Warriors know happier days are definitely ahead.....
On my birthday Indy gave me this fortune as a gift. I had been getting my hair and makeup done so they ran to this awesome Chinese restaurant Warrior always loved and came back with it in hand. We all cried. I had planned my birthday dinner as this start to a new chapter and the fortune felt like a true acknowledgement that we could look forward to the next season being less heavy and get on with the assignments we've each been given in this lifetime.
There's a lot to do in 2016. A lot of projects to get started and a lot of irons to put in the fire. My number one priority will always be moving Warrior's legacy forward and keeping it's gold standard preserved for his girls and all of you. I know him being home in the WWE was his final comfort and I can tell you they are dedicated to helping us Warriors bring his passion and vibrancy to future generations. Whatever strife came before was settled that epic weekend and since his death there has been nobody more surely at my back than every person there. I believe Mattigan will have her fair shot at training to follow in her daddy's running footsteps and I feel very blessed with the platform I am permitted not just to preserve his legacy but to branch out with ideas of how Ultimate Warrior can live in future projects. I think 2016 will launch a lot of these next level projects and I look forward to the opportunity to work with WWE. Truly, there is no light between our dedication in upholding his final wishes which was to bring Ultimate Warrior's philosophy, intensity, vibrancy, and Always Believe mentality to generations to come.
Had I not lost Warrior I'm not sure I would have ever tapped into the talents I've discovered I have or the passions I have now discovered. I placed a large part of my ambition on a shelf because I loved being his wife, my girls' mother, and running my home. Still, maybe I was selling myself a little short by not pursuing some of what I loved until I was forced to. It doesn't matter now, we learn who we are most when the fire is at our back, and I proved to myself I am a Warrior Woman, indeed.
To this end I plan to finish my book The Young Widows Guide to the First Two Years and reach out to other people suffering with loss and grief weather it is death or other life shattering catastrophes...Life is hard! The universe can be cruel. It takes without permission. You could feel bitter and beaten unless you raised your head a notch and acknowledged the universe takes but also replenishes. I have the most fabulous group of warrior women friends I've had in my life. I also have Warrior friends I would never have met who encourage, protect and see me through. How can I spew bitterness when there is so much sweetness in my life? The only thing required of me is I ALLOWED IT TO COME IN...I welcomed the warmth... I did not send it away.
Along with the relationships I've forged I've discovered new passions. Writing was always what I planned to do but now I realize I love public speaking! I was terrified to speak at Hall Of Fame last year but it was one of the proudest moments of my life. Being with all of you and my WWE family on a platform honoring Warrior and Connor was life changing! Walking out on that stage with such a huge audience was the scariest thing I have ever done but I knew I must stretch myself. I was so skinny because I had not been able to eat or sleep in a month for fear I would let Warrior, you Warriors and the WWE Universe down. As I walked out there though every fear melted away because I had a mission and that was to bring light to two incredibly courageous guys--Warrior and Connor. I had written my speech from the heart so all I had to do was deliver my truth. It didn't hurt that I didn't fall on my face and I was publicly allowed to throw shade at Hogan (hee hee). I will not lie the ohhhhhhh's that reverberated through you Warriors and the WWE Universe when I said "brother" was a taste of heaven. I felt my husband so strongly. I felt his laugh in my heart. I felt his kiss on the back of my neck. I knew he was asking me to carry him forward in a very tangible way. He has also asked me to find my OWN niche and I think that is me being a Warrior Woman, not in just my home but in front of all of you.
It was an exercise in Warrior discipline to finish the DVD and book project after his death. No matter how sad I felt though I made myself move forward (with the help of Steve and Vic) because his legacy deserves it. I kept always in my mind and heart his team, you Warriors, and what you deserved from me. It was the ultimate motivating factor I needed and kept me on task. When the book was being released and we had a signing in Brooklyn I was scared. What if nobody showed up? I would have understood that. I'm not him, what would be the draw? I had so much trepidation all the way up to the signing but then, like he always said...you Warriors showed up! We sold the place out, stayed nearly two hours over and met, signed, took photos with, and spoke with each and every one of you incredibly delightful people. The thing that so inspired me were your stories of him, how you loved him and were inspired by him. How you were made better people on this planet because of the life he lived. Then there were those of you who came to tell me you had followed my journey since losing him and it had helped you grapple with the loss of a loved one too. I'll never forget a woman, Janelle (see I told you I'd always remember you :) who told me of her loss and how my example and my words had carried her through the darkness. She stirred something inside me that said I had a responsibility of my OWN. It is a sacred trust with all of you to persevere and so I shall.
In 2016 I will write my books and launch a branch of Warrior Women driven seminars. I am building a web and social media presence for our deep inspiration as well as our light hearted fun! I'm a girl and I'm not ashamed to tell you I LOVE hair and makeup as well as books so I want to share with those interested ways to stay feeling beautiful, ways to keep your body it's best and ways to feed your mind! I want to talk about women's power in a new and different way. There is so much to be gleaned for the next generation of women!! We are raising Warrior Girls, for heaven's sake, so I want to be a collaborative, co-creator with all of you.
These projects will be aside from everything we do at UW so don't worry, after this I will not impose on you tough guy Warriors my very girly interests...unless, of course, you are man enough to be interested too 😉. Send your Warrior Women my way and watch how we set an AWESOME new tone in 2016. Every Warrior out there knows Warrior Women are the heart of the home and the light in your life. Let's raise a generation of Warriors who embody my husband's philosophy the way I'm proud to say my OG Warrior Girls do.
The New Year is here and there is a lot of work to be done. It will be hard, there will be pain as there is with anything worth doing. I'm ready to bust my ass but firmly believe what the fortune predicts..the struggle has ended....
I believe happier days are definitely ahead... I believe joy returns...ALWAYS.
xo💗Dana
