So there I was flipping through the TV channels with my
remote in hand. As I was going through the channel guide,
I scrolled up & down when I came across one of my favorite movies. It’s
definitely a guy flick and one that I was fortunate enough to learn some
lessons from.
The fantasy war film “300” is one that I could watch over
& over again, and I did just that once I saw that it was playing.
Going back to the topic of the movie
300, in case you’ve
never seen it, it’s a fictional story about 300 Spartan warriors led by
King Leonidas who go to battle against the Persians, about 300,000 warriors led by
the “god-King”
Xerxes, who is a quest to overtake the entire country of Greece. Although the Spartans were vastly outnumbered at the
Battle of Thermopylae, their Code of Honor and sacrifice ultimately inspires
all of Greece to unite and go to battle against their common enemy.
As I watched this film for the Nth time (I have no idea how
many times I’ve actually seen it), I can say that I did learn quite a few ‘life
lessons’ that I wanted to write about and share with you. My hope is that these
lessons are applicable to your life, relationships, career/business, spirituality,
etc., in some way, shape or form.
Lesson #1 – Protect
Your Castle and Your Kingdom
Early on in the movie and without giving away too much info
for those who have yet to see the film, a messenger comes to Sparta to ask King
Leonidas to yield and surrender to King Xerxes in order to avoid bloodshed and
war by simply offering him "earth and water" as a token of his submission.
The Spartans were of the demeanor of respect and honor. If
you came into their house and displayed the opposite, chances were that you
would exiting the city in a body bag - assuming that you'd be leaving the city if anything!
In this case, the messenger insults Leonidas’ wife, Queen
Gorgo, and threatens him on his home turf, his kingdom, by asking him to choose
his words carefully as they could be his last as king. As one would take it,
this sets off the king and let’s just say that the messenger was given a full
dose of earth and water along with the soldiers who accompanied him into
Spartan territory.
I take this lesson as a reminder that I am the king of my
home, which is my castle. It’s my sole responsibility to care for my kingdom
and to protect it by all means necessary. This includes protecting & caring
for those who inhabit my home - my wife (my queen), my dog (my fur child), and
any family & guests who come to visit and stay with us. If a threat of any
kind comes knocking at my door or if any unwelcome guest so happens to make their way into my domain, I will be happy to provide them a fresh dosage of earth and water as needed!
So, what about you?
How do you protect and care for your castle and your kingdom?
Lesson #2 – Embrace Discomfort
Reading about the Spartan culture, it was evident that they
were living a hard life so to say. They didn’t have much in terms of riches and
monetary gain. They lived life without asking nor demanding more than what they
needed. In other words, they lived a
life of simplicity – doing more with less.
I firmly believe that today’s issue is a culture that seeks
more in order to live comfortably. The problem with that is that the more we
acquire the more complex things can get. We need this, we want that, this isn’t
good enough, I want the next best thing, give me the upgrade as the latest model
is so yesterday, blah, blah, blah! I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s true.
And truth be told, I too am guilty of this! But I'm seriously making a conscious effort
to change my surroundings to have less than what I know I truly need.
The lesson here is that the Spartans learned to
embrace the life of hardship. It may have been uncomfortable, but what if that
was their state of comfort?
There was a story that I read a while back that pertained to
the Greco-Persian War and the Battle of Plataea in
479 B.C.; how Spartans embraced their code of honor by seeking to
constantly better their actions and not seek more material items.
The story goes that the Spartans
and their allies overcame the Persians at Plataea which included the spoils of
great pavilion tents that belonged to King Xerxes. The king’s cooks, wine stewards
and kitchen servants were also at their disposal which was a result of their
victory.
As a joke, the Spartan
King Pausanias ordered the Persian chefs to prepare
a typical dinner that they would make for the Persian King. As this took place,
Pausanias had his own cooks whip up a standard Spartan meal.
The Persian chefs whipped up a fancy banquet composed of multiple courses all of which were served on golden plates - cakes, pastries, and other lavish delicacies. The traditional Spartan's grub was nothing to brag about as it was a staple of barley bread and pig's-blood stew. When the Spartans saw both meals side by side, they couldn't help but burst out in laughter. In a sarcastic manner Pausanias proclaimed,
"My how far the Persians have come, to travel so far just to rob us of our poverty!"
The greatest part of this story is that the Spartans were so
humbled and true to their code that they were self-disciplined enough to reject
the elaborate feast before them! They retained their honor by not giving in to
fancy rich foods and treats!
Lesson #3 – Don’t Be
Cocky Because of What You ‘DID’
Reflecting back to the 3rd lesson above when the
Persian Messenger rode into Spartan country, he gave King Leonidas an ultimatum
to either surrender or die. The messenger’s attitude was that of arrogance,
cockiness, and he was very conceited. He
based his attitude from the past accomplishments of the Persian Empire in hopes
to intimidate the king and the people of his kingdom.
While success is great and dandy, always look to improve and
better ourselves from our past accomplishments. When we do, we can apply them
as lessons that we can learn and grow from while also working on what we must
do for future progress and achievement.
Lesson #4 – Make
Light of the Situation
One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when
Stelios
(played by actor
Michael Faasbender) comes face to face with another Persian
messenger during one of the post-battle scenes in which he states that all of
the Spartans are doomed – that the Persian Army/Empire was so strong and so
abundant in terms of the number of soldiers that if they were to fire their
arrows, they will blot out the sun!
Stelios smiles down upon the messenger and simply states,
“Then we will fight in the shade!” I can appreciate Stelios’ quip and humor despite the
situation they’re in. And by that, I don’t mean to make a joke out of it! Far
from it!
His quip and humor doesn’t promise a solution nor a happy
ending to their situation. It’s doesn’t magnify a glorious outcome of victory
nor that any harm will come to any of them. What Stelios remarks do offer is a
‘reality check’! In hindsight, he implies that heavy shit is about to go down
hard and he & his Spartan brothers are going to fight through it and not
back down!
How many times have you been in an uncomfortable situation
only to start making every excuse in the book to avoid it or find a way out? Rather
than confront reality and deal with the situation head on, we’d rather turn a
cheek and go the opposite direction.
As a strength coach, I remember telling my training clients that the
workouts that I create & provide for them will always offer a challenge both mentally
and physically. The lessons learned is to have them embrace any challenge – to
accept the fact that no matter what they do, what they think, or what they
say, there’s no way around it. You can’t go around, under or over any
challenge. The only way to come out stronger and victorious is to go through
it!
Lesson #5 – Unselfish
Dedication
I respect the process of standing alongside you brothers
knowing that they’re willing to sacrifice their life in order to protect your
own.
What kind of person does that? To be willing to die for your
brother so that he may go on! That’s some pretty deep stuff right
there!
The Spartans were that kind of people and they were true to
their code of honor in watching each other’s backs at all costs.
When I think of this, I look at all of those men and women
on the front lines who are willing to pay the ultimate price to protect our
country from harm’s way; those who protect our communities from the ones who
won’t produce for themselves and would rather take and steal what isn’t theirs;
individuals whom wouldn’t hesitate to lay it on the line to preserve the true
code of honor, courage, discipline, and integrity.
Lesson #6 – Adapt or
Die
In the movie, the conditions of the Spartan’s surroundings
were constantly evolving and changing. Each day offered a new challenge of
sorts which required that they adapt to the imposition of came before them.
They knew that they needed to be proactive rather than reactive in their quest
for survival. If not, their fate was imminent. As the situation would change,
so would they.
The same goes for us out in the real world. The obstacles and challenges that we face day in and day out, will better equip us to handle the ‘tests of life’. We can’t expect every
single day to be all sunshine, rainbows and unicorns. When things go sour, we determine the best course of action in adapting to the circumstances before us so that we may overcome no matter what. Embrace the suck!
We’re always going to have curve balls and breaking balls
thrown at us. It’s just a matter of us stepping into the batter’s box,
adjusting our hitting stance, and making direct contact. Of course we’ll hit a
few foul balls here and there, but what matters most is that we’re always
willing to step into the box, and make the necessary adjustments and who knows, possible even hit one out
of the park!
Lesson #7 – Even a
‘god-King’ Can Bleed
King Leonidas was so adamant in thinking that the ‘god-King’
Xerxes was virtually untouchable. He had a gut wrenching impulse in knowing
that this guy was mortal like the rest of mankind – that he (Xerxes) made
himself to be this immortal being that no one could do him any harm. Again not
spoiling anything for those who haven’t seen the movie, Leonidas was driven to prove
his point which he eventually did!
The lesson here is that we tend to believe that we can’t
compete against the ‘heavyweights’ in a specific field or someone whom we see
as a pioneer within an industry. Let this be a reminder that everyone has great
potential to compete against “the big boys” no matter what business or trade one is in. It all comes down to taking a risk while facing fear in the face
including any ‘god-like’ adversary!
Lesson #8 – Change
Tactics to Produce Results
As a new wave of attackers came to face to face with the
Spartans, they were consistent in changing their tactics which was a direct
reflection of the various game plans they had developed/created. They were
relentless in their adjustments (see Rule #5 above) and were quick to react
given their tactical & strategic planning.
We too must learn to have a plan for battle when seeking a
goal and/or result. It’s never an easy feat when we aim to upgrade any quality
of our lives as it’s a matter or purpose, consistency, dedication, and
intestinal fortitude.
Create a game plan but also be willing to change your tactics
as needed as it relates to your desired outcomes.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, this film may
be a fictional-based movie but there are some great lessons that we can all
learn and apply to ourselves and our lives. I’m almost certain that I can go
back and watch this movie again and come up with a few more lessons that I
didn’t mention, think about, nor discuss above.
However, I’ll let that be the more of a reason for you to
check out this film and see if you can identify any lessons that can applied in
today’s modern world.
- AR
At least that's what I'm assuming coming from a guy's point of view. But I can vouch this very thing coming from my wife who every now and then finds herself in some stylish form of footwear to match the many dazzling outfits that she owns and wears. 
