Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be

by Steven Pressfield

Surely on the night before a battle, Alexander the Great in his private heart must have thought something like this: Am I crazy? Do I really intend, tomorrow, to charge into the teeth of the enemy, mounted on my warhorse Bucephalus, who is recognizable on sight by every man of the foe while I myself am dressed in distinctive armor, wearing a double-plumed helmet so that every warrior on the opposing side knows it’s me? Every enemy arrow is going to be aimed at me, every javelin, every lance, every sling bullet. The greatest champions of the foe will all rush straight at me, seeking to win glory by being the one to slay me. Am I out of my mind to put myself in such a position? Surely Alexander’s comrades seconded this. “Don’t risk yourself, Sire! We need you! What will the army do if you are killed?” That was reality. Objective assessment. Who could argue with it? Yet . . . Yet there existed simultaneously—and Alexander, beyond all others, was aware of it—a second reality. In this second Reality, Alexander’s seemingly reckless charge made absolute sense. Its audacity would strike terror into the hearts of the enemy. Its valor would inspire his own men and incite them to charge alongside him. And, in Alexander’s mind, the boldness of the stroke would invoke heaven’s aid and intercession. What proof do we have that Alexander’s Reality possessed substance? He survived and prevailed in four of the greatest battles in history—the Granicus River, Issus, Gaugamela, and the Battle ...