Episode 41: Becoming Battle-Ready for Life, Part 2: Undefeatable Amidst Change and Setback

An excerpt from the first half of chapter 5.4 of Sunzi’s Art of War reads: 

 “Incited and tumultuous as formations revolve, yet undefeatable.“

渾渾沌沌, 形圓, 而不可敗也。

This is the second of the five butt-kicking boot camp strategies to become battle-ready for life we mentioned in the previous episode. Today we’ll dive into this specific strategy.

Strategy 2: 不可敗 Become Undefeatable Amidst Changing Conditions

The second of Sunzi’s Five Butt-Kicking Bootcamp Strategies to Become Battle-Ready for Life is to become undefeatable or more accurately undefeated by life. Don’t let change defeat you!  Don’t let life’s defeats and setbacks leave us defeated! 

Have you ever known someone who went through a massive upheaval in life – good or bad – and it changed them?  How do we avoid that?  How do we avoid letting external circumstances and situations determine who we are?  And it’s not always negative changes.  How many celebrities are there out there who got everything they could ever want only to see their lives implode?

This is something that I struggled with a lot in my life.  In a lot of ways I was a chameleon and took on the mood and tone of my surroundings and circumstances.  When things were peaceful, so was I.  When they were hectic, I tended to freak out.  By doing so, I unwittingly externalized my sources for peace and happiness.

So I started by developing good routines to create positive structure. However, what I found was that I became overdependent upon external structures and routines and that I was not developing the resiliency and adaptability that I wanted and needed in my life.  We can’t only be as good as our routine!  Too many of us are good enough in our routines but as soon as there is a disruption, we fall apart.  That was me!

I have not just faced defeat on countless occasions in various situations in my life, I have struggled with that feeling of utter defeat.  I have felt totally and utterly defeated more times than I care to recall.  With it comes a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness, and a deep sense of futility. What I didn’t know then was that those feelings, that overarching sense of defeatism, were actually coming from my own beliefs about defeat, failure, and setback.  It was actually a victim mindset that I suffered from – that belief that I talked about that my best was never good enough and never would be and no matter how hard I tried, I was going to lose.

That belief is in stark opposition to the warrior mindset, which I defined as the belief that victory is possible and achievable in our lives – that we actually have a shot, have a chance, to win in life, whatever that looks like for us – however we define that personal victory.

Previous Episodes Referenced in this Episode:

Externalizing sources of peace and happiness: Episode 24: “Seven Deadly Sins of Self-Sabotage and How to Avoid Them”

Good order and discipline: Episode 12: Warrior Mindset Unplugged with Brigadier General Paul Pirog

Feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness, and futility: Episode 6: “Sunzi’s Six Traps of (Self-) Deception and How to Avoid Them.”

Defining the Warrior Mindset: Episode 30: “Defeating Defensiveness: Sunzi’s Seven Insights on Scarcity, Abundance, and the Warrior Mindset“

Personal victory: Episode 31: “Defining Our Own Greatest Victories”

Etymology of 敗 (defeat): Episode 27: “Know Thyself & Understand Others: The Secret to Becoming Unbreakable”

The enemy within: Episode 13: “Three Secret Strategies for Overcoming Our (Inner) Enemies.”

Your “Big Deal”: Episode 1: “What’s Your Big Deal?  What Are You Fighting For?”

The value of victory: Episode 10: “Sunzi’s Five Full Send Commitment Tactics for When We Hit the Wall.”

For more information, tools, and resources to help you in your daily battles, for questions or to work with us, shoot us an email at artofwarforlife@gmail.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Art of War for Life Facebook page and @artofwarforlife.

The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force Academy, the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the US Government. Thank you.