The Way of the WarriorSample

THE WARRIOR OWNS DEFEAT

The warrior knows that honor is not found in the victory. Honor is found in the nobility of the battle. If the battle is not worthy of the warrior’s life, there is no honor in its victory. In the same way, the warrior knows there is no dishonor in defeat. Failure and defeat are not the same.

The warrior never claims victory for herself but only for others. In the same way, the warrior never gives blame for defeat but owns it for herself. The warrior owns defeat, therefore defeat never owns the warrior. 

The warrior takes complete responsibility while never holding tightly to anything. Because the warrior lives with open hands, nothing can be taken from him. The warrior is free from all things and therefore is free to enjoy all things. 

Ownership is not about possession; it is about responsibility. What you own matters far less than what you take ownership for. We are responsible for far more than what we have been given; we are responsible for what could have been done with all that we have been entrusted with.

At the beginning of humanity, God gave Adam and Eve ownership — not possession but responsibility — over all creation. Yet when Adam and Eve both ate from the one forbidden tree in the garden, neither took responsibility for their actions and instead blamed someone else.

You cannot change what you do not take responsibility for. When you blame someone else, you become dependent on that individual to solve your problem and change your circumstance. After all, if it is that person’s fault, then he or she is the only one who has the power to change your condition.

There is an unexpected relationship between blame and fear. When you blame others for your failure, you become powerless to change the world around you. You begin to live your life filled with fear, paralyzed by uncertainty, and embittered by a sense of victimization. Fear may cause you to abdicate responsibility, but the abdication of responsibility will most certainly cause you to live in fear. 

GUIDING QUESTIONS

Do you take responsibility for things in your life that you don’t own? How can you transition into a mindset of ownership? How have you abdicated the power to change a failure in your life by placing blame on others? How can you relinquish fear by reclaiming responsibility for your life?