Calling all warriors of light to stand together and, when you take a fall, to find the courage and persistence to stand up again, and again, and again; fighting the good fight – together – every single day.
#Mentalhealthawareness starts with finding the courage to be kind. Start with a genuine smile — a kind smile, a smile we’ll see in your eyes.
The below is an ode to the Warrior of Light shining brightly in all of us; circa 2014.
“The Manual of the Warrior of Light” by Paulo Coelho
Not sure who you are and what you have been through. Nor do you of me. Except maybe the odd few. What I do know though is that you are also human, also go through shitty times, and also need some words that make you feel OK again about life and wherever you are at the moment. What I do know though is that you are also human, also go through shitty times, and also need some words that make you feel OK again about life and wherever you are at the moment.
Today, Youth Day in South Africa, I took some time out to think about nothing really in particular but came across two pages from Paulo Coelho’s “Manual of the Warrior of Light” that made me feel OK again.
I don’t have to be perfect. My dreams will come true. I have never given up. I never will. If you have gone through a bit of a shit time, but also a time of extreme joy (I call this my bipolar year) then maybe you’ll find something in these words:
p 203
The warrior of light knows how to lose.
He does not treat defeat as if it were a matter of indifference to him, saying things like ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter’ or ‘To be honest, I didn’t really want it that much.’ He accepts defeat as defeat and does not try to make a victory out of it.
Painful wounds, the indifference of friends, the loneliness of losing — all leave a bitter taste. But at these times, he says to himself: ‘I fought for something and did not succeed. I lost the first battle.’
These words give him strength. He knows that no one wins all the time and he knows how to distinguish his successes from his failures.
(note: in hindsight I do not see these battles as something I lost, but rather learned from and humbled by)
And then I turned to page 199 (flipped back for some reason)
p 199
The warrior of light knows the value of persistence and of courage.
Often, during combat, he receives blows that he was not expecting. And he realises that, during war, his enemy is bound to win some of the battles. When this happens, he weeps bitter tears and rests in order to recover his energies a little. But he immediately resumes his battle for his dreams.
The longer he remains away, the more likely he is to feel weak, fearful and intimidated. When a horseman falls off his horse, if he does not remount immediately, he will never have the courage to do so again
XXX Roll on the future.
Love and peace, Sarah P
SarahClairePicton 
I totally relate to what you’ve shared here especially the part about not having to be perfect. That’s a daily struggle made only more challenging by the dark whisperings of mental health struggles. I speak through my own experience of course. And Paulo, what an incredible tome he has written here. I feel so blessed to have discovered it. Sometimes I’ve fallen asleep listening on Audible…those are good nights.
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