Warrior Mindset – Part 5

Welcome back, Fellow Warriors! If you've been journeying with us through the Warrior Mindset series, you know that we've covered some powerful ground. In Part 4, we confronted our fears and learned how to use them as fuel for growth.

Today, in Part 5, we are exploring a concept that is equally vital: the growth mindset. A true warrior knows that strength alone isn't enough—it’s the willingness to learn, adapt, and grow that truly makes us unstoppable.

Growth Mindset

One of the most important things I’ve learned over the years is that you can’t always rely on strength alone to get you through tough times. Sure, mental toughness and resilience are critical, but there’s something else that’s just as important, if not more: a growth mindset. It’s that belief that no matter what life throws at you, you can adapt, learn, and get better.

I used to be someone who believed that you either had it or you didn’t. You were either born strong, smart, or capable—or you weren’t. But then, I realized how wrong that thinking was.

The moment I switched to a growth mindset, everything changed. Suddenly, life’s challenges became opportunities. Every setback was a chance to improve. And that’s a key part of the warrior mindset—constantly growing, evolving, and pushing yourself to be better than you were yesterday.

Why We’ve Become Weak

Let’s be real: a lot of us have become mentally and physically soft. Modern life has made things too easy, too convenient. If you want food, you don’t need to hunt or gather—you just hit a button on your phone, and within 20 minutes, it’s on your doorstep. If you want entertainment, you don’t need to go out or even get up—you just turn on Netflix. Everything is instant, everything is effortless.

And you know what that does? It weakens us. It conditions us to expect ease, to expect comfort. And when we don’t get it, when life throws us a curveball, we crumble. We’ve lost the ability to push through hard times because we’ve trained ourselves to avoid discomfort at all costs.

I’ll never forget a moment that really opened my eyes to how soft I’d become. It was a few years ago, and I had just started going back to the gym after a long hiatus. I hopped on the treadmill, confident that I could bang out a solid run. I mean, how hard could it be, right?

But within ten minutes, I was gasping for air, drenched in sweat, and barely able to keep going. I was embarrassed. But more than that, I realized that my body—and my mind—had gotten soft because I’d stopped pushing myself. I had been living in comfort for too long.

That’s when I knew I had to make a change. I didn’t want to be the person who gave up when things got hard. I wanted to be the person who grew from hard things, the person who got stronger every time life threw a challenge my way.

How to Get Tough

So, how do you go from soft to tough? How do you build a growth mindset that allows you to embrace challenges instead of avoiding them? It’s not an overnight transformation, trust me. It’s about making small, consistent changes that add up over time.

Here’s what worked for me:

1. Embrace Discomfort – We’ve talked about this before, but it’s worth repeating. If you want to grow, you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable. I started with cold showers—not because I love freezing water (I don’t), but because it’s an easy way to build mental toughness. Every time I stepped into that icy water, I reminded myself that I was choosing discomfort, and each time I did, I got a little stronger.
2. Focus on Progress, Not Perfection – One of the biggest traps we fall into is thinking we need to be perfect right away. But perfection isn’t the goal—progress is. When I went back to the gym, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to run a marathon on day one. But I could run a little farther, lift a little more, or push a little harder each time. That’s the key. It’s not about being the best right now—it’s about getting better every day.
3. Fail Forward – This was a tough one for me to accept at first, but failure is part of growth. In fact, failure is necessary for growth. I used to be so afraid of failing that I wouldn’t even try things unless I was sure I’d succeed. But when I started seeing failure as feedback—as a way to learn and improve—everything changed. Now, when I fail, I ask myself, “What can I learn from this?” and use it as fuel to keep going.
4. Surround Yourself with People Who Push You – Your environment plays a huge role in your growth. If you surround yourself with people who are comfortable, you’ll be comfortable too. But if you’re around people who challenge themselves, who push their limits, and who don’t settle, you’ll find yourself rising to that level. I had to make some tough choices about the people I spent time with. It wasn’t always easy, but it was necessary for my growth.

The Power of a Growth Mindset

The moment you shift to a growth mindset, life changes. Suddenly, challenges aren’t something to fear—they’re something to embrace. Every obstacle becomes a chance to improve, every failure becomes a stepping stone to success. And that’s what makes a warrior truly unstoppable. It’s not just about being tough in the moment. It’s about always growing, always learning, and always finding ways to become better.

I remember when I first started applying this mindset to my career. There were so many times when I was tempted to take the easy route, to do just enough to get by. But then I realized that every time I did that, I was missing out on an opportunity to grow.

So I started pushing myself. I volunteered for projects that scared me, took on responsibilities that stretched me, and made sure I was always learning something new. And you know what? It paid off. Not just in promotions or recognition (though those came too), but in the satisfaction of knowing that I was growing. I was becoming stronger, smarter, and more capable every day.

Growth Isn’t Always Comfortable

Here’s the thing about growth: it’s not always comfortable. In fact, most of the time, it’s downright uncomfortable. But that’s where the magic happens. If you’re too comfortable, you’re not growing. Growth comes from pushing yourself beyond your limits, from stepping into the unknown, and from taking risks.

I’ll be honest—there have been plenty of times when I’ve wanted to quit. When the discomfort felt like too much. But then I remind myself that the discomfort is part of the process. That every time I push through it, I’m growing stronger.

So, how do you know if you’re growing? If you’re uncomfortable. If you’re facing challenges that stretch you. If you’re failing and learning from those failures. That’s when you know you’re on the right path.

The Warrior’s Path to Growth

If you want to adopt a true warrior mindset, you need to commit to a life of growth. It’s not about being the strongest or the fastest right away. It’s about constantly evolving, constantly getting better, and never settling for where you are.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was this: “Never compare yourself to someone else. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday.” That’s the essence of the growth mindset. It’s not about being better than everyone else—it’s about being better than you were before. And when you approach life with that mindset, the possibilities are endless.

So, ask yourself: Am I growing? Are you pushing yourself, challenging yourself, and stepping outside of your comfort zone? If not, it’s time to make a change. Because the only way to become a true warrior is to embrace growth—every single day.

Thank you for joining me on this exploration of the growth mindset. Remember, growth isn't always comfortable, but it's always worth it. Every challenge, every discomfort, is an opportunity to become stronger and more capable.

If you want to learn even more about mastering your inner game, be sure to grab your free report, "Secret Practices of a Corporate Warrior." And don’t miss our next issue, Part 6, where we'll dive even deeper into what it takes to thrive as a warrior in the corporate world. The best is yet to come!

Until next time, keep growing, warriors!