Training for a higher purpose.

If you are reading this you probably have some degree of an established warrior ethos.

You listen to tales of heroism, and swell with pride and admiration that a member of our species is capable of acts to bravery and self sacrifice in the face of danger.

When the hero manifests from the ranks of the unlikely there is a greater degree of surprise, admiration, and humility.

“If someone like himcould summon the strength and courage to perform such bravery perhaps there is hope for someone like me.”

Call it the antithesis of confidence… yet it still motivates us.

Would Audie Murphy have achieved such monolithic status among the Magnificent Warriors if he had stood 6’2” and weighed in at 250lbs?

Perhaps.

But his tiny stature and his acts of bravery and ruthlessness in WWII make him even more mythical.

It also reminds us that the warrior ethos is an internal phenomenon.

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What is interesting is that the adoption of that warrior ethos can and will effect our outward appearance.

Today at the gym I ran into a good friend of mine.

He was, in a past life, a professional football player. He is now a high level executive with a major aeronautics company. While he still looks unbelievably intimidating for a man pushing 50 he may not have the exact same physique he had while an offensive guard for the 49ers.

Still he works out regularly.

He asked me if my dedication to the gym comes from an effort to control my type 1 diabetes.

Nope.

The control I get over my blood sugar from working out is at best a side benefit.

My 30 inch waist is also an unintended, albeit fortunate consequence.

I don’t work out to achieve a good looking physique.

I have a good looking physique becauseI work out.

The guys at 5.11 Tactical have a phrase…. “Training for a higher purpose”

I like that.

It sums up what I do.

I am a weapons trainer. My job is to provide people a forum and lab to develop the skills necessary to save their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

While we may spend time with the mechanical tools of a handgun, a taser, or oc spray, the first, singular and prime weapon that each of our clients possess is their body/mind warrior ethos.

We need to keep that weapon… as well as all of our weapons in the best condition possible.

I train in the gym not to loose, (or in my case gain) weight.

I train because someday I may need to carry a stranger out of a burning building.

I train for a higher purpose.

My weight, the fit of my clothes, the control I get over my blood sugar… Those are blessed unintended consequences… nothing more.

Live your life with the understanding that you are a sheepdog… a protector… a guardian and embrace that responsibility.

Know your weapons and keep them in the best condition possible.

By design of our society you never know when you will be called upon to stand up against the wolves that threaten the sheep.

If you are the best marksman around, but can’t carry a wounded brother or sister to safety you’ve lost sight of the larger picture.

Train train train… for a higherpurpose.