About the Bright Army

Hi, I’m Joshua Harbert. And this is an exploration of the daily practice of living well. In particular, I look at questions such as…

• What does it look like to be generous, courageous, and wise?
• What practices help us thrive in the face of life’s challenges?
• How do we live with presence and gratitude for this miracle we call life?

I have to admit, I am being a little selfish here.

This is my own personal attempt to figure out how to live. I’m looking for and wisdom I can use in my own daily life…

Ways to be more present and grateful as a husband and father. Insights that allow me to be more generous and confident in my work as a direct-response copywriter. Tools that make me a better teacher and student of Taekwondo. Practices that create peace and calm even in the most difficult moments.

Along the way, I hope my discoveries may be useful to you also.

What’s With the Name?

This site is about being a certain kind of warrior.

See, if I asked you to name your heroes – your sources of inspiration – a few of them may be famous figures like Martin Luther King Jr. But my guess is you’d also mention some lesser known people. A parent or grandparent. A figure in your local community. A grocery store owner who always greets you with warm smile and generous laugh.

It’s people like my Grandfather, who cared deeply for everyone he interacted with (and you could always tell that he did).

It’s people like Jennifer, who used to hang out by the train station in our neighborhood. Every-time I passed by with my wife and daughter, she’d greet us with a big smile.

It’s people like the little girl, who with pride and confidence stated, “I think I can do it, Mommy!”

They bring courage, joy and generosity to ordinary moments — whether they’re building a business, volunteering with a charity, or doing the dishes.

To me these people a kind of warrior.

They may not be someone who goes off to war to fight, but they’re willing to be present, to embrace whatever life throws at them, and to make a difference to those around them.

Living this way is a discipline. It’s a practice.

We train in our character just like an athlete trains for competition or a soldier trains for battle. It’s a daily effort of showing up.

That’s what I’m writing about here.