So there is very much a difference between a soldier and a warrior. A soldier is someone who, either by draft or by choice, is part of a structured army or fighting force with a leader that sends them to fight for a cause, theoretical or practical. A warrior is someone who is willing to take on the challenge of using their gifts and abilities to for the highest good of all. Which seems easy enough until you realize that you can’t help anyone until you defeat the demons inside yourself.
A warriors first job is “Know Thyself” because you can’t know your strengths or your weaknesses unless you are willing to evaluate yourself honestly and accept who you are in the now. Movies make martial artists look cool, but the cool part comes long after all the meditating, the agonizing hours of repetitious practice and muscle-building, the dedication to mental focus and self-sacrifice. Most people have no need to become a warrior monk, but just so you know that road is available. 😉 For most people, they more than likely can list all of their flaws or failings in a few seconds, but have no idea what their strengths are. What would it feel like if you were honest to just yourself and admitted that you were good at something? Anything? More than one thing? How dangerous would it be?
The second job of the warrior is not to waste energy beating themselves up about their areas of weakness, but to see them as areas where they need practice, exercise, work, support, etc. They put their energy there and, believe it or not, they do see improvement and change. What would it feel like to see things you thought were the definition of you change? Who could you be if you stopped beating yourself up and gave yourself a little support in order to become better in one area where you struggle? And didn’t give up on yourself if you failed, again and again and again? Who would you be if you didn’t give up on yourself when you didn’t change over night?
What kind of warrior are you?