As my daughters are growing, I’m fashioning a series of stories to tell them that will teach them the principles of self-reliance and disciplined optimism.
The main characters of the series are two Japanese samurai warriors that are immortal. They wear the same clothes and they look identical to each other.
They fight to gain leadership with the people they influence. Seeing that they never die, the fighting is almost continuous.
Whenever they are not fighting, they stay in meditation and prayer, asking for the sustenance they need to win the next battle.
Each story will give the warriors attributes in such a way that my daughters will never know them by name but by their intentions.
One warrior will stand for positive thoughts and all that is honorable: joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth and compassion.
The other warrior will display actions out of anger, fear, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, pride, superiority and ego.
The climax of each story will begin with one of the warriors receiving the sustenance he needs to win the battle.
Since the people cannot tell one warrior from the other, they follow the one that wins.
The conclusion of each story will be a real-life event with a discussion about how their thoughts and behaviors influenced the warriors.
The warriors are our thoughts.
Their sustenance comes from our decisions and behaviors. The people that follow them are the people you influence every day, whether you think you’re a “leader” or not.
As you give sustenance to one he grows in strength.
It becomes easier for you to recognize him and it becomes easier and easier for him to defeat the other.
No matter how much you feed one, the other will never die and will surely win a battle with just a little sustenance.
The battle happens every day.
How does this story apply to/influence the actions you take in your business?
Who of the two warriors inside of you are you feeding?
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Kevin Mogavero is a co-founder of “Six Degrees of Leadership,” a personal development company that empowers people to live their purpose and passion by building “Social Capital.”
A graduate of West Point Academy, Kevin served six years as an officer in the U.S. Army Field Artillery. He held a combat arms leadership role for his entire career, except one staff position, during which he obtained a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management. He also served in Iraq during “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” Since the military, Kevin has worked for Honeywell as an earned-value analyst in the aerospace department, in Phoenix Arizona.
He started testing his leadership skills in the entrepreneurial world by starting several companies, to include a real estate company and a business mailing-address company. Kevin loves to serve people who have a yearning to create a better life for themselves and others. He is passionate about teaching people the importance of something that most take for granted: relationships.
Kevin lives in Phoenix with his wife and two daughters. Read and subscribe to Kevin’s Warrior Blog here.
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