The Warrior Within summary

How would you transport 300 babies from Vietnam to the United States for adoption? Probably with copious planning, helping hands, and car seats.

Well, in 1975, LeAnn had none of those things. Plus, she had to get the babies out of Saigon before the North Vietnamese Army overtook it. Birthed from fathers from the US services and Vietnamese mothers, the babies were referred to as Amerasians and were hated by the North Vietnamese Army. If LeAnn couldn’t rescue the babies in time, the army would enact terrible revenge on the innocent infants. To make the task even harder? She’d originally expected only six babies and had only a few helpers.

Remember that fearless warrior image we talked about before? In reality, all humans have fears. It’s what we do despite them that defines us.

A warrior faces their fear and acts anyway. Doing so is what we call courage. To be a warrior, you must practice being courageous.

You might have heard that you’ll never finish everything on your to-do list. This is a difficult thing to acknowledge for warriors seeking to do the most good and help the most people they can.

But it does highlight the importance of determining your values and vision. We humans simply don’t have time to do every single thing we’d like to. Because of this, we must say no to the things that don’t matter as much, so we can say yes to the things that do matter.

Another pernicious myth perpetuated in our world is that once you’ve found your true calling, you’ll be automatically and unceasingly fulfilled and motivated for the rest of your life.

The truth is, motivation is much like a fire in a hearth. It burns brightly at first, but if you don’t feed it, you end up with a pile of ash.

We just covered how to keep yourself motivated and thriving during the day-to-day strivings of your warrior path. But one thing’s for certain – life is full of surprises. How can you stay focused and motivated when faced with a setback, unexpected change, or loss?

To deal with change or setbacks, it helps to stay philosophical, focused yet flexible, and connected to your tribe. By now, you might be sensing some repeating themes when it comes to living as a warrior. The same things that help you face your fears and live within your warrior spirit can indeed help you gracefully face change.