little, secondary things well than in the effect of a dazzling whole.
“Flip the page over. Please,” requested the billionaire as his eyes twinkled
in the light entering the Taj Mahal.
The entrepreneur read a second quote that had been carefully written with
what she guessed was an indigo-inked fountain pen. The phrase was from the
English poet William Ernest Henley. Imagine
these words infusing the
deepest and most unstained part of your soul:
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
“The masters and the geniuses and the heroes of civilization all lived hard
lives,” expanded the billionaire. “They trained tough. They ‘played through
pain,’ to borrow a term a lot of superstar athletes use these days. They pushed
their potential fiercely. They were ambitious, ceaseless and ferocious when it
came to the complete capitalization of their grandest potential. The Latin root
of the word ‘passion’ means to ‘suffer.’ These women and men suffered for
their visions, ideals and aspirations. They suffered for the increase of their
skill and sacrificed for the realization of their prowess. They endured
enormous anguish as they advanced their
crafts and abandoned their
temptations. And I must tell you, these illustrious performers also suffered for
the state of the world. Playing small with your promise demotes our world,
you know. Because the planet becomes a poorer place without your greatness
in it.”
Suddenly, the billionaire fell to his knees. He lay flat on the floor and
closed his eyes, folding his arms over his heart.
The tycoon then began to
snore. Loudly.
“What the heck are you doing now, brother?” asked the artist, appearing
both confused and amused.
“Voluntary discomfort,” was the speedy reply.
More snoring.
“I want my teddy bear!” he cried. “And my jammies.”
Stone Riley then began to suck his thumb.
“He’s unreal,” laughed the entrepreneur, clearly entertained by yet another
stunt of this maverick industrialist.
One could see the billionaire was now smiling, apparently impressed with
his comedic skills as well as his unusual ability to make a teaching point.
Remaining on the ground, he said: “The single
best way to build your
willpower is to voluntarily put yourself into conditions of discomfort. The
Spellbinder calls these ‘Strengthening Scenarios.’ When I was much younger
and my ability to command myself to do what I needed to do when I didn’t
feel like doing it was much weaker, I’d give in to my lesser urges so easily.
My self-discipline muscles were very flabby because I wasn’t exercising
them. The Spellbinder knew I needed to become a lot stronger so I could
install the 5
AM
routine—in a way that stayed with me my whole career. So,
he had me actively put myself into situations of hardship. And it worked like
magic.”
“What kind of situations?” asked the artist.
“Once a week, I slept on the floor.”
“You’re serious?” quizzed the entrepreneur. “Really?”
“Absolutely,” the billionaire confirmed. “And I began taking cold showers
every morning. Twice a week I’d fast, like so many of the most accomplished
women and men of the world have done to capitalize on and manifest their
primal power. It’s remarkable how much time I’d
save during the fasting
windows when I wouldn’t eat. And striking how clear my thinking would be
and how much energy I’d have. Oh, and when I’d be at my loft in Zurich, to
promote my toughness and grit, I’d do some hard winter training by running
in the snow with only a t-shirt and a pair of shorts on.”
The billionaire stood up.
“It’s exactly what I’ve been suggesting since we got to the Taj Mahal: you
have the capacity for world-class self-control. Science confirms it.The real
key is to push your brain to develop new neural pathways and to force your
willpower muscles to flex and stretch, intentionally working these natural
resources up to their highest level. This is how anyone can become so strong,
courageous and undefeatable that, no matter
what obstacles they face and
difficulties they experience, they continue on their quest to meet their glorious
goals. Why do you think Navy Seals and members of the SAS—true
willpower warriors—actively expose themselves to such potentially spirit-
crushing scenarios? All those long runs in the rain, with heavy backpacks on.
Crawling through thick mud in the middle of the night. Eating brutal food and
living in a spartan setting. Confronting their fears by performing tests like
jumping into the ocean from cliffs,
backwards, with blindfolds on, or
enduring exercises involving psychological degradation so they train
themselves to transcend what most limits them. Look, cats, bravery—and the
capacity to do the difficult things that are necessary for the fullest expression
of your greatness—isn’t a divine blessing. Nope. Not at all. It’s a voluntary
practice. Toughness—and a will of iron—takes devotion. So, I very much
suggest you begin to suffocate your demons, slay your dragons and hug your
monsters by doing more demanding things. This is one of the surest routes to
masterful achievement and a private life you’ll be ever so proud of at the end.
You know, this makes me think of the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw.
Boy did that dude have a cool beard,” the billionaire said awkwardly.
“Ever seen it?” he kept on.
“I have not,” the artist responded.
“You should, it’s gnarly,” the mogul noted.
He then snapped his fingers eight times. After this,
an unknown voice
bellowed from somewhere within the mausoleum, “The reasonable man
adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt
the world to himself. Therefore, all progress
depends on the unreasonable
man.”
The voice grew silent.
“George Bernard Shaw wrote that in his play
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