PODCAST: Why the WARRIOR MINDSET (Courage, Resilience & Purpose) matters in Law Enforcement & in Life | 176
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Show Notes from This Episode:
EPISODE OVERVIEW
Introduction (00:00:31:13 - 00:01:54:07)
Introduction to the podcast, emphasizing that while it is a law enforcement podcast, it offers something for everyone. I encourage listeners to engage through social media, email, and reviews, highlighting the importance of listener interaction and feedback.
The Story of the 300 Spartans (00:01:54:07 - 00:07:07:20)
I start with a powerful retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans faced an overwhelming Persian army. This historical narrative is used to illustrate the "warrior mindset"—the idea of standing firm in the face of impossible odds, which I then tie to modern-day challenges.
I connect the ancient story to the present, suggesting that the principles of courage, discipline, and resilience exhibited by the Spartans are still applicable, particularly to law enforcement officers.
Modern Examples of the Warrior Mindset (00:07:07:20 - 00:12:54:03)
I share a recent story of a Volusia County deputy rescuing a missing child from a pond. This real-life incident exemplifies the warrior mindset in action—acting decisively in high-pressure situations.
I touch on a social commentary made by Elon Musk, drawing parallels between popular resistance in fiction (e.g., "The Hunger Games," "Star Wars") and the reluctance to engage in real-life challenges. I use this to underscore the importance of recognizing and acting on one's principles in reality, not just in theory.
Key Principles of the Warrior Mindset (00:12:54:03 - 00:18:38:09)
Courage in the Face of Adversity: I discuss the necessity of courage, not just in professional situations but in personal life as well. I emphasize that resilience should be a daily practice, not just reserved for crises.
Mental Toughness Under Pressure: The ability to stay calm and focused under stress is highlighted as a crucial aspect of the warrior mindset. I connect this to both professional responsibilities and personal challenges.
Commitment to a Higher Purpose: I conclude by stressing the importance of having a clear "why"—a sense of purpose that drives one's actions. This purpose is what sustains individuals through difficult times and allows them to inspire others.
ABOUT THE SHOW
We know first-hand the struggle of trying not to take the job home with us and let it affect our families. We know the toll the law enforcement career can have on marriages and relationships. And we also have been frustrated by the lack of authentic leadership in our agencies. This Law Enforcement Podcast was designed to help you overcome the mental toll of the law enforcement career and the negative effects it can have on your personal life.
Hosted by active-duty law enforcement, we bring you two weekly podcasts. On Thursday, in The Interview Room we sit down with amazing guests who provide actionable advice on leadership, mental health, and relationships from their lived experiences. On Monday, in Morning Roll Call, you and I enjoy a cup of coffee and discuss current events, offer encouragement, and discuss practical steps for achieving the life we were meant to live. If you’re ready to become a better leader and protector on and off the job, then, please, scroll up and click follow to join us on the journey.
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TRANSCRIPTION OF EPISODE. Please note this is a new service we are offering and there will be spelling, grammar and accuracy issues. This transcription is offered as a convenience to our listeners, but at this time it is not guaranteed to be accurate.
00:00:31:13 - 00:00:49:26
Wayne Mulder
Yes, we do. And welcome to the show. I'm your host, Wayne Mulder, and this is the On the Blue Line podcast. this is a law enforcement podcast, but it's really a little bit for everyone. It's actually just more from the perspective of law enforcement. be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram. It's at on the Blue Line podcast.
00:00:49:29 - 00:01:11:15
Speaker 2
also be sure to check us out on our website, which is on the blue line.com. And please email me, you can email me directly wing it on the blue line.com. I will read your response and I would love to get your feedback. like I talked about in a previous episode, we will be putting some of that information out in the future and doing a feedback episode, so I'd love to get your feedback.
00:01:11:15 - 00:01:31:14
Speaker 2
So it's weighing in at On the Blue line.com. And for our podcast listeners out there, if you're listening to it on a streaming service such as Spotify or Apple Podcast, please click follow. That way it'll show up in your feed every time, new episode drops. And then if you haven't and you like the show, please a five star rating and review on Apple.
00:01:31:17 - 00:01:54:07
Speaker 2
a podcast that makes a big difference for the algorithm, or so I'm told. So please do that. And all podcasts are available in video. which is probably how you're watching this. But if you are listening, they are available in video on YouTube and on Rumble as well. So please be sure to join us. So I want to get right into today's podcast.
00:01:54:07 - 00:02:13:03
Speaker 2
I'm going to start with a story that we all know. We've all seen the movie. We all have heard it a million times. But I want to start with the story because I think it fits into some pertinent things on where we are right now in society and where we may be headed, and something that gets to be controversial every time we bring it up.
00:02:13:03 - 00:02:34:03
Speaker 2
Right. Every time this idea of a warrior mindset is said, people get a little bit, you know, you can't say that I. What do you mean, a warrior? Well, I mean a warrior. So 2500 years ago, on the rocky shores of Greece and a narrow pass known as Thermopylae, a battle was fought that would echo through the ages.
00:02:34:05 - 00:03:01:10
Speaker 2
It was here, in the sweltering heat of late summer, that 300 warriors stood defiantly against an empire and that sought to swallow the world. Sound familiar? You've seen the movie, the stickers and memes that have filled our modern society. They were not ordinary soldiers. They were Spartans, hardened by years of relentless training and bound by an unbreakable code and driven by a singular purpose to defend their land, their people, in their honor at all cost.
00:03:01:12 - 00:03:22:24
Speaker 2
The Persian Empire, a colossus stretching from the sands of Egypt to the borders of India, had arrived with an army that was so vast that it said that it darkened the horizon. It was a sea of men armor and still commanded by King Zeus's, who believed himself. I got among mortals. But the Spartans, led by their indomitable king Leonidas, did not waver.
00:03:22:27 - 00:03:47:15
Speaker 2
As the waves of Persian soldiers crashed against their shields, the Spartans stood firm, embodying the true essence of what we would call a warrior mindset. They knew that victory was impossible, but for them, the fight was not about winning. It was about standing the ground. No matter the odds. Journeying back to that day in 400 B.C., we uncover the story of these 300 warriors and the legacy they forged.
00:03:47:17 - 00:04:09:00
Speaker 2
And we explore the principles that guided them. These are principles that continue to inspire leaders, athletes, soldiers. More importantly for this audience, law enforcement to this day, because you see, the story of the 300 is not just an ancient history lesson. It's not just, movie that's probably taken far out of historical context. It is a lesson of resilience.
00:04:09:03 - 00:04:39:07
Speaker 2
It's a lesson of discipline and the power of an unyielding wheel. It is about what happens when ordinary men make extraordinary decisions to embrace their fear and fight for something greater than themselves. The whole story is this idea that the Spartans were outnumbered 1000 to 1. Their enemies had every advantage more men, more resources, more everything. But the Spartans had something that couldn't be measured or quantified in these numbers, something that gave them strength to hold the line against impossible odds.
00:04:39:09 - 00:05:02:12
Speaker 2
They had what we were going to talk about today is a warrior mindset. So what does it mean to be a warrior, and how can we harness the same relentless spirit in our own lives, no matter what battles we face? Imagine that seeing right, the sun is setting over the mountains. It's casting long shadows across the battlefield. The air is thick with dust and the smell of sweat and blood.
00:05:02:15 - 00:05:29:11
Speaker 2
The Persian soldiers, exhausted from wave after wave of relentless attacks, pause to regroup. But the Spartans, they don't rest. They stand tall, spears in hand, their eyes locked on the enemy before them. King Leonidas, a figure of steel and sinew, surveys his men. These are warriors who have trained their entire lives for this moment. Men who have been taught that fear is not an enemy, but a companion, something that must be mastered.
00:05:29:14 - 00:05:55:06
Speaker 2
They know what's coming. They know that they will not survive the night, but they hope and believe that their sacrifice may inspire a nation to rise. The Persians launch another assault. The arrows are said to have blocked out the sky, descending like a storm of death, something that, again, you'll see recreated in the movie the. But the Spartans raise their shields in perfect unison, creating an impenetrable wall.
00:05:55:09 - 00:06:15:12
Speaker 2
The Persians crash against it, wave after wave, but they cannot seem to break through. The Spartans push back their spears, finding their mark with lethal precision. They move as one, a single unbreakable force in this crucible of fire and blood, the warrior mindset of the Spartans is on full display. It is not about the weapons they carry or the armor that they wear.
00:06:15:13 - 00:06:40:12
Speaker 2
No, this is all about what to do in a dire situation and in a dire situation. Are you going to yield and quit or are you going to push through? They will fight until their last breath, knowing that their courage will echo throughout and eternity. And indeed, it has the story of the Three Hundreds more than a tale of war, it is a testament to the power of human spirit.
00:06:40:14 - 00:07:07:20
Speaker 2
It is when you are fully committed to a cause, what can happen? It's a reminder that in the face of overwhelming adversity, adversity, true strength comes not from the body but from the mind. You know, today we are all fighting our own battles. You have some, I have some. We face challenges that seem insurmountable. We have things going on in this world that we never thought we would see in our lifetime, enemies that in so many ways are invincible.
00:07:07:20 - 00:07:27:21
Speaker 2
But just like the Spartans, we can choose to face them. We can choose to stand our ground, to push forward. When others would retreat, to embrace the warrior mind, sight in the mindset and fight for what we believe in. Because in the end, it's about the courage to stand up in the face of fear and say this far and no farther.
00:07:27:23 - 00:07:56:07
Speaker 2
Remember the lessons of Thermopylae. Let us remember that even in the darkest moments, we have the power to stand, to fight with all our might and to inspire others with our courage. This is not just the story of the 300. It's a story of the warrior mindset. And this is where I want to begin with today's podcast. You know, we've seen a few things over the last few weeks that helped to codify or help us to think about exactly this idea of a warrior mindset.
00:07:56:13 - 00:08:16:05
Speaker 2
I'm sure you've seen it because it went all over the news, but the deputy and Volusia County deputy Westborough, who found and rescued the missing child in a pond. just a powerful, powerful video to watch if you haven't seen it. It's a little, it's about a two minute video, but I'm going to go ahead and play it right here, because if you haven't seen it, this is what law enforcement do every day.
00:08:16:05 - 00:08:37:22
Speaker 2
This is law enforcement. Just charging into the fray because, hey, this autistic child, the, five year old got out. And as we all know, they often run towards water. And he's like, we're going to find this kid. So they're often attracted to water. So the deputy runs back there and this is what we see.
00:08:55:14 - 00:09:13:09
Speaker 3
So much.
00:09:13:12 - 00:09:29:04
Speaker 3
Like cocoa. Hey, he's out here somewhere. Hey, I got him. I got him. Extra $0.42. So I got him in the water on facing.
00:09:29:06 - 00:09:53:17
Speaker 3
Come here.
00:09:53:19 - 00:09:59:15
Speaker 3
You got him? Yeah. Okay.
00:09:59:18 - 00:10:05:04
Speaker 3
Yeah. Okay.
00:10:05:13 - 00:10:29:00
Speaker 2
Love that story. Love it. I just it's so cool watching law enforcement do what law enforcement does. Right? And so here they are. And they get the kid out of the water and save him. And of course, it goes viral like it should. So just really cool. But, you know, when we talk about this idea of a warrior mindset, so many people like it's just common for us, right?
00:10:29:00 - 00:10:46:04
Speaker 2
We all seem to think that we're the hero. It's just a just part of our culture. Growing up watching TV is like, everybody thinks they're part of the 300, or they think they're part of the small group, and maybe they are. And maybe you have that mindset and maybe you're learning attributes and so forth that help with that.
00:10:46:04 - 00:11:07:05
Speaker 2
But the reality is much different in so many cases. I know, this week, the or about two weeks ago, Elon Musk and the UK, we're going back and forth on this whole thing. And by the time this releases, I don't know exactly where this whole free speech thing will be at. as of when I'm recording this, it was all escalating.
00:11:07:05 - 00:11:25:23
Speaker 2
But one of the things that Elon Musk put out, which went around the internet and it's kind of funny in one way, but it says you watch The Hunger Games and you sided with the resistance. You watch Star Wars and sided with the resistance. You watch The Matrix, you sided with the resistance, you watch divergent, and you cited divergent, and you reside with the resistance.
00:11:25:25 - 00:11:45:13
Speaker 2
You watch V for vendetta and you sided with the resistance. And when it's fiction, you seem to get it. You understand? Yeah. You refuse to see it when it's the reality, you're living it. And it's true, right? There are so many times that we think we're the warrior. We're the ones that are going to go do whatever it is and stand up for it.
00:11:45:16 - 00:12:03:25
Speaker 2
Now I want to pause right here because there is a dichotomy. There is a difference between our job, which we see the officer in Volusia County going out there, most almost anyone listening to us who is in law enforcement and the law enforcement would be that person. That's what we're trying to do. You're trying to run into a bad situation.
00:12:03:25 - 00:12:27:25
Speaker 2
Sure. There's been news stories. There may be one person who may not or may be unsure or something like that, maybe a training issue, but in general, that's what cops are taught to do. But what do you do when it is your personal life? What do you do when it is? What's going on right now? And across the United States, when we talk about politics and we talk about, I mean, these things matter.
00:12:27:25 - 00:12:54:03
Speaker 2
And this year, more than ever, they matter. Probably, for the first time ever, it might actually matter, who was elected president. So these things matter, but you don't want to stand up when it's your school board, when it is your family, when it is, you fill it in whatever it is. So we know too well as brothers and sisters in law enforcement what the importance of the warrior mindset is.
00:12:54:03 - 00:13:15:18
Speaker 2
It's not just something we adopt. When we put on our uniform and step into the line of duty. It must become a way of life, a mentality that shapes how we approach every challenge, big or small. The principles that I have to be relevant on the streets and in our personal lives. So I want to just give you a three ways that we can exhibit warrior mindset in our lives.
00:13:15:20 - 00:13:35:21
Speaker 2
first of all, is courage in the face of adversity, right? This is really kind of what you saw with that deputy. This is the idea of the 300. But every person faces challenges. You know, we have losses and failures, disappointments. But those who embrace a warrior mindset, those who say, I am going to stand up no matter what happens, and I'm going to show courage.
00:13:35:23 - 00:14:07:14
Speaker 2
They understand that adversity isn't the end of the road. It's simply a stepping stone. It's the opportunity to grow stronger, smarter, more determined. Maybe it doesn't even end well, like in the story we began with, but they knew they had hope that if they were willing to hold out, it would allow for a groundswell of, other warriors to come, the same grit that gets us through a crisis on the job, the same grit that gets us through a scene like that, rescuing an autistic child from the water.
00:14:07:19 - 00:14:31:17
Speaker 2
It's can be harnessed to overcome any personal struggle, whether it's a difficult conversation. You know, one problem, and I know I struggle with it and I have struggled with it numerous times, is this desire to not engage in home, because when we're at work, we're constantly engaging everything is a firefight at work, you know that. I know that the radio's constantly going, you're going, this thing, going, that thing.
00:14:31:17 - 00:14:59:05
Speaker 2
So then when you get home, it's like, I don't want to deal with anything. I don't want to deal with kids. I don't want to deal wives. I don't want to deal with husbands, whatever your situation is. And so we fail to develop this warrior mindset, and it really the area of our life what matters the most. And when we are willing to show it and refuse to be defeated, then we show other others that resilience is not just an ideal, it's a daily practice.
00:14:59:07 - 00:15:33:29
Speaker 2
The second idea that I want you to think about is mental toughness. Under pressure. Here again, this is an area that law enforcement. We know that staying calm under pressure can mean the difference between life and death. But mental toughness is not just for work. It's not just for those moments of high stakes action. It's for every time that we're faced with stress, whether it's a high pressure situation at work or dealing with the everyday demands of our personal lives, having a warrior mindset, it trains us to manage stress effectively, making sure it doesn't derail our focus on decision making, but translates into being able to handle curveballs with composure.
00:15:34:02 - 00:15:55:26
Speaker 2
Maybe it's the pressure of bills piling up. Maybe it's the family emergency, or just your daily responsibilities. Whatever it is, we can face the challenges head on and not be overwhelmed. In law enforcement, mental toughness is what gets us, which allows us oftentimes to compartmentalize. We deal with the crisis at hand, and, and then we can deal with something else immediately thereafter.
00:15:55:29 - 00:16:13:01
Speaker 2
It's about knowing that no matter what's thrown our way, we have the inner strength to stand firm in that moment and not let the pressure break us. Now, we all know that over time, this can build up and actually can lead to a breaking point. And that gets into a lot of the mental health aspects that we talk about on this podcast.
00:16:13:01 - 00:16:34:12
Speaker 2
But for now, in one of the strengths is this ability to to face it head on. And this isn't just a skill, it's a mindset. And it can help us in every aspect of our life. The third one that I want you to think about is a commitment to a higher purpose. So just like the 300, it wasn't just simply being there.
00:16:34:12 - 00:16:59:04
Speaker 2
It was what they had grown up, what they had learned and heard their entire lives, what they believed to be true. A warrior mindset is deeply rooted in the sense of purpose, a dedication to something greater than yourself. For us, it can include our duty to protect and serve, but it has to extend beyond the badge. It's about living every day with intention, knowing that our actions have meaning and we are part of something bigger.
00:16:59:06 - 00:17:16:20
Speaker 2
Maybe it's as simple as providing something for your family and contributing in your community. Community standing up for what you believe. When we understand our why, we become unstoppable. And this is something that I talk about a lot. Do you know why you do what you do? Why did you come to law enforcement? Why did you want to leave law enforcement?
00:17:16:20 - 00:17:43:09
Speaker 2
Why do you want to? Whatever it is you fill it in. But knowing your why and knowing what is most important to you now, I think, and I've said it over and over again for the times we are going into it into if you do not know why you believe what you believe or and what you actually believe, you are not going to be able to stand up against what is coming and short of a miracle.
00:17:43:12 - 00:18:01:03
Speaker 2
So we have to become people who live with purpose and passion in our line of work. It's commitment that drives us to keep going even on the hardest days. It's what motivates us, and even when we're exhausted, we still come to work. We still do our job, and it's what inspires those around us our families, our colleagues, our communities.
00:18:01:05 - 00:18:24:14
Speaker 2
But we have to draw them up to this higher purpose. The warrior mindset is not just something that occurs on a battlefield or gets regaled in some story further. movies or for books and something that lasts for centuries courage, mental toughness, and a commitment to a higher purpose. These are principles. These are principles that can transform how we approach every challenge in our lives.
00:18:24:17 - 00:18:38:09
Speaker 2
As law enforcement officers, we embody this mindset every day, and by doing so, we set an example for those around us. We show that no matter what life throws our way, we have the strength, the focus, and the purpose to just keep simply moving forward.
00:18:38:19 - 00:18:57:06
Speaker 2
So I hope that means something for you. I hope that that was helpful. There are so many areas. I think with what's coming, we're going to have to learn to show courage, learn to stand up, learn to know why we believe what we believe in, to have that higher purpose that we are standing for. So that's all for this week.
00:18:57:06 - 00:19:18:24
Speaker 2
Thank you for watching or listening. I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to go down the blue line.com for more on the individual episode and on other projects that are going on. That is all for today. I'll see you next week in the podcast and in the meantime, I'll see you out there on the blue line.