It is serendipitous that May 4th marks the launch of this journal as it would be considered a blasphamas mockery by any of the original masters. Life is different now and we must adjust to the societal norms of the lives we now lead. While the Jedi code is still at the core of my thoughts (There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony.), my daily focus is concentrated into to four simple principles. I look forward to sharing this knowledge with my comrades and evolving the heart of the Jedi order.

We are half way through another year full of external distractions and constant change.   Another cycle where personal goals and progress can easily vanish from focus.   It’s a great time to audit monthly progress and make the small adjustments that will deliver the experiences and/or outcomes we intended for this cycle.  

Here are four questions a mentor shared with me to provoke action?  

– What did I do this month that directly created results (Not just busyness/activities)? 

– What uncomfortable task did I avoid and what did it cost me?

– What part of my identity held me back (“just how I am” is a death sentence… get uncomfortable if needed)

– If I live this exact month 6 more times, how will I live up to my intentions? 

Ask these of yourself on a monthly basis and make the adjustments that address the answers you don’t like. 

An old Jedi Master was teaching his grandson about life and the force within.

He said, “A fight is going on inside all of us,” he told the young boy, “a fight between two wolves.

The Dark one is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The Light Wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you grandson…and inside of every other person on the face of this earth.”

The grandson ponders this for a moment and then asked, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?“

The Jedi Master smiled and simply said, “The one you feed”.

As you reflect on your week, which wolf are you consistently feeding and how will the words you speak manifest into your life force?

I find myself looking back at friendships over the years and dissecting the stories of the ones who have taken a darker path. All future states are shaped by an event, interaction, or response that came to define the rest of the narrative. It is a fascinating study to look at the protagonist in each story and try to understand what separates the villain’s path from that of the hero. Often, the two characters grow up in the same town, study at the same school and suffer similar hardships in their development. One theory is that the response to trauma is to become angry and vengeful or to use it for learning and personal development. Our antagonist, who carries the pain, often seeks a path to unload it to others; to pass the very anguish they feel on to the world. Our hero has learned from the effect of such distress and vows to protect others from having the same experience: same pain.. different response.

It creates a guiding principle that we should all remember as we traverse the difficult cycles in life. That which does not kill you can empower your inner hero if knowledge (rather than emotional scarring) is the end result.