First, understand then what we mean when we say Free Enterprise Warrior. The first word in that is free, and the definition of that, from the dictionary says, “Exempt from subjection to the will of others. That is, not under restraint, control or compulsion. Able to follow one’s own direction and desire and decisions of the determining of one’s own course of action. And not dependent, at liberty, able and willing to choose.” That’s sort of the ethic in relation to others. But then internally, it says, “Unconstrained by timidity or distrust. Unreserved, assertive, frank, open, direct and communicative.” So we see this attitude of free as being one that has to do with yes, making choices, and yes, going after what we want and not being constrained by others or being subjugated to them. But there’s also an internal sense of what it means to be free, and that is to lose our timidity, to have more courage, to be more assertive, to be open and direct and communicative. Free in our self-expression. So the first part of it is free, a powerful word. And of course, freedom has become an ongoing desire of human nature over time, and you can see the great growth. In fact, there’s a philosopher who says that freedom may be the greatest concept ever invented by man of all time. Meaning this idea of freedom is so compelling to everyone. And so for our free enterprise warriors, it becomes a core of what drives them and what they believe in and want to be true of them personally and in their lives. The second word is enterprise. So what does it mean? Free enterprise, we know, goes together to form an economic system. But enterprise itself means, definition dictionary, “Something to be performed. A work which involves scope, activity, courage, energy, complication, and risk. A bold, arduous or hazardous attempt. A war-like undertaking.” Isn’t that interesting, right out of the dictionary. No. 2, that’s kind of describing the action. This is describing, once again, the internal state, “The willingness or eagerness to engage in labor which requires boldness, promptness, energy and initiative.” So an enterprising person would be a person that shows those characteristics of labor, of boldness, of promptness–you know, sense of urgency, of energy, and of taking initiative.

So enterprise is a powerful word, and of course, enterprise means you’re also creating an entity. We talk about having an enterprise, owning an enterprise, an enterprise system. So in a sense, you’re creating something bigger than yourself. You’re creating an enterprise. And then of course, there’s the word warrior, and let’s again go to the dictionary, and the definition says, “One who is engaged in, aggressively or energetically, in an activity, a cause, a mission, a conflict or a competition.” So inherently in there it’s the engagement, the activity that really has a mission, has an outcome, a cause, and probably involves conflict or difficulty and competition. And then the internal sense of the word warriors is, “A person who shows great vigor, courage, skill, intention,”–and listen to this word–“guardianship.” And see, that’s where it became clear for us that this was really about free enterprise warriors. Because warriors not only showed courage, not only engaged in competitive or difficult undertakings, but they showed courage, skill, intention, and guardianship. That is they served a cause bigger than themselves. So as we understand the warrior ethic, and we get a sense of this, it then gives us a role model, a mental set as to the kind of person we want to be.