Stoic Warrior Mindset (Six quotes & traits from the philosophy of Stoicism on what it takes to be a Stoic warrior.)
Have you ever felt like life is hard? Like it can sometimes be a struggle to get up in the morning and do all of the things that you have to do? Do you ever wake up feeling constantly tired and stressed? Does life just seem too much?
Sure, I get it. You have lots of work to do. You might have debt. Maybe you’re tired from all the pressure. and maybe you’ve got, a stomach ache.
Now think about what a true stoic warrior is.
Think about someone who sleeps rough, unsure of whether or not they’re going to die during the night.
Then they wake up. no time for a shower or a nice breakfast, and they leap straight into action.
They ignore their wounds, they take lives and they see their friends and their brothers in arms shot and killed in front of them.
But no I get it. You’re tired. You had to work until 6pm last night.
What I’m getting at, is that your life isn’t really hard. You might think it’s hard and sometimes it might feel hard; but there are people out there with much worse lives than you.
There are people out there who live with a crippling illness and not two cents to rub together. And many of them do this with a dignity, a grace and a bravery that puts the rest of us to shame.
You see, the stoic warrior mindset actually has nothing to do with combat. In fact, the hooligans that start bar fights, and think that they are big and mean, for starting fights are about as far from true warriors as it gets.
Ask anyone who has seen real combat if they would want to risk their health and waste their energy on looking for trouble.
The stoic warrior mindset is different. This is about knowing what you want and going for it. It’s about being hard and it’s about not letting little things get you down.
It’s about pushing ahead with what you know is right and it’s about carrying responsibility and hardship on your shoulders with dignity and pride.
It’s about not letting your emotions get the better of you, and it’s about not taking the easy answer or the easy route to solve your problems.
The early stoics of ancient Greek philosophy understood what is means to be a warrior. Not just in the context of actual war, but in life as well.
It can be said that Stoicism was an early approach to a stoic warrior mindset.
The philosophy of Stoicism is all about mental hardiness and about learning to expect and then live with things going wrong.
But what does it take to be a stoic warrior in the modern world?
In today’s busy world of consumerism and superficial lifestyles, 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 take on a a troop of enemies or even put ourselves in harm’s way.
This is a good thing for the most part, but it has resulted in many of us becoming soft and weak willed.
But the reality is that we don’t need to give up on being warriors. Just because we don’t need to fight anymore, doesn’t mean we can’t approach modern challenges as stoic warriors.
And it doesn’t mean that there really aren’t any modern warriors left.
There are those fighting for us on our front lines; and there are those of us who simply want to approach modern challenges and obstacles with the mindset of a warrior.
As Marcus Aurelius, a Stoic philosopher said, “The impediment to action advances action. “What stands in the way becomes the way.”
If you are new to Stoicism, let me just briefly state that the Stoics were a group of Roman philosophers who emphasized self-discipline as a way to overcome and mitigate the inevitable change and challenges that are a part of every day life.
I recently read the book called, How To Get The Bulletproof Mindset Of A Fearless Warrior, and I decided to draw together six of the traits attributed to a modern day warrior listed in the book, with stoic quotes from several of the stoic philosophers.
If you would like to learn more about the bulletproof warrior mindset and how to apply it to your life then you can get the book called, How To Get The Bulletproof Mindset Of A Fearless Warrior, here.
Six Quotes and Traits Of A Stoic Warrior Mindset
1. A Stoic Warrior Takes the Harder Path.
“Just as nature takes every obstacle, every impediment, and works around it — turns it to its purposes, incorporates it into itself — so, too, a rational being can turn each setback into raw material and use it to achieve its goal.” — Marcus Aurelius
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 stoic 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.
2. The Stoic Warrior Sees Obstacles As Challenges.
“It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it.” — Seneca
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.
3. Someone With a Stoic Warrior Mindset Doesn’t Give In To Fear.
“Remember, however, before all else, to strip things of all that disturbs and confuses, and to see what each is at bottom; you will then comprehend that they contain nothing fearful except the actual fear.” — Seneca
The stoic 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.
4. A Stoic Warrior Stays Calm in Stressful Situations.
“To be like the rock that the waves keep crashing over. It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it”. — Marcus Aurelius
When everyone else is panicking, the warrior stays calm and focused. They know what they need to accomplish and they know that getting in a flap won’t help anyone.
5. A Stoic Warrior Knows To Look After His Body and Mind.
“Man conquers the world by conquering himself. — Zeno of Citium
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.
6. A Stoic Warrior Takes Responsibility.
“Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own inner resources.” — Epictetus
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.
To really dig into the concepts of Stoicism and how this philosophy can help you in today’s challenging world, you might want to check out my other videos on Stoicism.
