Rest and relaxation are required by true warriors. They understand that everything is a cycle. Life is a cycle. Fitness is a cycle. Preparedness is a cycle. Work is a cycle. Fun is a cycle. Play is a cycle, and creativity is a cycle. It all goes around, or spirals up and down. You can fight the cycle for only so long and then something will break, fracture, crack, or expire. True warriors embrace their cycles and maximize the benefits of the ups and the downs. Rest is critical for rejuvenation. It is a simple exercise to look around and ask yourself, “Is this working?” “Is this still working?” “Is it time for a break?” “Is it time for renewal?”

If in doubt, take a break. If you are confused, take a vacation. If you are in pain, it is time for healing—for without yourself and your full faculties, you become a liability to your team, instead of an asset. It is time to take a break.

Guess what? The world will not come crashing down around you if you just stop. You may smash a few of those plates you were spinning, or drop a few of those juggling balls, but the world will not come crashing to a stop. We can cope and we can pick up the pieces. It is done all the time—every day by countless millions. Personal fitness for duty is the true warrior’s number one goal: physical fitness, mental fitness, and spiritual fitness. All these feed your emotional fitness and hone your mental toughness. You too can become a Teflon warrior. It is up to you, but it all starts with your commitment to fitness—your fitness to serve and to perform. Time invested in fitness pays handsome dividends, and not only benefits you but also your colleagues and dependents. Look at yourself. Are you fit for active duty? If not, let’s start with rest and relaxation for the renewal of your soul. Then let’s embark on a multifaceted fitness program that will help you to face, embrace, and weather the challenges that flow your way. Faith is the bedrock of your fitness pyramid. The true warrior believes, and that belief is sufficient to build on, and create a fantastic body of fitness. With that fitness of faith, you can rejoice in each and every moment of the day.

Rest, relax, and renew. You are warriors, and when you are properly rested, the tide will turn of its own accord, and the flood will slowly build in strength as a cycle of renewal begins again. So it is written.