Last week, I was exposed to a phrase that really resonated with me. It was found in Unleash the Warrior Within by Richard “Mack” Machowicz, a former navy SEAL and motivational coach:

“I was tutored by some of the best teachers on earth and accessible to me the best resources that a buck can get. But, in the long run, to discover a master, a person must find that master in himself. On what works best for yourself, always remember that you are trying to master yourself, not a master for yourself.”

In a few words is a timeliness maxim: your greatest teacher will ever be your higher self. We can go to the best schools, read the best books, and look to respected teachers for advice, yet true change occurs nowhere until we look inward.

The Journey From Dependence to Mastery

Human nature yearns to be directed—it is how cultures have been formed. From the Gurus of preceptorial India to the philosophers of Greece, information has been transferred via precept. But every genuine teacher eventually directs the student to self-realization. As the Bhagavad Gita says,

“Uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet — Let a man raise himself by himself; let him not lower himself.” (Gita 6:5)

Even Lord Krishna, Arjuna’s spiritual guide, had not for a minute fought his war for him. He simply stirred the warrior within Arjuna — the sense to perceive his duty and the mettle to move.

Similarly, Machowicz reminds us that a teacher can only till the soil; the seed must spring forth within. We spend years gathering degrees, workshops, or ideal conditions. But growth occurs only when we assume responsibility for our growth — when we cease to look for a master without and become a master within.

The Indian Lens: The Guru Within

Indian philosophy holds the Guru in awe not just as a teacher, but as a destroyer of darkness (gu = darkness, ru = destroyer). Yet every scripture also requires that the ultimate Guru is to be found in the heart. According to Swami Vivekananda in one place,

“Everything is power within yourself; anything and everything is possible. Have faith in that; do not have faith that you are weak.”

This realization is a repetition of Machowicz’s internal control call. Vivekananda himself learned from his teacher Sri Ramakrishna, but he did not become a mirror of his Guru. Instead, he discovered his own inner fire—the courage to stand before the world and declare, “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.”

A true teacher does not sedate, but rather wakes up, your internal guide. That is why even the old Upanishads assigned pride of place to Atma Vidya—the Self-knowledge—as the ultimate freedom. To “unleash the warrior within” is to evoke the Atman, the unrestricted consciousness that already possesses a sense of what is to be done.

The International Perspective: The Inner Compass of Greatness

Around the world, the world’s best leaders have repeated the same rule. Bruce Lee stated,

“Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, and add what is uniquely your own.”

His Jeet Kune Do philosophizing was not a matter of learning others’ forms—it was a matter of learning oneself with flexible adaptation.

Nelson Mandela, emerging from 27 years in prison not broken but unshakably calm, reflected once,

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the willingness to act in the face of fear.”

No textbook was able to teach that lesson; that was learned by dominating his own mind in prison.

Similarly, Steve Jobs told young artists:

“Do not be trapped into dogma — which is living with the consequences of other men’s thinking.”

Every scientist, every artist, every leader sooner or later arrives at this discovery: to create genuinely, learn to listen to your own internal guide.

Real-World Reflections: Teachings from the Everyday Warriors

Mastery is not the privilege of monks or barons. The schoolteacher keeping up with study even under mean circumstances, the nurse remaining unruffled under duress, the smalltown athlete keeping fit without glory—all are warriors learning to master themselves in secret.

Consider the case of Milkha Singh, India’s “Flying Sikh.” Milkha ran barefoot on hot stadiums, practiced without comfort, and was nevertheless one of the globe’s fastest men. When he says, “The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in war,” he is pointing to the fact that true expertise is the result not of advantage, but stickability.

In today’s world, with the availability of endless online training and gurus, we can confuse learning with mastery. But Machowicz dispensers this message loud and clear: the weapons do not create the warrior; the attitude does. You can have the best blade, yet it will not do anything with the will power to hold it.

Mastery as a Lifelong Practice

Self-mastery is not a eureka moment—it is a discipline. It is the choice of growth over ease, purpose over popularity, truth over approval. The Japanese refer to it as Kaizen—an ongoing improvement process. The Indian saints termed it Sadhana—a daily disciplined practice. They both capture a simple fact: mastery is not a destination, a journey of conscious refinement.

When uncertain, recall the words of Mahatma Gandhi:

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Self-mastership is not self-centeredness, it is matching your interior expansion with the world’s good around you. A man fully mastered lifts others by the silent power of example.

Being Your Own Boss

The world nowadays rejoices in the victory of the outside world, yet the words of Machowicz teach that victory is in the inside. The outer wars of job, rivalry, or glory are auxiliaries; the internal wars of fear, distraction, or self-doubt are cardinal. When you overcome them, no outer challenge is insurmountable.

After all, life is a dojo—the world educates us, but we have to practice the lessons within. As that great old Indian sage Chanakya penned, “He whose mind is under control can control the world.” So, listen to your teachers, learn from the masters—but never lose sight of their role to awaken the teacher already within you. You are both disciple and master, warrior and weapon. When you really get that, then you no longer look for strength and become it. 

In essence: 

The best path that you’ll ever walk is the path that leads to dependency to self-control, copying yourself to originality, searching for masters to become a master yourself. Like Machowicz stated, “You are trying to master yourself, not find a master for you.” 

And thereby, you release not only the warrior within—you release the boundless human spirit itself.

Dr. Prahlada N.B
MBBS (JJMMC), MS (PGIMER, Chandigarh). 
MBA in Healthcare & Hospital Management (BITS, Pilani), 
Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Leadership and Innovation (MIT, USA)
Executive Programme in Strategic Management (IIM, Lucknow)
Senior Management Programme in Healthcare Management (IIM, Kozhikode)
Advanced Certificate in AI for Digital Health and Imaging Program (IISc, Bengaluru). 

Senior Professor and former Head, 
Department of ENT-Head & Neck Surgery, Skull Base Surgery, Cochlear Implant Surgery. 
Basaveshwara Medical College & Hospital, Chitradurga, Karnataka, India. 

My Vision: I don’t want to be a genius.  I want to be a person with a bundle of experience. 

My Mission: Help others achieve their life’s objectives in my presence or absence!

My Values:  Creating value for others. 

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