Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - The Barbarians At The Gate - Motivational Speech

Episode Date: December 2, 2020

"Barbarism is like the jungle; it never admits its defeat; it waits patiently for centuries to recover the territory it has lost." - Will Durant You are the gatekeeper to your mind, protecting it from all outside forces seeking to derail, disrupt or convolute what matters most. 

There are always barbarians at the gate. And I mean this, in the sense that the second we give less than our best, the second we let up. It's not just that we allow the important things to fade. No, we let the outside world infiltrate our existence. In the history of civilizations by Will Durant, he said something that I found incredible. incredibly interesting. He's talking about the fall of the Assyrian Empire and he says barbarism is always around civilization, emit it and beneath it, ready to engulf it by arms or mass migration or unchecked fertility. Barbarism is like the jungle. It never admits

its defeat. It waits patiently to recover the territory it has lost. See, in those civilizations Durant speaks of, they knew they were always living with a threat of an attack by outside forces that oppose it, knowing that calm and quiet wasn't the rule, but the exception to the rule. And in its weakest moments, it crumbles. In fact, Durant says societies are born stoic and they die a peculiarian, right? Created from discipline, but fall apart when people take what they have for granted, when pleasure and leisure become the standard. It's almost like society is a submarine keeping out the ocean of human nature, constantly putting pressure on it, right? And why does this matter? Well, this is what's interesting. Compare it to this idea that I found in Jim Rohn's collection of lectures, where he's talking

about life's concessions. He says even small compromises with regard to your goal matter. Giving in, even a little bit, can be dangerous. Saying, oh, it's just one time is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Because it begins the process of the downfall. Plants a seed. It cracks the door for those barbarians waiting patiently outside the gate. The ones who know discipline is not guaranteed. Discipline is built, manufactured, it must be protected.

It is the exception to the rule. to the rule and they are chomping at the bit. Given the slightest opportunity, they will bring it to ashes. And this matters because it's up to you to protect that, which is worth protecting. Do you ever have one of those days or weeks that are insanely productive or enjoyable and you just think this is great, I need to do more of this? I need to sustain this. And then time goes by. The outside world sneaks in and the prospect of continuing,

doing that routine slips away. Crashes. Because parameters were not created. Because you let it slip once. And once doesn't mean you'll pick up where you left off. No, once is whispering to your subconscious that it's okay to concede. It says, oh, it's all right. I'll stray from my path just for the important things.

I'll only crack the door for the barbarians when I need to. But now you're in an interesting sense. situation. How do you measure when it's important enough to quit or stop or cheat? And trust me, I understand that life is complex. It's not black and white, but the areas we grow the most are the same areas where we leave no room for negotiation. X, Y, or Z is going to happen because it is who you are. In that door, it stays shut to the outside world, the mediocrity telling you your plans don't matter. To the barbarians outside looking for for any excuse to infiltrate or destroy.

And see, the point is not to avoid fun or leisure or the enjoyment of life. No, of course not. What I'm advocating is that we highlight the aspects of life that are non-negotiable, the things that mean a lot and are therefore subject to the ever-reaching arm of retreat. You don't have to do this,

the barbarians will tell you once isn't the end of the world, but what life shows us, is that greatness isn't one crazy or monumental action, it's keeping the intruders out where they must be restrained, remaining diligent in one's pursuit towards something more. Yes, there are always enemies at the gate, but there is also within you the ability to keep them in check, to tame them, to differentiate between your world and theirs.

And in your life, your world, your empire, you are the gatekeeper.