It’s time to go hungry, time for some self-sacrifice, time for a fasting or a cleansing ritual; it is time to deny yourself so that you can embrace more. We cannot successfully live in a cycle wherein all our desires are constantly satisfied. That is the way of sloth—one of the seven deadly sins. Say no to something today. Deny yourself some pleasure and embrace the sacrifice (however small it might be), for it is the start of a mighty journey that will lead to your developing a great capacity for life and love. It has been written that it is only by losing everything that we find anything worthwhile. Many teachers have stressed self-sacrifice and service to others as a path to discovering the real and inner you. The true warrior understands how easy it is to get lost in the various pursuits of the material and secular world. That does not mean that one does not play in those domains. It means that one gets themselves right and grounded on a spiritual plane first, so that the play itself is not the be all and end all of the game. It just is what it is—play and performance.

Start with the personal habit of periodic sacrifice, fasting, mediation, introspection, and denial of your material self. We humans are built for feasting and fasting. Three meals a day is a modern condition to which we have adapted. So reach back to your roots periodically, and go without for an hour, a day, a week, or for whatever period you decide. It will have the surprising effect of strengthening you and increasing your capacity for this life and for your life’s chosen work.

Less is more. You are warriors. You can do with less and gain more. Should you only try it, you can build a new habit and add another tool to the arsenal of your life—simply and easily—with your personal sacrifice.