A Battle in Your Head

Let me ask you.
Have you ever had a battle with yourself?
Have you won the battle in your head?
Do you consider yourself a warrior?

I can tell you one thing; I have been having quite a few battles within my head. I have been really trying to win this battle. I am wanting to be a warrior. And I want those around me to win their battles as well.
I am going to share some thoughts that I have been working on.

For sure this year I have learned that before you conquer the external world, you must master the inner world of your mind. I have learned that some of these battles are bad. These battles have left me hurting and I have questioned my faith.
You see, the enemy lies not in the outside world. It is not money, people, or opportunity that is holding you back. It is us. It is the battlefield between our ears. It is that little voice saying, “you can not do it” or “you will never reach your goals” or “you are not good enough”.
“Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” ~Laird Hamilton
I have found that self – doubt creeps into our heads at the weirdest moments and for me, they creep in when I am at my weakest. They creep up on me when I think I have all my ducks in a row.

And then suddenly, when I am not ready, I have a true inner battle going on:

“Why?”
“Is it really worth it?”
“I cannot do it.”
“You are not good enough.”

You see, I have been having a few of these battles between my ears. I know that I am not the only one so I wanted to share a few of my strategies of becoming a warrior.

I have been working on all of these. Being a warrior is something that I must work on every day. Do not ever let up. I am telling you.

~See Yourself as A Warrior~
Let me say that again, we must see ourselves as warriors. We must tell ourselves that we can win. Everyday we have constant battle(s) with ourselves. We must realize that ourselves are in control of our lives. It is not the world around us, our friends, our spouse, or anything else in between.
That means one simple thing: This is your life. Own it. Let your life shine.
Warriors do not blame themselves instead, they fight, and they never give up.

~Know Your True Self~
What makes you angry, sad, fearful? How do you make decisions? What is most important in your life? If you want to win your inner battles, it is obvious that you must know your enemy.

~Have Zero Expectations~
One of the biggest causes of inner conflict is that we have too high expectations. We expect a lot from our spouse, family members, friends, etc. But that is not the way the world works. You do not control people. You only control yourself. Having high expectations only brings disappointments. Instead, expect nothing. Stop expecting that: Your friends will always be there for you. You will always stay healthy. Your family will always be with you.

~You are Not Perfect: Accept It~
Never beat yourself up for making mistakes. We are human. We make mistakes and that is okay. This is life. It is unpredictable. Sometimes it makes no sense. Sometimes it is not fair. Crap happens. When you try to be perfect, you are always at war with yourself. You are never at peace when you are trying to be perfect. Nothing is good enough. You will never get to enjoy life for what it is if you are always trying to be perfect.

~Do not Burn Yourself Out~
Always keep in mind that you are worth more when you are at full strength. This is a super hard one for me. Always remember that it is better to do a great job at one job than it is to have ten jobs and do a crappy job at all of them. You might want to achieve something so bad that you put all your energy into it. You work hard. Do not sleep. But here is the thing: You might win a hard-fought battle, but not the war. You see, do not burn out before you reach the end.

~Never Question Life~
I get it. We work our butts off and nothing happens. Maybe you do not see results.
You ask: “What Am I Doing This For?” No one reads your work. No one cares. All these negatives thoughts just open the floodgates. Never question life. Never think about it. It is a discussion you will never win. It is best to avoid this war.

~Let you Light Shine, aka Believe in Yourself~
How do you believe in yourself? “Affirmations,” says the ignorant self-help guru aka life coach. “I’m the best. I am the best. I’m the best.” You also cannot say things like that to yourself if you do not believe it. Lying to yourself will not help. Lying to others will also not help.
Work, practice, see results, and believe in your abilities.

~Stop Making Assumptions~
Never make conclusions based on assumptions. Always look at facts. Do not have the facts? Do not make assumptions. Also, ignore conventional wisdom. Most stuff you hear and read around you is not true or very subjective. Avoid inner conflict by looking at facts. Always.

~ Never Stop Moving~
No matter what you do, never stand still. Staying still is the same as moving backward. Because life does not wait. Mental toughness is created by always plowing forward. By facing your adversity head on.
You do not become mentally strong by ignoring your inner troubles and looking at your social media feeds. No, our battles are not fought on our phones. You fight by looking in the mirror.

~Do not Forget to Pray~
Praying about the battle in your head is a necessary and powerful step in becoming a warrior.
How do you win your battle (s) between your ears? I want to hear.
The battles that we fight with ourselves are very real. If we arm ourselves with Godly thoughts and strategies, we will win. We will be warriors.
We cannot be defeated if we never give up.

Shine on, Shine On.
Photo Credit: Brooke Juma Photograph