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Inspiration.  It is a word that fires the imagination.  It motivates and moves people to do great things.  How often do we rely on others to motivate ourselves?  Sure, it is easier to let others do the motivating and just focus on doing your best.  Sometimes though, others are not around or the people around us are discouraging us.  What to do then?

A true warrior knows how to simply motivate him or her self.  Even when others around are telling them that they cannot do something, they have the firm resolve to keep their focus on the goal in mind.  As I write this, the Luge athletes are taking their runs on the same track that tragically killed an athlete in practice runs.  Some would say that they should not run the races, but the athletes that are focused and determined to compete are stepping up.  That is true warrior inspiration.  In doing so, the athletes are honoring the memory of the Nodar Kumaritashvili.  Honor yourself is a similar way.  When the others tell you that you cannot, inspire yourself to push beyond the boundaries of doubt.  Go be a warrior!

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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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• 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.

Very often the subject  up with someone I am coaching about how do you accomplish great things.  Quite surprisingly the answer is simple and direct.  You got to “bring it” in everything that you do.  This sometime produces a strange or surprised look, but it is in these two words that most of your accomplishments can be realized.

So what do I mean by “bring it”?  I mean to say that in anything you try to accomplish, bring your best game to the table.  If you are engaged in a debate or trial, bring your best resources to the discussion.  If you are involved in an athletic contest, bring your best effort to the playing field.  In anything you do, bring your best preparation and execution; or choose not to engage in it.

I learned many of these principles in my study of martial arts.  I learned quickly that honor and respect are the cornerstones of any human being and to live out that honor means that your fighting spirit is active in any pursuit.  I also learned in martial art that there is no dishonor in choosing other paths.  As long as those paths are truly what resonates with you and your spirit and the path is not chosen for you by someone else or through cowardice.  I think the following from the movie The Karate Kid says it best: “walk on the left side of the road – safe, walk on the right side of the road – safe, walk in the middle sooner or later you will be squished flat like a grape”.  To me, this captures the warrior spirit in all of us.  Bring you’re A game to all your undertakings.  To ride the middle invites mediocrity.

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.

I am not against making these comparisons, however, we need to recognize that who we truly are is more.  We need to get in touch with our true selves and leave these comparisons behind.  We should know that we are GREAT each and every day.  As coaches, we are always reminding people that even when we have down days, that the greatness to move mountains lies deep withing ourselves.  Let that greatness out!  Go out and be great today.  Make it a day that truly brings out your best.  Reach for the next rung in the ladder going up.  That is what it takes to be a warrior of life.  Go out today and be GREAT!