There’s a quote by Karl von Clausewitz that says, “Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior.” Hua Mulan, a legendary heroine is someone who embodies this quality and led her troop to victory in a war. I still remember this story when I watched the animated film back in the 1990s. As a young girl, I found the story refreshing as the main character, Mulan, was portrayed as someone who is determined, brave and strong unlike the princesses or damsel in distress in most of the fairy tales I read.
Hua Mulan was an inspiring role model to the young me and I have always wanted to accomplish something great like her.
Being brave like Mulan is easier said than done. Back when I was in my last job, there are days when I felt I was confident enough to take on new tasks and accomplish them with great results. There are also days when I am offered tasks that I shun or forgo. I tend to think that I am not good enough for anything. To avoid myself from languishing in these unstable emotions for a prolonged period, I relied on my yoga practice to give me the strength and courage I need.
Virabhadrasana or Warrior Pose is just the perfect asana each time I sense the warrior within me morphing into a worrier.
Gather the Courage Within You
The impending war required a man in every family to be drafted to fight the enemies. Seeing that her ailing father was too weak to be drafted, Mulan disguised herself as a man and joined the army in his place. She took the risk despite knowing that her family might be executed if the generals discovered her gender. But her intentions were clear – to protect her family and serve her country.
I was offered to take on a planning position within my organisation in my last job after working as a relationship manager for close to three years. I am neither an organised person, nor am I a meticulous one. Planning was totally not my forte and the expectations of that role sounded daunting. Moreover, hardly anyone in that position stayed beyond a year. It was a demanding role that required one to take on multiple high-level tasks. I was also not fond of sitting in a cubicle for long hours.
Keeping my position would definitely have made things easier and that post allowed me to knock off on time to do other things like yoga, barre workout, flower arrangement and quilting etc. However, I have reached the peak of my learning curve as a Relationship Manager and it seemed like a right time for me to move on to learn new things. In planning, I felt I would be able to acquire a whole new level of skills that can be very useful and serve as a springboard to better positions eventually. More importantly, that position would allow me to have a bird’s eye view of the organisation’s work and play an even bigger role in furthering the organisation’s mission. Plucking up courage like Mulan, I eventually took on the role even though that meant forgoing spare time to enjoy my other interests.
It was extremely trying during the first three months in my new role. I was struggling to comprehend everything and meeting crazy deadlines. All my other colleagues were too busy to guide me and I felt very lonely, fighting my own battle. At my fourth month, I started looking elsewhere, searching for jobs online hoping to escape from this dungeon.
But a part of me wasn’t comfortable to leave this position when I have yet to accomplish or contributed anything worthy. I wasn’t the type to give up so easily. While I struggled to cope at work, I made it a point to pop in for a yoga class two days a week to seek comfort and some quiet moment.
The warrior pose is almost always present in every sequence of the yoga classes I attended. I always wondered why these poses are named warrior until an instructor from my Hatha yoga class shared with us briefly on its mystical origin. Apparently, all the poses bear resemblance to preparatory stances to strike an enemy.
As the name suggests, practicing the warrior pose is believed to give one courage and confidence. Getting the poses right requires a lot of patience and determination, just like how great warriors spent years dedicating their life to training, practicing and achieving mastery of their skills.
Warrior one requires one to step a foot forward and extend one’s arms upwards. Occasionally, when the instructor comes over and gives both my arms a gentle pull, I feel as though I am reaching upwards for energy. Standing grounded and firm in that position also makes me feel strong and stable. Strangely, it wipes out all the negativity and bad feelings within me and fills me up with hope and positivity.
Stay Focused on Your Target
Mulan trained as hard and fought as bravely as the other men in the army. She was outstanding and was even tasked to lead a troop to war.
Five months into my new role, the organisation was undergoing a restructuring and more and more projects were coming my way. There were nights I slogged past midnight to get reports done and materials prepared. These were nights when I felt lonely and depressing, typing away at my desk, trying to churn out reports and materials in my cubicle. However, I pushed on and reminded myself constantly of my intentions in my new role. With the encouragement of my new supervisor, my work became more organised and I was getting better at what I was doing. I started to contribute – in reviewing the planning cycle, taking charge of events and contributing ideas and seeing them materialise. I also started to realise I was capable of multi-tasking and can be meticulous when I want to. Months of hard work was finally recognised with a promotion and a generous pay raise.
The promotion also meant higher level work and responsibilities. I was given an additional task to mentor a staff on top of my projects. As the work piled and project deadlines converge simultaneously during peak periods, I felt as though I was drowning in quicksand.
I got even more committed to my yoga practice. I would even travel to the studio on weekends and attend three classes back to back. I was practically spending my weekends, healing myself in a yoga studio.
The usual transition from warrior 1 leads to warrior 2.
In warrior 2, we are required to step one foot to the front of mat and extend our arms to the side. I was taught to imagine as though I am wielding a sword and aiming it at a target in that pose, like a warrior ready to strike. Staying sturdy and stable in this pose requires a lot of concentration and stamina. Similar to warrior 1, it takes patience to stay grounded. But by using foam blocks, I can lengthen my stance more by placing my foot further to the other end of the mat. The ability to extend my arms and hold it in that pose somehow makes me feel fearless. There is this surge of dopamine in my mind and a rush of energy. Nothing can seem to hold me back; nothing can put me down. I feel powerful, physically and mentally.
Charge Forward
Mulan, single-handedly led her troop to a glorious victory. She was rewarded with an official post, of which she humbly turned down and requested to return home and be reunited with her family instead.Her bravery and selflessness protected her loved ones and saved her country. She proofed that a female like her was as capable as, or even more capable than her male counterparts and that anyone is able to accomplish great things as long as they have the will and strength.
Before I left my job, I was nominated for a prestigious award by my supervisor. On top of a voting process, all the nominated awardees were required to attend an interview by the directorates. Surprisingly, I emerged as the winner and was handed the award by a Minister at a ceremony. I swelled with pride and at that moment on the stage, I was glad I took up this new challenge, overcame my insecurities, charged forward and gained valuable knowledge, skills and friendship.
It was tempting to stay on as there were better opportunities coming my way. But l turned them down and chose to forgo everything I have achieved thus far for a new lease of life in Korea. It was not an easy decision, but if I had held on to work, I probably would have suffered in my relationship too – which I cherished more than anything else. While it is not been a smooth-sailing journey adjusting in this foreign land, I reminded myself constantly to stand up to all the challenges like a warrior, stay focused on my goals and be bold enough to strike when opportunities present themselves.
More often than not, the transition from warrior 1 to 3 is a wobbly one and I end up landing a weak strike forward, landing on the ground with a crushed pride. It took me many months of practice before I could strike forward confidently. I am capable of achieving it too as long as I set my mind and heart to. I conquered my mind, so can you.
Namaste and stay strong like a warrior!
Life of Daffydil 