Dictionary.com defines the word “knight” as “a man who served his sovereign or lord as a mounted solider in battle.” In other words, a knight fits the description of warrior in the middle ages.
You know, in the King, Warrior, Magician, Lover dynamic. I know I’m not the only one who got that…
But when you think of a knight, what do you think of?
Do you think of being on horseback? The archery? The battles?
Paul McCartney?
To me, I think of the armour (See what I did there?) I think of the armor and chainmail.
When a man put on his armor for his king, he believed he was invincible. Nothing could stop him.
But when he dismounts his horse and takes off his armor and chainmail, he’s simply a man. He’s a man with hopes, dreams, desires, and fears.
He’s a human being.
When I think of being a knight, I think of a guy who is able to go into battle and take a lot of punishment.
But he’s a man. And that’s what I want to talk about today.
When you take off your armor, who are you left with? You’re left with a man. And that’s what frightens me.
I have worn a suit of armor my entire life. My sense of humor, my wit, my intelligence, and not showing all my cards is what keeps me from getting hurt.
But it’s truly hurt me over the years. It’s cost me relationships — some with some amazing women. It’s cost me jobs. It’s cost me clients. And it’s costs me true fulfillment.
I have settled for a life at a 4 for most of my life. It’s kept me from getting hurt and it’s kept me safe.
But again, this life of armor has kept me from truly living a life that really fulfills me.
The last four years have been a time of transition for me. After losing my dad, my entire world got turned upside down.
I’ll never forget the way that I snapped into gear after dad passed away. I ran point on the funeral arrangements and I got the ball rolling on the estate settlement. And I didn’t get a whole lot of support while I did this.
But this didn’t allow me the chance to truly heal and grieve. I had to put on my armor because the world can’t see me as someone who isn’t strong or someone who isn’t fit to be a man in the world.
But I look at pictures from this timeframe and I see a man who has no soul. I was all performance, and no soul.
Sometimes taking off the armor and showing the world your heart is terrifying. But doing so has given me my soul back.
Step by step, I have a soul again.
People aren’t my enemy. Sometimes I think they are, but they’re really not. People aren’t my enemy.
I’m sharing all this because I’m about to turn the calendar to the next year of my life. And I’m ready to write the next year of my life in the way I want it to read.
And I want my truth to lead the way. This is going to require me to drop my armor and show the world my truth. Sometimes showing the world my truth is going to terrify me — one case especially — but it leads me to the life I truly want.
And this is what’s going to get me the business, the relationships, and the life I want.
Again, a knight is a warrior. But when you take your armor off, a knight is a man. The things that really matter aren’t because of his armor, but because of his heart.
And make no mistake, my heart is what makes me a man. My armor has kept me safe, but my heart is what will get me the life I deserve.
