Alexander the Great

The Macedonian Who Conquered the

World
 Copyright © 2013 by Sean Patrick

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Written by Sean Patrick

First Edition
 The Great Mystery of Genius
“Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered—either by themselves or
by others.”
-Mark Twain

If I could write one sentence that would magically increase your IQ by

thirty points, would you be interested in reading that sentence?
Probably. But why? What would be in it for you? Do you think it would
help you make more money? Make a name for yourself? Find love,
happiness, or fulfillment?
I’ve asked many people these questions and their answers are invariable.
“Of course it would.” The cultural correlation is undeniable: we’ve been
indoctrinated to believe that the higher the IQ, the more likely one is to
succeed in life. Hence, we assume that the scientists that win Nobel Prizes,
the businesspeople that go from rags to millions, the authors that write
runaway bestsellers, register in the highest ranges of IQ simply because
they’re enjoying sweet successes.
Well, a tremendous amount of research has been done into the scientific
correlation between IQ and real-life success, and a very different picture has
emerged.
IQ and success are related...to a point. Sure, someone with an IQ of 150 (a
“genius” by all normal standards) is going to do much better in life than
someone with an IQ of 80 (nearly “mentally disabled”). Similarly, a person
with an IQ of 130 (“near genius”) has a significant upper hand in life when
compared to a person with an IQ of 100 (“average”).
But here’s the catch: the relation between IQ and success follows the law
of diminishing returns. That is, when you compare two people of relatively
high IQs, you can no longer predict success by IQ alone. A scientist with an
IQ of 130 is just as likely to rise to the top of his discipline as one with an IQ
of 180.
Dr. Liam Hudson, a British psychologist that headed up Cambridge’s
Research Unit of Intellectual Development in the sixties, compared IQ to
basketball. If you’re five foot five, your prospects of becoming even an NBA
bench warmer are slim-to-none. The fact is if you’re less than six feet tall,
you can pretty much forget about your dreams to challenge King James in his
court.
Statistical data shows us that you have to be at least seventy-two inches
tall to be allowed on the ride, and each inch you push over that is probably
better for you. There comes a point, however, when height just doesn’t matter
much anymore. Just because someone is seven feet tall doesn’t mean he’s a
better player than someone who’s six foot six (Michael Jordan’s height). The
point is you only have to be tall enough to have a shot at the pros.
The same pattern is true of intelligence and success in life. You only have
to be smart enough to fulfill the intellectual requirements for success.
History’s greatest achievers—practical, savvy people that did big things and
changed the world—are heralded as the greatest geniuses to ever have walked
the earth, but while many of them had remarkably high IQs, many others
were just smart enough.
If we can’t explain their success in terms of IQ alone, what else did they
possess that allowed them to rise to such heights?
Most people would answer along the lines of “extraordinary inherent
talent.” And they would be wrong.
---

Call in the inspired bard, Demodocus.

God has given the man the gift of song.
That’s one of the many god-given gifts of characters in the Odyssey.
We’ve learned much since it was written—we’ve decoded human DNA and
discovered our place in the universe—but we still marvel at the abilities of
geniuses in the same way as the ancient Greeks did.
Whether we listen to a sonata of Beethoven’s, watch highlight reels of
Michael Jordan, or learn a law of Newton’s, we view extraordinary human
skills as gifts granted by unknown forces for unknown reasons. Such an
explanation is convenient, but is it correct?
For the last two centuries, behavioral scientists have studied that question
through focused research on great performers of all types: business managers,
chess players, swimmers, surgeons, jet pilots, violinists, salespeople, writers,
and many others. Their findings, numbering in the hundreds, have led to
conclusions that fly straight in the teeth of what “everybody knows” about
ability.
The studies conclusively disproved the notion that great performance
stems primarily from a natural “gift” or talent. While some people display
innate talents for certain activities early on, amazingly average people have
become champions in all manner of endeavors. Many such top performers
overcame their average—or even below-average—intellects and nonexistent
aptitudes to develop outstanding abilities in disciplines such as chess, music,
business, and medicine.
Examples of such remarkable transformations abound throughout history.
Henry Ford failed in business several times and was flat broke five times
before he founded the Ford Motor Company. In his youth, Thomas Edison’s
teachers told him he was “too stupid to learn anything.” Beethoven was so
awkward on the violin that his teachers believed him hopeless as a composer.
The world of sports reveals similar findings. Many athletes viewed as
superhuman in their abilities were found to have little or no inherent
advantage over their peers when they first began their journeys to greatness.
Michael Jordan didn’t make his sophomore team because he was deemed too
short and average to play at that level. Stan Smith, a world-class tennis player
and winner of Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and eight Davis cups, was once
rejected for the lowly position of a ball boy because the event organizers felt
he was too clumsy and uncoordinated.
How do we explain such unintuitive findings?
While many theories were put forth, there was one common factor that
researchers recognized in all great performers: they practiced so hard and
intensely that it hurt.
Ted Williams, a baseball legend considered the most “gifted” hitter of his
time, was believed to have natural abilities far beyond ordinary men,
including eagle-like vision, extraordinary hand-eye coordination, and
uncanny hitting instincts. Williams later said that such stories were all “a lot
of bull.” He had a much better explanation for his superior skills.
Williams began his path to greatness at the age of seven, when he decided
to dedicate his entire life to one singular task: hitting a baseball as perfectly
as possible. Starting at that young age, Williams spent every free minute he
had at San Diego’s old North Park field hitting balls, every day, year after
year after year. His childhood friends recall finding him on that field
smashing balls with the outer shells completely beaten off, with a splintered
bat, and with blistered, bleeding hands. He would spend his lunch money to
hire other kids to shag his balls so he could hit as many as possible every day.
When the city turned off the field’s lights, he would go home and swing a
rolled-up newspaper in the mirror until he went to bed.
This obsession continued throughout William’s entire professional career,
and it’s no surprise that he excelled because of it. For “The Kid,” as he was
known, greatness was a long, grueling process—not a gift from the beyond (a
claim that he found insulting).
Studies of people with extraordinary abilities, like Ted Williams, have
given rise to what Swedish psychologist Dr. K Anders Ericsson called the
“10,000 hour” rule. The rule’s premise is that, regardless of whether one has
an innate aptitude for an activity or not, mastery of it takes around ten
thousand hours of focused, intentional practice. Analyzing the lives of
geniuses in a wide range of intellectual, artistic, and athletic pursuits confirms
this concept. From Mozart to Bobby Fischer to Bill Gates to the Beatles, their
diverse journeys from nothing toward excellence in their respective fields
shared a common denominator: the accumulation of ten thousand hours of
unwavering “exercise” of their crafts.
To put that number in perspective, if you practiced an activity four hours
per day, seven days per week, it would take you about seven years to reach
ten thousand hours. That kind of dedication can only come from the heart—a
true love and passion for the activity.
So, what does all this tell us? First, that the seed of greatness exists in
every human being. Whether it sprouts or not is our choice. Second, that
there are no such things as natural-born under- or overachievers—there are
simply people that tap into their true potentials and people that don’t. What is
generally recognized as “great talent” is, in almost all cases, nothing more
than the outward manifestations of an unwavering dedication to a process.
Thus, the advice of “work toward your ten thousand hours” sounds
completely reasonable. Right? But there’s a problem. There are millions of
people that work incredibly hard, yet have little success to show for it. Is ten
thousand hours too simple of a prescription for greatness?
 Yes. It overlooks another aspect of great achievement that cannot be
ignored: opportunities—conditions that often appear to be plain old dumb
luck.
---

As Malcolm Gladwell explains in Outliers, in many ways, the

opportunities presented to one are just as important to success as one’s own
inherent talents and willingness to put in thousands of hours of work. For
instance, if your dream is to become a professional athlete, it’s quite possible
that you won’t be able to work hard enough to overcome a most devious
obstacle: your birthday. How could that possibly be a hurdle?
Easy. Most sports enforce age cut-offs—that is, the ages that determine
whether you can play another year in your current age bracket as a “senior,”
or whether you have to move up and be a “freshman” in the next.
In Canadian junior hockey leagues, the age cutoff was formally January 1
(it’s now December 31). The closer your birthday was to January 2, the
better. Why? Well, let’s say you were playing in the Bantam category, which
is for children aged 13 – 14. If your birthday was in December, you were
going to get two years of play at this level. You were going to turn fifteen and
have to move immediately into the next category, Midget (which is for kids
aged 15 – 16). If your birthday was January 2, however, you’d get an entire
additional year to play in Bantam (and every other age group) because when
the ages were checked on January 1, you were still fourteen years old.
An extra year of play against players younger than you is a huge
advantage. Your body becomes bigger, stronger, and faster every day, giving
you an opportunity to truly stand out from your birthday-handicapped peers.
This extra developmental time predisposes you for selection onto more elite
teams, which in turn leads to more ice time and better coaching, which
advances your abilities even further.
Sociologists call this phenomenon an “accumulative advantage.” For the
elite Canadian junior hockey leagues, the result of this advantage was that for
many years, the distribution of birth dates for the top performing kids was
heavily weighted toward “first-quarter” babies—kids born between January
and March.
Whether we’re talking birthdays in sports, or the fact that Bill Gates just
happened to go to a high school that housed one of the most advanced
computers of the time—a computer that most colleges didn’t even have—we
can easily see that being in the right place (physical, educational, societal, or
otherwise) at the right time can influence our destinies as much as anything
else.
Now, that doesn’t mean our fates are written in the stars. We can wholly
control our dedication to thousands of hours of study, training and work. And
grasping opportunities is equally controllable. Sure, we may not be built for
the NFL or Kentucky Derby, but we’re surrounded by opportunities every
day, everywhere we go. There is no shortage of problems to be solved, needs
and desires to be fulfilled, and innovative ways to help others.
But there’s a catch. Most opportunities never announce themselves with
trumpets and confetti. They’re easily missed, mistaken, or squandered. They
can be scary. And they never come with a 110% money-back guarantee.
They’re often nothing more than chances to improve on something other
people are already doing.
Opportunities are whispers, not foghorns.
If we can’t hear their soft rhythms—if we are too busy rushing about,
waiting for thunderclaps of revelation, inspiration, and certainty—or if we
can spot them but can’t nurture them into real advantages, then we might as
well be blind to them.
This realization points us to the real heart and mystery of greatness. Just
knowing that great achievers work very hard and take advantage of
opportunities isn’t enough. Why do some people recognize, appreciate, and
pursue opportunities with passion and determination, whereas others don’t?
Why are some people willing to push through hell and high water to win,
whereas others quit early and easily? Are there practical answers to these
questions, or are they unsolvable enigmas of human psychology?
Well, I believe there are very practical answers to what makes a genius
tick. I believe there are principles that we can isolate and use to better our
own lives. I believe that genius is a path that we can all take and derive much
benefit, happiness, fulfillment, and success from...not a genetic windfall or
divine gift. Ultimately, this is the path to greatness.
Not sure if you buy into that? Well, I wouldn’t either if I didn’t know
about Dr. Alfred Barrios.
---
 Psychologist Dr. Alfred Barrios conducted research on the nature of
genius in the seventies. He set out to answer the same basic question I posed
just a page ago: why do some people rise to greatness whereas others don’t?
To look for an answer, he decided to analyze the lives of many of history’s
greatest geniuses. Were there patterns of circumstances, events, behaviors,
attitudes, or ideas that could account for their success? Did the chronicles of
their lives collectively hold the secrets to their greatness? He was going to
find out.
He first noted and categorized a long list of factors outside of the
geniuses’ control. Things like lineage, birthright, geography, genetics,
education, familial ties, upbringing, and unexpected windfalls. The more data
he accumulated and analyzed along this line, however, the more it looked like
a dead end. The backgrounds of our species’ greatest thinkers and achievers
appeared infinitely varied. If there were patterns among the data, he couldn’t
see them.
Barrios was undeterred and continued to study. Eventually, a different
kind of common denominator emerged, one that he found within each of the
people he studied. Barrios discovered that his subjects had each developed
and routinely displayed a combination of very specific characteristics
throughout their lives, and not just mildly but conspicuously.
This character-driven idea fascinated Barrios. It suggested that genius is
much more than high intelligence, innate talent, extraordinary work ethic, or
uncanny luck, but rather a composite manifestation; a synthesis of very
specific types of worldviews and behaviors. The more he looked at data
through this lens, the more things started to make sense.
Barrios then wondered if anyone could operate at a genius level—and
achieve genius-level greatness—simply by learning and adopting the same
educated views and disciplined behaviors that so repeatedly characterized
history’s greatest achievers.
By the end of his research, Barrios had pieced together his “genius
code”—a profound insight into what really spawns greatness. He also
concluded that we could all indeed use his genius code as a roadmap to walk
in the footsteps of history’s brightest and boldest, thereby learning to operate
at a genius level.
An attractive concept, no doubt, but is it true?
 In this book, we will delve into a single characteristic of Barrios’ code:
drive. We will look at how it defined one of history’s greatest military
geniuses, Alexander the Great, and how we can further develop it in
ourselves.
My proclamation is that while Barrios’ research may not be the end-all on
the subject, it certainly illuminates the path to greatness via a unique,
accessible, and practical decoding of genius.
This immediately involves us in a bigger picture question, too—one that’s
deeply penetrating and personal: why do we desire to heighten our genius and
pursue the path of greatness?
We all face a fundamental choice in our lives. Do we take the path
prescribed by our “now you’re supposed to” society, or do we take our own
path to toward the life we feel we ought to be living? Do we choose our life’s
work based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s list of highest-paying jobs, or
do we follow our bliss? Do we heed the call to conformity, or the call to
adventure?
Every day we see how people have answered these questions, whether
consciously or otherwise. We’re constantly confronted with the lazy, the
apathetic, the immoral, the indifferent, the irresponsible, and the disconnected
—the signs of a decaying culture.
“What does it all mean?” many wonder while chasing purposes they’re
told are worthwhile, but which feel empty. “What is the purpose of this life?”
humans have wondered for millennia, contemplating how insignificant we
are in the great cosmic symphony.
Well, as the preeminent mythologist Joseph Campbell said, deep down
inside, we don’t seek the meaning of life, but the experience of being alive.
And that’s what the nature of genius is ultimately about.
It’s about how we can empower ourselves to bring true meaning to our
lives and the lives of others in ways most people would consider impossible.
It’s about rising above a life of, as Thoreau said, “quiet desperation” that ends
with our songs still in our hearts, and experience the rapture of truly living.
It’s about saying yes to our adventures.
We rely on geniuses to entertain us, educate us, lead us, and show us all
what our species is capable of. We rely on geniuses to give us smart phones,
electric cars, cures for diseases, social networking sites, sublime art, world-
class food, and, indeed, the very fabric of our culture.
If you’ve ever dreamed of playing a hand in the development of
humankind, or if you just have a burning desire to improve one small aspect
of it, then you have an adventure waiting.
Will you take it?
This book is your invitation.
Drive and the Macedonian Who Conquered
the World
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do
it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
-Howard Thurman

Any great adventure involves trials and tribulations that transform the hero
into something greater than she was when she began it.
It’s been seven years since J.K. Rowling graduated from university. She
sees herself as the biggest failure she knows: she is recently divorced after
only a year of marriage, jobless, and living off social security with a young
daughter to support. She’s diagnosed with depression and even considers
killing herself. She has something, though—an unfinished manuscript of a
story that occurred to her while riding a train several years ago. She walks her
baby each day to lull her asleep and then settles into various cafes around
Edinburgh, Scotland to hammer away on a manual typewriter, writing and re-
writing chapters. She finishes Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in
1995, which 12 publishing houses reject before Bloomsbury picks it up.
She’s paid an advance of £1,500 and told by her editor to get a day job
because she has little chance of making money with children’s books. The
height of her ambition is for the book to just get reviewed, but within five
months of its publication, she wins her first book award. Her story is already
being compared to the vaunted work of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Rowling is in shock. This is it, she realizes. This is her chance to shed the
grief of her past and create a beautiful new future. Five years later, she
releases the fourth book in the series, which sells over 370,000 copies on the
first day. Today, the books are the #1 best-selling series of all time with over
400 million copies sold worldwide. For the first time in her life, Rowling
doesn’t have to worry if she’ll have enough money to make it through the
week, and she summarizes her journey of transcendence thus: “We do not
need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside
ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.”
Jesus travels through the Judean desert without food for 40 days and
nights. The Devil plans on leading him astray in his mission, and appears in
disguise with an offer of stones that Jesus can change to bread and eat. Jesus
refuses to use his powers for selfish purposes. But the Devil has another trick
ready. He leads Jesus to a great temple atop a summit overlooking Jerusalem
and challenges him to test God by jumping off the peak to be caught by
angels. Jesus sees no reason to prove himself, and declines. In desperation,
the Devil takes Jesus to the pinnacle of a soaring mountain and shows him
the world. “All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me,”
he says. Jesus has had enough and finally dismisses Satan as a false god.
Only then is he joined by angels and allowed to continue toward the final
establishment of his divinity.
Some people like to think that geniuses are so inherently extraordinary
that they navigate their journeys with clairvoyant ease. This simply isn’t true.
Greatness does not come lightly. It requires that you make sacrifices of time,
interests, and—sometimes—possessions. The further you move toward
greatness, the more greatness demands from you.
In whatever form your adventure takes, there will be obstacles to
overcome. Your dedication to your cause will be tested. Your wits will be
forced to their limits. People will try to exploit your weaknesses and negate
your strengths. The journey toward greatness is not for the meek.
But all barriers yield to one mythical quality: drive. The will to persist and
overcome. To never give up. To never accept defeat.
Writer and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard said that “there’s no excuse for
any failure that ever occurred any place in history, except this: There was just
not quite enough carry-through and push-through.” The annals of history
offer many examples of this sentiment in action. However, there is perhaps
no finer example of one person’s capacity to persevere and prevail than the
greatest military commander of all time, a man who accomplished in four
years what his ancestors failed to accomplish in the centuries prior, and what
nobody has matched since.
---

When Alexander III of Macedon was ten years old, his father, King Philip
II, saw him tame a fierce horse and thus prophesied that the kingdom of
Macedon was too small for his ambitions. The king wouldn’t live to see it,
but his prediction would prove to be an understatement.
Alexander was only 16 when Philip led a military invasion into the
neighboring lands of Thrace, relinquishing to him the power to rule all of
Macedonia, the most powerful kingdom in ancient Greece. Macedonian
dominance was new and precarious, however, and dissent mounted in the
recently conquered lands.
With Philip and a large portion of the Macedonian army absent, a
Thracian tribe saw an opportunity to start a revolt against their rulers. Their
underestimation of the young Alexander, however, proved great and fatal
when he quickly marshaled an army, marched them into battle against the
rebels, crushed the resistance, and renamed their city to Alexandropolis.
Impressed with his son’s achievement, Philip employed his teenage son’s
military prowess further by dispatching him to deal with other Thracian and
Greek revolts. One by one, Alexander broke the mutinies and subdued the
dissidents. He even saved his father’s life in a battle against the Greek city of
Perinthus, and repelled an invasion by the nearby kingdom of Illyria. Upon
this momentum, Philip, Alexander, and their armies continued to march
through Greece to cement Macedonian rule, taking city after city. Those that
surrendered were spared bloodshed. Those that resisted fell to the
Macedonian sword.
The last bastion of Greek resistance was the powerful city of Thebes,
which had allied with Athens against Macedonia. The powerhouses collided
in the village of Chaeronea, with Philip commanding the right wing of the
army and Alexander the left. A protracted, ferocious battle ensued. Alexander
faced the fearsome brotherhood of 300 elite warriors known as the Sacred
Band of Thebes. Through ingenious infantry and cavalry maneuvering,
Alexander secured an advantageous position and launched a charge that
broke the Theban line. The Sacred Band held their ground until all 300 had
fallen.
Alexander’s military feats were so tremendous that rumors began to
spread that he, now only 18, was in fact a descendant of Achilles or possibly
the son of Zeus. The rumors were steeped in prophecy; Alexander would rise
to incredible power. Two years later, he would take the next step in fulfilling
the myth that was quickly forming around him.
In 336 BC, while attending the wedding of his daughter, Philip was
assassinated by the captain of his bodyguards, Pausanias. The regicide’s
motive is unknown as he was chased down and killed on the spot, but
whispers pointed to Alexander’s mother, Olympias, and possibly Alexander
himself as the instigators. Olympias desired revenge for Philip’s divorce and
glory for her son by taking the throne and surpassing his father’s
accomplishments. Alexander wasn’t wanting of a motive either; he was bitter
after being exiled for two years over a filial feud regarding Philip’s desire to
produce a full-blooded Macedonian heir with his new wife.
Involved or not in his father’s assassination, Alexander was proclaimed
king by the nobles and army at age 20. News of Philip’s death caused an
outbreak of revolts in Thebes, Athens, Thessaly, and the Thracian tribes to
the north of Macedon. Alexander would have to act quickly and decisively as
the new king, or his sovereignty would collapse before his crown could even
settle.
He began by eliminating any potential rivals to his throne, including his
cousin and two other Macedonian princes. And he executed his late father’s
trusted general Attalus, who was secretly being courted by Athens to wage
war against the young king. Olympias also moved to protect Alexander’s
regency by having her two daughters by Philip burned alive—a barbarism
that infuriated Alexander.
Once the home front threats were neutralized, Alexander turned his
attention to the intrigues of his Greek neighbors. Advisers urged Alexander to
deal with the rebellious cities diplomatically, but he had no interest in
delicate, protracted negotiations. He mustered the entire Macedonian cavalry
—a formidable force of over 3,000 experienced warriors—and rode south
toward Thessaly. He ambushed a large Thessalian army while en route, and
added to his forces.
Before Alexander reached Corinth, the Greek and Thracian insurgents
reconsidered their position. Fearing the wrath of the fierce young king, they
backed down and declared Alexander the leader of the “Hellenic Alliance”—
a league formed by his father. Alexander pardoned the rebels, and announced
that he would continue his father’s plans for the conquest of Persia.
His stated motives were uncharacteristic of his position, however; they
were greater than mere vengeance and imperialism. Alexander’s purpose was
to “combine barbarian things with things Hellenic, to traverse and civilize
every continent, to search out the uttermost parts of land and sea, to push the
bounds of Macedonia to the farthest Ocean, and to disseminate and shower
the blessings of the Hellenic justice and peace over every nation.” Such
altruism seems ironic when you consider his hawkish plans. Was it empty
rhetoric used to raise an army with which he could smash, usurp, and
dominate, or would Alexander act in accordance with his professed intentions
to unite and uplift the known world? What really drove him? We shall see.
Before Alexander could begin his Persian campaigns, however, Thracian
tribes again revolted against his rule. He immediately gathered his army and
advanced east into Thrace to quell the insurrections. The Thracians planned
to ambush Alexander in a narrow mountain pass near the Thracian and
Macedonian border, but he out-maneuvered the garrison and defeated it,
gaining entry to the lands. Alexander then caught a tribe of barbarians lurking
in his rear, and led an attack. The Thracians lost over 3,000 men in the battle,
and Alexander lost less than 50.
The Macedonians continued on to the shores of the Danube, and faced off
with 15,000 warriors of the Thracian Gatae tribe. Alexander knew that his
enemies expected him to use boats to ferry his men over in waves, so instead,
he organized a mass crossing of the river in the middle of the night using
dugouts and other improvised rafts and floating devices. 1,500 cavalry and
4,000 troops swam nearly 1,000 feet through the powerful Danubian currents,
and upon a surprise attack at sunrise, the Gatae soldiers disbanded and fled.
Nearby tribes heard of Alexander’s bold deeds and sent ambassadors to ask
for the young king’s friendship, which was gladly granted. The Thracian
revolts were hushed.
Alexander’s drive would be challenged next by an Illyrian revolt that
threatened to cut off his passage back into Macedon. If Alexander’s return to
Greece was delayed for too long, his kingdom was vulnerable to another
Athenian and Theban uprising, who were reported to be amassing forces.
The Illyrians held the pass of Pelium, and its nearby fortress, which was
the only way back into Macedonia. The Macedonians bore down on the city
but were repelled. Precious time was lost and, to make matters worse, King
Glaukias of the Taulanti tribe marched in a massive army to reinforce the
Illyrians. They spread out amongst the hills and forests surrounding the gap,
ready to cut off any advance through the pass or retreat back into Illyria.
Alexander was in dire straits: supplies and rations were scant; his enemies
outnumbered him many times and held superior, fortified positions; and the
Greek insurgency swelled in his absence. He couldn’t retreat or wait for
reinforcements—he had to take Pelium, and fast.
What Alexander did next was a brilliant display of his resourcefulness and
cunning—two characteristics that flourish through extraordinary drive. Just
as nothing produces paralyzing apathy like doubt and resignation, nothing
produces cleverness like staring down a crisis with a lionhearted snarl.
Alexander marched a sizable portion of his army into plain sight in the
fields in front of Pelium, surrounded by the enemy, and began a rehearsed
military drill that his men had perfected. The Macedonian phalanx paraded in
perfect synchrony, as if going through a rigorous inspection by their generals.
The Illyrians looked on in bewilderment, wondering what their enemy was
doing and how they should respond. Their amazement at the procession led to
careless formations on Alexander’s left flank. This was the opportunity he
was looking for. He suddenly called for his infantry to aggressively charge
the weakened ground, and the barbarians quickly realized their mistake and
fled the hills. Simultaneously, Alexander led a cavalry charge to the hills on
his right flank, which was also surrendered by Glaukias’ men.
The dispersion of the enemy forces allowed Alexander to secure the
entirety of the surround hills, winning him a place of safety. Before he could
return to Macedonia, however, he needed to take the city to guard against any
future Illyrian attempts at invasion through the pass.
Three days later, Alexander’s scouts reported that Cleitus and Glaukias
had become careless in their position in front of Pelium, and were vulnerable
to attack. That night, Alexander led a body of infantry and archers to the
flank of the barbarians’ camp, and launched an assault. The Illyrians were
caught by surprise, with many still in their beds. The resulting slaughter led
to a quick rout. Pelium was again under Macedonian control, and the
defeated Illyrian kings accepted Alexander’s terms and swore fealty to the
fearsome commander.
Alexander’s ingenuity at Pelium offers another insight into the special
nature of his drive, something that is often summarized as impatience but is
actually quite more than that. Some historians criticize the young king’s ruse
as reckless and its success as lucky. But, as you’ll see in the baffling
successes of his later campaigns, Alexander was either the luckiest man in
history, or there was some other force at work. I believe the latter, but what
might that force be? His actions at Pelium offer an answer.
 Alexander’s position was desperate. His officers suggested retreat.
Reinforcements could be sent, they said, but Alexander would hear nothing
of it. Not only were their rations insufficient for it, it’s very likely that his
kingdom would fall to Athens and Thebes while they waited. No, he had to
have Pelium, and quicker than any of his men believed was possible. But
Alexander felt otherwise. While his men saw an impenetrable citadel, he saw
frail bowling pins ready to be smashed by the right roll of his mighty forces.
Behind Alexander’s “impatience” was an incredible impetus and sense of
forward motion that made nothing of anything or anyone that dared get in his
way. He rarely paused because, frankly, nothing was intimidating enough to
really give him pause. In analyzing the drive of men and women of
Alexander’s caliber, you find in every case a downright heroic concentration
of confidence and flippancy that inspires others to believe that they, too, can
do the impossible.
Within a few days of taking the pass, Alexander learned that the Persians
were spreading money amongst the anti-Macedonian Greeks to encourage
revolution, and that a rumor had spread that the Illyrians killed him. These
influences spurred the Thebans to throw out Macedonian garrisons, declare
independence from Alexander’s rule, and recruit several other city-states to
do the same.
Enraged, Alexander marched an army of over 30,000 men 300 miles south
to Thebes at a breakneck pace, arriving in only two weeks. The sudden
emergence of Alexander and his formidable army stunned the Theban allies,
causing them to withdraw their support for the rebellion, leaving Thebes to
stand alone against Alexander. Alexander camped north of the city and
waited, giving the Thebans the chance to send an embassy and ask for
pardon. The Theban generals responded by sending out a force of infantry
and cavalry to attack Alexander’s outposts, which was repelled.
Nevertheless, Alexander remained patient with the Thebans. He demanded
the ringleaders of the resistance, and promised no harm to any others that
surrendered. Theban leaders refused the demand despite the fact that the bulk
of the citizens favored giving in.
Theban soldiers built fortifications outside of the city to prepare for the
upcoming battle, and Alexander made plans for an invasion. He still refused
to act, however, wishing to save the glorious city and prevent loss of his
ranks. The delay was brought to an end not by Alexander, but by his general
Perdiccas, who seized an opportunity to siege the city and break through the
city wall. The breach was successful, and Alexander ordered thousands of his
soldiers to reinforce the attack.
Thebes’ warriors fought bravely, but their defenses fell and the city was
overrun. Boetians, Phoeians, and Plataeans—fighting within Alexander’s
ranks–slaughtered thousands of Thebans, including women and children, out
of revenge for years of Theban oppression. 30,000 survivors were captured
and sold into slavery, and the city was razed to the ground.
The force and cruelty with which Alexander smashed the Theban rebellion
sent shock waves throughout all of Greece. Athens wouldn’t dare risk his
wrath and immediately withdrew troops they had sent to fight with their now-
vanquished allies. Sparta was amazed to see the powerful city, which had
conquered them at Lenetra, shattered to pieces as if by the gods themselves.
Athens and its allies again asked the king’s forgiveness, which Alexander
again granted. What happened at Thebes served as a warning, while at the
same time a call for peace. Alexander had no desire to inflict any more
suffering on his people.
In one year, Alexander secured himself against the barbarians of the north
and subdued all of Greece. But that was only an overture to what was to be
his life’s work and ambition: Persia, the land of Xerxes, of Darius, of Cyrus
—a land of untold resources and wealth, and full of brave men. The
conquering and integration of Persia represented the truest test of his
ambition for greatness, an adventure that would rival the exploits of his idol,
Achilles, as well as transform the course of human history forever.
Invading Persia promised to be the most formidable of undertakings,
challenging Alexander’s genius and drive in every way. And yet, despite
Persia’s impressive wealth and might, the great kingdom had a key weakness:
it was a disjointed mass 30 times the size of Macedonia’s territories,
comprised of many independent regions ruled by local governors. Many of
these “satraps” were dissatisfied with the sovereign and with each other.
Alexander knew this and counted on their discord to mean lax, uncoordinated
defenses.
But Alexander wasn’t one to take things for granted. His obsessive
attention to detail and uncompromising work ethic drove him to spend the
coming winter months relentlessly working to assemble his army, equip his
ships, and devise a plan for the largest attack ever attempted by a man. In this
we glimpse another chromosome of the DNA of drive. Alexander’s
adamantine will and belief in himself stemmed from the fact that he was
willing to out-plan, out-work, and outlast anyone. He didn’t chase dubious
shortcuts, and in some cases, purposely avoided them just to experience the
glory of overcoming a great challenge. He didn’t beg for the favor of the
gods; he strove to overawe them.
Alexander’s thorough preparations accounted for what would be a long
absence from his home kingdom. He appointed his trusted general Antipater
as regent and left him with a sizable army to maintain the peace. He even
gave away all of his personal possessions to be sold to help cover the
tremendous costs of his ambitions, leaving himself, as he laughingly said,
only with his hopes. Many of the rich men that served in his elite Companion
cavalry unit were inspired to do the same. Regardless, Alexander had to
borrow a sizable sum to fully ready his military.
In 335 BC, at 22 years of age, Alexander crossed the Hellespont strait into
Asia Minor with over 35,000 Macedonian, Greek, and Thracian troops, a
fleet of 120 ships with crews numbering nearly 40,000, and only a month’s
worth of supplies. Once his ship reached the coast of Asia Minor, Alexander
threw a spear into the ground, stepped ashore, and declared that he would
accept the whole of Asia as a gift from the gods.
Darius, the Persian king, ignored the crossing, unafraid of an army that his
military outnumbered by many times. Consequently, the Macedonians moved
through Asia Minor with little resistance, liberating several Greek towns from
Persian rule. Darius still refused to take Alexander seriously despite these
affronts against his empire and the warnings of his experienced generals that
the young Macedonian was not to be underestimated.
Memnon, a competent general favored by Darius, knew that Alexander’s
provisions and funds were scant, and recommended a “scorched earth”
strategy wherein the satrapies that lay before Alexander would be burned to
the ground, denying him forage and resources. Persian officers wouldn’t hear
of it, however, and resolved to meet the Macedonian king in pitched battle.
An army of 20,000 cavalry and an equal number of Greek mercenaries was
assembled to drive back Alexander and his invaders.
Alerted by his scouts that the Persian forces were in his vicinity,
Alexander forged ahead to the Grancius River. As the Macedonians
approached the shore, the sun was setting and the Persian army could be seen
in the plains on the horizon. Parmenio, Alexander’s chief general, advised
that the army camp for the night and persuade the enemy to do the same.
Alexander had other plans, though. He preferred the morale-boosting
effect of a bold offensive, and didn’t want the Persians to think that he would
pause even for an instant at such a pitiful barrier, which may bolster their
confidence to repel his advance.
Instead, he ordered his scouts to survey the Persian lines and report their
findings. As he had suspected, the disposition of the Persian troops was
faulty, and he was determined to force a fight at once. Alexander’s
commanders moved the Macedonian armies into position, and there was a
moment of profound silence as they faced their neighbors across the river.
Then, a Macedonian bugle sounded, followed by a deafening war cry, and
spear-wielding infantry began to cross. The Persians rained javelins down
upon them, and dispatched cavalry to drive them back.
A furious fight ensued. Alexander slew several notable Persians, including
Darius’ son- and brother-in-law. The latter almost took Alexander’s life,
slicing part of his helmet off before falling to his spear. This heroic charge
enabled the entire right wing of the Macedonian army to cross the river and
press the attack. The full might of Alexander’s cavalry fell upon the Persians
and broke their lines, but the Persians still had their Greek mercenaries,
which had been merely spectators to the slaughter thus far. They would prove
no match for the Macedonians. Over 18,000 were cut to pieces, and the
remaining 2,000 were captured.
When the fighting finally stopped, the Persians had lost over 1,000
horsemen, many nobles, and 18,000 Greek mercenaries. Alexander lost less
than 200 men.
Although the road to the heart of Persia was now open, it couldn’t be
taken until Alexander had the coastal cities under his control to protect his
rear and flanks from the formidable Persian navy. All of the important coastal
cities were Greek, and many welcomed Alexander with open arms. In each
case, he threw out the Persian tyrants, established a democratic form of
government, began some type of public improvement in commemoration of
their freedom from the Persian yoke, and granted the inhabitants ancient
privileges that had been denied to them for the last two hundred years of
foreign rule.
Several cities that had been granted exceptional privileges by Darius
resisted Alexander, but one by one, they fell to his superior tactics. As he
conquered each, he continued his strategy of befriending the Greeks,
pardoning surviving citizens, and granting the cities autonomy and freedom.
There was no plundering to help pay for the campaign, as was customary in
wartimes, only the collection of reasonable taxes to fund his war chest.
With the coast of Asia Minor now under his control, Alexander had
effectively nullified Persia’s most powerful military asset: its world-
renowned navy. He was now prepared to move into the interior of the Persian
Empire. But winter was approaching, and Alexander’s men needed to rest
and heal. So he granted a leave of absence to a considerable number of his
newly married soldiers to be with their wives until spring, when they would
move to bring down the entire Persian empire.
Alexander himself, however, would not rest. His unremitting drive
wouldn’t allow it. So he gathered a body of troops and set out to close any
remaining ports on the mainland and further starve out the Persian navy. Over
the next several months, he and his men marched through bitter weather and
conquered all of western Asia minor—nearly 40 towns were subdued, with
most surrendering without contest, knowing that they would be treated
liberally by the conqueror. Those that rebuked his offer of a peaceful
surrender, no matter how well fortified, fell.
When spring of the next year came, the wounded warriors had healed and
the soldiers on leave returned, many bringing new recruits. It was time for
Alexander to drive his spear through the heart of Persia, fulfilling his
ambition to conquer and civilize the known world.
Darius believed that the defeats of his generals in Asia Minor were mere
accidents and misfortunes. The territory lost was a sliver on the fringe of his
vast empire, and while he didn’t comprehend the significance of Alexander’s
progress, he did comprehend that Memnon’s early advice should’ve been
followed. He put the Greek rogue in supreme command of the Persian
military with the orders to crush the Macedonian invader.
Memnon, an incredibly intelligent and able general, and probably the only
man in the service of Darius who could pose a threat to Alexander, set plans
in motion to bring the war to Macedonia and instigate a revolt amongst
Alexander’s enemies in Greece. To do this, he would muster a large fleet of
warships and soldiers to take islands near Macedonian shores and use them as
bases from which to launch an invasion. But, as fate would have it, Memnon
died of fever after only the first successful siege of the island of Chios, and
his successor was by no means up to the task he inherited. Alexander’s good
fortune shone once again.
Alexander reunited with the main body of his army at the city of Gordium,
which contained the famous Gordian Knot. Legends held that the intricate
knot was tied by King Midas, and the man who unraveled it would go on to
become king of all of Asia. How Alexander solved the knot is disputed.
According to certain historians, he thoughtfully disassembled the looped
mass. According others, he promptly drew his sword, slashed the rope, and
unraveled it. Either way, he made his intentions clear, which offers us another
chance to understand the effectiveness of his uncanny drive.
Whether sieging an “impregnable” city, facing an “invincible” army, or
solving an “impossible” knot, Alexander refused to believe he couldn’t
succeed. He was driven to win by any means necessary, and he rarely played
by the “rules.” One of his hallmarks was, through diligent analysis and
planning, devising radically new strategies and tactics that his enemies had
no preconceived defenses for. Sometimes circumstances called for a carefully
orchestrated gambit, as you saw in Pelium. As you’ll see in one of his
greatest military victories, however, the most unexpected move is sometimes
a direct assault so audacious that nobody would dare attempt it. Nobody but
Alexander, that is.
The Macedonian forces moved on toward their goal, taking minor cities as
they went and leaving garrisons to consolidate their position. They met little
resistance as the moved deeper into the Persian lands, but finally, in 333 BC,
Alexander met the full power of the Persian king at the city of Issus. Darius
commanded the forces in person upon the advice of his courtiers and
generals.
Macedonian scouts estimated the Persian army at no less than 200,000
men and possibly as many as 500,000. Alexander had just over 40,000
soldiers. He called his Companions and other commanding officers to
ascertain their views about the proximity and enormity of the enemy’s forces.
They were eager to follow him into battle, and plans were outlined of where
and how to stage the confrontation.
Darius and his hordes were expected to wait in nearby plains where his
numbers could engulf and swallow the smaller Macedonian army. Instead,
however, Darius impatiently marched his massive army to Alexander’s rear,
choosing a much narrower theater of engagement, as the flatlands in front of
Issus were bound by the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other.
When the Macedonians learned that they wouldn’t face the Persians in
three days as anticipated but rather the next day, disconcert spread amongst
their ranks. Alexander was himself startled at the maneuver, but he
emboldened his men by delivering an impassioned speech:
“Our enemies are Medes and Persians, men who for centuries have lived
soft and luxurious lives,” he bellowed. “We of Macedon for generations past
have been trained in the hard school of danger and war. Above all, we are
free men, and they are slaves. There are Greek troops, to be sure, in Persian
service—but how different is their cause from ours!
“They will be fighting for pay—and not much of at that. We, on the
contrary, shall fight for Greece, and our hearts will be in it. As for our foreign
troops—Thracians, Paeonians, Illyrians, Agrianes—they are the best and
stoutest soldiers in Europe, and they will find as their opponents the slackest
and softest of the tribes of Asia. And what, finally, of the two men in
supreme command? You have Alexander, they...Darius!”
The next morning, both armies faced off, looking for an opportunity to
strike the first blow. Through skillful reconnaissance and positioning,
Alexander gained an advantage on his right flank and launched the first
successful attack on the Persian lines.
As the two commanders manipulated their armies into the battle, it was
Alexander who systematically gained ground and position first, namely on
the Persian left. At the same time, however, the Greek mercenaries under
Darius’ command attacked Alexander’s center phalanx with a dangerous
ferocity. The tide was turning against the Macedonian center, and the phalanx
was in grave danger.
As usual, however, Alexander came to the rescue. His wing had
completely driven back the Persian left and thus was free to rush to his
center’s aid. Alexander and his cavalry and brigades tore into the Greek’s
flank and relieved the center, which reformed and thereafter held its own
against the aggressors. Meanwhile, a veritable avalanche of Persian cavalry
poured forth and imperiled Alexander’s left flank. Despite being
outnumbered and all but crushed, Alexander’s Thessalian riders bravely
stood their ground, rallying and returning again and again to the charge.
 Darius, as was customary with Persian kings, occupied the absolute center
position in a gleaming chariot, surrounded by his top officers and family.
Having secured his own center and cut a path through the Persian line,
Alexander headed straight for Darius and his nobles. Within minutes, the
Companions came down upon Darius’ royal guard with a godlike fury and
slaughtered his men wholesale. When Darius saw that his left flank had
collapsed and that his life was in danger, he chose to flee the battle, signaling
defeat.
Persian cries of the king’s flight crushed morale, and soon the entire army
was fleeing for the hills. Vast numbers of Persians were slain by the end of
the conflict, stated at over 100,000 including many generals. Darius even
abandoned his wife, mother in law, and son. The Macedonian loss was 450
men.
After the victory at Issus, Alexander moved south into Phoenicia to secure
its important coastal cities and neutralize all opposition as far as Egypt. He
met little resistance as he moved from city to city, offering, as always,
amenable terms for surrender.
While in Syria, he received a letter from Darius, in which he asked for his
family back and proposed a friendship and alliance. To this letter, Alexander
responded by reciting the injuries of Persia to Greece, the beginning of
hostilities by Darius, and the instigation of his father’s murder by the Persian
court. He ended his letter in no uncertain terms:
“I am lord of Asia. Come to me, and you shall receive all that you can ask.
But if you deny my right as your lord, stand and fight for your kingdom. I
will seek you wherever you are.”
Alexander’s dauntless drive would next meet a much more formidable foe,
however—one that would strain his resourcefulness to its limits.
Tyre remained as the last city of importance to take in Phoenicia, which
was not only the chief naval station of the region but of the world. Once it
was secured, Alexander could safely continue south into Egypt and Babylon.
Tyrian ambassadors met with Alexander and offered submission and their
fleet, but with the stipulation that he would not be allowed to enter the city.
The Tyrian officials wanted to retain their independence in case Persia won,
an unacceptable condition to Alexander. So the city shut its gates and
prepared their defenses.
 Alexander and his officers agreed that Tyre must be taken. But the
question was how? The city was situated on an island two miles long, less
wide, and separated from the coast by a channel a half-mile wide and some
eighteen feet. High, sturdy walls surrounded it, and housed 30,000 men fit for
battle, machines to resist a siege, and a number of warships.
The Macedonian generals thought their task impossible, to which
Alexander replied, “There is nothing impossible to him who will try.” As he
had no ships, Alexander made up his mind to build a highway of stone, earth,
and wood across the channel, two hundred feet wide.
Laborers were procured from every part of the neighboring country, and
the highway progressed rapidly. As they approached the deeper waters,
however, they came within missile range of the city, and the Tyrians were
waiting. They attacked Alexander’s mole day and night from the walls with
archers, ballistae, catapults, and other siege weapons, and from the sea with
ships loaded with similar weapons. Alexander responded by building
fortifications to protect his workers, and two large towers to lead the
construction, manned with archers and siege engines of his own to keep the
Tyrian ships at a distance.
Under this cover, the work progressed again. The Tyrians mounted a
devastating counter-attack, however. They waited for a day when the winds
were blowing directly into the highway, and loaded an old ship with a
massive store of flammable material and hung cauldrons of combustible
substances off the yard-arms and booms. They towed the fire ship to the
Macedonians, set it ablaze, and smashed it into the towers, fortifications, and
siege engines, engulfing everything in flames.
The strong winds fanned the fires, which proved too violent to be
extinguished. The towers and breastworks were lost, and the end of the
highway was cracked and weakened, and was being washed away by the
waves. The work of months and multitudes had been destroyed in a short
hour.
Several of Alexander’s officers suggested that they offer a treaty with
Tyre, but he was convinced that he couldn’t move further into Persia so long
as their navy could ferry troops into Tyre and thus gain access to his rear. No,
Alexander said, Tyre must fall, and he already had plans to overcome the
setback. They would construct a wider highway in a better position; it would
support more than two towers, which would shield his workers and soldiers
from the city’s defenses. And they would deploy warships of their own.
“Warships?” his officers asked. They had no ships. Not yet, at least.
After work began on the new highway, Alexander mustered a small army
and marched to nearby cities that he didn’t control. He quickly received their
surrender and formed a fleet of 80 ships, which were outfitted with siege
engines. When his fleet was ready and highway completed, he set sail for
Tyre to launch his attack.
The siege proved tremendously difficult for the Macedonians. Under
constant attack from the Tryian engines, they fought bitterly to secure
positions from which they could work to reduce the walls of the city. This
effort proved almost impossible, however. Alexander’s siege weapons, which
were on ground thanks to the highway, and on mounted on ships, could make
no impression on the city walls, which were widely renowned as the sturdiest
in the world.
After long efforts and trials on every part of the city, the floating engines
finally found what they were looking for: a section of wall that was of weaker
masonry, as the Tyrians never expected siege engines to be mounted on ships
and sailed to their walls.
The Macedonians succeeded in breeching the wall, but the first storming
party was driven back by showers of missiles, fire-pots, and other devices.
Three days later, however, when the sea was calm, Alexander arrayed his
battering engines at the weakened position and ordered his vessels carrying
missile-throwing engines and archers to skirmish around the island so as to
confuse the garrisons. Once the siege engines crumbled a large section of the
wall, bridges were thrown down, and Macedonian infantry poured in.
Alexander led the second wave of soldiers into the city, and although the
Tyrians fought bravely, their men were no match for the highly skilled
Macedonians. The city was swarmed and taken. Alexander’s men wanted
vengeance for their brothers who had been captured, tortured, executed on
walls in full sight of the invaders, and tossed into the sea to prevent a proper
burial. Thousands of Tyrians were slaughtered.
Thus fell Tyre, after a seven-month siege, and Alexander’s reputation
grew in the lands to that of an invincible god.
While Alexander was besieging Tyre, he received a second letter from
Darius in which he offered a fantastic sum for the release of his family, his
daughter’s hand in marriage, and all the Persian territory west of the
Euphrates. “If I were Alexander, I would accept,” Parmenion told the king.
“So would I, if I were Parmenion,” he replied.
Alexander told Darius that the whole of Persia was his, that he would
marry his daughter if he so wished, with or without Darius’ consent, and that
he had no need for the money. He would keep Darius’ family hostage, albeit
nobly cared for, to further distress the Great King and to interfere with his
ability to defend his kingdom, or so Alexander hoped.
It’s interesting to note that a great drive often produces a pride that can, at
times, manifest as hubris. Darius wasn’t half the man that Alexander was, and
the Macedonian took offense at the mere implication that they were peers. No
great men or women, no matter how outwardly humble and gracious, are self-
deprecating, diffident, weaklings. They possess a rare concentration of
intelligence and ability, and they aren’t ashamed to make it known, even if
only by their actions. This self-confidence is often misinterpreted and
denounces as shameless self-love, implying that the only way to be
“acceptable” is to assume an air of tottering docility. The genius knows
better, though.
September 331 BC soon arrived and saw Alexander marching toward
Egypt. He reached the formidable city of Gaza, which refused to submit. Like
Tyre, Gaza presented imposing problems for the siege parties, namely the
height of the ground on which the city was built. But Alexander would
consider no difficulty whatsoever.
He conferred with his engineers and devised a plan to build a massive
mound around the city so that the siege engines could be rolled up to the
walls and set to work. The scheme worked: Alexander’s engines breached the
walls within two months. The first three raiding parties were driven back by
fierce Gazan warriors. The fourth broke through, however, opening the gates
of the city and bringing the destruction of the Gaza garrisons.
Alexander continued through the region, setting up a strong government in
Syria and Phoenicia, and headed for the country of the Nile. Egypt had no
bond whatsoever with its Persian masters. They were a peaceful folk, and the
arrival of a new conqueror mattered little to the population and rulers alike.
The Egyptians, who had lived under the Persian yoke for two centuries,
welcomed Alexander and his Macedonians with open arms. Alexander
returned to the Egyptians the freedom to exercise their religions and ancient
customs, gave them political autonomy, and arranged for the taxes to flow to
his coffers. At the mouth of the Nile, Alexander founded the city of
Alexandria-by-Egypt, which would later become a major economic and
cultural center in the Mediterranean world. Month by month, Alexander was
making good on his promise to use his sword and the swords of his brethren
to not just kill, but lift the known world to a new echelon of economic, social,
and academic prosperity.
After receiving reinforcements from Europe, Alexander reorganized his
forces and started for Babylon. He marched north up the Tigris River, deeper
into the bowels of the Persian territory, and founded cities as he went to
provide asylum for the wounded. Together, these cities formed a chain of
military posts that served to provide communications, and to build up a
knowledge of Hellenic culture throughout the country.
A year had passed since Darius’ embarrassing defeat at Issus, which he
spent amassing an unspeakably large army. Alexander’s men had captured
Persian scouts, who claimed that Darius’ army stood at a million soldiers to
Alexander’s 41,000. Anxiety gnawed at the Macedonians. No obstacle thus
far was insurmountable for Alexander, but a million men?
Alexander learned that Darius had positioned his hordes to intercept his
planned crossing of the Tigris, which would spell certain disaster for his
army. So the young king changed his point of crossing to well north of
Darius, and the army forded the river without opposition. After days of
marching, the Macedonians finally encountered the Persians at the plains of
Gaugamela. Darius’ army was a sight to behold: Infantry as far as the eye
could see. Rolling waves of cavalry numbering close to 100,000. Companies
of fearsome war elephants.
Alexander and his Companions conducted a careful survey of the enemy
and grounds. He was slow to fight, knowing that his only chance to succeed
against such odds was strategic and tactical perfection. General Parmenio
suggested a surprise night attack, but Alexander rejected it. He wanted to
defeat Darius in open battle and leave him with no excuse to use to rally
another army.
The armies squared off the following morning. The large, open field had
been leveled and cleared of obstacles to allow Darius’ masses maximum
mobility, which would be used to try to encircle the Macedonians. The
Macedonians were heavily out-flanked, but Alexander had anticipated this
and brilliantly arranged on each side of his army a “flying” column of highly
maneuverable troops, which could spread out and guard against outflanking
movements.
The battle began when a Persian chariot charged into Parmenio’s left flank
and center. Alexander countered by leading his Companions into battle on the
right.
Parmenio and the men of the left repelled the chariots. By contrast,
Alexander made headway into the overwhelming numbers that lay before
him. Darius tried to out-flank Alexander on both sides, but the protective
columns fanned out and held the edges admirably. Darius tried the maneuver
again, this time ordering his center cavalry to try, and edged his center
infantry in that direction too. Alexander’s exceptional ability to retain
complete battlefield awareness even while engaged in combat himself
detected the ploy and, consequently, the gap in the Persian front.
Alexander seized on the opportunity by rapidly forming a deep wedge of
infantry, headed it personally with his Companions, and drove it like a
battering ram into the Persian center. Darius was positioned just beyond
them.
The bravest Persians stood fast and contended the charge, but they were
no match for Alexander and his Companions and phalanx, which had never
yet found their match. The Macedonians hewed their way through the living
masses. Darius watched in horror as Alexander broke his center and angled
toward him. Instead of ordering reinforcements to retrieve what might have
been a temporary disadvantage, Darius turned and fled.
Despite Darius’ second cowardly retreat, his skilled and able generals
knew that the battle could still be won, and pressed on with ferocity.
Alexander’s bold move had opened a gap in his own lines, which allowed
Persian infantry and cavalry to pour in and envelope his left flank. This put
incredible strain on Parmenio’s lines, which were on the brink of being
fatally compromised.
Sensing the threat, Alexander wheeled his Companions and galloped to
Parmenio’s aid. Simultaneously, vast columns of Persian troops heard that
their king had abandoned them yet again. They melted into retreat,
completely dissolving the Persian center.
Despite the carnage on the left, which left 60 of Alexander’s elite
Companions dead, demoralization spread quickly amongst the Persian ranks.
Macedonian fervor rose in response, galvanizing them to regain their position
and drive back the enemy until their ranks collapsed completely. Alexander
wasn’t done, however—he immediately set out to pursue and capture Darius.
His men marched rapidly, covering 70 miles by the next day, but Darius kept
well ahead.
Although he would live to see another day, Darius lost between 40,000 –
90,000 men at Gaugamala as well as any hope of retaining his throne.
Alexander’s losses were just over 1,000 men. Word of the unthinkable
victory spread quickly. If a million men couldn’t stop Alexander and his
claim to Asia, what could?
This sentiment was the final, wheezing breaths of the Persian Empire,
which illustrates an important lesson in overcoming incredible odds. No
matter the journey, one will always face opposition, whether in the form of
competitors, enemies, meddlers, saboteurs, incompetents, and the like. The
simplest way to defeat them all is to accomplish what you set out to
accomplish. Don’t let them divert your efforts into undesirable directions.
Don’t let them convince you that compromises are advantageous or
necessary. Be like Alexander in your drive: show them just how dauntless
and incorrigible you really are, and just as the sprawling Persian Empire did,
with its millions of able-bodied men, they’ll lose their will to keep fighting
and accept your ascendance.
Alexander’s story isn’t complete, however. There is more we can learn
about drive—including its dangers—from his legendary exploits.
The wondrous wealth of the megalopolis Babylon and the treasure-laden
Susa, the next cities to capitulate to Alexander and welcome him as their
king, staggered even him. He used the riches to pay his troops handsomely.
He also sent a sum home to Antipater six-times the annual income of Athens
to put down a Spartan rebellion.
Alexander named Mazaeus, a Persian general who had fought bravely in
Gaugamala, viceroy of Babylon, and appointed several other ranking Persians
who had surrendered to other positions of political power. The military
control, however, would remain with Macedonian soldiers. This was another
stroke of Alexander’s genius, as it fostered allegiance and respect among the
conquered, and reinforced his standing offer to the remaining peoples that lie
ahead: accept me and live well, or oppose me and perish. “I have not come to
Asia to destroy nations,” he explained to the defectors. “I have come here that
those who are subdued by my arms shall have naught to complain of my
victories.”
The rugged Macedonians enjoyed a long rest and the many luxuries of
Babylon before preparing for their final journey to take Persepolis, the
primary capital of Persia, and thus the entire kingdom. To get there, however,
would require the traversal of several rivers and a mountain range
comparable to the Alps in size and altitude, which was occupied by hostile,
hardy tribes. And it was the winter. Nevertheless, the Macedonian legions set
out into the labyrinth of rocks, precipices, torrents, valleys, and passes at the
end of 331 BC.
The Uxian mountaineers maintained a fortress deep in the mountains and
controlled the lands. If Alexander was to pass, they said, he would have to
pay them tribute just as the Persians did. Alexander laughed at their demands
and found another road, albeit a very difficult one, onto the mountain. He
soon located the Uxian villages and quickly swept over them. The Uxians
were dumbfounded at the speed with which Alexander navigated the rugged
terrain, and mounted a last stand at their stronghold. Despite a staunch
defense, Alexander led a siege that only lasted a few hours before the Uxians
offered surrender, which Alexander accepted.
Onward Alexander went, moving ever-closer to the treacherous mountain
pass known as the Persian Gates. The Gates marked one of two routes that
lead to Persepolis, through the lands controlled by the satrap Ariobarzanes,
who remained loyal to the Persian cause. While Alexander could have
avoided the pass by taking the safer road to Persepolis, he decided not to—
quite literally choosing the road less traveled. He did so for a good reason,
though: to prevent Ariobarzanes and his force of 40,000 men from having a
clear view of his rear as well as a direct path to Susa, Babylon, and other
freshly conquered lands.
Thus, Alexander split his army, sending Parmenio with the baggage and
siege train along the secure road through the foothills to the south, and
leading himself the Companion cavalry, the lancers and horse-bowmen, and
the archers to the dangerous canyon. He arrived at the Gates to find it walled
off. Alexander prepared a direct assault, as was his custom. Once the
offensive began, however, he was dismayed to learn that he had led his men
into a devastating ambush.
 Ariobarzanes had anticipated the Macedonians and allowed them to march
deep into the pass with no resistance whatsoever. When the head of their
column reached the narrowest section, the Persians unleashed a terrifying
attack from above, raining down arrows, stones, and boulders. Whole files of
Macedonians were crushed, but they pressed on. They tried to scale the
granite walls of the pass, helping each other up and defending each other with
their shields. But the onslaught continued to decimate the Macedonian ranks,
forcing Alexander to withdraw his forces from the seemingly unassailable
defense. He had to find another way to the Persians.
As if sent by the gods themselves, a shepherd came forth who had been
sold into Persian slavery and who knew the region intimately. He showed
Alexander several unknown, difficult paths through the foothills that would
take him to Ariobarzanes’ rear. Alexander promised the shepherd incredible
wealth if he led his army honestly, and a quick death if he betrayed them.
The plan was simple: Alexander would take a large contingent of his best
soldiers with the shepherd while Craterus, his commander of the phalanx,
would keep the rest of the men looking busy in front of the wall so as to
maintain pretenses of another frontal assault. When Alexander was in
position to strike from the rear, he would sound trumpets, and Craterus would
lead a charge in the front.
The shepherd, Alexander, and his men set out that night, into a violent
storm. They had 12 miles to cover and time was of the essence. If
Ariobarzanes suspected the maneuver and caught Alexander in the wilds with
a force of his own, Alexander’s saga would likely come to a bloody end. But
Alexander took such calculated risks with carefree ease, as if the sheer force
of his intention would bend the universe to his favor. A reflection of his
accomplishments makes one wonder if such is possible.
The group marched through the night in hushed silence and, by the
morning, reached a path that led directly to the Persian camp. Alexander
waited through the day until the following night, and then split up his men. A
detachment would head to the nearby Araxes River and build a bridge over it
to occupy the only escape route available to the Persians. The second
detachment, led by Alexander, would descend directly into the Persian camp.
Alexander’s vanguard soon came upon their enemy’s outposts and,
through surprise attacks, eliminated each, allowing him and his men to reach
the edge of the camp unperceived. Meanwhile, Craterus had done well
maintaining his pretense with numerous campfires representative of
Alexander’s full army. When Alexander’s trumpets blared, the entire camp
froze. Mayhem immediately followed when thousands of Macedonians
poured in from all sides. Craterus and his brigades simultaneously charged
the wall, scaled it, and overran the dumbfounded garrisons.
The ambush was a resounding success. The enemy was cut to pieces.
Ariobarzanes and his bodyguard tried to escape through the rear, only to meet
the Macedonians that had bridged the river. The Persians chose to die with
their swords in hand. Afterward, Alexander gathered his Companions and set
out to Persepolis at once, traveling over 40 miles in one night, through the
snow, and reached the magnificent capital before word had even arrived of
what happened in the mountains. The city opened its gates and welcomed its
new king.
Great feasts were held in Persepolis, and against his usual habit of
preserving whatever he conquered, Alexander gave in to his men’s demands
of retaliation. Athens had been burned and desecrated by the Persian king in
times past, and the Macedonians wanted to inflict the same wounds upon
Persepolis. Thus, the great city was given up to plunder and the magnificent
palace of the Persian kings was burned to the ground after a drunken
celebration. Women and their jewels were to be left untouched, however, as
ordered by Alexander.
Alexander lavished his men as usual, who spent their days and nights in
revelry. He was never one to rest for long, though. Within a month of taking
Persepolis, he made various excursions to neighboring tribes to complete the
Hellenic subjugation once and for all. This included a clan of fierce
mountaineers not unlike the Uxians who controlled roads from Persis to the
sea, which Alexander intended to use. To reach the tribe, icy rain had to be
endured and snow-clad hills traversed; steps had to be cut into frozen slopes;
and roads had to be hewn through the woods. Every difficulty was overcome
with the king leading the way. The mountain people were reached and
agreements were struck, thus accomplishing Alexander’s great vision. In a
mere four years, the Macedonians had vanquished the mighty Persian army
and claimed its lavish empire, reversing the conquest accomplished by King
Xerxes over a century before.
By 324 BC, 11 years after his ascension to the Macedonian throne,
Alexander had led his army 22,000 miles, was undefeated in battle, and
founded some 70 cities in the lands he conquered, 22 of which he named after
himself. These epic achievements pay homage to his simple philosophy on
life. “I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity,” he
wrote. Thanks to his unparalleled ambition, drive, and willpower, few figures
in the pages of history embody a spirit of carpe diem—seize the day—like
Alexander did.
In June of 323 BC, at age 32, Alexander contracted a mysterious fever.
Within a week, he was dead. Whispers of conspiracy and murder filled the
air, but nothing definitive was brought to light.
Alexander had written a lengthy will in case of his death, which called for
his successors to conduct military expansion into the southern and western
Mediterranean, build monumental constructions, and further unify Eastern
and Western populations. After he was gone, his generals dismissed the plans
as impractical and extravagant. Instead, they carved up the conquered
territories for themselves and went to war with each other and the rest of
Greece. This feud lasted 40 years and culminated in the blood-soaked
collapse of the entire kingdom of Macedonia.
Alexander’s legendary apotheosis is a testament to the transformational
power of drive, and of the will to physically, mentally, and spiritually push
oneself beyond the impossible. Although his method was war, and some
choose to remember him as a ruthless savage, there’s no denying that his
compassion for the vanquished and diplomacy represented something much
greater in him, and that his legacy was far more profound than meaningless
carnage.
---

Geniuses don’t work long and hard from a begrudging sense of duty—
they do it because they have a strong desire to give everything they’ve got to
a project and see it through to the best of their abilities. Ambition shows you
the path to success, but drive is what gets you through it.
“I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind
as the quality of perseverance,” wrote John D. Rockefeller. “It overcomes
almost everything, even nature.”
Many people now recognized for their stellar achievements were once
listless and purposeless. Stephen Hawking was once a young college student
who felt “bored with life” without “anything worth doing.” When he was
diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis at age 21, the doctors gave
him two-and-a-half years to live. While many people would have sunk into a
depression and accepted that death was on the horizon, Hawking decided that
there were still many things he wanted to do in his life. Stephen turned 70
this year, baffling scientists with his extraordinary longevity, and he has
become one of the most celebrated scientists of our times.
Alexander’s drive was nothing short of godlike. “Sex and sleep alone
make me conscious that I am mortal,” he said. When he landed on the shores
of Asia Minor, he looked at the vast expanses ahead of him—the invincible
cities, the millions of Persian soldiers—and simply saw heaps of mud and
stone to take and hordes of men that will soon call him king.
Our journeys to greatness will probably never require the sheer power of
will that Alexander’s did. I don’t know if there’s any modern experience
quite comparable to charging headlong into a few hundred thousand roaring
soldiers. But if we could capture just a fraction of Alexander’s spirit and
worldview, we would be unstoppable in our adventures.
“A passionate desire and an unwearied will can perform impossibilities or
what may seem to be such to the cold, timid, and feeble,” wrote the famous
English doctor Sir James Simpson.
So what lies behind drive? How do geniuses find the energy and
confidence to believe in their goals and their abilities, as well as the audacity
to continue so believing until their wills are reality?

The Power of Purpose

Purpose is the primary fuel of ambition. Purpose creates a destination. We

can only become fully engaged in life when we feel that we are doing
something that really matters. Purpose is what inspires us, lights us up, and
floats our boats.
Washington Irving—the famous author, historian and essayist—said,
“Great minds have purposes, others have wishes. Little minds are tamed and
subdued by misfortune, but great minds rise above it.”
The search for purpose and meaning is one of the most powerful and
lasting themes in every culture since the dawn of time. You’ll find it in
Homer’s Odyssey, and it has inspired some of the greatest spiritual figures in
history: Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Mohammad. You’ll even find it in modern
culture in movies like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which re-tells the
story of Perceval’s search for the Holy Grail through the daring character of
Indiana Jones, as well as the famous Star Wars trilogy, in which Luke
Skywalker confronts his deepest fears by confronting and vanquishing Darth
Vader and the Empire. It’s no coincidence that these movies—which
modernize the legendary virtues of the hero’s journey, the search for meaning
and the triumph of good over evil—are among the most popular and
successful of all time.
“There is one quality we must possess to win,” said Napoleon Hill, author
of one of the best-selling books of all time, Think and Grow Rich, “and that is
definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning
desire to possess it.”
For a time, Alexander was an almost inhuman force, alive with unbridled
and unmatched purpose. While many in his position would’ve been content
with a life of kingly hedonism, Alexander was cut from a different cloth. He
pawned off everything he owned to finance what he truly cared about: his
vision of a glorious destiny and immortality. But perhaps more impressively,
he conducted himself with extreme equilibrium, sanity, and benevolence
startlingly uncharacteristic of a conqueror. He lived in a time where men of
his ilk were expected to indulge in mindless slaughter and degradation of the
people they subdued, but he not only discouraged it, he forbade it.
One year before his death, however, his quest required an advance from
Persia to India to conquer what was left of the known world. When
Alexander announced this to his soldiers, they mutinied. They were
exhausted and longed to return to their families. Despite inspired, moving
speeches, Alexander couldn’t convince them to continue, so he released them
from duty and relegated himself to the role of administrator of his empire—a
post he loathed. Months later, Plutarch wrote that the king “lost his spirits,
and grew diffident of the protection and assistance of the gods, and
suspicious of his friends.”
Ironically, during this time of ennui, Alexander suffered his worst losses.
Intrigues led to the execution of his great friends and loyal generals Philotas
and Parmenio. He killed his brave and loyal officer, Cleitus, over drunken
slurs. Alexander sank into a deep depression, almost driving him to suicide,
and sowed much discontent amongst his people that had come to love him
dearly.
 Alexander’s plight didn’t stop there. His best friend and general
Hephaestion died a mysterious death, rumored to be from poisoning. The loss
sent Alexander into an irrevocable rage that cost thousands of Persians their
lives and led to his further self-deification as well as his increased adoption of
Persian customs, which many Greeks despised.
Finally, Alexander—a man who had defied death so regularly and against
such odds that his enemies had declared him invincible—lost his life to an
unexplainable fever that began after a night of heavy drinking. The morality
of Alexander’s ambitious purpose notwithstanding, it’s very clear that once
he had lost it, he rapidly lost everything. If we are to succeed in our
endeavors toward greatness, we must learn and apply this final lesson of
Alexander’s to our journeys. Simply put: If purpose dies, the entire adventure
quickly follows suit.
But what is a purpose, exactly? The dictionary defines it as follows:
The reason why something is done or why something exists. It is
something set up as an object or an end to be attained; an intention.
Where the goal is the what, the purpose is the all-important why. Purpose
gives goals meaning. When the intention to make something happen is weak
—when you’re just not feeling the “fire”—it’s not going to happen. People
that ignore purpose don’t go very far in life. Nobody can love what they don’t
feel in their hearts. The will to go on expires, soon or later.
How excited are you to get to work in the morning? How much do you
enjoy what you do for its own sake rather than what it gets you? And how
accountable do you hold yourself to a deeply held set of goals?
These are the questions of purpose all adventurous souls must ask
themselves. If your answers to these questions are enthusiastic, then chances
are you’re bringing a strong sense of purpose to your pursuits. If your
answers to these questions are anything less, chances are you’re just going
through the motions. The former path breeds persistence and grit, which lead
to opportunities and successes thereafter. The latter breeds indifference and
lethargy, which can’t handle even the pettiest of pressures.
Imagine that you’re out at sea on a boat, voyaging to a far-off destination.
Your boat springs a leak, which immediately becomes your priority. You
jump down and start bailing water to prevent going under, but forget that
nobody is left to navigate the ship. One day, after doing nothing but bailing
water for who knows how long, you poke your head over the bow and
wonder where the heck you are and how you got there. This is the
purposeless life. People can become so preoccupied with just staying afloat
that they fail to realize that nobody is at the helm.
Unfortunately, clarifying purpose takes time—quiet, uninterrupted time—
which is something many of us feel we don’t have. We rush from one
obligation to another without a “50,000 foot” view of where we’re going. It
may seem self-indulgent to stop and reflect on questions of meaning and
purpose, but your journey will demand it.
When Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen started
DreamWorks, their purpose was to entertain and delight people. Profits were
second to that. They went through some tough times, coming close to
bankruptcy twice. But they persevered in large part due to their dedication to
the studio’s vision and reason for being. Today, DreamWorks is one of the
largest film studios in the world.
Nobody can force a purpose on you—you must choose it of your own free
will. There are so many ways to help people in the world, but you need to
find your way—the way that makes you want to put this book down right
now and get into action. As Howard Thurman said, you must find what
makes you come alive.
So, before beginning any adventure—before choosing any particular path
—don’t forget to ask yourself why: Why are you doing this? Why is it
exciting? Why does it really matter? When you’ve addressed these questions
with true convictions, you know you’ve unlocked your purpose. This is the
wellspring of any strong drive to succeed.
There’s more to this story, though. By awakening purpose, you’ve created
an ember, not a fire. You’ve begun something, but must quickly pile on the
kindling to complete the transformation that all geniuses undergo. You’re
ready to fight the first battle in your journey to greatness, the battle between
the Work and the Resistance.
---

Some people will do anything to avoid the work. They have pretty
spreadsheets, fancy proposals, slick PowerPoint presentations, and sparkling
visions of champagne baths and keynote speeches.
 They’ll rattle off a long list of industry bloggers that love their ideas, the
interviews they have lined up to woo top talent, and the play-by-play of their
ten-year plans and distribution models. But ask them about the real work—
the hard work that’s required to materialize ideas into something usable,
valuable, and viable—and they’re likely to fall into an awkward silence.
These self-styled visionaries just don’t get it. Or they don’t want to get it.
They aren’t doing the work, and they won’t succeed regardless of how busy
they keep themselves with not doing it. So what is the work, anyway?
The work consists of the actions that directly create something with
tangible, exchangeable, enduring value. Once that’s complete, the work
includes the actions that move the creation out into the hands of users and
consumers, in exchange for something of equal value. The drive of a genius
is always in the direction of doing the work.
If you have a brilliant idea that will change the way some part of the world
works, tweeting and blogging about it isn’t the work. Coding a proof of
concept that you can use to raise funding with is, however. If you have a
story stirring inside you that the world needs to read, spending another 50
hours searching for inspiration or bouncing your ideas off others isn’t the
work. Finishing the outline and starting the first draft is.
Alexander was renowned for his unequalled dedication to the work. Once
he locked his sights on the next milestone is his journey, whether it be the
next city to subdue or next region to assimilate, he spent every waking
minute in action, making it so. In his own words, the most slavish thing was
to “luxuriate,” whereas the most royal thing was to “labor.”
He also understood the power of momentum. Once you’re in motion, it’s
much easier to stay so, which allows for greater and greater acceleration. And
the closer Alexander approached the accomplishment of a goal, the harder he
pushed. Look at his actions after his brilliant, but harrowing, breakthrough at
the Persian Gates. He hadn’t slept in over a day and just completed another
perilous assault, and his officers suggested that he join his men in celebration
of what was sure to be the last of the Persian defenses. After a well-deserved
rest, Persepolis would be theirs. Instead, Alexander did what just came
natural to him. A man of such impetuous drive couldn’t stop when the finish
line was just over the horizon.
If doing the work is the key to victory in our journeys to greatness, what
has the power to stop us? The answer takes us inward, and if we are to
advance in our quests, it must be conquered with the same vigor and
determination of Alexander.

The Invisible, Insidious, and Impersonal Enemy That Hates the Work

Resistance is invisible, insidious, and impersonal. It can’t be seen, but it’s

in you right now, and it can be felt. Resistance tells you anything to keep you
from doing the work. It will lie, argue, bluster, seduce, and bully you to get
its way. It will say anything to strike a deal and then stab you in the back. It
doesn’t care who you are or what you want to do. It has no conscience. While
the genius code awakens our potentials, Resistance obscures them.
What kinds of things does Resistance hate most?
Any creative artistic action. Any type of entrepreneurial venture. Any new
diet or fitness regimen. Any method of spiritual advancement. Any type of
education. Anything courageous. In short, anything that requires us to forego
immediate gratification in search of long-term growth or fulfillment.
Resistance loves excuses, justifications, and compromises. Start
tomorrow, it says. Wait until you’re a bit smarter, stronger, wealthier,
happier, motivated, or prepared. Don’t rock the boat, it advises. Who are you
to challenge the status quo? Do you really think you can bear the cross that
comes with it? Resistance’s stock in trade is diversions, follies, and dead
ends, and it’s a remarkable salesperson.
In his last year, Alexander lost the only work that mattered to him—the
heroic pursuit of glory for himself and for Greece—and with it, the only
defense against Resistance. This malevolent force relished the chance to
conquer the man that conquered the world, and proved more than capable of
the task. If it can undermine someone of Alexander’s strength, it can do at
least the same to us.
Resistance has a fatal weakness, though. We can turn the tables on it. It
can be defeated.
In his brilliant book, The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield reveals that
Resistance’s Achilles heel lies in the fact that it will only fight that which is
truly important in your life. It wants to kill your deepest purposes and desires,
your true calling and gifts. Yes, kill them. In this way, however, it shows you
what work you must do–your very personal path to profound fulfillment,
happiness, and success. Resistance dares you to meet it in pitched battle.
 When you do anything but the work, Resistance sneers at you. It’s playing
you like a marionette. You’re feeding it, making it stronger. But when you do
the work, it shrieks in horror. “Anything but the work!” it cries. It invades
your mind and flashes shiny distractions. Facebook! Twitter! Television!
Phone! ANYTHING BUT THE WORK!
Make no mistake. The fight against Resistance is a war to the death. It will
tell you you’re too weak to kill it. Too stupid. Too lazy. But you’re not.
Ironically, it depends on your obedience for its strength.
Defiantly do the work instead and Resistance withers. Every bit of work
done strikes at it. Do enough work and its armor crumbles, its power fades,
and all that’s left is a whispering ghost. Do more work and it even stops
whispering.
If you’re trying to create a business, a career, a relationship, or anything
else in your life, you’re a warrior.
Your primary enemy is Resistance, and as we saw in Alexander’s story,
it’s ultimately more dangerous—and powerful—than barbarian hordes,
impenetrable castles, and sweeping empires.
The journey to greatness requires that you fight the battle against
Resistance anew every day by doing the work. Drive compels you forward. If
we are to learn from Alexander’s brilliance, you strengthen your will by
clarifying purpose, getting into motion, and never relenting. And if we are to
learn from Alexander’s greatest mistake, you retain your strength by never
accepting anything less than the adventure you yearn for—your call to
greatness.
 WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT
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 WOULD YOU DO ME A FAVOR?
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Now, I don’t just want to sell you a book—I want to connect with as many
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Thus, I’d love to hear from you, and what you thought of this book! All
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Sean
 ALSO BY SEAN PATRICK

Awakening Your Inner Genius

If you'd like to know what some of history's greatest thinkers and achievers
can teach you about awakening your inner genius, and how to find, follow,
and fulfill your journey to greatness, then you want to read this book today.

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 The Know Your Bill of Rights Book

The Founders fought tirelessly to guarantee you specific rights to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness. Don’t let two-faced politicians and pundits tell
you what your rights are. Read this book to learn your constitutional rights
and together, we can keep the spirit of freedom alive in this great nation.

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