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You want to wake up early in the morning to be more productive but you

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always end up pressing that snooze button on your alarm. You want to stop

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buying things that you don’t really need but you always find yourself maxing

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out your credit card. You want to lose weight and just become a healthier

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individual but you just cannot stop yourself from ordering at a nearby fast

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food. You really think you need to go to the gym and get in shape but you

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just find it so hard to spend an extra hour to exercise especially after work.

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Everything just feels so difficult to do.

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You know what you need? Self-discipline. And the good thing is you are not

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alone in this constant battle against temptations and impulses. Misery does

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love company. A lot of people suffer from the same predicament. They

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always have the best goals and objectives to make them successful in life

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but they always end up not doing it.

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Lucky for you, this book will be your companion and ally in your daily

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struggles of resisting temptations. It will tell you all about how inspiring and

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amazing groups of people, such as the Spartans and Special Operations

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Units, practiced self-discipline in order for them to achieve their goals and

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complete their missions. If you feel like giving up, always remember that

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these strong people had to face more difficult challenges but their discipline

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never wavered.

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This book will not only teach you how the Spartans and Special Operations

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Units trained that shows how they become the epitome of self-disciplined

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individuals, but also the science and psychology of self-discipline and how

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you can improve it to become successful in life.

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26 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:01,880

: 00:02:01

The Spartans and Special Operations Unit

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29 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,120 If you are searching for someone to look up to when it comes to improving

: 00:02:10

your self-discipline, you can choose between the Spartans and the different

: 00:02:14

special operations units, or you can choose both since both groups of men

: 00:02:19

have exemplary self-discipline and willpower.

: 00:02:24

The Spartans

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Sparta was an ancient Greek society that placed high value on its military

: 00:02:31

prowess, with boys starting military training at the young age of 7. When

: 00:02:37

Sparta defeated Athens, its rival city-state in the Peloponnesian War, it

: 00:02:42

became one of the most powerful cities during its time. This can be

: 00:02:48

attributed to the fact that the Spartan culture was mainly focused on military

: 00:02:52

service and loyalty to the state. At the age of 7, young boys start their

: 00:02:58

military training sponsored by the state. The followed the Agoge system

: 00:03:03

which puts emphasis on endurance, duty, courage, obedience, and of

: 00:03:08

course, discipline.

: 00:03:11

Although there was no need for Spartan women to undergo military training

: 00:03:14

like men, they were still highly athletic and physically strong. They were also

: 00:03:20

more educated and enjoyed independence and higher status than the rest of

: 00:03:25

women in Greece.

: 00:03:27

Since men in Sparta spent all their lives training for the military to serve the

: 00:03:31

state, and later on become professional soldiers, all manual labors that are

: 00:03:37

necessary for the survival of any society were assigned to the Helots, a slave

: 00:03:42

class in the city. Another group of people who lived in the city were the

: 00:03:47

Perioeci, which literally means “dwellers-around”. These were the people

: 00:03:52

who were neither professional soldiers nor slaves, and worked as traders

: 00:03:57

and craftsmen. They were also the ones responsible for building the

: 00:04:01

weapons used by the Spartan soldiers. This division in the society only

: 00:04:07

shows that the state did not want its soldiers to be distracted by other

: 00:04:11

things. They only wanted them to focus solely on their military training,

: 00:04:16

which is no wonder why the Spartans, up to now, are known for their

: 00:04:20

military strength.

: 00:04:21

The Agoge system

: 00:04:27

As mentioned previously, the Spartans followed a rigorous education system

: 00:04:31

called the Agoge system which was mainly centered on self-control, courage,

: 00:04:37

obedience, and endurance, to name a few. The word ‘agoge’ literally means

: 00:04:43

‘rearing’ in English. Agoge was a controversial education system even during

: 00:04:48

the ancient times because of how rigorous and intensive it was. However, it

: 00:04:54

was a requirement for all Spartans for them to receive Spartan citizenship.

: 00:04:59

The main goal of the agoge system was to have brave and strong soldiers

: 00:05:04

who can protect the state in times of adversity.

: 00:05:07

Unlike other Greek states, public education was provided by the Spartan

: 00:05:13

government. Young children, both males and females, should complete said

: 00:05:18

education, although they were taught and trained in different manners. Only

: 00:05:24

the royal heirs were exempted from this requirement.

: 00:05:26

To understand more about the Agoge system, here is a brief outline.

: 00:05:33

● Birth to 7 years of age

: 00:05:35

The Agoge values were instilled in the minds of the Spartans as early as

: 00:05:40

infancy. After birth, the mother will bathe the infant in wine because they

: 00:05:46

believed that wine will make a child strong. The infant had to undergo

: 00:05:50

inspection by the elders of the city, called the ​Gerousia, t​ o determine

: 00:05:56

whether the child is healthy and strong. They only wanted healthy and

: 00:06:00

strong babies. If the infant passed the inspection with flying colors, he will

: 00:06:05

be sent back home with his parents. If the elders found any kind of birth

: 00:06:10

defect or deformity or signs that the baby will grow up weak, the parents

: 00:06:15

had to abandon the baby at once. These babies were left to die alone or

: 00:06:21

were rescued by strangers. Some even said that weak babies were thrown

: 00:06:26

off a cliff, while others claimed that the babies were left alone on the cliff

: 00:06:30

and if they survived, it means they were worthy to become a Spartan.

: 00:06:35

Growing up, children were not cuddled and showered with TLC, which is

: 00:06:41

what modern parents do to their children. Spartan children experienced

: 00:06:45

tough love from their parents. Instead of bathing them with warm water, the

: 00:06:50

children were bathed in wine. Instead of picking them up when they started

: 00:06:55

to cry, the babies were often ignored. Instead of reading them children’s

: 00:07:00

stories and singing them lullabies, the Spartan parents started to plant the

: 00:07:04

seeds of the Agoge system in the minds of their young ones, telling them

: 00:07:09

that they are not worthy of becoming a Spartan if they do not become the

: 00:07:13

strongest and bravest men who can protect their city. Children were also

: 00:07:18

taught that fear is a sign of weakness. This extreme parenting approach was

: 00:07:24

known far and wide in ancient Greece, which is why elite families outside

: 00:07:29

Sparta would often hire Spartan women to become caretakers of their

: 00:07:33

children.

: 00:07:33

● Age 7 to 20

: 00:07:37

Officially, the Agoge system starts when a young boy turns 7, unlike today

: 00:07:44

when kids are expected to leave their homes at the age of 18. When they

: 00:07:48

start the Agoge system, they become under complete control of the

: 00:07:53

government because the training and education is financed by the state. The

: 00:07:58

boys were sent in groups and they had to live with a group of older men who

: 00:08:02

will serve as their mentors.

: 00:08:04

The children were housed in a dormitory and were educated in a communal

: 00:08:09

barracks. The subjects ranged from academic and sports to hunting and

: 00:08:14

warfare. Their education is military-oriented because they are basically

: 00:08:20

grooming the children to become soldiers.

: 00:08:22

When the boys reached the age of 12, they were given only one piece of

: 00:08:27

clothing item, specifically a red cloak that they have to use no matter what

: 00:08:33

the weather conditions were. The reason behind this was that they would be

: 00:08:37

able to withstand even the harshest of weather conditions without being

: 00:08:41

dependent on clothing, which would turn them into tough soldiers. They

: 00:08:45

should also be barefoot when doing any kind of sports or physical activities

: 00:08:51

such as gymnastics. Their food was also strictly rationed, much stricter than

: 00:08:56

in modern-day prison because the Agoge system used hunger and thirst to

: 00:09:01

promote self-discipline. You might think this is a little too much and can be

: 00:09:07

considered inhumane in today’s standards. However, keep in mind that the

: 00:09:11

intention was not to torture these children or to give them a difficult life but

: 00:09:17

to prepare them for when they become full-fledged soldiers and scarcity of

: 00:09:22

water and food while in a battle is a common occurrence. Feeding them less

: 00:09:26

also makes their bodies leaner and more fit to endure hard physical

: 00:09:31

activities.

: 00:09:32

Young Spartan boys were also taught to make their own bed—literally. They

: 00:09:40

had to get the materials such as straws and reeds from the banks of the

: 00:09:45

Eurotas river without using a knife. Another interesting thing about the

: 00:09:50

Agoge system is that the boys were encouraged to steal as long as they

: 00:09:54

don’t get caught. If they are caught, they were given severe punishments.

: 00:09:59

This helps develop stealth that can prove useful when it becomes necessary

: 00:10:04

to steal supplies and provisions from the enemy.

: 00:10:07

To bring out the toughness of these young boys, the elders in the barracks

: 00:10:12

instigated fights among the young students. Whoever loses will be made fun

: 00:10:18

of and ridiculed because they were seen as weak and cowardly. In fact,

: 00:10:22

some records show that every year, adolescent students had to undergo an

: 00:10:27

endurance test where many died. To honor those students who successfully

: 00:10:32

passed the test, they were given wreaths, a symbol of victory in Greece in

: 00:10:36

the olden times.

: 00:10:37

Do not think that the Agoge system is all about physical strength and

: 00:10:43

discipline. Other areas that were taught to the students include reading,

: 00:10:47

writing, history, singing, dancing, war poems, and literature. They were

: 00:10:55

even required to study the works of Homer. This makes it a little similar to a

: 00:11:00

typical modern-day education system.

: 00:11:03

When the boys reach the age of 18, they begin serving in the Spartan Army

: 00:11:09

as military reserves. There are some who became members, specifically

: 00:11:14

spies, of the Secret Police force of Sparta. They had to spy on the Helots, or

: 00:11:20

the slave class, and report them to the authority if they are doing something

: 00:11:24

against the government. They were also licensed to kill.

: 00:11:28

● Age 20 to30

: 00:11:31

The Agoge training officially ends when the male students turn 20 years of

: 00:11:37

age. At this point when they were already considered as adults, they became

: 00:11:42

official members of the Spartan Army and they had to undergo professional

: 00:11:46

military training under the army.

: 00:11:48

The men had to become a member of a ​syssitia,​ a military-style mess where

: 00:11:55

they had to undergo training for war. The members of the mess, who were

: 00:11:59

also Spartans, had to elect members from the newcomers. Aside from

: 00:12:05

military training, the ​syssitia ​is also involved in the granting of citizenship. It

: 00:12:10

is extremely important for the student to be elected and become a part of a

: 00:12:15

mess if he wants to secure Spartan citizenship. The election all depends on

: 00:12:21

the unanimous votes of the old members. When a man becomes a citizen of

: 00:12:26

Sparta, he would be able to do things that non-citizens did not have the

: 00:12:30

right to do such voting, marrying, and running for public office. Some

: 00:12:37

soldiers married before the completion of the training, meaning before the

: 00:12:41

age of 30, but they were banned from living in the same house as their wife.

: 00:12:46

It was possible to not get elected into a mess. Men who were still not

: 00:12:52

members of a mess even after 10 years of completing the Agoge, they

: 00:12:55

would not be able to secure citizenship.

: 00:12:58

The military training in the ​syssitia ​ends when a man reaches the age of 30.

: 00:13:05

But a Spartan man had to be a soldier until retirement at the age of 60, or

: 00:13:11

until the day he dies.

: 00:13:12

Education for females

: 00:13:16

Unlike other cities in Greece, Spartan women were highly educated.

: 00:13:22

Although the State also sponsored their education, it was not as demanding

: 00:13:27

and as rigorous as the education for boys, although focus was also on the

: 00:13:32

military. If boys were groomed to become soldiers, girls were trained to

: 00:13:37

become mothers of a true Spartan soldier. They did not need to go to a

: 00:13:42

dormitory away from their family. They lived with their parents while

: 00:13:46

attending school. They had subjects that would make them physically strong

: 00:13:51

such as gymnastics, sports, and dancing. If they were strong physically,

: 00:13:56

they would also be strong enough to give birth to strong babies. They were

: 00:14:01

also taught subjects about war and combat.

: 00:14:04

Females were also trained to help male students in their military training.

: 00:14:08

What kind of help, you ask. The girls motivated the boys to do their best by

: 00:14:15

teasing, humiliating, and ridiculing them in public if they were not

: 00:14:19

performing well during a physical activity such as sports or exercising. The

: 00:14:25

girls would create a list of the men who they thought were underperforming,

: 00:14:29

so that they could shame and humiliate them to motivate them to be and do

: 00:14:33

better. They were also taught typical school subjects such as poetry, history,

: 00:14:39

and music.

: 00:14:39

At the age of 20, the education of girls would be officially completed, and

: 00:14:46

they were then expected to find a partner to marry. They were encouraged

: 00:14:50

to find mates who were physically strong and courageous who could in turn

: 00:14:54

help them bring out a future Spartan warrior into the world. Marriage was

: 00:15:00

not seen as a union of two individuals who were in love, but rather as a way

: 00:15:04

to produce warriors who are brave and strong and who can protect the State

: 00:15:09

from enemies and invasion.

: 00:15:11

As what can be observed, the Spartans had a do-or-die approach when it

: 00:15:17

comes to their education and training, and also in everything they did.

: 00:15:21

Mediocrity was not tolerated. It’s either they were the best soldiers or they

: 00:15:28

had to leave. You are probably thinking right now that the Agoge system is

: 00:15:32

too much and is kind of extreme especially in these modern times. However,

: 00:15:37

you have to understand that the period when they lived was very different

: 00:15:42

from today. It was a turbulent time where battles and invasions were a

: 00:15:46

common occurrence in their daily lives. And if they were ill-prepared, they

: 00:15:51

would not have a chance at all. Although the entire approach is no longer

: 00:15:56

suitable to today’s standards, you can still learn a lot from how the Spartans

: 00:16:00

trained their soldiers, especially when it comes to developing self-discipline

: 00:16:05

and willpower.

: 00:16:06

The Special Operations Units

: 00:16:09

Today, what comes close to the Spartan way of training is the training of the

: 00:16:16

Special Operations Units or Special Forces. Some examples of this elite

: 00:16:21

group are the Special Air Service (SAS), Navy Seals, Green Berets, Special

: 00:16:28

Boat Service (SBS), and US Marine Raiders. They are involved in high profile

: 00:16:35

operations which is why their training is also more demanding than the

: 00:16:40

regular military troops.

: 00:16:42

In any military setting, discipline and obedience are an integral part of their

: 00:16:48

day to day work routine if they want to successfully accomplish their

: 00:16:52

missions. Following each and every step is crucial because it affects not only

: 00:16:59

the entire military operations but also the civilians. Soldiers are taught to be

: 00:17:05

obedient to authority and regulations at all times and also to always observe

: 00:17:11

strict self-discipline that will result in excellent performance, which means

: 00:17:16

minimizing dangers to both the soldiers and the civilians.

: 00:17:20

Military discipline and self-discipline

: 00:17:24

Soldiers were taught to be disciplined and obedient. They had to follow

: 00:17:30

authority, commands, and rules without question. If they question the

: 00:17:35

authority, then it becomes a problem. To be considered well-disciplined, the

: 00:17:41

team has to follow orders whether they like it or not, and no matter how

: 00:17:45

unpleasant and dangerous the task at hand is. Total compliance is required

: 00:17:51

to achieve efficiency within the organization. Disorganization and

: 00:17:56

disobedience in the team is dangerous and can put the lives of the other

: 00:18:01

group members at risk. The survival of the military groups and special forces

: 00:18:07

units depend a lot on the obedience of the team to a centralized command

: 00:18:11

and the self-discipline of each and every member.

: 00:18:15

Military self-discipline is achieved when the soldier starts to see himself as

: 00:18:21

an integral instrument to achieve the organization’s mission. This

: 00:18:27

internalization involves acceptance of regulation and obedience to a higher

: 00:18:32

authority. Soldiers who are self-disciplined know how to control themselves

: 00:18:38

and always make decisions based on how it will affect the entire

: 00:18:43

organization. They also do not need to constant external supervision

: 00:18:48

because they know how to keep themselves in line. When a soldier has

: 00:18:54

self-discipline, obedience comes from within and not from coercion or other

: 00:18:59

form of external force. Those soldiers who exhibit strong willpower and

: 00:19:05

self-discipline are viewed by their superior as reliable. The higher-ups know

: 00:19:12

that these soldiers can perform their duty correctly and willingly, without the

: 00:19:16

need to use force or coercion. These highly disciplined soldiers are the ones

: 00:19:23

who move up to become members of the highly elite special forces or special

: 00:19:28

operations units.

: 00:19:29

Special Forces Training

: 00:19:33

Of course, the different units of the elite Special Forces have different kinds

: 00:19:39

of training but they are more or less the same. They are all physically,

: 00:19:44

mentally, and emotionally demanding, exhausting, and intensive. Their

: 00:19:50

training is a lot more difficult than the training of regular soldiers. This is

: 00:19:54

because they will be assigned to work in high-risk and high-profile

: 00:19:59

operations that affect not only their own country but the whole world.

: 00:20:03

The Special Forces training is the toughest training and testing platform in

: 00:20:09

the Military. It is a year-long process that is designed to break even the

: 00:20:14

toughest soldiers. In fact, it is so difficult to pass that only 15% of the

: 00:20:21

candidates successfully finish the entire process.

: 00:20:24

Once you enter the training, you only have three options—to quit, get

: 00:20:31

injured, or outlast—and of course the third option is the only option if you

: 00:20:37

want to become a member of the Special Forces group. You are probably

: 00:20:42

wondering how can an individual survive such training if it is designed to

: 00:20:48

break even the toughest person. Keep in mind that the human body is a

: 00:20:53

wonderful machine and can adapt in almost all kinds of situation—heat, cold,

: 00:21:00

pain, and stress. Someone who is tough means that his body and also his

: 00:21:07

mind and emotions are highly adaptable and does not easily give up because

: 00:21:13

he knows that it is possible to successfully complete the training. More often

: 00:21:19

than not, it is mind over matter.

: 00:21:22

The training also puts a lot of emphasis on mental strength aside from

: 00:21:29

physical strength. If the body is strong enough to withstand pain and

: 00:21:33

discomfort, it becomes easy to develop mental strength.

: 00:21:37

● The right mindset

: 00:21:41

Members of these Special Forces Units are highly self-disciplined because

: 00:21:47

they have the right mindset. Self-discipline has more to do with mental

: 00:21:52

toughness than physical toughness, although mental toughness becomes

: 00:21:56

easier to achieve if the body is also strong. If you want to be successful in

: 00:22:02

life, you have to stick it out until the end even when things become too hard

: 00:22:08

to handle. This is something that the Special Forces have—when the going

: 00:22:13

gets tough, they still continue doing their mission, something that the rest of

: 00:22:18

the society should learn.

: 00:22:20

The world you live in today is filled with softies who get offended at the

: 00:22:27

smallest things and if you develop mental toughness like the Special Forces,

: 00:22:31

then you have an advantage over all these people. You are setting yourself

: 00:22:36

up for success when you have the mindset to stick it out while the rest is

: 00:22:42

giving up.

: 00:22:42

● Physical training

: 00:22:46

The Special Forces Units have to undergo intensive physical training, as you

: 00:22:53

already know by now. The kind of physical training that they do require a lot

: 00:22:58

more than being strong and healthy. To be able to successfully do all the

: 00:23:04

physical tests, you have to have commitment and self-discipline. Principles

: 00:23:10

included in the training are work capacity, calisthenics or gymnastics,

: 00:23:15

resistance training, and endurance, to name a few.

: 00:23:19

This kind of training gives Special Forces soldiers a strong and athletic body

: 00:23:26

that is well-rounded and can perform well in any kind of weather and

: 00:23:31

environment and even in extremely stressful situations.

: 00:23:35

You do not necessarily need to follow the difficult trainings of the Spartans

: 00:23:41

and the Special Forces Units and you do not need to train at that level

: 00:23:46

because you are just an ordinary person who wants to improve your life by

: 00:23:50

obtaining self-discipline. However, the information and facts shared in this

: 00:23:56

chapter will at least give you an idea how the Spartans and Special Forces

: 00:24:01

train that greatly improves their self-discipline, and you can use what you

: 00:24:09

have learned to greatly improve your self-discipline. At least you know one

: 00:24:20

thing now—being successful takes a lot of hard work and effort on your part.

: 00:24:34

It is not a walk in the park.