Winning the Most Important War
There are wars going on in the world.
There always are.
In the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers, “only the dead have seen the end of war.”
There are even wars going on in our own country and communities; and, perhaps these are a little more immediate and relevant to us.
But the most important war of all, as pertains to your life (and mine and everyone else’s) is the war going on in our mind.
Almost everyone experiences this war, I believe.
I certainly do.
And most of the other leaders that I know do too.
And there’s a pretty good chance that so do you.
If you really are always at peace (and have total control of your emotions, and never feel worries, anxiousness, not good enough, depressed, angry, or otherwise discontent); then you may stop reading this.
But if you’re like the rest of us, read on.
We all have two voices in our head, about a millimeter apart.
The one is the voice that creates worry, fear, anxiousness, discontent, imposter syndrome and all other negative emotions of the mind. It is the voice that’s always there to help you be “realistic” and remind you of all the reasons that you can’t do it: all the times you’ve tried and failed before; how you’re not smart enough, good enough, big enough, small enough, young enough, old enough, strong enough, experienced enough, whatever enough… enough is enough!
This is also the voice that repeats all the other negative voices of your past too- some that hated you, and some that even loved you; but all who told you all the same negative things, in their own voices, when you were young.
The other is the Voice of Truth.
This voice is positive and encouraging, empowering and inspirational. This voice challenges you to become and be the best version of you that you can be!
He tells you that you are good enough, smart enough, strong enough and brave enough!
This voice says “yes I can!”
There are a few important truths you need to know if you choose to join this battle with me; that is, to both accept that the battle exists, and to make the conscious decision to win it, (by feeding the Voice of Truth and starving the evil one):
- You are not alone. Yes, through training, development, experience, and depending on where we are in the law of the process, we all wield varying degrees of Confidence; but even the bravest amongst us faces fear and doubt sometimes. With practice, it just becomes easier to reframe and replace these with the more empowering Voice more often.
- You are not alone. You have a tribe to help you. If you are a student of my tribe, you probably already know that the development of the empowering voice, and the vanquishing of the other one, is a big part of what we do at Krav Maga Martial Arts, through our mental training and leadership program. You may also have your church, a few good friends (those that hep you listen to the right Voice) or another empowering and edifying group of people that sow into your life.
- You’re not alone. There are also amazing books, podcasts and other training materials that can help you win the war in your mind. Some of my favorite, if you’d like to explore one to speak to you, are Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life by Paster Craig Groeschel, Outwitting The Devil by Napoleon Hill (all his books are great), Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf, The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and, of course, The Bible. There are many more, but this is an adequate list for you to find a positive voice that resonates with you.
- You are not alone. If you are a believer, as I am, you have God himself by your side, in addition to all the other positive voices to support you, through your study and in your tribe. There are so many great scriptures in the Bible that speak directly to this battle. Here are just a few: Philippians 4:8; Ephesians 4:17-24; Hebrews 11:1; Ephesians 6:11; Romans 12:2.
I am going to stop writing for now.
I have given you much to think about.
Thank you for reading this far, if you did, and I truly hope and pray this has been helpful to you.
If you struggle with this- with depression, negativity, insecurity or any other powerful manifestations of the negative voice, I know I didn’t solve that for you; but I hope I gave you a start point- some inspiration so that you can solve it for yourself (with the help of others).
That thought- that YOU can change the way you think, the way you behave, and the way you act, in order to change the way you live, and the quality and quantity of your life…
That thought is the catalyst of all the rest; and all the rest change everything.
I am proud of and grateful for you.
I believe in you!
It’s my hope and prayer that you believe in you too; it’s one of the most important things that YOU must do to be happy with you.
Grand Master Stephen J. Del Castillo
Author, MBA & 7th Degree Blackbelt
Founder & Chief Master Instructor,
Krav Maga Martial Arts
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About Grandmaster Stephen J. Del Castillo: Grandmaster Del Castillo is the founding Master Instructor of Krav Maga Martial Arts and has been empowering lives in Pasco and Hillsborough Counties since October of 2000. He is a 7th degree Blackbelt, MBA, author, mentor and success coach, a US Army Veteran and a proud father and grandfather. He is married to Ms. Barbara Del Castillo who helps him run the school. Grand Master Del Castillo began his training in the early 80’s and has high level blackbelts in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Premier Martial Arts and Krav Maga Martial Arts as well as experience in kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do and Jiujitsu. He has high level instructor certifications from BBSI, IKMF, and KMG and has been featured in numerous Martial Arts publications and also Success magazine. He was a competitive sport karate and American Kickboxing instructor until he enlisted in the US Army where he served in the 82nd Airborne Division, where he won an Army Green to Gold scholarship and proceeded to ROTC and the University of Tampa. He was commisioned in 1992 and went on to serve in Germany with the 3rd Infantry Division and then in several other posts in the US until he left military service to pursue his dream of creating KMMA in 2000.
The Krav MagaMartial Arts Headquarters is in Lutz, FL at 1900 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., 33549. Krav Maga Martial Arts serves Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, and surrounding areas.
See stephendelcastillo.com for more information and to order my book, Developing Your Superpower, Meditations on Mastery, Volume 1.
Also, check us out on Fun4TampaKids & on Go2Karate.com