Image by Gareth Harper via Flickr

Rebel Yell In the heat of battle warriors have used many visual and verbal traditions to rally themselves and fortify their resolve for the upcoming test.  During one of the most intense battles of history, the Civil War, the armies of the South had a much heralded rebel yell.  These true warriors never wavered in their resolve to push on to their intended target.

On a more peaceful note, have you ever wondered why during ski racing competitions there are cow bells rung?  Actually the tradition started in the Swiss alps where the races were run on grazing areas used by cow farmers.  The bell runging began to be the battle cry for the racer to battle on.  This tradition has spread to other forms of competition such as cycling during the Tour de France.

What is your battle cry?  What inspires you to reach?  What implores you to do your best?  Find that and use it like any warrior would.

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Preparation.  This word has many different meanings depending on the circumstances, however, I wanted to focus this post on how a warrior prepares him/her self for any goals.  Looking at history, warriors from any conflict made careful plans and gathered intelligence on the opponent, conditions, etc.  Do we sometimes take a “wait and see” approach, or do we seek guidance?  It is easy, especially when completing tasks we have done before, to fall into the complacency of  not preparing.

Life is dynamic and ever changing.  Although performing mundane tasks may appear that way, do as warriors would do and do some proper preparation.  If you ever noticed that when airline pilots are preparing to take an aircraft to the sky, that there is a checklist of items to do pre-flight.  Experienced aviators know that the safety of themselves and their passengers demand a full check that all systems are functioning properly.  Do yourself the same and always put some preparation into whatever personal performance goals you pursue in life.  Go be a warrior today

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What does it mean to have the heart of a champion?  Many times we have experienced accomplishing great things and have those euphoric feelings that we can accomplish anything.  Very often though, we can get signals that our work is finished and we can then take a rest.  The heart of a champion is similar to the human heart in one critical area though.  The heart never stops.  If your heart stopped beating you would quickly perish.  You need to think in the same terms if you are performing your job, dealing with your family, or any undertaking you have in life.  Never rest on your achievements.  What you accomplish in life is great, but keep the memories as just what they are: memories.

I would like to note a few champions who exemplify this concept of heart of a champion.

• Muhammad Ali called himself the greatest of all time and competed this way. He always believed in himself and taught others to as well.

• Pete Rose, no matter what opinion you have of him in his gambling misfortune, he was the picture never giving up, hence the name he had: Charlie Hustle.
• Tiger Woods, he is probably the best golfer ever, however, by his own account he never takes a day off from practicing his swing.
• Wayne Gretzky, the only player to have his number “99” retired by every NHL team was always at practice and missed games only on extreme circumstances.
• Bjorn Borg, legendary tennis player who even after dominating the tennis world would spend his spare time bouncing a tennis ball of his racquet.
• Lou Gehrig, the Ironman of the baseball world needs no further explanation. He is a fine example of the heart of a champion.

So what does this mean for us?  No I am not asking that we become the next Gretzky.  I just want to remind you that you have the same human heart at these individuals.  You are a champion, go out there and be a warrior.

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It is the second part of the prayer that I want you to turn your attention to.  Being a warrior in life means that if you can change something for the better, that your honor compels you to do so.  Anything less would lead to mediocrity.  The same rings true if you are not accepting that there may be things you cannot control. DO NOT EXPEND ANY ENERGY ON THEM!

One of the principles of the Code of Bushido in wisdom.  Practice this wisdom by recognizing the difference in what you can control and what you cannot.  Use your talents in areas that will better those around you and bring honor to you.  Go be the warrior in life.

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• Loyalty
• Self sacrifice
• Justice
• Sense of shame
• Refined manners
• Purity
• Modesty
• Frugality
• Martial spirit
• Honor and affection

The human race has evolved so much since the time of the Samurai (9th – 12th century).  The principles it espouses though is timeless.  We are lucky to have an example of living that made sense in ancient times and guided its people through many of the same ups and downs that we face today.  As a life coach, I try to instill the principles of the Bushido in the clients that I train.  Samurai never needed written pacts to be who they were, it was beneath their honor to do so.  We would be well served to have such honor ourselves.

“As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.”

“I will survive any situation I get into because I am trained for it,” “I will never give up, I am prepared for any situation I fall into because I train for it as an police officer,” “I will never give up.”

As you read these words, please remember that our police are on duty to help us and they are the true warriors of life.  The passages above are in line with the code of ethics.

Looking at this personal view of valor, ask yourself these questions.  Are you being brave and facing every obstacle?  Do you avoid making the brave decisions that have to be made?  Do you cower when things get tough?  Be honest with yourself.  A true warrior lives honestly and with integrity.  It is OK if you fail at times, but recognize and move forward making improvements along the way.  That is another warrior way, to make constant improvements.  Go out today and be a warrior of life.  Live with valor!

The photo attached is taken of me after completing this exercise.  In this, I focused on just breathing in fully and exhaling fully.  When you continuously practice this you can sharpen your focus on any task, simple of difficult, and realize greater awareness of both the task and the surrounding environment.  This is the true way of being a life warrior.  Being keen to all that is going on around you, and still having the laser like focus to hone in on your task at hand.

We all know this word and what it implies.  It is also one of the seven principles of the Code of Bushido and it is what the samurai warriors lived by.  It is also a cornerstone of what it takes to be a warrior of life.  Adopting this trait for our own lives helps to be authentic with ourselves and with those that are around us.  Are we always perfect?  Of course not, but that is why we are human and continually strive each and every day to get better.  Remember “kaizen” which says to continually improve.

Often times people imply that this word only speaks to us inasmuch as we should always “speak” the truth.  The term is quite broad in its application, therefore, if we remain silent and not speak up for fear that the truth will somehow be upsetting, are we not dishonest now?  I would opine that we indeed need to not only be honest in what we speak, but also honest in that if we know or have information, this principle calls us to speak up and not remain silent.  It is not always easy, and as always if you find yourself on the battlefield and know that you made an error, acknowledge it and move forward.  Do not mire yourself in self-loathing over it.  A warrior never stops moving forward and reaching for new heights.