“Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” ~Heraclitus
I’ve been thinking about creating my own award for a while now, but finally put thought into action when I was recently given an award that came along with several conditions. While I’m honored, humbled and grateful to the nominator, and always enjoy the opportunity to give shout outs to other talented writers, I’m disappointed to see that the originator of the award is using it merely for self promotion. This award I’m creating has no URLs attached on the award image, no copyright warnings, and no requirement for future recipients to remind all of where it came from. Like the awards listed in my sidebar, It is meant to go forward and honor new people, not come back to the originator.
So for those unfamiliar with my writings, you may be wondering what exactly a warrior is. Someone who wears a suit of armor and swings a sword around? A participant in a war? Nothing more than a soldier?
If these are the thoughts that spring to mind, think deeper.
A warrior is more than weapons and armor. It is a way of life. It is the belief that the greatest purpose in life is service to others. It is grace amid frustration, peace amid turmoil, and strength amid weakness and misery. We most often use this word to describe the brave men and women who risk their lives in the military and law enforcement to ensure our freedom and safety, but warriors are actually all around us. They’re in factories. They’re in offices. They’re in schools. They’re in hospitals, both as doctors and nurses, and as patients.
Courage. Honesty. Fearlessness. Grace. Peace. Service to others. No complaints. Nothing thought of as a blessing or a curse; everything simply accepted as another challenge to be conquered.
They’re not perfect, and don’t try to be, because they know such aspirations are futile. But they do the absolute best they can with what they’ve been given. Warriors no longer have potential. They are potent! They understand that knowledge is knowing, but wisdom is doing. And they are a very rare breed: as Heraclitus once said, only one out of every one hundred is a true warrior. This award is named in honor of those words and that truth. The symbol of the sword is used to represent their courage and strength, and the symbol of the feather quill pen represents their grace, beauty and creativity.
Guidelines for the 1-in-100 Warrior Award: Warriors are not motivated by awards or fame. They see awards not as an opportunity for the ego to rejoice, but rather an opportunity to honor other warrior brothers and sisters. To acknowledge and honor the rarity of the warrior, it is recommended that the recipient passes this award on to only *one* other blogger that they feel goes above and beyond to serve and inspire others, and who maintains their grace and positivity even in the face of difficult challenges, such as health issues, tragedy, injustice or loss.
Once an author is given the award, they may continue nominating one new blog author once a week, month, year… or whatever seems appropriate. It’s like a knight’s ability to bestow knighthood onto another whenever they choose. But only one at a time. The patience of a warrior is required. 
My nomination for the first 1-in-100 Warrior Award is a person who has inspired me greatly because of the grace she has chosen to display in the face of struggles and challenges she has endured and conquered. And make no mistake about it, grace is always a choice, not a reaction. The greater the challenge, the greater the courage required to make that choice. Suneetra is courage personified. She has chosen to not only survive her hardships, but thrive. She’s 1-in-100, and we are lucky to have her: http://sacrilegeofthegoddess.wordpress.com/
Tags: award, blog, challenges, courage, grace, heraclitus, honor, inspiration, motivation, one in one hundred, praise, rare, strength, unique, warrior
Heartfelt gratitude to 
