It’s father and son time in this week’s special edition of the Warrior Week podcast where Coach Sam and his nine-year-old son, Nickon, engage in a conversation about life and the life lessons they have been learning together.

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Parable #1: The Hike

• When Nickon was six years old, he and his father went on a four-mile hike in the mountains, an outing that proved to be quite rigorous for Nickon. His six-year-old feet were tired, he was crying, and he didn’t want to go on. But he did go on and was SO happy he hadn’t given up.
• At the tender age of six, Nickon learned an important lesson that day that no matter what, you never quit – even if you’re tired, even if it seems too hard, even if you’re hurting – you just keep going.

QUESTION

Where in your world have you wanted to quit but persevered instead? What was the outcome of that decision?

 

Parable #2: Learning Through Experience

• In order to experience the lessons of life, one has to actually jump in and play the game. You can’t gain experience reading about something or sitting on the sidelines; you have to actually live that experience.
• Coach Sam: We understand these lessons if we experience them; if we don’t experience them for ourselves, we cannot learn the lessons.”

QUESTION

What is something you want to experience but have not taken the steps to make it happen?

 

Parable #3: Stay in the Game

• Nickon loves the video game, Fortnite; Coach Sam loves Call of Duty. Nickon is certain that if his dad were to play Fortnite more often, he would not only get better, he would learn to like it more than Call of Duty.
• Life lesson: In the beginning, if something sucks but you keep yourself in the game, you will become better, and chances are you will like it more.

QUESTION

What is your experience where staying the course has improved your skill set?

 

Parable #4: You Become Who You’re Around

• Coach Sam and Nickon had a conversation about spending time with kids who don’t want to do anything, who sit around complaining and making excuses.
• Life Lesson: If you hang around someone who doesn’t want to do anything, the chances that you will also end up doing absolutely nothing are very high.

QUESTION

Who are you currently spending time with where you are doing absolutely nothing? When are you going to change that?

 

Parable #5: Invictus

• At the graduation of each Warrior Week, Nickon dons a suit and tie and recites from memory the famous poem by William Ernest Henley, Invictus.
• “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

QUESTION

Where in your world are you not acting as the captain of your soul?

 

 

Parables from the Pit:

“Sometimes I take the lessons I learn from you (Nickon) and actually teach them to the men at Warrior.”

–Sam Falsafi

 “What other people think about me is not important; what is important is what I think about myself. This is a lesson you taught me that I use at school a lot.”

–Nickon Falsafi