Warriors Graduation; Writing what is in your Heart, and Living what you Dream

A boy grows up dreaming of being a hero; for some, they will have the desire to possess the amazing power of Superman or the Incredible Hulk. For others, their attraction is found in the unique weapons of Spider-man or Batman. Through it all, boys have the innate and natural desire as my 4 year old daughter puts it, to be heroes that save the day.

Last week, the state of Arizona welcomed 9 more heroes to it’s line-up through the

graduation of the first-ever group of teen “Warriors.”  In the exciting 5 week mini-camp, they were taught the principles of 10 specific “Warrior” disciplines and how to possess and utilize them to the fullest of their individual capabilities. They learned about non-negotiables and how, when asked to compromise on any one of those principles, the only answer the person requesting that compromise would get, was a resounding “NO!”

Thanks to Ira A Murphy Elementary School in Peoria Arizona, these are young men that remain hopeful about their futures and excited about their opportunities as they were welcomed to the Warrior Brotherhood! Once a Warrior, always a Warrior!

                    

A lot of people will ask me how it is that I get my ideas for writing, or what it is that drives to write. I always tell them the same thing. “There are some things so deep in my heart that only a spin on the keyboard and a smashing of the buttons will satisfy. The deepest yearnings of my heart and desires are fleshed out when I write.”

I would say that with almost 99% clarity, that statement is very true. My only regret is that over the course of the last 6 months or so, as we were preparing to finish and launch my book, I only rarely had the opportunity to write my “sober thoughts” of the wonderful life that I wondrously observed twirling, dancing and nose-diving all around me. I am excited to say that I now have a little more time on my schedule, and as my time continues to free up, I will again take on the discipline of writing regularly and adding to an already tremendously blessed blog.  To my readers over 5,000 strong, thank you for your loyal support.

If I was asked what my advice would be to those out there reading and subscribing to this blog, the answer is easy; Write what is in your heart, and live what you dream. Don’t ever let the “real world” stop you from living out what you truly desire to do. Nothing is impossible if you truly desire to do it. The keystone is not found in the effort in which the attempt is made, but in the refusal of quitting.  See you at the top.

-Lou   

Warriors Session 2- Growing the Leader within...

Anyone can say no… once, twice, maybe three times, but how many of us can develop a strong and consistent pattern of accurately deciphering what  are the right and wrong decisions for our lives? We have seen the very best of leaders fall and seen others perceived by most as weak; prevail over monumental obstacles in their life. What is the difference? You will find the answer in Endurance, and Will-power.

Wednesday night, the Warriors-in-Training learned that Endurance is an earned discipline, allowing you to stay the course, while Will-Power is what gives you the innate ability to make tough decisions.

The take away is simply that we must focus now on building endurance; we can not wait until later because later is too late. Our endurance is fortified with a band of brothers invested in ensuring we get to where it is we say we want to go, Warriors!

Regarding Will-Power, we must all ask ourselves if we have it within ourselves to turn away from the seemingly great things that wish to distract, destroy and take us off the course we have set for ourselves. More importantly, do we have the courage to have enough will-power to grab unto the goals we truly desire and dig in tooth and nail, never letting anyone vanquish our dreams? The enemy of the right thing is all too often usually disguised as a seemingly good thing.

A Warrior knows that it does not matter that which disguises itself as good; what matters is knowing what is authentically and unequivocally right.  The action produced from this knowledge is where Will-power is harnessed and grown.  Endurance is the result of making that right decision over and over again.  

Do you have Will-Power?  Can you harness that into Endurance?

-Lou

Warriors Mini-Camp- Discovering the Leader Within...

We just kicked off the first ever Warriors Mini-Camp for young men, where a group of young men ages 13-14 are learning the 10 disciplines of being a Warrior.  “Warrior-ship” for these young men means gaining purpose, vision, and direction for their lives as well as learning how to say no, and yes to the things in life that will ether hurt them or propel them forward.

Today’s lesson was sprinkled throughout with many of the Warrior’s learning the “Warrior-Dance” a dance where as the rest of the Warriors clap and cheer, the Warriors-to-be selected do a short but energetic mix of jumping jacks, push-ups and claps that affirm them as a Warrior in training.  They also learned the basic discipline of being an influential leader amongst their peers. I’d like to share just three basic principles the Warriors-in-training went through this afternoon.

Awareness- Is it important to understand and have fore-knowledge of our surroundings? Does becoming more aware of who we are and where we are help us to navigate around the obstacles we will come in contact with throughout our journeys?   Being acutely aware of what is to come can help us avoid the many pit-falls and temptations that would otherwise distract us from achieving the goals we have set before us.

Influence- In a memorable clip from the movie “Dead Poet’s Society” there is a powerful clip of just how much influence plays a role in each of our lives. The Warriors-in-training not only viewed the clip but also lived it out through a live-action role-play that eventually had the entire room of Warriors clapping and pacing around the room. Influence; it will either allow you to be a motivator of people for all the right reasons, or it will suck you under the water in an attempt to drown every dream you have ever had. Knowing who and what to be influenced by in order to grow, mature, and become the leader we desire to be is an important part of the Warrior process.

Non-Negotiable- This element was introduced early because I truly feel that unless one has either a short or long list of non-negotiables, we will forever be relegated to riding the high seas of life; back and forth, up and down, not really knowing what buoy to grab unto or better yet, what boat to climb in and master the treacherous journey that lies ahead. All the Warriors-in-Training were asked to create a poster of the things they stood for, as well as the unique and firm beliefs they felt they wanted to carry forward.

All In all, a great and awesome day with young men that will soon become World-Changers!

Stay tuned!! Next Warrior Camp is slated for Wednesday, and my next update is slated for soon after that!

Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior!

-Lou