There will always be barbarians at the gate. They are the naysayers, doubters and underachievers seeking to infiltrate your existence and stifle your momentum. Some even disguise themselves as friends and family. There will always be those who pray on your downfall because your success is a spotlight on their shortcomings. Your success marks the spot in the road where they lacked the courage and discipline to carry forward. So, they patiently wait for you to slip, let up and give in when you are at your weakest. Why? Because misery loves company. Do not allow the opinion of others to lower your standards. Do not compare your abilities and success to others while ignoring your own untapped reservoir of greatness. In the book, History of Civilizations, when speaking about the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Will Durant says: “Barbarism is always around civilization, amid it and beneath it, ready to engulf it by arms, or mass migration, or unchecked fertility. Barbarism is like the jungle; it never admits its defeat; it waits patiently for centuries to recover the territory it has lost.” Those civilizations knew threats from outside forces were ever present. Peace and calm was the exception, not the rule. They knew that in their weakest moments, they would crumble. Do not feed the naysayers and doubters with time and energy. Don’t give them a single crumb, because if given the slightest opportunity they will bring your city to ashes. It’s up to you. Yes, there are always enemies at the gate but there is also an incredible strength within you to keep them at bay. You are the gatekeeper. And despite the barbarians best efforts, your walls will not fall today. #mindset #nevergiveup #discipline #courage #staythecourse #naysayers #doubters #hatersgonnahate #12laborsproject #fitness #strength #endurance