There are always battles to be fought. 

Some of these battles are with strangers. 

Some of these battles are with our friends, family members, or significant others. 

And some of these battles are with ourselves. 

We are humans, it’s natural for us to compete: for knowledge, status, and survival.

But not all battles are equal, some resort to violence. 

Violence is when you are too late. 

When you were weak and when you neglected the battles that needed to be fought earlier.

The battle with your ego saying, “I need to do this to keep my identity” 

The battle with your peers saying, “I need to do this to fit in”

The battle with your society saying, “I need to to do this to gain knowledge and power”

The battles with ourselves are the battles that are necessary for personal growth and radical change.  

These are the battles you must address to avoid destructiveness. 

But it’s a downstream effect: if you fail to confront the ones with yourself, you will only find bigger and more elaborate ones to fight down the line. 

Having a tough conversation with your significant other now, to prevent an unhappy marriage down the line.

Having an open dialog with your friends to set boundaries, to prevent a ruined friendship in the future.

Having the wherewithal to take a break in Jiu Jitsu when your body needs it, to prevent an injury that impairs you from training later.

Having an open mind to new ideas in your business, to prevent stagnation or decline the next quarter.

We, as humans, crave competition. 

However, as we hide beneath screens and keyboards and neglect personal responsibility and interpersonal relationships, the battles that we are now having are done digitally, across both space and time.  

We are the fish, and the hook and bait is in the water. 

We are viewing the entire world under a magnifying glass and looking at the highlights. We are zooming in and only seeing the pinnacle and most polarizing aspect of the battle. To keep our identity secure, we are asked to take sides with the narratives that are being fed to us. 

Even so, the fish can choose NOT to take the bait. 

This is what we need to do. We need to fight the internal battles before we let them go downstream. We need to take personal responsibility for our actions. We have to have deep, meaningful conversations with ourselves and the people around us.  We need to put the phone down and communicate with our tribe. 

This is what self-mastery is about. 

Having the strength, courage, and confidence to fight the battles that need to be fought. 

The ones with ourselves.

Own the process,

Tim 
Author of Mastery Monday
Founder & Student