"When warriors say that they will perform an action, it is as good as done. Nothing will stop them from completing what they say they will do. They do not have to 'give their word.' They do not have to 'promise.' "
This teaching has been taught by many cultures the world over and it is an important one to practice. In the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, the first of four agreements is to be impeccable with your word, "Speaking with integrity. Say only what you mean..." In Christianity, Jesus says "All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (NIV Matt 5:37)
So why is this teaching so important? It keeps us from being someone who is all talk and no action. I would say now more than ever action is more respected than mere knowledge. In this current age of information, anything that can be learned is at our finger tips. So those who learn and do are those who stand out from the crowd.
When I first started my health and fitness journey, I would tell people what I was going to do for the next thirty to ninety days. This wasn't a boast as much as it held me accountable to do it. I didn't want to be someone who said he was going to do a 30-day challenge then fail to do it. I was practicing makoto, and it felt good to say then actually do what I said I was going to do.
Never make promises unless you know for sure that you will follow through. This is as important for the person you are making the promise to as it is for you. When you break a promise, you weaken your own willpower to follow through the next time. You begin to create a pattern of not keeping your word. This goes for the smallest of promises such as taking out the trash to big promises such upholding your wedding vows. This attribute will strengthen like a muscle, the more you uphold your word the stronger you will become in this area.
Yu - Heroic Courage
"Hiding like a turtle in a shell is not living at all. A true warrior must have heroic courage. It is absolutely risky. It is living life completely, fully, and wonderfully."
"Heroic courage is not blind. It is intelligent and strong."
I can relate to this quote deeply, I feel like I have spent too much of my life living on the fence. Not fully living and at times unconsciously waiting to die. Heroic courage is about saying "Yes" to your life, being fully committed to you, your dreams, and your vision for your life. It is about feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Once you overcome the fears of life, is when true living begins. A samurai would go into battle expecting to die. This mindset actually helped the samurai survive battle because they gave their all. Anything worth doing in life should be handled with this intensity. When I chose a life of fitness. I committed myself to growing old while in shape. Who wants to use a walker or cane unless they absolutely have to? When going into business, I had to decide to commit myself fully. Upon being challenged by a well-known "super coach," that if I didn't start now then I never would. I took the leap (partly because I wanted to prove her wrong) and haven't looked back since. What are you afraid to do? What steps do you need to take today to step into your fear and be fully committed to you? Find ways to live "life completely, fully, and wonderfully" today!
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