop, analyze, compare, approve and produce. Over the next few months, I will expound on each one of these decision making steps and how they can be utilized in developing a warrior mindset. Pressfield said, “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”
You will need a warrior mindset to win the war with Resistance. And to develop that mindset, you must come to a decision point that you will take a course of action to do whatever it takes to fight this war to the end—and win. I think you can.
