The battle within: Why we should conquer ourselves before conquering the world

What if I told you the only thing holding you back from where you wanted to be in life was your lack of self-control? I’m talking about in every aspect of life you can ponder educational aspirations, athletics, romantic endeavors, etc.

Well, that’s the case with the majority of us in our personal pursuits. We haven’t won the battle against ourselves. How then can we expect to conquer anything else?

These days if you listen to hip-hop you’ll constantly hear rappers talk about their demons and how they gotta shake them or dodge them or not succumb to them in some shape or fashion.

If you listen to rap as much as I do it can almost seem laughable that so many of them are “going through it” but honestly, though they may be exaggerating the concept, we all have demons and we all are on some level “going through it.”

For some, it may be an addiction while for others it could be laziness. Whatever the Achilles heel may be, it’s up to us to recognize it, address it and improve from it. Only then can we reach our full potential.

Discipline of self

We’re our own worst enemy. We shoot ourselves in the foot far more than anyone else yet we give ourselves the most leeway.

All of us are very capable, talented individuals with amazing visions. Yet some have not even scratched the surface of accomplishing their goals because they can’t get up early enough for the job or they can’t shut out the world for a couple of weeks to study.

The last thing you want to be is a prisoner to yourself. You want to be able to do everything you say you’re going to do without the pushback from your own will.

I don’t think people take the easy route because it’s easy. I think people take the easy route because they haven’t mastered themselves enough to endure the hardship of what’s best for them.

Good sleeping habits, eating well, being active, meditating, and other good self-care habits all require dedication. Unfortunately, we don’t naturally want to adopt those practices.

In order to be what we’ve always seen ourselves as we must be better for ourselves.

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Discipline around others

Whatever happened to the kid that was spoiled rotten? The child who always got his way, who does she grow up to be? You know, the ones whose parents let them get away with anything.

Every day when we run across the prude who cuts us off in traffic or the co-worker that dishes attitude because of what they’re going through —  that’s them. Until we are able to reign over our emotions and actions we’ll always be short-tempered around others, warranted or not.

If we were to act on every human impulse, the world would be in shambles. Marriages would never work, politics would be far worse than what they are now and no one would be able to live with one another.

That’s why we learn patience, moderation, and forgiveness.

Someone else shouldn’t have to suffer because of what’s not going right in your life. Toddlers who don’t get their way have temper tantrums and when that behavior isn’t curtailed it manifests into the grossest individuals you’ll meet.

Once we understand the first and most important battlefield is the one within and we give it the attention we give everything else, the more prepared for our dreams we’ll be.