Lately I’ve been doing most of my fitness training in my backyard. I keep things pretty rugged with lots of sledge hammer swings, body weight drills, and pulling an old tire around by 20 feet of rope. I’ve been enjoying training in the summertime sun, so when it started to rain during one of my sessions last week I started to pack things up for the day.
But then something inside me flipped.
Why was I stopping because of a little rain? Had I really become so soft that I would pack up my toys and go home due to an afternoon shower?
The answer from within was not what I expected. . . The answer was, “Yes, I have gotten soft.”
In the not too distant past I would have taunted the storm clouds to drench me in buckets of rain as I relished the challenge of training in an uncomfortable environment. I would have reeled my head back and released a guttural battle cry if the sky dared to try and stop me with thunder and lightning.
And now I was ready to quit?
Hell no. I knew I still had plenty of fight in me, I had just let it get bogged down by too much bullshit. I allowed the dirt of past transgressions to cover up my core and now it was time for some long over due cleansing.
And as if on cue, the pleasant summer shower cranked things up to torrential downpour. I pushed and I pulled and I jumped as the rain soaked and the sweat burned my eyes. This was no longer simply enduring the uncomfortable during my daily fitness training. . . this was baptism.
After the rain stopped and the workout was complete, I felt renewed. I felt confident that I would return to the ways of discipline and focus that were honed by military service and nearly 30 years of martial arts training. I felt a return of the Warrior. It’s good to have you back, old friend.
How do you find YOUR inner Warrior? It certainly doesn’t require pulling an old tire around your backyard in the middle of a rain storm. And it doesn’t require brandishing weapons or learning how to throw a kick or punch. What it takes is acknowledging your true self – the one before the desk job and the car pools and and the credit card debt – and practicing the arts and skills that make that true self beam with power and confidence.
Were you an aspiring poet who stopped writing? Start again.
Do you have thoughts of travel and exploration? Quit making excuses and go.
Have you missed your volunteer efforts that filled you with joy? Take a day off from work and serve your cause.
What separates the Warrior from the non-warrior perhaps more than anything is action. The Warrior’s aggressiveness of action is fueled by a healthy respect for the fact that life is short – often unpredictably short. Accordingly the Warrior has no time for excuses.
My revelation in the rain has me brewing with an energy and excitement that I haven’t felt in far too long. The embracing of the inner Warrior and life enhancement through warriorship principles will be a common theme of this blog from this point forward. I trust that you will join me.
What are you putting off that you know makes you feel truly alive? How can you integrate the practice of your gifts, skills, and talents into your life on a consistent basis? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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I've been helping people lose weight and get fit since 2001. To learn more about my simple approach to health and fitness 
Vic,
I also have these feelings of being soft sometimes. I remember when I used to live in apartments with no AC and drive cars the same in Arizona and Florida. When my workout was not finished until I felt toasted. I too must dig deep to remember why I do the things I love, and take the risks I take. Your post was right on time, as usual.
Brad! Always good to hear from you! And good to know that someone with a similar background feels a little self-dissatisfaction from time to time as well. But we can always choose to return to our true selves.
I certainly agree with all of this. It’s easier to make excuses instead of the effort.
Thanks for the comment, Mary! Always good to have a fellow martial artist stop by the blog.
Amazing post, Vic. Inspiring. It reminded me of a book I had dug off my shelf recently, called Flashing Steel. Most of the book is about Iaido, but the first few chapters are about the mindset of a warrior, and they are simply amazing.
Oh man, Iaido is an art I’ve always wanted to study. So beautiful. I’ll keep an eye out for Flashing Steel.
Vic, thanks for that, I needed it. Action is what it’s all about, but also understanding yourself and how far you can go. I recently wrote on ‘The Way of the Warrior‘ and it was interesting to see that action was tempered with compassion. Great stuff…
Thanks, Graham. A very interesting point you raise regarding compassion being a guide for action. I agree, blind aggressive action is potentially destructive and should be filtered through one’s personal values. And compassion.
Great pics. Definitely has that warrior feel to it!
Recently I went on a run and after I finished I got caught in a heavy rainstorm. Being out in the rain and not caring really energized me. I did feel like a warrior even though I was just walking home.
Exactly! Not caring about the unpredictable but “uncomfortable” circumstances gives you the energy of perseverance.
Awesome post, Vic. I’m stuck in the middle of a rut these days … good to see someone work themselves out.
Thanks, Mark. Sometimes working out of that rut is just a matter of getting sick and tired of the f’ing rut! Good luck.
Same here, Vic! Except the weather has been the complete opposite…been about 100+ everyday! Who needs the cozy gym…when it’s much more comfortable feeling dizzy and sick to your stomach!
Keep killin it!
Mike.
Mike! So glad to see you stop by my blog. You no doubt know the definition of hard training. And 100+ is crazy! Although, it’s looking like I’m moving to Texas so I better get used to it. And yes, keep killin’ it!
Kick ass Vic…
One of the greatest runs I ever had was when a random monsoon out here in AZ rolled in and I was 5 miles from home. I was jumping puddles, running around cars and just kicking ass and having fun like a kid. That was one of my best ends to a run ever. Gotta love it.
Hope you are kicking ass at our goals man.
David Damron
Life Excursion
Yeah man, I think you hit on an important point. . . having fun like a kid. Usually the things that we enjoyed as a kid are the things that make us feel alive as adults. And I hope that you are kicking ass on the goals as well. . . I’m going to check in with you at the mid point.