Hoping for something will not make it happen or bring it to you. Only action will bring results. Decisions and choices are actions as much as moving and speaking out are actions. A warrior is always aware of everything, actions and inactions alike, the decision to move or stay, the choice of yes or no.

A warrior bases all decisions on remaining in alignment, in balance and in accord with the greater good. And so a warrior’s decisions, though inclusive of self—both inside and outside self—are very thoughtful, for a warrior knows that to stay in the Tao, in synch and harmony with nature, is by far the best choice of all.

To remain in the Tao is to always be at peace with everything that happens, knowing that it is right. A warrior also knows that everything happens when the time is right, for the Tao is the righting of everything, nature always setting a course correction, awaiting the warrior’s adjustment as well. Thus a warrior constantly takes action and things happen constantly too, for a warrior is aware that change is naturally a constant and that there is always the thrill of new life on the horizon, naturally, in the Tao.

Sometimes satisfaction in life is a simple achievement. With the basics in place, with calmness of spirit and physical self a sort of satisfaction may be just enough to carry one into the next phase of life. For if one is constantly seeking and does not pause for rest or relaxation one will achieve nothing more than stress and anxiety. Such lifelong companions steal away the pleasures in life, even the simplest things no longer have meaning nor are they even noticed. The light of the moon, the warmth of the sun, the brush of the wind against the cheek, the budding flowers, the sounds of nature become nothing. Yet these are the things that bring easy joy to life.

When one is so wrapped up in the anxieties of self nature ceases to be. Yet nature itself is the key to unlocking the self from the vicissitudes of life, for one is but a part of it all, one is nature.

The warrior knows this and so the warrior turns regularly to nature to relax, to learn, and to be at peace within the self, for the warrior knows that without finding satisfaction in life the evolution of the self will be curtailed, life repeated, satisfaction confronted again and again, until finally acquiesced to as a necessary fact of life. To achieve satisfaction daily is the task of the warrior as must as the seeking of spiritual prowess is the task of the warrior, both equal in the eyes of a seeker of a path of heart.

Enlightenment may come suddenly or in an odd way, yet enlightenment it will be. Whether a small step or a giant leap, enlightenment is to be taken seriously, to be studied, knowledge stored as the journey continues. All journeys have moments of enlightenment, yet often they are forgotten, pushed aside or denied because they don’t fit into the gritty realm of “reality.”

The warrior’s work is always to retain moments of enlightenment, to hold onto them as steps of change, the essence of meaning, and the seeds of progress toward a life of purpose. A warrior knows also that even though enlightenment may not strike very often, or may be misinterpreted as something else, that every moment of every day offers the same flavor of insight, the same potential energy of change.

And so a warrior does not sit and wait for enlightenment to come, but a warrior continues onward, knowing that every step is a step toward enlightenment and the ultimate journey in infinity. Thus a warrior is always prepared and preparing for the day of enlightenment, knowing full well that it is here now.

Nature does not slow down. It proceeds according to plan. Seen or unseen, that plan is ancient. Marked and unmarked by time, it unfolds according to its roots and its imperatives. So is the life of every human being planned, the diagrams of life both seen and unseen, rooted in DNA and unfolding according to the dictates of another realm, the spiritual realm. Most people do not consider that they are beings from another realm at their core. A warrior, however, is fully aware of this. A warrior is alert to nature, respectful of it, knowing that all of life is paired, mirrored, and aligned.

A warrior know that when nature is in disharmony so is the human being, that when nature is disturbed so is the human, and that when nature is destructive so is the human. A warrior also experiences the beauty, grace, and splendor of nature as one with it. And so a warrior is always aware of inner and outer worlds, of nature as nature within, and that all things, including the human being, are projects of a higher realm.

To be a human being is to be of the natural realm and the spiritual realm alike. And so a warrior respects and cares for the oneness of everything, in reality and spirit. But a warrior is also fully aware that the human being is different from nature in that the human has the ability to choose a new path at any time. And so a warrior takes full responsibility for all choices and the progress of life, no matter what path is taken. A warrior is always concerned with navigating life according to nature and spirit, but always with what is right for all concerned uppermost in mind. And so a warrior takes into consideration self, nature, all other living beings on earth, and the earth itself, seeking always the path of heart.