The Warrior’s Mindset: Show Up, Fight Hard, Win or Learn

By Raviteja Kongara | June 2025 | Motivation

About the Speaker

The auditorium was silent.

Not a whisper, not a movement—just anticipation in the air. The lights were off. The audience, filled with students, leaders, entrepreneurs, and dreamers, sat still, waiting for someone they had only heard about in headlines, in legends, in late-night business debates.

A single spotlight cut through the darkness—landing on a lone figure stepping onto the stage.

No introduction. No welcome slide. No fancy background music. Just him, standing there.

In the back row, two friends leaned toward each other.

“Who is he?”

Before the other could guess, a third voice answered softly:

“That’s him. The Retail King. He changed how the world shops. Built an empire from nothing. He rarely appears in public… our college pulled every string to get him here today.”

The applause exploded. A standing ovation—one full minute long.

Not for the lights. Not for the reputation. But for the weight of presence.

And yet, he didn’t wave. He didn’t smile. He didn’t even wait.

When the lights turned on, he stepped forward—and began.

“If I were in your place, I’d be like you...”

“No—you wouldn’t.”

That opening line cut through the room like a blade.

No fluff. No ego. Just truth—delivered raw, bold, and unforgettable.

This wasn’t a man giving a speech. This was a man handing over his truth—earned through failures, built in silence, and sharpened through relentless action.

In the minutes that followed, the audience would sit in stillness. Some leaned forward. Many didn’t move at all.

Because what they were hearing wasn’t motivation—it was life. Lived, tested, and spoken with fire.

The Speech

“If I were in your place, I’d be like you.” No—you wouldn’t.

“If I were born in your generation, I’d be where you are.” No—you wouldn’t.

“If I had the money, the support, the intelligence… I’d be just like you.” No—you still wouldn’t.

You can list a hundred reasons. But the truth is—you’re not.

I’m not here today because I had more. I’m here because I chose to do more with what I had.

I never compared myself to others. I didn’t blame my family, my past, or the world.

It rained—I showed up.
It burned—I still showed up.
It got quiet—I kept going.

Sometimes slow. Sometimes quick. But I kept doing what needed to be done.

That’s the difference.

Let me tell you something…

Have any of you ever truly experienced failure? Not the small, forgettable kind.

I’m talking about the one that shakes your soul. The kind that hurts more than words can explain.

A failure is not just a moment. It’s a pain—
But actually, it’s more than pain.

It opens the door for people to judge you. They whisper, they laugh, they doubt.

It doesn’t just sting—it strips you. It takes your confidence. It drains your energy. It eats your time, your savings, your peace.

And worst of all, it makes you question who you are.

It leaves you in the dark—alone, silent, and angry. And in that dark, pain becomes your only companion.

You don’t cry in front of the world. You wipe your tears quietly. You put on a face like it’s fine.

But inside, you're asking yourself: "Why me? Why now? What did I do wrong?"

That’s failure. Raw. Brutal. Real.

The Warrior Within

The day I realised my failure, I consoled myself…

Because I realized—I’m in the middle of a war. And in a war, you only have two choices: Win or lose.

And if I lose—so what? Nothing worse can happen than what I’ve already faced.

But if I win… I conquer the world.

People will clap. They’ll praise you. They’ll admire you. But not because of what you gained—because of what you overcame.

That loss—it didn’t break me. It built me.

It made me come back with a better strategy, sharper skills, stronger armor, and a heart more fearless than ever.

The mistakes I made before—I won’t make again.

Because I’m not fighting like a victim. I’m fighting like a warrior—

A warrior who is hungry for success. Not for fame, not for applause—

But for self-respect.

And I want you to believe this:

No matter how dark it gets, the sun always rises. The night is not your enemy. It’s just a part of life.

A Thought to Reflect On

If we don’t try too much in life, if we limit our circle of action, we can give ourselves the illusion of control.

The less we attempt, the less chances of failure. If we can make it look like we are not really responsible for our fate, for what happens to us in life, then our apparent powerlessness is more palatable.

For this reason we become attracted to certain narratives: it is genetics that determines much of what we do; we are just products of our times; the individual is just a myth; human behaviour can be reduced to statistical trends.

– Robert Greene, Author of Mastery

Final Words – Always Be at War

Don’t think about success or failure.

Don’t think about others.

Don’t think about your circumstances or your resources.

Just be a warrior.

A warrior who is committed to the goal, no matter what stands in the way.

Be patient. Prepare with purpose. And when you’re ready—start the war.

Because the war is your goal.

And whether you win or lose—that doesn’t matter as much as this:

Did you fight with everything you had?

If you failed, you gained a lesson. If you won, you earned your place.

But either way—you grew. You rose. You became someone greater than who you were.

So stay at war.

Not with people. Not with the world. But with every excuse trying to stop you.

Take the necessary actions. Fight. Every day. For the life you’re meant to live.