Occupy the mind with good ideas, thoughts, and positive mantras to obliterate the old negative self. Work toward a new self involves destruction of the old, metaphorically but sometimes literally as well, as in getting rid of and breaking through old structures that stand in the way. If change is desired then change must be instituted or no change will happen.

A warrior is always on the path of change, active and proactive, taking charge, taking action, awake, alert and moving always in a direction of newness. A warrior knows that change begins in the mind and so each morning upon waking a warrior’s first action is to sweep clean the mind, to begin with empty mind, and to be certain that only positive thoughts, ideas, and truths enter it. Thus a warrior really does start each day fresh and anew.

With positive mind, a warrior is prepared to take on the challenges to be encountered, whatever they may be, even negative thoughts, without slipping back into old patterns of defeat. A warrior does not get overpowered but always enters the unfolding mystery of life with awe. A warrior always walks a path of heart with focus, determination, and wonder.

The warrior’s way is always in alignment with nature, for the warrior is always aware of nature’s power, intelligence, and guidance. And so a warrior is never alone but knowingly accompanied through life by forces beyond reason. Reason, a warrior knows, is limited by its belief that it has the answer to everything, but a warrior knows that reason is also a worthy player in the larger game of life and so a warrior balances between nature and reason. A warrior learns to relax, to flow with life, to look for guidance from both sides.

A warrior makes decisions based on the balance of self within the wholeness of nature. To ease through the turmoils of life a warrior lets go to the natural ways of a life of action within the confines of life in this world of reason. Yet a warrior is always focused on what is to come, where reason has no foothold and only the dictates of nature will be of aid. And so a warrior is always open and aware of everything, reasonably so of course!

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.