Welcome
back! If you started on June 6 when we
kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 78.
This will complete our journey together serving
you as you strive to live the Warrior Life.
I welcome your feedback and
encourage you to contact me and let me coach you toward greater success.
Part 1: Be the Leader:
Discipline:
Definition:
Destiny:
Part 2: BE THE WARRIOR
The warrior takes the small things seriously
The warrior must be a student of history.
The warrior must live by a code.
Part 3 Be the Storm
Risk:
Take Action:
Resolve to never give
up:
Every run,
every project gets to a moment where you feel like throwing in the towel. The warrior does not quit at that point. My experience is that if in that moment, you
push through, and you will start to feel different. In that moment you will cross some line and
what once seemed dark will suddenly come alive and you will win. But only if you don’t give up.
You, my
friend, are called to change the world.
You may not be destined to change the whole world but maybe your piece
of it. The real problem is that the
world does not want to change. They know
the pain and fear that your might introduce them to a pain that they don’t
know. Men and women work diligently to
avoid change in their lives. The good
news is that if they can feel the pain, and keep from medicating it, they might
hear you.
As you
propose the change initially they will call you insane. They will break out all science and human
wisdom they can find to discourage you.
Some will do this out of spite.
Ignore them.
Others will
do this out of love. They will fear for
your pain or more often they fear that they will be required to do and be more
if you bring the change. These love you. Be gentle with them but resolve to continue
on the journey. Explain your
reasons. Share the journey. Invite them to come along. When possible fill them in on the details.
Even Jesus had family and friends that thought that he had lost his mind. His teachings are difficult. Yet many try to teach these things as if they are simple. I believe they are doing a great disservice to the Kingdom of God. I cannot explain everything. Most of the time, this God that I love, makes no sense to me. Yet I have resolved to follow Him to the ends of the Earth if needed. I choose to live for Him and if called up on to die for Him. I have resolved to never give up.
You,
warriors, what will you die for? You
might say family or friends. Make your
God given purpose a mountain where you can take your stand. Discipline yourself to know your purpose
intimately. Envision it. Breathe it in. Study yourself and anything connected with
your purpose. Look for answers to your
problems in unusual places. Just do not
give up! Do not give in! Just keep plodding toward your dreams. Live for your purpose.
Welcome
back! If you started on June 6 when we
kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 71.
Part 1: Be the Leader:
Discipline:
Definition:
Destiny:
Part 2: BE THE WARRIOR
The warrior takes the small things seriously
The warrior must be a student of history.
The warrior must live by a code.
Part 3 Be the Storm
Risk:
Take Action:
Storms test the integrity of structures.
Things that are fake or are barely holding on will not survive the
storm. I remember as a child living
through a tornado that ripped through our neighborhood. My neighbor across the street was hiding out
in his basement with his family when the storm hit and when the storm was over
he bragged to his wife how the house had survived the storm. She had been complaining for years that he
needed to fix the porch and other maintenance tasks around the house. He always intended to get to it but never
took action. So when the storm was over
and from his view point the house was in order he felt vindicated.
That feeling
of vindication and victory only lasted about 20 minutes. They came out of the basement and everything
was dark. Initially, they believed that
it was just because the power was out.
My neighbor found a flashlight and tried to open the front door but it
would not open. This happened sometimes,
he had been meaning to fix it. Unable to
open the door he made his way out of back door and walked around the
house. That is when he discovered the
overhang from their front porch was laying across the porch and keeping the
door closed. In the morning other damage
was revealed. While the house survived,
much of the structure was shown to be weak.
That can
happen in our own lives. We can get by
day to day and survive but can your life survive storms? In order to build that structure you must
take action.
Teddy
Roosevelt as a child was reported to be sickly and weak. Doctors did not expect him to do much with
his life. Teddy could have simply rolled
over and lived off of his parents wealth and really have been forgotten by
history. That was not Teddy’s way! He began to exercise. He ignored doctor’s instructions; he overcame
most of his ailments. Those ailments
that he did not overcome he pushed through anyway. Teddy took action.
NOTE: I am
not advising you to ignore doctors. But
do follow up and see if there are other opinions or treatments if needed.
Too many of
us get bad news, we simply call it quits.
That will keep you from having any impact on the world.
When I was a
baby my very young parents were told not to expect too much out of me because
of complications at birth. The doctor
was very sincere so my parents believed him.
As I grew up I was sat in front of the TV and not much was
expected. That was my life until I was 5
years old. That is when I met Sister
Mary Gabriel. She told my parents that
was stupid and that I was just lazy. She
took action. At least once her action
included a paddle. She pushed me and
made me cry on multiple occasions. But
she demanded that I take action. She
would not accept my excuses. Ultimately
I not only completed first grade, but was fairly successful in school.
This week’s challenge: What is
holding you back? What can you do to
overcome those obstacles?
Welcome
back! If you started on June 6 when we
kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 64.
Part 1: Be the Leader:
Discipline:
Definition:
Destiny:
Part 2: BE THE Warrior
The warrior takes the small things seriously
The warrior must be a student of history.
The warrior must live by a code.
Part 3 Be the Storm
Today we begin the final section of this series. By now you are developing as a leader and as
a warrior. Those are important for your
daily life and purposes. If you do well
with the first two sections you will be successful but it is unlikely that you
will be remembered by anyone 2-3 generations after you meet your demise. In order to be a legend you must be the
storm
Risk:
Being the
storm is risky. There is no doubt. There will be people who will hate you and
despise you. They will talk about you
and even make up lies to smear your name.
This will always be true. Many
people are like crabs. If you go crab
fishing and you catch one crab and put them in a bucket you must put a lid on
the bucket. Once you catch 2 crabs and
put them together in the bucket, you no longer need to put a lid on them. If one tries to escape the other will pull
them back down. All people have their
own agenda and purpose and these crabs have as a part of their purpose to hold
you back.
Listen to
them, learn from what they are saying, but don’t let it touch your emotions. If they offer a way to accomplish your goals
that reduces the risk, take that into consideration. But do not let them make you afraid. Steel yourself against their attacks. Know that they are coming.
Abraham Lincoln, during his presidency, was often hated and despised. ½ the nation left to start their own country because they suspected that he would become a liberator of slaves. Those that stayed behind were angry at him for a multitude of reasons. Initially, he was accused of being too slow toward abolition. He took the risk to wait. Later when he had the Emancipation Proclamation, many said it was too risky. Every time he risked firing a general there were those waiting to lambaste him. Yet he continued to risk. Read the headlines of the papers of that era. They make the modern media look like they love President Donald Trump. Newspapers looked to crucify the man consistently. Yet he never failed to risk doing the next right thing.
However,
when he died he became a legend. He
belongs to the ages. Many want to be
like him, but they have forgotten the hate and ridicule he had to endure. Lincoln suffered mightily throughout his
presidency so that the nation could be united and the slaves set free. He was the storm. He was a world changer.
You can be a
world changer too. Consider what you
might do to impact the world.
This week’s challenge: Think boldly. If you had the power to change the world in one area, what area would that be? Don’t say something like, “That is just the way it is.” Lincoln could have said that, but took the risk. Pick an area and consider what a first step might be.
Welcome
back! If you started on June 6 when we
kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 57.
Be the
Leader: Just because we have moved on in our training does not mean that the
earlier lessons are done. A leader must
be constantly growing and learning.
Discipline:
Definition:
Destiny:
BE THE WARRIOR
The warrior takes the small things seriously
The warrior must be a student of history.
The
warrior must live by a code.
In the heat
of battle or for most of us when stress hits us hard we must have pre-decided how
we will react.
Consider
Joseph in the book of Genesis. He is a
hard worker. He is wise and loyal to his
master. Unfortunately, his master’s wife
took a special liking to him and worked to seduce him. Consider the temptation. Here is a noble woman who likely regularly bathed,
wore make up and the fanciest clothes of her era. Because of Potiphar’s position it is also
likely that he had his choice of beautiful and intelligent women so she is a
top tier girl.
One day this
cunning woman orchestrated some alone time with Joseph, and invited him into
her marriage bed. All of the external
barriers that might have helped Joseph overcome this temptation were gone. How
did Joseph not give into this temptation?
He made a vow before hand to not give himself to this woman. When the invitation came that was not the
time to debate the rightness or wrongness of the situation. His natural senses would have led him
astray. He was a young man with testosterone
running through his system at full tilt.
But he had made a vow at least internally to keep himself pure.
That same
sort of pre-decision can be made for many things in your life. You can seek ideas on the internet for
wording and ideas of things that you should include in your personal vows. But let me give you a few here in no
particular order that you might consider.
As
a warrior it is my duty to always lead from the front and not the rear.
I
will treat all people with respect and love because they are made in the image
of God.
I
will set myself as an example that others will want to follow. (Holistically)
I will push those that work with me toward
constant and never-ending improvement (CANI)
Pain
is required to release the beast within you.
I
do not need to like what God directs you to do, you must simply do it.
I
shall live my life with simplicity.
I
shall never assume that I fully understand a situation until I investigate fully.
I will focus on results, not methods.
Semper Gumby (Always flexible)
Never be alone with a woman in what would appear
a compromising position.
Honor God, first.
This week’s challenge: Consider where
temptation must come from and write out a personal code that you will live with
and apply in your life. Write them out
and then work to integrate them into your life.
Welcome
back! If you started on June 6 when we
kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 50.
Be the
Leader: Just because we have moved on in our training does not mean that the
earlier lessons are done. A leader must
be constantly growing and learning.
Discipline:
Definition:
Destiny:
BE THE
WARRIOR
The warrior takes the small things seriously
The warrior must be a student of history.
Too many
think of the warrior as all brawn and no brains. But that cannot be. Muscle can get you only so far. It is the ability to know how to use that
muscle that makes you the warrior. If I
am about to take a test I would love to have the answers so that I know exactly
what to study and how to prepare. That
is what history does for you, if you are willing to investigate and study the
past.
Solomon
tells us that there is nothing new under the sun. Problems and challenges have been experienced
in some capacity before our modern era.
Dig in and see what you can learn.
Sometimes you can learn what to do or more often than not I can learn
from the mistakes of others and keep myself from being so foolish. Sometimes I simply have no clue how to go
forward and history can give me a clue.
At the very least I pick up some pretty incredible illustrations.
In the 1930s
Calvin Coolidge was president. Tennis
was becoming very popular and Calvin’s son began to play consistently. One day after playing he discovered that he
had a blister on one of his feet but figured it was no big deal. However, the infection in the blister somehow
spread to his legs and then took on the rest of his body. He was dead in just a couple of weeks. The lesson learned is that you must address
the little things or they will ultimately kill you. (BTW: Lesson from last
week.)
Don’t simply
look at dates but instead look for the story.
Look for the lessons learned from other cultures. While it can be difficult to find, the
African continent is full of incredible leaders, new technologies and
more. These leaders had to solve
environmental issues, community issues and had to overcome immense
challenges. They have lessons that are right
there waiting for you. Every culture and
language has had to face problems, look to learn from them.
Finally,
don’t restrict your learning to what you typically find in history books. When you study with a warrior mindset you can
find leadership lessons from all of the disciplines. Science, art, engineering, education and any
other venue can provide what you need to solve any of today’s problems.
This week’s challenge: Today, pick out one season of history and study the snot out of it for the next 3 months. Look for something out of the ordinary.
Welcome
back! If you started on June 6 when we
kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 43.
A quick
review is in order. Last week we
completed the first section on being the leader. You can always go back and read the past
blogs to get the details. A warrior is
always the leader who leads from the front.
A warrior is the leader who sets the example. A warrior is the leader who is comfortable in
his/her own skin because they know who they are. Finally a warrior is a leader who looks to
win the war not just the battle.
Be the
Leader:
Discipline:
Definition:
Destiny:
Now we go
onto the second section
BE THE
WARRIOR
I am the
voice.
I will lead
NOT follow.
I will
believe NOT doubt.
I will
create NOT destroy.
I am a force
for good.
I am a force
for God.
I am a
leader.
I will defy
the odds.
I will set a
new standard.
I will rise.
I am the
storm.
I am the
warrior.
-Modified
version of a Tony Robbins quote
Now that you
know that you are the leader. Rise up
and live as a warrior. Not all of those
that are leaders are warriors. But it is
the warrior that leaves an impact on the world.
What will your impact be? Will
you help lead climate change? Will you
be remembered as a part of the next Great Awakening. Will you discover something new? The possibilities are numerous. Search your heart.
Now before
you go off to conquer kingdoms and slay the dragon (which you should definitely
do by the way), I want to encourage you to do the little things well. See that is what a warrior does. He/She lives with excellence in their
bones.
Don Tee was
a crew member on a bomber in World War II.
He described long periods of boredom followed by seasons of absolute
terror. Don was a warrior. During one of the flights the bombs were
stuck and Don climbed down into the bay to try to kick them loose. He could look down and see Europe below
him. Climbing down he began kicking at
the offending bomb. Time was of the essence.
He had to get this out quickly or they would miss the window of
opportunity. With all of his might he
gave it one last kick and the bombs fell away.
Unfortunately so did Don. He had
lost his grip in the effort to kick the bomb loose. But that was not the end of Don. While he was falling out of the bomb bay the
patch of his uniform caught on a bolt.
For several moments, Don was getting a literal bird’s eye view of Europe
with nothing holding him in the air but a bolt and a patch. Don could not tell you how long he was
hanging there before other crew members pulled him back up into the plane but
it did seem like an eternity.
While Don is
a hero, he gives credit to two other people for his surviving the war. One was the person that sewed the patch on
his uniform. They did such an excellent
job that it held a full grown man. That
person sewing the patch will never know that the little thing of an extra
stitch on a patch saved a man’s life.
The second person is the person that put that bolt in place. If they had been having a bad day, or were
simply phoning in their work that day, Don would have died that day.
You never
know how the little things will impact a life.
Do all things with excellence. A
warrior always provides excellence in every task; even if and maybe
particularly if they do not know if anyone will ever notice.
This week’s challenge: Today, write down three small tasks that you usually phone in and write them down. Now take that list and purposely do those three things with excellence.
Welcome
back! If you started on June 6 when we
kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 36.
Be the
Leader:
Discipline: To be the leader you must put yourself on the
warpath of discipline. These are the
little things that you do routinely to develop physically, mentally, socially
and Spiritually. Overall these things
will offer you small little nudges of personal growth. I implore you not to wait until you feel like
it, just get up and do it every day. Every
leader that has fallen started his/her descent by forsaking the disciplines
that got them into their position.
Definition:
This is where you define who you
are. I am a warrior monk. In every situation where I am unsure what to
do next; I ask myself, “What would a warrior monk do in this situation?” Additionally, I am a man that simply loves
Jesus and longs to hear him say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” This body that I live in, the roles that I
play and the things people think of me are all temporary. My real self is housed in this temporary jar
of clay. I am the beloved of God. Leaders who do not know who they are hurt
people.
King Saul in
the Bible was called of God to lead the nation of Israel. He was anointed by the prophet yet he ruled
in fear of losing his position, losing face and losing his relationship with
God. Because he failed to see himself
as the anointed he failed. Consider King
David, who knew that God loved him and believed in him. Which type of leader do you want to be?
Destiny:
To be the leader is to live life in the long game. Too many leaders today go for temporary
victories. They might get wealthy or get
the girl but they are only content for a short period of time. The warrior thinks of the eternal best
interest of those that he/she is leading.
A weed grows
very fast and takes no effort. Anybody
can grow a weed and be successful at doing so.
But a weed does not last. Imagine
planting a tree from a seed. It takes
skill, time and effort. There will be
days where you can see the growth and days where you notice nothing. If done
correctly that tree will impact multiple generations.
During my
time in the United States Army we would do these field exercises and in nearly
every one of those the umpires would take me out of the equation by killing
me. My troops would then have to show if
I had trained them well or not. The
first time this happened they were not prepared and that was my fault. I should have ensured that everyone on my
team had the skills and mindset to rise up and be a leader if I was not
there. In many ways up until that day I
was a highly paid babysitter. I learned my lesson and never again would I set
up my soldiers for failure.
If you are a
leader and your organization does not outlast you by at least one generation
than you have failed. I have learned
that this can be painful. Decisions made
today do not always make sense in the moment.
Invest your time and energy so that you can be the legend.
I heard the
story of a man who abandoned his wife and two children when the kids were very
young. Many years later, the two
children having gone away from their mother for a season, returned to celebrate
the mother’s 60th birthday party.
Many friends and family members joined them as they told about how the
mother had overcome all challenges with a smile and with much grace. For two days laughter, tears and stories were
told. Many of the stories were almost
supernatural and were surely the stuff of legend. The man’s name was never mentioned. It was like he did not exist. He was a ghost. My question to you today is this, “Do you
want to be a legend or do you want to be a ghost?”
This week is a good time to review where we have been. Put together your full ethos statement. (See mine as an illustration.) Write out your discipline plan to include what and when you will add to them. Create a word picture to create the definition of who you are and finally decide. “I am going to be a legend.” What do you want your legend to be? Tell the story and include your whole being.
Welcome
back! If you started on June 6 when we
kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 29.
That
means that it is Independence Day in America.
We take time to celebrate the birth of our nation. I used to think that I loved this
nation. But then I went to basic
training at Fort Leonard wood. At
graduation they played “I’m proud to be an American.” I started crying. There was no warning, no build up, just tears
racing down my cheeks. It was then that
I realized that I really loved this country.
Now, I agree that we have often made a mess of things from time to
time. We birthed a nation of freedom
while holding slaves. We slaughtered
Native Americans, proudly. We have often
had corrupt government and businesses. But
ultimately this nation has stood against the forces of evil in the world and
has come out victorious. Here any man
can rise and live his/ her dream. The
United States of America is growing up, be patient and look to the horizon to
see what we accomplish in the future. My
guess is that what we do in the future will make it look like we did nothing
over the past 250 years or so. God bless
the USA.
Be the Leader:
Discipline: The last two weeks I have been talking to you about personal discipline. This is critical if you are going to be the warrior. You should be establishing new disciplines consistently. Try to build a streak of success. I remember when I was trying to build the discipline of flossing. I had been told by every dentist I knew that I needed to put this practice in my life. I blew them off. (Like some of you have been doing to my suggestions so far.) One day though I thought I should follow through, after all I had been telling all of those dentists that I will start flossing right away. But to be honest now, I was lying. I had no intention of following through on that promise. But I got sick of not being a man of integrity in that area so I made the decision, I will floss regularly. This started with flossing at least every third day, then I set a standard of flossing more days than not. Finally, I wanted to see how many days in a row that I could floss. I went nearly three years without missing a day. Then I went camping and missed a day. But since then I have been consistent for nearly 7 more years. I work to break my record daily. Build your disciplines.
Slow and steady wins the race. Build slowly, you never eat the fruit on the day you plant the seed.
Definition:
Now to be the leader you must define yourself. Who are you?
If you are like me, you have made a ton of mistakes in your life. Too often I define myself by those
failures. I remember that youth group
that collapsed under my leadership and became nonexistent. I remember being a bad example in Boy
Scouts. I remember my time in addictions
and in that I remember how I selfishly hurt people. My life then was all about me and what I
wanted and I hated anyone that disagreed with me. Hate would have defined who I was. I could go on for pages in detail about all
of the times that I have failed.
However, as a warrior I must not define myself in the midst of those
failures. Many people I know define
themselves by their past. They will say
I am an addict, I am a felon. They will
say I am stupid, ugly, cruel or a liar and adulterer. Some define themselves by their career, or
lack of a career. Others are defined by
their appearance. I am pretty, I am ugly. The point is that you must rise above all of
that.
There are
times when you have been ugly, stupid, trapped in sin of all sorts. Those are moments of your life. Do not let them define you.
I am defined
as a child of God. He loves me.
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. –Galatians 2: 20
Too often we
define our inside by what is outside of us.
That is backwards. The warrior life is all about allowing the inside to
define who you are. With that said I
must challenge you to invite Christ to live inside of you. Without Christ to cleanse us, we are filled
with selfishness, bitterness, and all manner of evil. We are unable to faithfully serve our fellow
men in ways that honor them.
If you have
not invited Jesus to live within you, then I implore you to not put that off
for a single moment.
I have very
few regrets in my life. I regret not
going to Ranger School. I regret not
being a better husband to my wife, particularly in our early marriage. But the one thing that I regret most in my
life is that I did not come to really know Jesus earlier. Oh, to have prevented the mistakes of my
rebellion against Him. That is why I
seek words to convince you not to put this off.
If you need to talk to someone about this relationship; and what that
means please email me. rich.schaus@grmmuskogee.org
Take some time this week to add to your disciplines (by adding that may mean that you are taking something away like pie, or working late.) Also take time to clarify your definition of who you are. Let me know what you are thinking and how I can serve you.
Welcome
back! If you started on June 6 when we
kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 22.
What we are building in you is the strength
and the endurance to win and dominate in our world. Many worry about those who are couch potatoes
and those who numb themselves with social media. I suggest that we do not need to worry about
them. They are not the competition. Really our only real competition is with our
own selves. The flesh is weak.
Last week we
talked about daily discipline. It is
this discipline that will give you the freedom to fulfill your God given
mission in this life. Remember that you
want to ensure that you have daily opportunities to grow physically, mentally, spiritually
and socially.
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God
and man.-Luke 2:52
Establishing a healthy beginning and ending of your day
leaves you in position to be flexible with the rest of your day. Now there needs to be some discussion on
other disciplines that must be added to your overall life. Fit these in as you can.
Physical: The morning
routine is a base to get your blood pumping and knock the cobwebs out. While it will keep you fitter than a couch
potato, it will not enable you to have the strength, agility and stamina that a
warrior needs. You must figure out a way
to get in a full body workout 3-4 times a week.
Find a trainer. Once a year I take
about 2 months working with a trainer to force me to consider exercises that I
would not do on my own. A trainer can
push you to the point of pain, where your own mind might try to stop you.
One other challenge: Take an ice bath at least 1 time a
week. Always start or end your showers
with cold water.
Mental: Read. Read. Read.
Read books to inspire, to teach and make you think. Teddy Roosevelt read wide and deep and
ultimately read several books a week for most of his life. If someone as active and busy and Teddy could
do this, we should be able to pull off at least 1 book a week. Do that.
Also take time to memorize Scripture.
This works the brain and the spirit.
Read professional magazines in your field. Write in your journal your random thoughts
and dreams. If you don’t use your mind, you will lose it. Play games that challenge your thinking to
exercise that mind muscle. Finally, one
time a week sit down and brainstorm what needs to be done. Just write it all out. Don’t analyze it. Use your calendar if needed. In my journal
this is my hit list for the week. When I
am done just free thinking and writing it all out, I will look for what needs
to be done first and then what is next and so on. Not all of these things need to be done. Many
will carry over to future weeks. Some
were just written as an idea to consider later.
The point is that all week I know that when I have gaps in my schedule
there are productive things to do and I go to my list. Wasting time is a travesty.
Spiritual: Most of my
Spiritual work is done in the morning.
However, I also routinely go to church and if possible Sunday School,
midweek services and special church events.
I pray with my wife and kids at meal times and other times. Reading the Bible out loud at work has turned
out to be a great exercise. Again let
the warrior life which is also a life in service to God, permeate the rest of
your life.
Social: Most of my
work day has a social element. Meetings,
conversations over the phone, internet interactions, texts and other things are
always a part of the social exercises of the day. I also recommend classes on the internet on
manners, small talk conversations and leadership to build the soft skills of
being a warrior. In the evening make it
a discipline to eat dinner with your family as often as possible. If you are married woo your spouse like you
did before you were married. Everyday
life often makes us take people for granted.
Choose to love your closest family members in a special way, every day.
Journaling: By far the one exercise that I have added over
the past few years is routine journaling. My goal is that I write down about
every 20 minutes what I was doing or thoughts after a meeting. My days go by fast and I don’t want to lose
what I am learning. I also want to be
able to slow myself down enough to process what my senses have
experienced. The journaling process also
clears my mind so that I can relax with my family at night without being
haunted from remembering things that I think I should be doing.
Daily green drink:
Every day I drink at least 1 smoothie that I call my green drink. They all turn out different and you can get
recipes online if you wish. But make
sure each smoothie contains the following:
2-3 green vegetables (Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, cucumbers)
Protein source (Greek Yogurt works well in most recipes)
Grains (Oatmeal, flax, chia seed)
Fruit
Fats (Avocado or Olive Oil)
This drink energizes me and fills me up so that I don’t end
up snacking when someone brings in a donut and offers me one. (No one actually
offers to share their donut with me. But if they did I would be too full to
indulge that weakness.)
Overall find freedom in discipline. The warrior inside of you
needs this to play the long game. In
World War II, the Japanese and the Germans won many battles, but they lost the
war. Too many men and women that I know win
many battles but lose the war.
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their
soul? Mark 8:36
Find balance in your discipline and you will finish strong. Rarely does anybody remember who was leading in the first couple laps of a NASCAR event. They only remember who won the race. Be the winner, be the champion. Be the leader.
Welcome back! If you started on June 6 when we kicked this off, you are now on D-Day plus 15. You should have at least a draft of your personal mission statement, your key verse, and your mission for this year and a listing of your personal values. You can take a look at the total package by clicking on this link. Print it and keep it someplace that you can routinely see it. You will need it as you begin living the warrior life.
The everyday
warrior life is preparing for the future.
At times it will seem tedious and even a little pointless. There will be days that you just want to stay
in bed, or binge watch some mindless television while eating junk food. When that temptation comes up; look back at
your purpose statement. Remember who you
want to be.
The value
statements are what will keep you morally straight. Sinful temptation is always out there.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And
God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
-1 Corinthians 10:13
Know this;
pure will power will fail you. You must
ask Jesus to consistently show you the way out.
He will do this! For
approximately 33 years or so He lived on this Earth so that He could plainly
understand your temptations. I strongly
recommend asking Him to be your guide.
I also
challenge you to find some brothers or sisters (Must be the same gender that
you are.) to be your wing man. This is
much more than what has been called an accountability partner. This is a person of iron. They exist to sharpen you, and for you to
sharpen them. We are better together. I am willing to be that person just email me:
rich.schaus@grmmuskogee.org
Be the Leader
The first
person that you lead is you. That means that in order to be successful in the
long run, you must develop discipline.
Your discipline must take on your entire being, physical, mental,
Spiritual and social.)
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. -Luke
2:52
Notice that Jesus had to grow in those four areas. Don’t be arrogant here. If Jesus needed to grow and He is our guide, then we too must grow in these areas.
This week we will focus on developing some daily
disciplines.
NOTE: I am going to give you a snapshot of my daily disciplines. You do not need to do all of this. In fact, it has taken me years to get my warrior mind on track with this. I have gradually added, taken away and adjusted the order of things in a way that works for me consistently. Start small and deliberately add things to give you a complete day, every day.
Before going to bed at night:
Set up my espresso pot so that all I will need to do is turn on the machine. That includes having it plugged in, coffee in the filter, water in the tank, hot chocolate mix in the cup, butter set out to add to the coffee and MCT oil.
Set up my exercise clothing to include shorts, shirt, socks and running shoes.
Set up pot to cook oatmeal, bowl and spoon, glass and spoon to make chocolate milk to go with my breakfast. (I might also set out the cast iron skillet if I am going to add eggs to my next morning meal.)
Set out my drink shaker with wheat grass mix already in the shaker.
Set out my journal, Bible, professional magazine and my lap top in the living room where I begin my day.
Going to bed
(Usually 10pm)
I drink a shot of apple cider vinegar.
I then brush my teeth.
I wear a sleep mask that plays assorted sounds and Bible verses with a timer that will shut it down after about an hour of being asleep.
Wake up: 4 AM
Drink 16 ounces of water mixed with wheat grass.
Turn on coffee maker while I take care of morning business.
Open journal and record the first event of the day.
JOURNAL:
Nothing that I have added over the past few years has made me as productive as
keeping a journal that I record my entire day in.
While drinking coffee I am reading from the Bible
5 Psalms
1 Proverb
Average of 40 pages a week. (My personal goal this year is just to read through the Bible over the course of the year. Some years I have targeted reading it 2-4 times. I am enjoying reading it and chewing on the Word of God more this year than the quick meals I was getting.)
I record my progress
I then journal the question of the day. (You can get these from the internet. I currently am using a list of 52 prompts that encourage me to think in detail about different aspects of my character.)
I then take time to do a self examination. (You will get more on this later. But for now the basic idea is that I am thinking through my life and character in light of specific measurements. I use things like Military leadership traits, Boy Scout laws, Scripture and more.) I write down the standard I am aiming for and honestly evaluate how I am doing. I might also write down some ideas for improvement or a specific short coming example from my week.
I then simply journal my thoughts from all of this thinking. This almost always ends up being a written prayer, seeking the Holy Spirit to guide me toward being a man that lives a life that is pleasing to Him.
I conclude this section of my morning by praying for a specific country of region using Operation World’s App.
It is typically about 4:50 am or so. That entirely depends on the length of the five psalms.
I then pull out my laptop and read the local paper and check my email, and social media messages.
I don’t spend a lot of time on social media or on email. For now I am just looking for anything that might need my attention later in the morning.
Finally, I will read a few pages in a professional magazine to glean some of the latest thinking.
By now it is typically 5:25 or so. I then put on my workout clothes.
Three times a week I go for a run.
Three times a week I do a base workout while listening to podcasts
Currently that looks like this
20 Burpees
15 lunges each leg
Walk the ½ mile trail from my house wearing an 18 pound weight vest and carrying 25 pound dumbbell.
100 pushups
20 curls
20 minutes on the elliptical with an elevation mask
It is now typically around 6:15.
While still listening to podcasts and/or motivational videos I prepare breakfast.
I also prepare a green drink for the day but do not yet blend it. (Too loud and still don’t want to wake up family.) More on green drinks later.
I do the dishes as I go along.
This also includes at least another 16 ounces of water (with a sprinkle of sea salt added) along with a garlic pill, multi vitamin and fish oil)
It is normally around 6:35 am at this point
With the dishes complete I read through Bruce Lee’s Affirmations
Then I work on Scripture memory
I have 6 verses that SoulCon calls Front Site Post verses. These are the ones I review daily and meditate on them throughout the day. They keep me focused on serving God.
I then have several memory verses that I either review or work to memorize
It is now 6:55 am
I blend my green drink.
I pack up my Bible and the magazine and take it to my room
I greet my wife and we talk.
If she is out of bed I race to make the bed before she can. NEVER leave home with an unmade bed unless your spouse is still in it when you leave.
I then begin my final round of AM rituals
AM Rituals
Brush teeth and floss
Shave
Clean up sink
Shower (Always start with cold water)
Get dressed
Read from 2 devotional books
Pack up computer, gym bag and back pack and leave for work (More on back pack later)
Before I
leave for work my wife and I pray together.
That is my
daily routine. The rest of my day,
little is routine.
Notice that
in my daily routine I have included physical, mental, Spiritual and even a
little social activity in the beginning of my day. That is what you want to create.
There are
things that I do weekly, monthly and quarterly as well and that will be
discussed later as well.
Now it’s
your turn. Design your perfect
morning. Set yourself up for
success. Share with me what you are
doing. How does it tie in with your
ethos document? I would love to see that
too. Let’s work together as warriors,
let us change the world. Let us be the
storm.
