HAPPY NEW YEAR! The beginning of the New Year is commonly when people create “New Year’s Resolutions”. In my opinion “New Year’s Resolutions” are for the fat slobs that don’t train and lazy fucks that Monday morning quarter back everything everyone else does. I pose this question to you…When was the last time that you or anyone else that you knew kept a “New Year’s Resolution “? By the second or third month into the year most are back to their old bullshit ways. That’s the way of the un- disciplined westerner roams our free world. This year I urge you to enter the New Year, not with a promise to change but with a complete change of mindset and spirit … I call it “Warrior Spirit” and it will set you apart from the pack. It all starts from the inside out. Your inner core must be transformed before you can make this change. We need to explore and reach into our deepest self to find it. Let me stop a minute here. I am not Dr. Phil or some fucking psychologist that wants to claim that the way you are today has to do with how your childhood was. You are not going to find this article in the self help section of your nearest bookstore. What I am referring to is a change that can give you purpose and confidence that you have always strived for.
Let me define “Warrior Spirit” if I may… Through the ages traditional warriors developed ethical, martial and spiritual skills that served them through combat and daily life challenges. These skills brought out admirable qualities such as impeccable character, internal fortitude, courage, humility, and a heightened level of awareness. When a person has this spirit, it shows. Others simply feel this person is different from others. When you understand this spirit, you will be able to see and feel others who have it. The Warrior Sprit is calm; it is the eye of the hurricane facing danger in calmness and not disturbed under pressure. These warrior qualities also exist in you. They can be cultivated with proper guidance and training. The Warrior Spirit will help you meet any challenge with a renewed sense of calm and confidence. The old saying “bleed in the training hall and laugh in the battlefield” summarizes this spirit. I am here today and able to write this article because of the “Warrior Spirit”.
I will quote General George Patton;
“Death must not be feared. Death in time comes to us all. And every man is scared in his first action. If he says that he is not, he is a goddamn liar. Some men are cowards and get the hell slammed out of them. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some get over their fright in a minute, under fire; others take an hour; for some it takes days; but a real man will let the fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty, to his country and to his manhood.”
To cultivate the Warrior Spirit you must have the desire to change and to apply it daily. You must get off your ass and make your life count. You can meditate or think about cultivating this spirit but it will not happen until you put it to work.
I am going to give you three steps to initiate the cultivation of Warrior Spirit.
1) Take your ego and push it down. Don’t throw it away but just put it aside. Open the door to humility and open your mind. Think outside your-self imposed box. Please stop bullshitting about things that you have done or can do. Be humble and try out new ideas or concepts. You are training your spirit to deal with different elements no matter what the circumstance.
2) Do something positive for a good cause daily. I don’t give a shit if it is giving a dime to a homeless man standing in the corner begging for money or donating your five year old shoes to Goodwill. You are training your mind and spirit to stay positive.
3) Create a realistic ‘Warrior” training schedule. Riding a treadmill twice a week in your local gym is not going to cut it. You must train, train and train. With that said Physical fitness is of supreme importance. A good training schedule should include physical fitness no less than three times a week. If you carry a weapon, it is your responsibility to “not just be average” with it, you must train with it at least twice a month and learn to handle it proficient. You must participate at least four times a year in training courses that emphasize the warrior spirit and that push you beyond your-self imposed physical and mental limits. You are training your body to be able to respond to what your brain tells it to do.
These steps are a good start to steer you in the right direction. It takes time to cultivate this spirit. Be honest with yourself and set you goals realistically. You are not going to change overnight. You will however start the journey and as we all know it is the journey that counts not the destination.
R. Conde is the Founder of Kokoro Combatives LLC, Kocom Americas and Tac Spec Ops. These companies specialize in Special Operations and Tactical Combatives training for the Military, Law Enforcement and Security Industry in the U.S. and South America. Their training methods infuse the warrior spirit into modern day tactical training. You can visit their website at www.kokorocombatives.com and www.tacspecops.com.