It doesn't matter how far you are along your path, or what path you are following, at some point a little inspiration keeps you moving forward.
The cultivation of the warrior requires a balancing nature of all three aspects of the warrior self, physical, mental and the spiritual. Where one is lacking the others cannot function to their utmost capabilities in order to win on today's various battlefields. Winning is everything, surviving means living the rest of your life at best, in fear and at the worst being spoon fed by your family while you sit like a cabbage in your home.
I am not talking about motivation, if you need motivation to do your job then you are in the wrong job, if you need motivation to get out and train, run, lift weights, spar or shoot then you are certainly not on the warrior path. Motivation is a short lived experience, inspiration though is the spark that ignites a passion that will stay with you and grow with you and make your journey along your path that much more enjoyable.
I get inspiration from many sources and I usually have a top 20 list of who or what it is that inspires me.
The list below is a mixture of people who inspire me (in no particular order) in all three warrior attributes.
Physical'We can do nothing without the body, let us take care that it is in the best condition to sustain us' - Socrates
It goes without saying that as warriors we need to be physically adept at the skills we are going to use in combat. I said above that we are looking for a balance and so it is with the physical aspect of ourselves.
As warriors we not only need to be aerobically fit, we need strength, dexterity, explosive power and so on.
Your actuallity, your employment, your chosen for of combat and you your 'Self'' will dictate the physical requirements you must work towards.
Of course you cannot do anything physical unless at first you are healthy. You will
have heard the phrase ' My body is a temple' then treat it as such. Too many warriors today treat their body as a temple but by the looks of them they have converted to Buddhism.
Not the physique a warrior wants to cultivate!
There are many great men and women acroos the whole of the sporting world who can inspire you to greatness though we can also find inspiration from those who are not champions, from those who have overcome some disabilty to achieve greatness in their own endevours.
Find out who you are and what you want to be. Learn from those you feel an affinity towards, look for their moments of achievement and search for how they attained it.
Mental
'Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference' - Winston Churchill
'If it was easy everybody would be doing it' Running the last mile of a marathon as fast as you can, fighting the last round when you are dead on your feet, winning the V.C because if you didn't do 'it' your comrades would die. It's all a state of mind and it can be trained for. Call it what you will 'Mental Toughness' 'Guts' 'Balls' 'The will to win', it is easy to give in, to capitulate, but capitulation on a civilian or military battlefield does not mean you will come away unscathed or even alive. Fighting on is a much harder option.
The ability for the mind to stay focused at that given time with no thought of what went before or what will happen later is all important. Your mind is your friend but if left to it's own devices can easily turn into your enemy just as much as the enemy standing before you.
The first mental test that has to be passed is gaining the right attitude and that attitude has to be positive. Turn every negative thought into a positive, turn every piece of bad news into a positive, turn every criticism into a positive. Smile, enjoy and see the good and positive in everything.
A positive attitude is a winning attitude and winning on your battlefiedl is everything!
If you are not confident and are afraid of doing, trying, being uncomfortable outside of your comfort zone then Miyamoto Musashi's quote below is going to put you off the warriors path for good.
You are not going to learn mental thoughness from losers, whingers, failures and slackers so study the champions of sport, industry, military, politics, the leaders in those fields. Study how they achieved their goals (Goal setting - for another blog post). Practice programming your thoughts then put your thoughts into positive sentences followed by actions and stick to doing what you say you are going to do.
Warriors don't shirk from doing what is right, Warriors don't shirk from responsibilty, warrior don't fail at the first hurdle.
You will have noticed I use the term 'Stay Dangerous' hey it's a mental thing. 'Stay Safe' as most people use is too passive, not pro-active or positive. At a time when I need to protect myself, my family or someone else, staying safe while in combat is not an option and just won't cut it. Staying dangerous will.
Start with the right attitude.
Spiritual
'Generally speaking the way of the warrior is a resolute acceptence of death' - Miyamoto Musashi
When I talk about spiritual I do not mean religious. Being spiritual has nothing to do with your religion. I am a very spiritual person but I am not religious. I am talking about a state of consciousness, combat is chaos and while in the midst of chaos we need to have order. That order has to come from within us, a calmness, a tranquility that allows us to see through the chaos, to operate effectively within the chaos. This is where being 'In the zone' applies. Being comfortable in a place where most will feel uncomfortable, where the pressure is on but you 'own' it. As a warrior, in war is where you should be alive.
Meditation techniques and visualization techniques are disciplines that help us achieve that which is most needed, the ability to come to terms with what we may have to do or may have done in defence of ourselves, family or others.
As a Tactical Athlete you must seek your INNER PEACE!
Physical - Mental - Spiritual, every aspect can be learned through self education or by seeking out a teacher don't neglect any part of your warrior training.
Who or what are your inspirations?
What, with whom or how do you study?
Stay Dangerous
Rock
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