The Way of the Warrior

“Unless someone truly has the power to say no, 

they never truly have the power to say yes”
― from  Dan Millman's The Way of the Peaceful Warrior

 

For too long, I thought saying "Yes!" with an open-armed naivete was wise but, after awhile, I simply found it to bee highly unsustainable as well as downright destructive, at times.  Practicing saying "No" - fiercely and without apology - has become another tool for my continued Self-empowerment.  "No, I will not hold your hand."  

"No, I will not invite you."

If you find yourself playing the push over too often, or allowing yourself to bee taken advantage of, then I highly recommend you practice saying your "No's" as a means of balancing.  

 

Spending ample time with children also inspires me to continue to listen to what my heart says and to respond from there, regardless of how I may or may not appear or bee perceived.  I have actually come to relish the outright "rejection and judgment" that children can dole out like good medicine.  "Don't look at me!" a two-year old recently sneered at me, when I greeted her after a few months absence.  I just laughed.  "YES!  Let me embody this level of authenticity!" I thought.

 

However, what this doesn't mean is that I project all of my own unhappiness onto others.  Bee~ing a warrior means that, along with true authenticity, One is also responsible for her words and actions.  This doesn't mean that we don't make plenty of mistakes or have our own shadows and imperfections. I certainly do.  It just means that I am willing to walk into the fire of discomfort in order to address all that doesn't serve the highest good.  

 

Yesterday, however, I was presented with a wonderful opportunity to draw my invisible blade out of its scabbard and to protect and defend my inner child from the unwarranted attack of someone I once considered a loved one.  The thing about LOVE is that, no matter what someone does or doesn't do, LOVE doesn't shame, guilt or try to make someone feel bad, put down or less than.  If you experience this in your life, then I highly recommend that you draw a curtain of "No" around you, and that you veil yourself from this life-sucking energy.  It's what I must currently do, once more.

And, again, I can do this without blame or anger, and with compassion.  This person obviously feels bad about him or herself, otherwise s/he wouldn't lash out uncontrollably at another.  As I did, I bowed down before this person, gave a kiss 'Goodbye' and said, "Bless You."  True compassion begins with ourselves.  Without it, we can't give it to anyone else. 

 

“Wake up! If you knew for certain you had a terminal illness--if you had little time left to live--you would waste precious little of it! Well, I'm telling you...you do have a terminal illness: It's called birth. You don't have more than a few years left. No one does! So be happy now, without reason--or you will never be at all.”
― Dan Millman