What do you know of them?
Possibly the movie 300…Or maybe that iconic helmet?
Well, this article will give you the low-down on the Spartan
race, and why we should have their mentality in many aspects of life.
The life of a Spartan started the moment you were born. Imagine a new-born baby then being bathed in
wine rather than water. Crazy you might
say, but this tradition helped soldiers determine whether a baby would be weak
by it’s reaction; if it was, the baby’s fate was sealed: To be thrown off a
cliff or it would become a slave. Now
that’s harsh, (lets not take this mentality-that would be quite unethical to
say the least), but this is where it started, and it is essentially why the Spartan
army was rarely ever defeated. Welcome
to the warrior state of Sparta!
Boys were trained from the age of 7. A mother’s softening touch was considered
detrimental to the boy’s character; the Spartans were to show no sign of
weakness. For the next 11 years, they
endured tough physical challenges and were deprived of food, living primarily on
rations given to them by the army. This
forced them to hunt to steal; an act which if caught, they would be severely
punished, not for stealing (this was a positive), but for getting caught! Now tell me about brutality. If there was any society which knew how to
harden a mind, and strengthen a will, it was the Spartans. There was a famous story reported in Sparta,
where a child from the barracks had stolen a small wild fox. He was stopped by suspicious soldiers who
questioned him. Rather than admit his
guilt, he left the small fox under his shirt.
As the soldiers surrounded him, the fox chewed at his stomach, but the
little child showed no sign of pain on his face; he would rather endure
excruciating agony, rather than be caught.
Surrender in battle was the ultimate disgrace for the Spartan
soldier. He was taught to fight without
fear, and to the last man. Even the
mothers would say to their sons, “Return with your shield or on it”; a chilling
reminder that he should honour his family, and complete his duty as a citizen
of the powerful state.
This hardened mentality shows no sign of weakness, and it is
one of the essential keys to overcoming your opponents. The sheer willpower required to persevere in
the toughest situations is immense, and is something which is built up over
time. Showing no fear in the face of
your enemies will undoubtedly give you the edge in whatever it is you wish to
excel. And do excel at it. Push your
body to the limits; don’t you want to find out what you are capable of?
Half-efforts produce half-results; it’s almost better to not do anything than
give 50 %, because at least then, you’ve made a commitment. It is only a mentality like this which can
take you to the next level. And it
simply comes down to that ‘extra’ training and commitment.
What is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary?
It’s just the ‘extra’. Was it the
altitude training that helped the British coxless four win the Olympic Gold Medal?
Is it LeBron James’ extra hours of preparation which make him the best
basketball player in the world? Is it
Usain Bolt’s excessive consumption of the yam which gives him those little
extra energy requirements to knock more second off the 100 m world record?
Who knows, but what it is, is a mindset which is in line with
the Spartans. Only a relentless 120 %
will cut it when 0.1 seconds is the difference between first and second. Only the mentality to ‘go hard or go home’ is
acceptable, if the desire to really succeed is there. After all, it is this which caused 300
Spartans to hold off the 300,000 Persians for 3 days. What does it take? Outworking your opponents, and showing no
fear; attack your opposition like you own that gold medal.
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