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You are inspired with a strong sense of duty and willingness to fight for just causes. You desire to push through challenges and stand up for what is right, for what you believe in and for others.You are viewed as self-reliant and have a strong sense of independence. Although you may seem fearless, your bravery is driven by your passion for creating purposeful change.
Warriors are gifted with quick mental agility. You are known for rational thinking, unyielding in the face of adversity and good instincts. This mental agility combined with your spontaneity, allows you to act fast for the greater good. You maintain composure and are rarely seen as panicked, even amidst the most trying of circumstances.
As a warrior, your job is to take action in the world in service to those you serve. Clarity is critical. You often know with certainty what needs to be done. You are strong on strategy coupled with a tactical mode of action (attack). You are brilliant at creating order, setting boundaries, and going out into the world and getting things done. You achieve this with an innate knowledge about “This is where I stop and you begin”. You know the partnership and connection of “yes” and “no”.
As a leader, you are seen as clear, confident, and strategic. You encourage those around you to seek clarity and a higher purpose in the work you are doing together. People are willing to follow you because of your clarity on the mission and ability to instill confidence in others. You also have a calmness under pressure that creates clarity in the storm.
You can be both fierce and compassionate, which makes you an excellent leader. You are not swayed by fear. You may be afraid but you can still defend your team and mission with confidence. Fear does not shut you down but drives you to be prepared and ensure those around you are prepared also.
At your best, you build alliances and allegiance by allowing others to contribute their insights and strengths to the purposeful work. You lean into curiosity. You are creative in discovering the insights and perspectives of others. You value their inputs as critical insights to the success and quality of the strategic initiatives. Knowing the strengths of your team, you are able to deploy the team members in service to their highest potential and the highest potential of the plan. Once you have gained the quality as well as their ability to commit and take action on the plan.
As a warrior, your motto can be “Protect and Serve”. You value action, service, loyalty and justice. You have a strong belief in the greater good. You are courageous, boldly moving into uncharted territory and bringing forth strategies that allow others to create value and purpose in their work.
You believe in the development and preparation of others. Your dedication to strength and the protection of others means that you invest time and energy in training, both physically, mentally and tactically. This development ensures commitment to execution of the plan and accountability to adjusting to challenges and obstacles along the way.
You believe in the importance of taking care of yourself, so that you can take care of those you care about and serve. This can become a challenge when faced with a dilemma of the demands and needs of others that seem to be required at the same time as your self care.
As a warrior, you will not follow an unjust or tyrannical leader, regardless of the immediate rewards.
So, before you read the shadow side, I invite you to see this as an opportunity for growth. Feedback is often not your friend because it can make you feel misunderstood. Your intentions are pure, yet they can create discord in your collaboration.
You are a master at channeling your energy toward a cause, but if your energy is misdirected it can create unintended consequences on the people and causes you serve. Because boundaries guide your actions, when boundaries are crossed, you can react with anger and go on the offensive (or defensive) instead of choosing to respond with your wisdom.
You feel your shadow warrior at work when you self-sabotage, or when you feel irritable, aggravated and controlling. You will know your shadow is active when you need everything done immediately and done your way, or when you feel an urge to object to everything that others suggest or want.
Warriors have a unique relationship with fear. You can naturally anticipate what is ahead and foreshadow the preparation to avoid getting paralyzed by fear. For others, fear can be a healthy emotion triggering them to get prepared. You know the partnership between fear and preparation. Because of your dedication and preparation, you are ready to act when bold and dangerous action is required, and you also understand that discretion is often the better part of valor.
Because of your unique gift to anticipate and prepare for the future, a warrior’s fear is often a facade for performance anxiety. In an over active unhealthy state, the anxiety of the warrior can be contagious wreaking unnecessary havoc on self and others.
| Inner Critic Unnecessary Pain to Self | Inner Critic Unnecessary Pain to Others |
|---|---|
|
-Will I meet the expectations and needs of my team?
-Will I be able to do my share or more during the chaos? Will I dishonor myself, and be ashamed in front of my teammates? |
Will they meet the expectations and needs of their team? Will they be able to do their share or more during the chaos? Will they dishonor themselves, and be ashamed in front of their teammates? |
For the warrior, this anxiety can result in an overprotective and controlling approach. The call to arms is no longer in service. This creates a worried state that incites panic for both parties. The micromanaging approach signals distrust and results in contagious self-doubt. The judgment shifts people into a victim state becomings at risk of seeing each other as enemies with an us vs them mentality. Ultimately, resulting in a breakdown to believe in and execute on the strategy. Mission failure..
To overcome the swirl of performance anxiety, the opportunity is to shift your energy and focus. Are you telling the story of empowerment or control; of trust or protectionism; of collaboration or resistance?
Press pause, move the shallow breath to a deep breath and ask yourself, “Is this justified?” Move the story back into the space of trust and belief in yourself and others. Be curious and listen deeply to assess:
Once you have released the controlling hold on things, thoughts and/or people, re-engaged with a compassionate, generous and grateful heart. You have earned the right to move back to your core brilliance to create order, set boundaries, and engage others to unite with the cause.
Other Concerns for the Warrior Shadow:
When the warrior is not serving you to be your best, you may have a victory-at-all-costs mentality, in which the assertiveness turns a bit too aggressive. You can get stuck alone without a trusted team of compadres to fight for the cause. This can break trust and frustrate those around you. They want to work toward your shared purpose, but feel lost and defeated.
The Warrior shadow can also emerge when you accept the Mercenary Warrior. The Mercenary is either on a mission of his own, or he’s for hire to the highest bidder, or the one who seems most likely to make him feel powerful. You may go rogue. You may create chaos by following the wrong cause.
Overcoming your shadow requires you to choose your battles wisely and “mind your motives.” You will need to avoid the desire to push through and advance instead of staying in the space where people need to be.
You know your Warrior is supporting you when you’re feeling powerful, focused and on-mission. When you and others move with clarity and conviction toward purposeful work. You are serving and protecting yourself, your tribe and those you serve.
Marcus Aurelius
Wonder Woman
Katniss Everdeen
Leonidas, King of Sparta
William Wallace in Braveheart
General Maximus in Gladiator
