Continuing with our series on the three key virtues of the Warrior, the three that make for an exceptionally resilient life, we arrive at honor.
Anyone familiar with Star Trek's Klingon Empire will have heard that word thrown around a lot. Unfortunately, not all of Star Trek's writers knew anything about Warrior cultures and how they function, so the ideas of honor they sometimes wrote into scripts for their Klingon characters were terribly misleading. Fortunately, General Chang is one Klingon who hits the nail on the head:
As I said, the concept of honor has been perverted just as often as duty has, and not just in the Klingon Empire, but in real human cultures. The Samurai fell into the trap of equating defeat with dishonor and with an unbearable shame on an entire family. Some religious perversions talk about honor killing to avenge a perceived slight. And, most common of all, the totally false notion that honor, like duty, involves blindly following orders - the infamous defense of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg. Of course, we're not interested in those false ideas of honor.
Establishing Your Honor
Before you can guard your honor, you have to establish it. You can't protect what you don't have. Establishing your honor comes through a determination to do the right thing, even under the most difficult circumstances. That's why Chang calls it, "the absolute, unselfish dedication to all virtues; to truth, to courage, to forthrightness. It encompasses all these, and yet it is greater."
So, if you want to have honor, then:
1. Speak the truth... and demand that the whole truth be told, boldly and bluntly
2. Do your duty to the utmost of your ability
3. Do not allow yourself to be dragged into the disgraceful conduct of others
In our public life we're now living in a time when honor seems to be vanishing. Despite the many fine, unselfish people we have the good fortune of knowing in our personal lives, our public life is increasingly marked by lies, deceit and manipulation. It's a shadowy world of half-truths designed for the advantage of the unworthy and the unscrupulous. Yet without a commitment to honor as individuals and as a civilization, we cannot survive... nor would we deserve to.
So part of honor is to oppose the lies of public life, to speak the truth and demand that the whole truth be spoken. Not an easy task, and one that's sure to get you into trouble. Do you have the guts for that? Every Warrior must. Kapla!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Showing posts with label warrior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label warrior. Show all posts
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Monday, 29 March 2010
Want a Resilient Life? Start with Your Duty...
As you may remember from our last post, we had veteran Shakespearean actor Christopher Plummer reprising his role as Klingon General Chang, from Star Trek's 23rd century, and talking about the now famous symbol of the fictional Klingon Empire, the Heart of Virtue...
As Chang says, the person who doesn't practice the virtue of duty "falls into vainglory and reckless self-interest. No true Warrior could ever tolerate these vices, neither in his comrades, nor in himself." You can watch the short video here:
That's all very nice, but just what is "duty"?
Surely it's one of the most abused concepts in human history, used shamelessly by tyrants of all times to manipulate the masses and send millions to a useless death. Yes, no doubt about it, duty's been so perverted as a concept that it's hard to find people who put much stock in the whole idea, if they even think about it at all.
However, none of that diminishes the essential truth of true duty. If duty were not timeless and pure despite the best attempts of humans to pervert it, it would not be a virtue at all. So what is your duty?
Simple... you're surrounded by your duty every minute of every day. And because you've been failing to notice that, it's vital to ask yourself constantly, "what is my duty at this moment?"
Your first duty is to be true to yourself, to be who your really are and are meant to be. You have a fundamental duty as a human being to be honest, truthful and forthright, to help whomever you can, to be kind and respectful to all, to be loving and supportive to your spouse and your children, to do your job in an excellent fashion, to love your country and your world, and, finally, to give thanks!
Anyone who cares about their duty will become a deeply thankful person. Find me someone who's ungrateful and I'll show you someone who probably doesn't care about their duty.
At the end of every day you can ask yourself, "Have I done my duty today in an excellent fashion? How could I improve?" If you do this every day for just 30 days, you'll experience a renewed sense of purpose, a renewed sense of gratitude and a deep inner happiness welling up inside you. Why? Because you're becoming resilient. You're becoming a Warrior...
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
As Chang says, the person who doesn't practice the virtue of duty "falls into vainglory and reckless self-interest. No true Warrior could ever tolerate these vices, neither in his comrades, nor in himself." You can watch the short video here:
That's all very nice, but just what is "duty"?
Surely it's one of the most abused concepts in human history, used shamelessly by tyrants of all times to manipulate the masses and send millions to a useless death. Yes, no doubt about it, duty's been so perverted as a concept that it's hard to find people who put much stock in the whole idea, if they even think about it at all.
However, none of that diminishes the essential truth of true duty. If duty were not timeless and pure despite the best attempts of humans to pervert it, it would not be a virtue at all. So what is your duty?
Simple... you're surrounded by your duty every minute of every day. And because you've been failing to notice that, it's vital to ask yourself constantly, "what is my duty at this moment?"
Your first duty is to be true to yourself, to be who your really are and are meant to be. You have a fundamental duty as a human being to be honest, truthful and forthright, to help whomever you can, to be kind and respectful to all, to be loving and supportive to your spouse and your children, to do your job in an excellent fashion, to love your country and your world, and, finally, to give thanks!
Anyone who cares about their duty will become a deeply thankful person. Find me someone who's ungrateful and I'll show you someone who probably doesn't care about their duty.
At the end of every day you can ask yourself, "Have I done my duty today in an excellent fashion? How could I improve?" If you do this every day for just 30 days, you'll experience a renewed sense of purpose, a renewed sense of gratitude and a deep inner happiness welling up inside you. Why? Because you're becoming resilient. You're becoming a Warrior...
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Thursday, 25 March 2010
The Three Virtues of the Warrior
Last time, we heard from veteran shakespearean actor Christopher Plummer in his reprised role as General Chang, a key figure in one of fiction's greatest warrior cultures - Star Trek's Klingon Empire.
Today, General Chang outlines the three key virtues that can give you a rock solid and resilient life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uQOJzXHs30&feature=channel
(By the way, you can ignore the second half, where he's talking about a simulated conflict with the Federation - Star Trek's "good guys").
WHO CARES ABOUT VIRTUE?
You do, or you wouldn't even be here. Virtues are the foundation of character. What's character? It's the ability to do the right thing, even under the most adverse conditions. So, if you haven't trained yourself in virtue, the vicissitudes of life will blow you about like a leaf on the wind. You'll be constantly changing course, making poor decisions and focused mainly on protecting yourself.
The Warrior, on the other hand, has trained the three virtues General Chang speaks of, and that's why he or she is a much more effective, more resilient and happier person. You see,
the Warrior isn't focused on protecting his own reputation, position and EGO. No, the Warrior is a different species than the wind-blown mob of humanity. The Warrior cuts a straight course through life and is unaffected by the buffeting of circumstances.
Naturally, this allows her to focus on her inner life no matter what's going on externally. And that explains why others draw so much strength from her presence.
The first virtue you need is duty. As Chang says, the person who doesn't practice the virtue of duty "falls into vainglory and reckless self-interest. No true Warrior could ever tolerate these vices, neither in his comrades, nor in himself."
More on duty next time. For now, all I'll say about it is this: find me any dysfunctional corporate culture and I'll show you a self-interested senior leadership who's utterly unconcerned with doing its duty.
Sound like any workplace near you? Yeah, I kind of thought so!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Warrior Coaching International - transforming your mind, body and spirit into SOLID STEEL...
...wrapped in cotton ;-)
Today, General Chang outlines the three key virtues that can give you a rock solid and resilient life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uQOJzXHs30&feature=channel
(By the way, you can ignore the second half, where he's talking about a simulated conflict with the Federation - Star Trek's "good guys").
WHO CARES ABOUT VIRTUE?
You do, or you wouldn't even be here. Virtues are the foundation of character. What's character? It's the ability to do the right thing, even under the most adverse conditions. So, if you haven't trained yourself in virtue, the vicissitudes of life will blow you about like a leaf on the wind. You'll be constantly changing course, making poor decisions and focused mainly on protecting yourself.
The Warrior, on the other hand, has trained the three virtues General Chang speaks of, and that's why he or she is a much more effective, more resilient and happier person. You see,
the Warrior isn't focused on protecting his own reputation, position and EGO. No, the Warrior is a different species than the wind-blown mob of humanity. The Warrior cuts a straight course through life and is unaffected by the buffeting of circumstances.
Naturally, this allows her to focus on her inner life no matter what's going on externally. And that explains why others draw so much strength from her presence.
The first virtue you need is duty. As Chang says, the person who doesn't practice the virtue of duty "falls into vainglory and reckless self-interest. No true Warrior could ever tolerate these vices, neither in his comrades, nor in himself."
More on duty next time. For now, all I'll say about it is this: find me any dysfunctional corporate culture and I'll show you a self-interested senior leadership who's utterly unconcerned with doing its duty.
Sound like any workplace near you? Yeah, I kind of thought so!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Warrior Coaching International - transforming your mind, body and spirit into SOLID STEEL...
...wrapped in cotton ;-)
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Warrior Wisdom from the Klingon Empire - Part 1
We engage in all kinds of practices to improve our resilience: we do Yoga, Qi Gong, running, Pilates, meditation, eat good food, and much more.
Yet, in the end, you can never be more resilient than your own personal foundation is. What is that foundation? It's your CHARACTER! And character is composed of the fundamental virtues
of courage, honor, self-discipline, self-sacrifice, loyalty, trustworthiness, duty, gratitude and much more.
You can pump iron all day long and become the strongest person on the planet, but if you don't have that solid foundation of character, you'll forever remain a pathetic weakling and an idiot.
TODAY: WISDOM FROM AN UNUSUAL SOURCE
Today's Resilience Tip comes from one of Hollywood's most highly developed fictional cultures - Star Trek's Klingon Empire. In the video below, veteran classical actor Christopher Plummer
reprises his role as Klingon General Chang, a role he originally played in the 1991 movie "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country".
As Chang welcomes young Klingon officers to the elite command academy, he says, "Past achievements mean nothing here. I don't care about the names of your fathers or your family's lineage."
Of course he doesn't - warriors have a very keen sense of reality. They won't abide the falsity and political correctness that all cowards readily hide behind. Chang cares only for what's real.
And only concrete RESULTS are real.
Without this dedication to reality, to the TRUTH of things, you can never become resilient.
Then he goes on to add, "What I do care about is your breaking point, how you conduct yourselves in battle..."
It's only when you are taken to your breaking point that you can discover your character. You can lie to yourself about it until then. But the breaking point always reveals the truth.
That's why all true athletic training, military training, and definitely all true SPIRITUAL training takes you to your breaking point. It's the only way to find out what you're really made of.
Don't take my word for it. Here's General Chang himself to talk to you:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ValiantClan#p/u/52/4PSIzeItOjk
If you want to become a resilient person, you need to take all this to heart!
KapLa!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Warrior Coaching International - transforming
your mind, body and spirit into SOLID STEEL...
...wrapped in cotton ;-)
Yet, in the end, you can never be more resilient than your own personal foundation is. What is that foundation? It's your CHARACTER! And character is composed of the fundamental virtues
of courage, honor, self-discipline, self-sacrifice, loyalty, trustworthiness, duty, gratitude and much more.
You can pump iron all day long and become the strongest person on the planet, but if you don't have that solid foundation of character, you'll forever remain a pathetic weakling and an idiot.
TODAY: WISDOM FROM AN UNUSUAL SOURCE
Today's Resilience Tip comes from one of Hollywood's most highly developed fictional cultures - Star Trek's Klingon Empire. In the video below, veteran classical actor Christopher Plummer
reprises his role as Klingon General Chang, a role he originally played in the 1991 movie "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country".
As Chang welcomes young Klingon officers to the elite command academy, he says, "Past achievements mean nothing here. I don't care about the names of your fathers or your family's lineage."
Of course he doesn't - warriors have a very keen sense of reality. They won't abide the falsity and political correctness that all cowards readily hide behind. Chang cares only for what's real.
And only concrete RESULTS are real.
Without this dedication to reality, to the TRUTH of things, you can never become resilient.
Then he goes on to add, "What I do care about is your breaking point, how you conduct yourselves in battle..."
It's only when you are taken to your breaking point that you can discover your character. You can lie to yourself about it until then. But the breaking point always reveals the truth.
That's why all true athletic training, military training, and definitely all true SPIRITUAL training takes you to your breaking point. It's the only way to find out what you're really made of.
Don't take my word for it. Here's General Chang himself to talk to you:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ValiantClan#p/u/52/4PSIzeItOjk
If you want to become a resilient person, you need to take all this to heart!
KapLa!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Warrior Coaching International - transforming
your mind, body and spirit into SOLID STEEL...
...wrapped in cotton ;-)
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Resilience Tip: Recognize and Eliminate "B" Thinking
There are two types of thinking, two approaches to life in the world. Let's call them "A" and "B" thinking. It's vital to recognize which predominates in yourself and when if you want to become resilient.
Resilience is characterized by A-thinking, whereas the masses of humanity are deeply invested in B-thinking. Let's look at the characteristics of each:
A Thinking B Thinking
- Seeks challenge - Seeks comfort
- Uses pain constructively - Flees from pain at all cost
- Indulges in pleasure sparingly - Lives for fleeting pleasures
- Committed to excellence - Content with mediocrity
- The leader (conquers new "territory") - The manager (of existing territory)
- The rebel - The conformist
- Goes beyond inherited culture - Blindly accepts own culture
- Hates and exposes lies - Accepts society's lies
- The mystic - The religious institutionalizer
- Reality at all cost - Content with pretending
- TRUTH - Political correctness
Where do you see yourself in these lists? More to the point, where do you see yourself in each area of your life? Be honest.
If you start looking for these types of thinking in everyday life in the people and institutions around you, you'll make a startling discovery...
Our society is totally permeated, top to bottom, with B-thinking. It controls our political processes, our religious and educational institutions and the vast majority subscribe to it uncritically. You'll also notice that most of history's great leaders and role models were A-thinkers.
If you're an A-thinker working in a B-thinking institution of any kind, that situation IS going to drive you nuts. You'll need special tools to survive, the tools of a Warrior. Because every true A-thinker is a Warrior at heart. Check out the tools... survive and thrive in a mediocre world. 99% of people are B-thinkers and need not apply:
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/warriorbeta/
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Resilience is characterized by A-thinking, whereas the masses of humanity are deeply invested in B-thinking. Let's look at the characteristics of each:
A Thinking B Thinking
- Seeks challenge - Seeks comfort
- Uses pain constructively - Flees from pain at all cost
- Indulges in pleasure sparingly - Lives for fleeting pleasures
- Committed to excellence - Content with mediocrity
- The leader (conquers new "territory") - The manager (of existing territory)
- The rebel - The conformist
- Goes beyond inherited culture - Blindly accepts own culture
- Hates and exposes lies - Accepts society's lies
- The mystic - The religious institutionalizer
- Reality at all cost - Content with pretending
- TRUTH - Political correctness
Where do you see yourself in these lists? More to the point, where do you see yourself in each area of your life? Be honest.
If you start looking for these types of thinking in everyday life in the people and institutions around you, you'll make a startling discovery...
Our society is totally permeated, top to bottom, with B-thinking. It controls our political processes, our religious and educational institutions and the vast majority subscribe to it uncritically. You'll also notice that most of history's great leaders and role models were A-thinkers.
If you're an A-thinker working in a B-thinking institution of any kind, that situation IS going to drive you nuts. You'll need special tools to survive, the tools of a Warrior. Because every true A-thinker is a Warrior at heart. Check out the tools... survive and thrive in a mediocre world. 99% of people are B-thinkers and need not apply:
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/warriorbeta/
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
You Can Only Love People if You Have a "Black Heart"
Welcome to the fourth and final installment on "thick face" and "black heart". If you've stumbled on this post and don't have a clue what I'm talking about, be sure to read the previous three posts FIRST.
What an abhorrent concept! What can possibly be good about having a "Black Heart" (BH)? Doesn't that describe a psychopath like Hitler, Stalin or Chairman Mao?
Nope. Not the way we're using the term here. Yes, they did use the same power of BH that you're going to. However, you're going to use it for transformative purposes, not destructive ones.
There are three aspects to BH. They all have one thing in common - they involve distinguishing between real compassion and false compassion. Let's have a look at them:
1. HELP THOSE WHO SEEK TO DO GOOD:
Have you ever seen a parent whose child developed serious behavioral problems all because that parent was too spineless to say "no!" when it was necessary? Did the child then start to push the limits, disrespect the parents and shamelessly manipulate them? And did the parents let the kid get away with it?
If you're nodding your head right now, you and I probably know some of the same parents! And the parents' excuse for this is always couched in terms of "compassion", of not wanting to scar their child for life by denying him a candy bar, or not wanting to "impose their views" on their child, of wanting to let him "find his own way".
This compassion is a mental fiction. It causes great harm to the child and to anyone that child will deal with over his or her lifetime. It has devastating consequences, perhaps for generations.
As a parent, it's your job to train your child to be a polite, respectful and self-actualized person. And that means saying "no" sometimes. It also means challenging your kids, allowing them to make mistakes and get hurt, not shielding them from the nitty-gritty of daily life in the "real world". A false compassion would shield them. Real compassion requires a "black heart". A BH means "tough love", it means knowing when it's more important to slap a hand than hold it.
In ancient Sparta, as in some native American societies, the tougher parts of the education were undertaken out of reach of the parents and especially the mothers, who wouldn't have wanted to watch their offspring be put through hardship, even if that hardship was extremely beneficial in the long run.
It's said that the 20th century Orthodox Christian holy man, Joseph the Hesychast, didn't have a kind word for his disciples. In reality, his disciples knew he love them deeply, but the feigned harshness of the old man was a vital element to help them discover the inner resources they would need to overcome their spiritual challenges later on.
Likewise, the great Taoist master, Wang Liping, always says he is deeply thankful for the unsparing, ruthless severity of his masters, because that's what allowed him to achieve his extraordinary life.
Joseph the Hesychast and Wang Liping's old masters are perfect examples of BH. They know what needs to be done and they do it, regardless of the immediate discomfort of their disciples or of those who were "offended" by their way of life.
In essence, they were putting the power of BH at the service of those who were seeking to do the right thing. Another scenario along the same lines is defending people who are unjustly attacked for doing the right thing. In the recent series of crises in my own Church, those of us who spoke up did so partly to protect others who had already stuck their necks out.
2. STOP THOSE WHO SEEK TO DO EVIL:
Black Heart also refuses the false compassion that would allow people doing evil to continue to harm others and wreak havoc.
There are many wonderful features of life up here in Canada. The criminal justice system is NOT one of them. Enslaved for decades to absurd ideas that the criminal is the "victim" of society, our system has a nasty habit of letting violent criminals go free. The penalties for real wrong-doing are a bit of a joke.
In her book, "Thick Face, Black Heart," Chin-Ning Chu illustrates this with the true story of two ancient Chinese warlords. One was the emperor of the time and the other a peasant and rebel leader trying to overthrow him. The emperor captured the rebel leader at one point, but refused to deal with him harshly, considering him a worthy opponent of sorts. This allowed the rebel leader to escape, muster his army again, and overthrow the emperor.
Chu points out that this act of "mercy" simply prolonged the civil war and the slaughter of innocents. So the emperor's "mercy" was self-indulgent and counter-productive. Likewise, nearly every great tyrant of the 20th century was in jail at some point, and some damn fool decided to release him. Hitler even wrote "Mein Kampf" in prison, explaining in detail his insane plans, and they still let him go.
One of my favorite examples comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, where Captain Picard has a golden opportunity to destroy the Borg (the single most dangerous and sinister threat to civilization any sci-fi author could ever invent). Yet, he hesitates and finally doesn't do it, rationalizing his stupidity by comparing the act to "genocide". Excuse me. Time out! What about the hundreds of billions of people whose lives will be destroyed in the near future when the Borg overrun their planets, and all because of your bogus compassion, Captain Picard? I guess your "compassion" didn't extend to them.
If you look carefully, you'll see bogus compassion is all around you. In our Church, we were too soft-hearted to sack ALL the bishops who tried to cover up the financial scandal. Instead we only sacked the top guy. That has already come back to bite us. Real compassion involves cutting off evil - suddenly and definitely. That's the essence of BH. BH accords well with the old saying, "All that's needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
3. HONE YOUR KILLER INSTINCT:
The "killer instinct" is muted in our society. It's sublimated into other outlets like watching professional sports and playing video games. People who like to talk about inner peace may be horrified by the mere mention of killer instinct, considering it something to be programmed out of human beings.
Great spiritual traditions thought otherwise. They knew that the same power that you could use egotistically to kill someone who merely disagrees with you is the very power that you need to harness to overcome your inner obstacles. There is a war to be waged for inner peace.
Obviously, that same killer instinct is instrumental in "thick face" - it's the inner power that allows you to develop a powerful self-image, stick to your guns and resist the criticism and opinions of others.
It's also the power that allows you to become DEFINITE about your lifestyle, about who you are and what you stand for. It's the very power that brings clarity.
If you're a man, a male human being, you are a hunter and a killer by nature. Yes, society's gone to great lengths to program that out of you, to tell you you shouldn't have those feelings or act that way or think that way. Ancient Traditions took a different approach - they taught you how to harness and redirect that power, not repress it. Repressing it leads to neurosis and boredom.
And women need this too. It simply expresses itself differently. But find a mother protecting her child from physical danger and you'll see true killer instinct.
CONCLUSION:
"Thick Face" and "Black Heart" express the reality of your mind-body organism. In your natural state, you're impervious to the opinions and agendas of others, you're definite with your life and clear on your purpose, you are "brutal" in defense of the good and "ruthless" in crushing evil. These are divine traits within the human being.
Yes, they can be perverted, as they have been by tyrants, corporate executives and jihadists throughout history, as well as by fascists and religious fascists of all kinds. That, however, is irrelevant. You already possess the energies of Thick Face and Black Heart within you. They will come out somehow. It's up to you to channel them in ways that transform your life and the lives of those around you.
And when you do that, you'll be a true WARRIOR.
To learn more about the Way of the Warrior as the ultimate life paradigm (and the one with the most historical evidence to support it), go to:
http://bit.ly/WarriorBlackBelt
~Dr. Symeon Rodger
P.S. I hope you've enjoyed this series on the concepts of "Thick Face" and "Black Heart". Feel free to leave your comments below!
What an abhorrent concept! What can possibly be good about having a "Black Heart" (BH)? Doesn't that describe a psychopath like Hitler, Stalin or Chairman Mao?
Nope. Not the way we're using the term here. Yes, they did use the same power of BH that you're going to. However, you're going to use it for transformative purposes, not destructive ones.
There are three aspects to BH. They all have one thing in common - they involve distinguishing between real compassion and false compassion. Let's have a look at them:
1. HELP THOSE WHO SEEK TO DO GOOD:
Have you ever seen a parent whose child developed serious behavioral problems all because that parent was too spineless to say "no!" when it was necessary? Did the child then start to push the limits, disrespect the parents and shamelessly manipulate them? And did the parents let the kid get away with it?
If you're nodding your head right now, you and I probably know some of the same parents! And the parents' excuse for this is always couched in terms of "compassion", of not wanting to scar their child for life by denying him a candy bar, or not wanting to "impose their views" on their child, of wanting to let him "find his own way".
This compassion is a mental fiction. It causes great harm to the child and to anyone that child will deal with over his or her lifetime. It has devastating consequences, perhaps for generations.
As a parent, it's your job to train your child to be a polite, respectful and self-actualized person. And that means saying "no" sometimes. It also means challenging your kids, allowing them to make mistakes and get hurt, not shielding them from the nitty-gritty of daily life in the "real world". A false compassion would shield them. Real compassion requires a "black heart". A BH means "tough love", it means knowing when it's more important to slap a hand than hold it.
In ancient Sparta, as in some native American societies, the tougher parts of the education were undertaken out of reach of the parents and especially the mothers, who wouldn't have wanted to watch their offspring be put through hardship, even if that hardship was extremely beneficial in the long run.
It's said that the 20th century Orthodox Christian holy man, Joseph the Hesychast, didn't have a kind word for his disciples. In reality, his disciples knew he love them deeply, but the feigned harshness of the old man was a vital element to help them discover the inner resources they would need to overcome their spiritual challenges later on.
Likewise, the great Taoist master, Wang Liping, always says he is deeply thankful for the unsparing, ruthless severity of his masters, because that's what allowed him to achieve his extraordinary life.
Joseph the Hesychast and Wang Liping's old masters are perfect examples of BH. They know what needs to be done and they do it, regardless of the immediate discomfort of their disciples or of those who were "offended" by their way of life.
In essence, they were putting the power of BH at the service of those who were seeking to do the right thing. Another scenario along the same lines is defending people who are unjustly attacked for doing the right thing. In the recent series of crises in my own Church, those of us who spoke up did so partly to protect others who had already stuck their necks out.
2. STOP THOSE WHO SEEK TO DO EVIL:
Black Heart also refuses the false compassion that would allow people doing evil to continue to harm others and wreak havoc.
There are many wonderful features of life up here in Canada. The criminal justice system is NOT one of them. Enslaved for decades to absurd ideas that the criminal is the "victim" of society, our system has a nasty habit of letting violent criminals go free. The penalties for real wrong-doing are a bit of a joke.
In her book, "Thick Face, Black Heart," Chin-Ning Chu illustrates this with the true story of two ancient Chinese warlords. One was the emperor of the time and the other a peasant and rebel leader trying to overthrow him. The emperor captured the rebel leader at one point, but refused to deal with him harshly, considering him a worthy opponent of sorts. This allowed the rebel leader to escape, muster his army again, and overthrow the emperor.
Chu points out that this act of "mercy" simply prolonged the civil war and the slaughter of innocents. So the emperor's "mercy" was self-indulgent and counter-productive. Likewise, nearly every great tyrant of the 20th century was in jail at some point, and some damn fool decided to release him. Hitler even wrote "Mein Kampf" in prison, explaining in detail his insane plans, and they still let him go.
One of my favorite examples comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, where Captain Picard has a golden opportunity to destroy the Borg (the single most dangerous and sinister threat to civilization any sci-fi author could ever invent). Yet, he hesitates and finally doesn't do it, rationalizing his stupidity by comparing the act to "genocide". Excuse me. Time out! What about the hundreds of billions of people whose lives will be destroyed in the near future when the Borg overrun their planets, and all because of your bogus compassion, Captain Picard? I guess your "compassion" didn't extend to them.
If you look carefully, you'll see bogus compassion is all around you. In our Church, we were too soft-hearted to sack ALL the bishops who tried to cover up the financial scandal. Instead we only sacked the top guy. That has already come back to bite us. Real compassion involves cutting off evil - suddenly and definitely. That's the essence of BH. BH accords well with the old saying, "All that's needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
3. HONE YOUR KILLER INSTINCT:
The "killer instinct" is muted in our society. It's sublimated into other outlets like watching professional sports and playing video games. People who like to talk about inner peace may be horrified by the mere mention of killer instinct, considering it something to be programmed out of human beings.
Great spiritual traditions thought otherwise. They knew that the same power that you could use egotistically to kill someone who merely disagrees with you is the very power that you need to harness to overcome your inner obstacles. There is a war to be waged for inner peace.
Obviously, that same killer instinct is instrumental in "thick face" - it's the inner power that allows you to develop a powerful self-image, stick to your guns and resist the criticism and opinions of others.
It's also the power that allows you to become DEFINITE about your lifestyle, about who you are and what you stand for. It's the very power that brings clarity.
If you're a man, a male human being, you are a hunter and a killer by nature. Yes, society's gone to great lengths to program that out of you, to tell you you shouldn't have those feelings or act that way or think that way. Ancient Traditions took a different approach - they taught you how to harness and redirect that power, not repress it. Repressing it leads to neurosis and boredom.
And women need this too. It simply expresses itself differently. But find a mother protecting her child from physical danger and you'll see true killer instinct.
CONCLUSION:
"Thick Face" and "Black Heart" express the reality of your mind-body organism. In your natural state, you're impervious to the opinions and agendas of others, you're definite with your life and clear on your purpose, you are "brutal" in defense of the good and "ruthless" in crushing evil. These are divine traits within the human being.
Yes, they can be perverted, as they have been by tyrants, corporate executives and jihadists throughout history, as well as by fascists and religious fascists of all kinds. That, however, is irrelevant. You already possess the energies of Thick Face and Black Heart within you. They will come out somehow. It's up to you to channel them in ways that transform your life and the lives of those around you.
And when you do that, you'll be a true WARRIOR.
To learn more about the Way of the Warrior as the ultimate life paradigm (and the one with the most historical evidence to support it), go to:
http://bit.ly/WarriorBlackBelt
~Dr. Symeon Rodger
P.S. I hope you've enjoyed this series on the concepts of "Thick Face" and "Black Heart". Feel free to leave your comments below!
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
How "Thick Face, Black Heart" Gives You Clarity and Conviction
Welcome to our next installment on the warrior philosophy of "Thick Face, Black Heart" (TFBH) and what it can do for YOU. If you've just stumbled on this post, please go back to the two previous posts and READ THEM FIRST. Otherwise, you'll get lost in a matter of seconds ;-)
Practicing TFBH clarifies everything in your life. TFBH means living in the world of the DEFINITE. Once you become very definite about your lifestyle - about your diet, your exercise, your responsibilities towards others at home, at work and in general, something miraculous happens...
GREAT CLARITY ENSUES:
One of the defining characteristics of the mentality of most people in our culture is its lack of definiteness and direction. We're a deeply conflicted people who create deeply conflicted lives.
Once you DECIDE to adopt a definite manner of life - meaning you stick to your lifestyle even when others attack you or, more importantly, when you yourself "feel like" caving in - then the next step is this:
Decide who you really are and what you stand for. Ask yourself these questions:
1. What are my highest values as a person?
2. What moral standards do I refuse to compromise on?
3. When have I been asked to go along passively with something unjust or to live with a lie? Have I become "politically correct" (in other words, a pathological liar)?
4. When have I actually gone along with a lie?
5. If I could contribute just ONE good thing to the world in my lifetime, what would it be? And what am I willing to do about it?
6. What infuriates me? What will I absolutely not tolerate?
Yes, contrary to what you might think, righteous anger is not an evil. The ancient Christian tradition considers it a protective force implanted within you by your Creator. If you see evil and injustice done to others and that doesn't infuriate you, then you've got a real problem. Not that you should lose control of yourself; simply that you should feel impelled to take action.
As many of you know, my jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church has suffered a debilitating financial scandal and a generalized leadership crisis over the past couple of years. At one point the lies became too much for me and I spoke out. And I took the criticism that comes from the spineless and unprincipled who fear nothing quite so much as rocking the boat. That's an example of "thick face". However, many who did speak out and continue to do so have suffered for it much more than I did, and they deserve great respect for doing so.
Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. are perfect examples of people who felt compelled to speak out. They saw injustice and got REALLY ANGRY about it. However, they were able to channel the force of their righteous anger into great moral principles and to achieve victories once thought completely impossible.
REFUSING OTHER PEOPLE'S DEFINITIONS FOR YOUR LIFE
My family has a dear friend who's over 90 years old right now. He was a best friend to my father for over half a century. Lately he's become a bit obsessed with telling my children how off-track they are with respect to their educations and career choices. They need to become doctors, lawyers or dentists, he says, because those are the people who make the real money.
Well, that kind of career advice is understandable from a post-war immigrant, but it really lost its validity after the sixties.
Likewise, you'll find all kinds of well-meaning people trying to define your life for you. Some of them may be success "gurus" telling you success is measured in dollars. Some may be family members who think you should go to university because the previous three generations of your family did.
One thing you can be sure of: if you are definite about your lifestyle - adopting a "thick face" in that department - and if you're increasingly definite about who you are and what you stand for, you'll become more and more CLEAR about what you want to contribute. And when that's the case, you WILL find all kinds of people putting obstacles in your way.
The great thing about practicing TFBH is that once you become very clear and definite about the little things in life, you'll get CRYSTAL CLARITY surprisingly fast on the larger issues, including what some would call your "major definite purpose" in life.
Try it. Don't believe me; see for yourself! "Thick Face" and "Black Heart" are the essence of the world's ancient spiritual traditions and of the Warrior's way of life worldwide. And the best course on the Warrior's Way of Life I know is this:
http://bit.ly/WarriorBlackBelt
Next time, I'll finally explain to you what "Black Heart" means - it doesn't mean what you're probably thinking it means... ;-)
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Getting a "Thick Face" - Regaining Your Personal Autonomy
As promised, here's the first installment of how you can understand and cultivate the profound philosophy of "Thick Face, Black Heart" in your own life. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you MUST read the previous post FIRST.
THICK FACE
You probably know that Asians tend to be VERY concerned with matters of face (as in the expression, "saving face"). In other words, reputation means everything to them and what others think really matters. To us in our individualistic culture, this seems a trifle overdone at times and it has a couple of major disadvantages - it means you cede control over your behavior to other people's ideas and standards and it also makes you reactive and highly predictable.
Not surprisingly, "Thick Face" (hereafter "TF") is quite the opposite. It's more like our concept of "Thick Skin". It means you stop caring what other people think or say about you. You stop trying to live by other people's standards and start living by the principles you really believe in.
Yes, at its worst, this could mean you're a sociopath who thinks he's the center of the universe and the fount of all wisdom. Hitler, Stalin and Chairman Mao all had very thick faces. However, consider the following...
Back in the early 1920s, a very enthusiastic young spiritual seeker arrived on Mount Athos, the most important center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism. Despite immense pressure to "settle down" and join one of the large monasteries, to become "one of the crowd", he steadfastly refused. He knew exactly what kind of spiritual life model he wanted to follow and endured lots of abuse for it. And later on, when he was living the life he so ardently sought, he was verbally abused by other monks who condemned him as eccentric and unfriendly, all because he insisted on following a schedule and carefully managing his time and the time of those who had joined him (and that meant, "if you show up when we're praying, we won't stop to talk to you! Hence the reasons others felt slighted by him).
This young monk's name was Joseph... later known as Joseph the Hesychast, one of the great spiritual masters of the 20th century. Joseph's refusal to cave in to the pressures to conform or to surrender the integrity of his lifestyle to criticisms of others are the epitome of THICK FACE.
Politicians tend to have very thick faces. They have to. Of course, not a few of them are self-centered sociopaths who don't care who gets hurt. On the other hand, consider Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King - they were all the object of violent criticism and they all survived and succeeded by having a TF.
TRUST YOUR OWN JUDGMENT
By now it may have dawned on you that you can't have a TF without trusting your own judgment. That may sound arrogant, but it isn't always. So let's clear up a common misunderstanding - being humble does NOT mean you cave in to other people's opinions. After all, Joseph the Hesychast's whole life was about cultivating humility, and he never caved in. Humble people do not surrender their principles for any reason. Opportunists do... at the drop of a hat.
Think back through your life. Can you think of times where someone in authority was pressuring you to do something or agree with something you thought was inadvisable or wrong? Looking back on the incident, were you right? Should you have trusted your gut?
When have you been right all along? On the other hand, you need to admit the truth when your judgment has been wrong.
I've been viciously criticized and even plotted against because some people found the "controversial" things I wrote in "The 5 Pillars of Life" totally unacceptable. They would happily have banned the book and had me tossed out of the priesthood of the Orthodox Church.
However, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's to trust my gut on matters of spiritual life and personal development. I'm so convinced I'm right about certain things to do with the history and development of Christianity, for instance, that all the opposition in the universe won't even make a dent. Now, if someone comes to me with "new evidence" and can prove that I might be on the wrong track, I'll happily listen. This isn't an egotistical thing - it's about what's true and what's not.
And you can probably find a parallel in your own life.
The essence of TF is regaining your personal autonomy, no longer having your life controlled by the opinions of others, by what they think of you or say about you, by the standards of the prevailing culture - standards that always claim absolute truth is on their side, even though they differ from one culture to another and shift over time.
It is NOT POSSIBLE to do anything significant in life if you don't have a TF, simply because anything worth doing WILL bring criticism. People WILL try to drag you down to their level. They WILL be jealous of your accomplishments and rain on your parade. Get used to it now and determine from this moment on to adopt a TF.
Fortunately, everyday life gives you lots of opportunities to practice. Think about it and make a list of what you'll do this week to practice!
THICK FACE AS A WARRIOR PHILOSOPHY:
Chin-Ning Chu was quite right to call TFBH a "warrior philosophy" in her subtitle. In fact, I'm convinced that the warrior traditions of the world's "Authentic Ancient Traditions" (as I called them in "The 5 Pillars of Life") already contain the essence of TFBH, simply because TFBH describes your natural state once you're rid of all the cultural conditioning that's holding you back.
To learn about the most comprehensive Warrior training program I know, go here:
http://bit.ly/WarriorBlackBelt
In the next post, we'll go on to discuss how TFBH can give you COMPLETE CLARITY about what you want to do, and very quickly!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Why YOU Need a "Thick Face" and a "Black Heart"
Hi all,
This week I have something REALLY special for you. So, for your own sake, you'll want to read all this VERY carefully and meditate on it.
You've no doubt read tons of stuff about self-help and personal development or you wouldn't be reading this. So you've seen and heard lots of experts trying to answer questions like:
- Why do some people succeed and others fail to reach their goals?
- Why do some have total clarity about what they want, while most people don't?
- Why do a very few find deep inner peace, while most remain tormented and conflicted?
- Why do 5% of the population make a difference while 95% don't?
One of the most profound answers to questions like these came in a book first published 99 years ago. The book, called "Thick Black Theory" was IMMEDIATELY BANNED by the government as far too dangerous for the population to read. Seriously!
That alone probably means it's worth reading!
The catch is that reading the original might not help you much. First of all, the book was written in China, and is full of allusions to Chinese culture and literature that would make it next to incomprehensible, even in translation. After all, an expression like "how far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?" means nothing unless you're familiar with "Alice in Wonderland".
The author of "Thick Black Theory" was Lee Zhong Wu, a sociologist of sorts who was dispassionately cataloguing the behaviors of the successful. Fortunately, a Chinese-American business woman named Chin-Ning Chu turned Lee's somewhat obscure content into a superb book in the early 90's, under the title, "Thick Face, Black Heart: The Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life".
The catch is that a "Thick Face" and a "Black Heart" (hereafter TFBH) can serve the saint and the sinner equally well. The theory really describes powers or energies of the human spirit that could be used for great good or great evil. And that tends to put off the "bliss-out" New Age types who can't get past that fact long enough to understand the incredibly profound content.
Over the next few days, here's what I'm going to do for you:
1. Unpack the concepts of "thick face" and "black heart"
2. Show you how they apply to YOUR life
3. Demonstrate how they accord totally with the teachings of the world's "Authentic Ancient Traditions" of spiritual life and self-refinement, forming the core of Warriorship, and...
4. Give you the basic principles of how to begin cultivating TFBH for yourself
CAUTION: The principles you're about to see in the following posts should not be shared with unscrupulous people. Moreover, some of them may shock you a little. If that happens, just take a deep breath and say, "I guess I haven't understood this just yet."
TF and BH are concepts indispensable for success in any endeavour. Without mastering and applying them, either consciously or unknowingly, you're always going to wonder what's missing and why you can't seem to make progress.
Moreover, when you look at where you've had successes in your life already, you'll start to notice traces of these practices.
Are you ready for the ride? Okay, we'll see you next time!
And if you know any other people of good character who need this knowledge, bring them along too.
Oh yes... don't forget to leave your comments below!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
This week I have something REALLY special for you. So, for your own sake, you'll want to read all this VERY carefully and meditate on it.
You've no doubt read tons of stuff about self-help and personal development or you wouldn't be reading this. So you've seen and heard lots of experts trying to answer questions like:
- Why do some people succeed and others fail to reach their goals?
- Why do some have total clarity about what they want, while most people don't?
- Why do a very few find deep inner peace, while most remain tormented and conflicted?
- Why do 5% of the population make a difference while 95% don't?
One of the most profound answers to questions like these came in a book first published 99 years ago. The book, called "Thick Black Theory" was IMMEDIATELY BANNED by the government as far too dangerous for the population to read. Seriously!
That alone probably means it's worth reading!
The catch is that reading the original might not help you much. First of all, the book was written in China, and is full of allusions to Chinese culture and literature that would make it next to incomprehensible, even in translation. After all, an expression like "how far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?" means nothing unless you're familiar with "Alice in Wonderland".
The author of "Thick Black Theory" was Lee Zhong Wu, a sociologist of sorts who was dispassionately cataloguing the behaviors of the successful. Fortunately, a Chinese-American business woman named Chin-Ning Chu turned Lee's somewhat obscure content into a superb book in the early 90's, under the title, "Thick Face, Black Heart: The Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life".
The catch is that a "Thick Face" and a "Black Heart" (hereafter TFBH) can serve the saint and the sinner equally well. The theory really describes powers or energies of the human spirit that could be used for great good or great evil. And that tends to put off the "bliss-out" New Age types who can't get past that fact long enough to understand the incredibly profound content.
Over the next few days, here's what I'm going to do for you:
1. Unpack the concepts of "thick face" and "black heart"
2. Show you how they apply to YOUR life
3. Demonstrate how they accord totally with the teachings of the world's "Authentic Ancient Traditions" of spiritual life and self-refinement, forming the core of Warriorship, and...
4. Give you the basic principles of how to begin cultivating TFBH for yourself
CAUTION: The principles you're about to see in the following posts should not be shared with unscrupulous people. Moreover, some of them may shock you a little. If that happens, just take a deep breath and say, "I guess I haven't understood this just yet."
TF and BH are concepts indispensable for success in any endeavour. Without mastering and applying them, either consciously or unknowingly, you're always going to wonder what's missing and why you can't seem to make progress.
Moreover, when you look at where you've had successes in your life already, you'll start to notice traces of these practices.
Are you ready for the ride? Okay, we'll see you next time!
And if you know any other people of good character who need this knowledge, bring them along too.
Oh yes... don't forget to leave your comments below!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
People WANT to Drag You Down!
Hi Everyone,
There's a flip side to setting ambitious goals for your life. It's one that the goal-setting and success gurus don't spend nearly enough time on...
You know how they say that if you can imagine a goal, and it really excites you, and you go after that goal, then the whole universe starts lining up to make it possible?
It's true... but...
Everyone who knows you and can't identify with your goal or the new direction you're trying to take your life in will rise up AGAINST YOU. Yes, there are exceptions but, generally speaking, when human beings - and expecially human beings living in "victim syndrome" - see you trying to rise above the pack, they're going to do everything possible to drag you back down.
They will mock you. They will conspire against you, start intrigues and try to get you into trouble with your boss, your family, with anyone they can. And when you "fail" - and you will fail, because we usually fail before we succeed - they'll be the first to say, "I told you so!"
This is pretty much a UNIVERSAL LAW.
It even happens in the most "spiritual" of places. One great Orthodox Christian holy man of the 20th century - a monk on Mount Athos in Greece - wrote something like, "Our spiritual struggles were difficult enough in themselves, but were made a hundred times worse by the mockery of other monks who didn't understand our way of life. So the very people who should have supported us most were the very ones who turned against us."
Yes, if you try to fly above the herd in ANY WAY, you WILL be attacked. Just remember the old saying that "just because you're not paranoid, it doesn't mean everyone isn't out to get you" ;-)
When I went into business and wrote The 5 Pillars of Life, I was viciously attacked by people in the Church. Only a few, of course, but the TREACHERY was unreal - going behind my back to try to turn Church authorities against me, trying to isolate and marginalize me. And then there were all the comments about the evils of business and money.
You should read Michael Jordan's bio someday - he was determined to be a great professional basketball player yet nearly everyone he knew became an obstacle. They mocked him, they didn't believe in him, they told him he was wasting his time. I wonder if any of those losers woke up in the end.
So the bottom line is this...
Before you dedicate yourself to those ambitious goals of yours, no matter what those goals are, you need to develop a VERY THICK SKIN. You actually need to PRACTICE not caring what other people think or say. And that's especially true if you're a sensitive person and have been conditioned to seek peer approval.
Yes, PRACTICE it. It doesn't come naturally to most of us. You need to develop a special kind of RESILIENCE, and it only comes with practice.
The price of success is the willingness to persevere and to TOTALLY DISREGARD what everybody else thinks.
Now I know I'll get people responding to this saying that if you don't listen to other people's advice, how can you expect to be successful. Or that it's "arrogant" not to listen to others and think you know better. Of course, it should be obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together that's not what I'm talking about here.
Yes, you need to stay humble and listen to whatever qualified advice you can get. You also need to be SO SURE AND SO FOCUSED on your goal that you'll be able to persevere when everyone around you is trying to stop you.
In other words, you need to train yourself to become mentally and emotionally TOUGH. I know it sounds indelicate, insensitive and not politically correct. However, it's the plain truth for anyone willing to listen. And if you've tried to fly high in any area of your life before, you KNOW this to be true already.
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
There's a flip side to setting ambitious goals for your life. It's one that the goal-setting and success gurus don't spend nearly enough time on...
You know how they say that if you can imagine a goal, and it really excites you, and you go after that goal, then the whole universe starts lining up to make it possible?
It's true... but...
Everyone who knows you and can't identify with your goal or the new direction you're trying to take your life in will rise up AGAINST YOU. Yes, there are exceptions but, generally speaking, when human beings - and expecially human beings living in "victim syndrome" - see you trying to rise above the pack, they're going to do everything possible to drag you back down.
They will mock you. They will conspire against you, start intrigues and try to get you into trouble with your boss, your family, with anyone they can. And when you "fail" - and you will fail, because we usually fail before we succeed - they'll be the first to say, "I told you so!"
This is pretty much a UNIVERSAL LAW.
It even happens in the most "spiritual" of places. One great Orthodox Christian holy man of the 20th century - a monk on Mount Athos in Greece - wrote something like, "Our spiritual struggles were difficult enough in themselves, but were made a hundred times worse by the mockery of other monks who didn't understand our way of life. So the very people who should have supported us most were the very ones who turned against us."
Yes, if you try to fly above the herd in ANY WAY, you WILL be attacked. Just remember the old saying that "just because you're not paranoid, it doesn't mean everyone isn't out to get you" ;-)
When I went into business and wrote The 5 Pillars of Life, I was viciously attacked by people in the Church. Only a few, of course, but the TREACHERY was unreal - going behind my back to try to turn Church authorities against me, trying to isolate and marginalize me. And then there were all the comments about the evils of business and money.
You should read Michael Jordan's bio someday - he was determined to be a great professional basketball player yet nearly everyone he knew became an obstacle. They mocked him, they didn't believe in him, they told him he was wasting his time. I wonder if any of those losers woke up in the end.
So the bottom line is this...
Before you dedicate yourself to those ambitious goals of yours, no matter what those goals are, you need to develop a VERY THICK SKIN. You actually need to PRACTICE not caring what other people think or say. And that's especially true if you're a sensitive person and have been conditioned to seek peer approval.
Yes, PRACTICE it. It doesn't come naturally to most of us. You need to develop a special kind of RESILIENCE, and it only comes with practice.
The price of success is the willingness to persevere and to TOTALLY DISREGARD what everybody else thinks.
Now I know I'll get people responding to this saying that if you don't listen to other people's advice, how can you expect to be successful. Or that it's "arrogant" not to listen to others and think you know better. Of course, it should be obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together that's not what I'm talking about here.
Yes, you need to stay humble and listen to whatever qualified advice you can get. You also need to be SO SURE AND SO FOCUSED on your goal that you'll be able to persevere when everyone around you is trying to stop you.
In other words, you need to train yourself to become mentally and emotionally TOUGH. I know it sounds indelicate, insensitive and not politically correct. However, it's the plain truth for anyone willing to listen. And if you've tried to fly high in any area of your life before, you KNOW this to be true already.
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Your Insider's Look at a Warrior's Day...
Last time, I promised to share with you what I actually DO everyday to build resilience and achieve a great quality of life. So here it is...
Keep in mind that this is just one example of how to go about it. Other Warriors will do lots of things differently. Moreover, my own personal program is a work in progress, so none of this is carved in stone. This should just stimulate your thinking;-)
Why would I do this? Simple - by keeping up this simple, easy and quick baseline of training, I can keep myself in a state of superb health, physical fitness and inner
balance without losing any time for other things.
I can pretty much guarantee that if were to track your time for an average day, you'd see you're wasting more time on useless activities than I'm spending on training ;-)
After just ONE DAY of a regime like this, you'll feel:
- Stronger
- Healthier
- More confident
- More balanced
- More in control of your life
Sound good to you?
So here's a typical day's training:
0300-0330: SSDN (meditation, which can include any type of meditation or prayer discussed in The 5 Pillars of Life)
0600-0630: SSDN, followed by the Self-Massage Set Qi Gong (5 minutes) and Fitness Routine of 30 reverse push-ups, 20 forward push ups, abdominal exercises and 25 squats (5 minutes)
0800-0845: Walk, including deep breathing exercises, uphill sections with heavy pack - I use this time to practice noetic prayer and some visualization
0845-0900: Reading inspiring material, Fitness Routine for second time.
1000-1005: Muscle-Tendon Changing Qi Gong
1100-1105: Practice one martial arts technique
1200-1210: SSDN
1400-1405: Do a short Tai Chi form
1500-1505: Fitness routine for third time
1600-1605: Breathing portions of Iron Shirt Qi Gong
1630-1700: Walk without pack - deep breathing, uphill and downhill
1700-1710: Fitness Routine with addition of situps and bridging
1710-1720: Martial arts with the punching bag (whose name is Bob, after a particularly obnoxious person I used to work for ;-)
2100-2110: Qi Gong (whatever type comes to mind)
2110-2140: Readinge
2140-2200: SSDN
There you have it. This may look like a lot, but when you actually do it you'll realize you're getting enormous results from activities that take VERY little time. You don't lose much working time and what you do lose is more than made up for by working much more effectively because you've had the good sense to shut your brain down and engage your body for a few minutes.
So I encourage you to take some of these 5-minute chunks out of your day and fill them with any activity that increases your resilience, whether that's sit-ups, meditation or reading something that inspires and motivates you.
If you want to learn the world's top methods for doing all of this, you need to get over to this page:
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/BlackBelt/index.php
- Dr. Symeon Rodger
Keep in mind that this is just one example of how to go about it. Other Warriors will do lots of things differently. Moreover, my own personal program is a work in progress, so none of this is carved in stone. This should just stimulate your thinking;-)
Why would I do this? Simple - by keeping up this simple, easy and quick baseline of training, I can keep myself in a state of superb health, physical fitness and inner
balance without losing any time for other things.
I can pretty much guarantee that if were to track your time for an average day, you'd see you're wasting more time on useless activities than I'm spending on training ;-)
After just ONE DAY of a regime like this, you'll feel:
- Stronger
- Healthier
- More confident
- More balanced
- More in control of your life
Sound good to you?
So here's a typical day's training:
0300-0330: SSDN (meditation, which can include any type of meditation or prayer discussed in The 5 Pillars of Life)
0600-0630: SSDN, followed by the Self-Massage Set Qi Gong (5 minutes) and Fitness Routine of 30 reverse push-ups, 20 forward push ups, abdominal exercises and 25 squats (5 minutes)
0800-0845: Walk, including deep breathing exercises, uphill sections with heavy pack - I use this time to practice noetic prayer and some visualization
0845-0900: Reading inspiring material, Fitness Routine for second time.
1000-1005: Muscle-Tendon Changing Qi Gong
1100-1105: Practice one martial arts technique
1200-1210: SSDN
1400-1405: Do a short Tai Chi form
1500-1505: Fitness routine for third time
1600-1605: Breathing portions of Iron Shirt Qi Gong
1630-1700: Walk without pack - deep breathing, uphill and downhill
1700-1710: Fitness Routine with addition of situps and bridging
1710-1720: Martial arts with the punching bag (whose name is Bob, after a particularly obnoxious person I used to work for ;-)
2100-2110: Qi Gong (whatever type comes to mind)
2110-2140: Readinge
2140-2200: SSDN
There you have it. This may look like a lot, but when you actually do it you'll realize you're getting enormous results from activities that take VERY little time. You don't lose much working time and what you do lose is more than made up for by working much more effectively because you've had the good sense to shut your brain down and engage your body for a few minutes.
So I encourage you to take some of these 5-minute chunks out of your day and fill them with any activity that increases your resilience, whether that's sit-ups, meditation or reading something that inspires and motivates you.
If you want to learn the world's top methods for doing all of this, you need to get over to this page:
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/BlackBelt/index.php
- Dr. Symeon Rodger
*RESILIENCE* - Turn Your Life Around Through Training
Two of my favorite "warrior" movies are "300" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy because, if you look closely at each, you'll find some profound lessons on life. Yes, Hollywood occasionally gets it right ;-)
In "300" there's a scene where a large formation of Athenian soldiers come to the aid of Spartan King Leonidas and his smaller group of 300 men. The Athenian commander jokes that he has contributed more men to the battle than Sparta. Leonidas then asks a few of these Athenian soldiers what their profession is and gets answers like "merchant", "potter" and "blacksmith". Turning to his own men, Leonidas yells, "Spartans, what is your profession?" The Spartans' yell in response indicates that "warrior" IS their profession, so Leonidas turns back to the Athenian commander and says, "You see, I HAVE brought more soldiers than you!"
Of course, OUR Warriorship isn't necessarily about combat at all - it's about developing RESILIENCE on every level so that you can enjoy great health, immunity and longevity, cultivate deep inner peace, reconnect your mind and body, embark on a fulfilling spiritual life, become much more effective in our careers, and form loving and lasting relationships with everyone around you.
If that sounds good to you, you're still faced with the basic question - will you take the "Spartan" approach or the "Athenian"? Will you pursue this as an ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF WHO YOU ARE, or will you just do a bit here and there?
THE INDESCRIBABLE VALUE OF CONSTANT TRAINING
What most distinguishes a "Warrior" from the rest of humanity? Is is fitness or inner peace or having their act together? No. It's that the Warrior is as serious about personal development as the Olympic athlete is about his or her gold medal.
The "hobbyist" approach never lasts long or achieves much. If you're not SERIOUS about the quality of every area of your life, you'll just muddle through, practicing a few things in a haphazard way and having little to show for it.
Your conscience will convict you, telling you that you can do far better, yet you'll always feel as though you just "can't find the time" to meditate, to work out, to read inspiring material, etc.
I'm here today to tell you that's almost always B.S. There's always time. Did you know that you only need 5 minute blocks scattered throughout your day to:
1. Build and maintaing deep inner peace
2. Whip that wet noodle of a physique into the to 10% of fit people on the planet
3. Design and stick to a super nutritional regime
4. Increase your immunity and resistance to disease
5. Double your effectiveness through visualization
6. Nuke negative emotional states and replace them with positive ones
People who get results know this. They train themselves to do this ALL DAY LONG. They don't need a gym, a meditation class, a Yoga or Qi Gong class, because they've transformed their DAILY LIFE into their classroom.
So can you. To learn more about how to do that, you can go here:
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/BlackBelt/index.php
NEXT TIME, I'll share with you exactly how I personally train all day long, and the wonderful effects that has on my life. This will be a unique INSIDE look at the life of a Warrior, at how anyone can achieve PERSONAL RESILIENCE no matter how busy they are.
See you then!
- Dr. Symeon Rodger :-)
In "300" there's a scene where a large formation of Athenian soldiers come to the aid of Spartan King Leonidas and his smaller group of 300 men. The Athenian commander jokes that he has contributed more men to the battle than Sparta. Leonidas then asks a few of these Athenian soldiers what their profession is and gets answers like "merchant", "potter" and "blacksmith". Turning to his own men, Leonidas yells, "Spartans, what is your profession?" The Spartans' yell in response indicates that "warrior" IS their profession, so Leonidas turns back to the Athenian commander and says, "You see, I HAVE brought more soldiers than you!"
Of course, OUR Warriorship isn't necessarily about combat at all - it's about developing RESILIENCE on every level so that you can enjoy great health, immunity and longevity, cultivate deep inner peace, reconnect your mind and body, embark on a fulfilling spiritual life, become much more effective in our careers, and form loving and lasting relationships with everyone around you.
If that sounds good to you, you're still faced with the basic question - will you take the "Spartan" approach or the "Athenian"? Will you pursue this as an ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF WHO YOU ARE, or will you just do a bit here and there?
THE INDESCRIBABLE VALUE OF CONSTANT TRAINING
What most distinguishes a "Warrior" from the rest of humanity? Is is fitness or inner peace or having their act together? No. It's that the Warrior is as serious about personal development as the Olympic athlete is about his or her gold medal.
The "hobbyist" approach never lasts long or achieves much. If you're not SERIOUS about the quality of every area of your life, you'll just muddle through, practicing a few things in a haphazard way and having little to show for it.
Your conscience will convict you, telling you that you can do far better, yet you'll always feel as though you just "can't find the time" to meditate, to work out, to read inspiring material, etc.
I'm here today to tell you that's almost always B.S. There's always time. Did you know that you only need 5 minute blocks scattered throughout your day to:
1. Build and maintaing deep inner peace
2. Whip that wet noodle of a physique into the to 10% of fit people on the planet
3. Design and stick to a super nutritional regime
4. Increase your immunity and resistance to disease
5. Double your effectiveness through visualization
6. Nuke negative emotional states and replace them with positive ones
People who get results know this. They train themselves to do this ALL DAY LONG. They don't need a gym, a meditation class, a Yoga or Qi Gong class, because they've transformed their DAILY LIFE into their classroom.
So can you. To learn more about how to do that, you can go here:
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/BlackBelt/index.php
NEXT TIME, I'll share with you exactly how I personally train all day long, and the wonderful effects that has on my life. This will be a unique INSIDE look at the life of a Warrior, at how anyone can achieve PERSONAL RESILIENCE no matter how busy they are.
See you then!
- Dr. Symeon Rodger :-)
Monday, 28 September 2009
Life's Great Dilemma: Go with the Flow or Force It?
One of our members, Marie, brought up a GREAT question a few weeks ago and I promised her an answer.
As it happens, you need the answer to. But first, thequestion! Here it is...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there. This e-mail came at a crucial time. Pursuant to what I've heard everywhere (not just from you) I am doing EFT with a very intuitive, great coach. However, whenever I want to go towards Peak Performance issues or talk about my vision of excellence I have for my career (much of which I've developed from reading your articles and book), she starts telling me to let go, stop being so focussed and just let things happen. She even says maybe I don't really want to be excellent at my chosen profession but would be happier married to a millionaire, pursuing this as a hobby.
It seems Law Of Attraction people, especially females, always preach a "let it just happen," "be joyous," "put a positive spin on everything" mentality that really is for a hobbyist or housewife. She may have a point that I am being too narrow in my approach, but how do you act as a "predator for your goals " (your language)and go about them methodically if you are setting aside your vision and just letting things happen? I love bringing up these dilemmas to you and maybe you can address them on the call September 10 [I didnt't]. If you can wed these two concepts I believe you will be a unique voice in the Self-Help field. Meanwhile I am looking for a new EFT practitioner ;-)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To listen to my answer, you need to turn up your speakers and click this link:
- Dr. Symeon Rodger :-)
As it happens, you need the answer to. But first, thequestion! Here it is...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there. This e-mail came at a crucial time. Pursuant to what I've heard everywhere (not just from you) I am doing EFT with a very intuitive, great coach. However, whenever I want to go towards Peak Performance issues or talk about my vision of excellence I have for my career (much of which I've developed from reading your articles and book), she starts telling me to let go, stop being so focussed and just let things happen. She even says maybe I don't really want to be excellent at my chosen profession but would be happier married to a millionaire, pursuing this as a hobby.
It seems Law Of Attraction people, especially females, always preach a "let it just happen," "be joyous," "put a positive spin on everything" mentality that really is for a hobbyist or housewife. She may have a point that I am being too narrow in my approach, but how do you act as a "predator for your goals " (your language)and go about them methodically if you are setting aside your vision and just letting things happen? I love bringing up these dilemmas to you and maybe you can address them on the call September 10 [I didnt't]. If you can wed these two concepts I believe you will be a unique voice in the Self-Help field. Meanwhile I am looking for a new EFT practitioner ;-)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To listen to my answer, you need to turn up your speakers and click this link:
- Dr. Symeon Rodger :-)
Friday, 28 August 2009
Self-Image, Principles and Character: Forgotten Keys to Excellence
More than any other factor, how you see yourself will determine your success in every area of your life. Without a solid self-image and the self-respect that comes with it, several consequences will always ensue:
• It will be difficult to increase your income, whether in a job or a business
• You will make consistently poor life decisions, especially related to income and relationships
• You will find yourself mired in habits of thought and action that will take you in a downward spiral
If you’re like most people in the Western world today, your self-image has taken quite a beating over time. Just a couple of weeks ago I was coaching a forty year old engineer who’s dissatisfied with what he’s achieved in life. Not surprisingly, he related to me that his father frequently put him down, saying he wouldn’t amount to anything. As a result, the engineer thoroughly internalized this message and it has held him back for decades, despite his many and great talents.
In your formative years, those first two decades of life, your self-image is extremely vulnerable to all the input around you – from your parents, siblings, teachers and peers, many of whom may have attempted to cover up their own inadequacies by tearing you down.
These dents in your self-image impact your character, which is how you actualize yourself in the external world. And character is everything. As Theodore Roosevelt put it, “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of individuals and nations alike.”
The wonderful news about human life is that you can rebuild your self-image! You can determine from this moment on to become an excellent person, someone of impeccable character, openness, honesty and integrity. You can choose to see yourself not only as a success, but as a leader, an inspiration and a beacon. And as you see yourself, so shall you become.
To accomplish this, the most important step is to commit yourself to living by proven principles. Devoting your life to higher principles is not only the key to success; it’s also the key to happiness itself. In the words of the great educator, Horace Mann:
“In vain do they talk of happiness who never subdue an impulse in obedience to a principle. He who never sacrificed a present for a future good, or a personal to a general one, can speak of happiness only as the blind speak of color.”
The vital caveat here is this: you must commit to these principles NOT for the massive success they will bring you, but solely because it’s the right thing to do. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time.
The Great Principles of Life and Success:
So what are the key principles that high-performing individuals commit to? People committed to personal and professional excellence:
1. Accept full and complete responsibility for everything that happens in their life, for all that they have and are. Consequently, they refuse to blame anyone else, whether their parents, spouse, God, karma, the government or any other external factor.
2. Forgive completely everyone who has ever wronged them and work as hard as necessary to expunge any bitterness they feel toward these people.
3. Treat everyone with equal courtesy and respect, regardless of their social status and without the least regard for personal gain.
4. Commit to excellence, to accomplishing their goals and living each day of their lives in an excellent fashion, and to becoming the very best they can possibly be in their chosen profession. In all humility, they dare to see themselves as the best and they strive to attain that.
5. Commit to living by the highest and noblest values: love, faith, honesty, integrity and forthrightness.
6. Dedicate their energies to serving others, to transcending their own small lives in pursuit of a greater good.
Success depends not only on leadership but, prior to that, on “self-leadership” – your ability to be the leader of your own life. And all leadership depends on a noble and inspiring vision. Needless to say, without committing yourself to timeless and proven principles that take you beyond the narrow prison of your short-term self-interest, there is ZERO possibility of an inspiring vision.
So the essential first step in reclaiming your life is to RETRAIN your habits of thought to cleanse your self-image of the damage you’ve accumulated over the years. You do this primarily by making an irrevocable decision right now to become an excellent person and to walk, talk and think like such a person until it becomes ingrained in every fiber of your being.
If you commit yourself to living by these ennobling principles, I can absolutely guarantee that both your life and your personal satisfaction will reach new heights. This will utterly transform your self-image, multiply your self-respect and attract higher quality people to you. Though not always easy (what is?), this new direction will turn you into a natural leader, an inspiration to those around you and an inevitable success in whatever you choose to pursue in life.
On September 10, I'll be unveiling an entirely new program that teaches you the simple steps for implementing this critical information in your own life immediately with 100% effectiveness. So stand by...
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Peak Performance Training: Step Two to Personal Power
Welcome to the second in our 5-part series on Peak Performance Training and building your Personal Power to take back control of your life.
Last time, you learned that Personal Power is just a new word for an age-old concept, a concept that the ancient world’s best schools of spiritual life, health maintenance and martial arts were well aware of. Personal Power is the measure of your ability to change your life and yourself at will. If you think about it, most people you know have never demonstrated this ability and my guess is that you’d like some help too.
This time, we’re continuing with your physical body, since your body is really the key to peak performance training and to control your mind you must work through your body. Last time, working through your body meant leaning proper diet and introducing periodic detoxification cleanses. This time, we take it to the next level.
1. Get that Wet Noodle of a Physique into Shape!
Why would you want to do this and what does getting in shape have to do with Personal Power? Just this:
You’ll feel better physically and have lots more energy
You’ll realize you can generate energy on demand
You’ll find yourself dealing with fewer negative thoughts
Your self-image will improve
You’ll start to dig your way out of the unseen spirals of disease creation that you don’t even recognize (see below)
How Should I Get in Shape?
You can use any exercise program or combination of programs that develops the following in equal proportions:
Strength (of muscles, tendons and ligaments)
Flexibility (of joints and soft tissue)
Endurance (cardio vascular)
Please note that developing Personal Power doesn’t require cultivating extremes of fitness. In fact, the extremes of the tri-athlete, the marathon runner or the body builder can actually cause long term damage and in themselves won’t help you on your quest for Personal Power.
2. Get Internal Exercise
What’s that? Well, internal exercises include such things as Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Yoga. These are systems designed to produce both health and fitness at the same time. And remember, you can get really fit without producing health. We want to build them in together in a balanced way.
The greatest advantage of internal exercise is that it does a much better job than our usual external exercise at overcoming the “7 Deadly Spirals of Disease” – these are downward spirals resulting from lack of proper maintenance that begin around age 30, accelerate after age 50 and produce serious medical challenges. Internal exercises will:
· Take all your joints through their total range of motion
· Cleanse your energy meridians
· Inject potent energy into your bodily tissues
· Cleanse and energize your internal organs, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bone marrow, skeletal structure, blood cells, central nervous system, fasciae, diaphragms and skin
Personally, I believe the top 5 Qi Gong systems are the fastest and easiest way to get these results.
The Personal Power Payoff
If you start working on your body with these internal and external methods, you’ll notice the payoff in terms of health, energy levels, self-confidence and sense of control over your life is one thousand percent.
There’s lots more that goes into peak performance training and accumulating true Personal Power. However, without a strong foundation in your physical body, the rest won’t help you much. So start now so that you can experience the overwhelming joy that comes from realizing you really can change your life!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Warrior Coaching International
Last time, you learned that Personal Power is just a new word for an age-old concept, a concept that the ancient world’s best schools of spiritual life, health maintenance and martial arts were well aware of. Personal Power is the measure of your ability to change your life and yourself at will. If you think about it, most people you know have never demonstrated this ability and my guess is that you’d like some help too.
This time, we’re continuing with your physical body, since your body is really the key to peak performance training and to control your mind you must work through your body. Last time, working through your body meant leaning proper diet and introducing periodic detoxification cleanses. This time, we take it to the next level.
1. Get that Wet Noodle of a Physique into Shape!
Why would you want to do this and what does getting in shape have to do with Personal Power? Just this:
You’ll feel better physically and have lots more energy
You’ll realize you can generate energy on demand
You’ll find yourself dealing with fewer negative thoughts
Your self-image will improve
You’ll start to dig your way out of the unseen spirals of disease creation that you don’t even recognize (see below)
How Should I Get in Shape?
You can use any exercise program or combination of programs that develops the following in equal proportions:
Strength (of muscles, tendons and ligaments)
Flexibility (of joints and soft tissue)
Endurance (cardio vascular)
Please note that developing Personal Power doesn’t require cultivating extremes of fitness. In fact, the extremes of the tri-athlete, the marathon runner or the body builder can actually cause long term damage and in themselves won’t help you on your quest for Personal Power.
2. Get Internal Exercise
What’s that? Well, internal exercises include such things as Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Yoga. These are systems designed to produce both health and fitness at the same time. And remember, you can get really fit without producing health. We want to build them in together in a balanced way.
The greatest advantage of internal exercise is that it does a much better job than our usual external exercise at overcoming the “7 Deadly Spirals of Disease” – these are downward spirals resulting from lack of proper maintenance that begin around age 30, accelerate after age 50 and produce serious medical challenges. Internal exercises will:
· Take all your joints through their total range of motion
· Cleanse your energy meridians
· Inject potent energy into your bodily tissues
· Cleanse and energize your internal organs, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bone marrow, skeletal structure, blood cells, central nervous system, fasciae, diaphragms and skin
Personally, I believe the top 5 Qi Gong systems are the fastest and easiest way to get these results.
The Personal Power Payoff
If you start working on your body with these internal and external methods, you’ll notice the payoff in terms of health, energy levels, self-confidence and sense of control over your life is one thousand percent.
There’s lots more that goes into peak performance training and accumulating true Personal Power. However, without a strong foundation in your physical body, the rest won’t help you much. So start now so that you can experience the overwhelming joy that comes from realizing you really can change your life!
~ Dr. Symeon Rodger
Warrior Coaching International
Watch the video here!
For more information on mastering internal exercise, defeating disease and building true personal power, go to:
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/RSHQG/index.php
Monday, 22 June 2009
Self-Improvement Books? They Won’t Change Your Life, But This Will…
Chances are you’ve already read a ton of self-improvement books and attended lots of seminars and workshops. And did any of them transform your life? Unless you’re part of the 5% who eventually report experiencing significant results at some point in their lives, your answer will probably be a somewhat embarrassed “Ah…no… not yet.”
After three decades researching and practicing the personal development systems of the ancient world and about half that long doing coaching, counseling and pastoral work, I’ve come to realize there are some fundamental reasons why our physical and emotional lives are such a mess and why our attempts to “fix” them seldom work. So if self-improvement books aren’t doing it for you, you’re not alone. There are good reasons why you’ve failed to transform your life so far…
Obstacle One: Your Culture
As someone brought up in a Western (or westernized) culture, you’ve been taught a specific way to relate to your physical body, to your mind and to you own thoughts – you see your body and mind as separate and you identify your Self with your thoughts. And you’ve been thoroughly but subtly indoctrinated into interpreting the world around you according to the defunct paradigm of Newtonian physics – meaning you see the world around you as solid and real, and you give your physical senses a monopoly on providing the information you build your interpretations on.
This particularly dangerous combination gives rise to the unprecedented rates of neurosis you see around you (and perhaps within you) every day.
Obstacle Two: The Mentality of Specialization
Your culture has taught you to assume that every “problem” needs its own solution. If you look at your own life and start to list these problems - the things that aren’t working the way you want - you could easily come up with a list of twenty or thirty such “problems”. Of course, taking the standard “self-improvement” approach is great for the industry because it means you’ll be buying twenty or thirty new titles in a vain attempt to fix your life!
We’ve all imbibed this mentality of “specialization”. In other words, if you want to develop your willpower, fill your wallet or reduce your waistline, you assume the person most qualified to help you is someone who thinks about and writes about nothing else. Unfortunately, this blinds you to the fact that each of those problems is just a symptom and that until the root cause is dealt with, those problems or similar ones will simply recur. Know anyone who’s tried to lose weight several times?
Obstacle Three: You’ve Been Educated!
You’ve come through an educational system that also sees your mind and body as very separate realities. This system is based on the faulty premise of classical liberalism that if you feed people all the facts, they’ll make good choices in life. Alas, if only it were that simple!
In contrast, the best educational systems of the ancient world, from North America to the Mediterranean to the Orient, all focused on the acquisition of character development, values and integrity rather than just facts. And they all understood that the only way to master your mind is through your body, so their educational systems were very physical. And, unlike people who went through these ancient educational systems, you’ve come out mentally and emotionally fragmented and probably predisposed to making dozens of choices per day that make you weaker instead of stronger.
The Solution
The ancient world’s top traditions of spiritual life, health maintenance and martial arts all knew something we’ve long since forgotten: until a person develops physical, mental and emotional resilience, he or she will live a fragmented life of “coping” and low personal effectiveness. This will inevitably translate into feelings of powerlessness and victimization, failed relationships, poor health, financial problems and non-stop stress, among other things.
Fortunately, these traditions – all of which still exist, by the way – had a solution. They taught an approach we would call “holistic” (and they would call “bloody obvious”), an approach that gives those who practice it a deliberate, powerful and stress-free life of continual inner and outer achievement.
All of this rests on their understanding of how your mind-body organism was designed to function and what it’s really capable of – which goes far beyond what you’ve been taught to believe. And, paradoxically, that’s an understanding that modern science, with its recent forays into the study of consciousness, sub-atomic physics and genetics is more and more likely to support.
Acquiring resilience is the basis of personal power, which in turn is the basis of transforming your life. Until you have resilience, you can read all the self-improvement books you want, go to workshops, go to church, go on a diet, go to the gym and more, and none of it will transform your life in any significant way.
You see, all those nifty self-help techniques you learn are like seeds – how well they do depends on the quality of the soil you plant them in. And in this case you are the soil. So if you want to become soil that produces phenomenal results, you’ll need to adopt an entirely different, holistic approach to your life and acquire resilience.
Next time, I’ll talk about what you can do to acquire this resilience for yourself, so that your many of your challenges in life will dissolve on their own.
If you want to get off to a running start, just pop over to this address and grab a copy of my Special Report on resilience for free:
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/specialreport/index.php
- Dr. Symeon Rodger
After three decades researching and practicing the personal development systems of the ancient world and about half that long doing coaching, counseling and pastoral work, I’ve come to realize there are some fundamental reasons why our physical and emotional lives are such a mess and why our attempts to “fix” them seldom work. So if self-improvement books aren’t doing it for you, you’re not alone. There are good reasons why you’ve failed to transform your life so far…
Obstacle One: Your Culture
As someone brought up in a Western (or westernized) culture, you’ve been taught a specific way to relate to your physical body, to your mind and to you own thoughts – you see your body and mind as separate and you identify your Self with your thoughts. And you’ve been thoroughly but subtly indoctrinated into interpreting the world around you according to the defunct paradigm of Newtonian physics – meaning you see the world around you as solid and real, and you give your physical senses a monopoly on providing the information you build your interpretations on.
This particularly dangerous combination gives rise to the unprecedented rates of neurosis you see around you (and perhaps within you) every day.
Obstacle Two: The Mentality of Specialization
Your culture has taught you to assume that every “problem” needs its own solution. If you look at your own life and start to list these problems - the things that aren’t working the way you want - you could easily come up with a list of twenty or thirty such “problems”. Of course, taking the standard “self-improvement” approach is great for the industry because it means you’ll be buying twenty or thirty new titles in a vain attempt to fix your life!
We’ve all imbibed this mentality of “specialization”. In other words, if you want to develop your willpower, fill your wallet or reduce your waistline, you assume the person most qualified to help you is someone who thinks about and writes about nothing else. Unfortunately, this blinds you to the fact that each of those problems is just a symptom and that until the root cause is dealt with, those problems or similar ones will simply recur. Know anyone who’s tried to lose weight several times?
Obstacle Three: You’ve Been Educated!
You’ve come through an educational system that also sees your mind and body as very separate realities. This system is based on the faulty premise of classical liberalism that if you feed people all the facts, they’ll make good choices in life. Alas, if only it were that simple!
In contrast, the best educational systems of the ancient world, from North America to the Mediterranean to the Orient, all focused on the acquisition of character development, values and integrity rather than just facts. And they all understood that the only way to master your mind is through your body, so their educational systems were very physical. And, unlike people who went through these ancient educational systems, you’ve come out mentally and emotionally fragmented and probably predisposed to making dozens of choices per day that make you weaker instead of stronger.
The Solution
The ancient world’s top traditions of spiritual life, health maintenance and martial arts all knew something we’ve long since forgotten: until a person develops physical, mental and emotional resilience, he or she will live a fragmented life of “coping” and low personal effectiveness. This will inevitably translate into feelings of powerlessness and victimization, failed relationships, poor health, financial problems and non-stop stress, among other things.
Fortunately, these traditions – all of which still exist, by the way – had a solution. They taught an approach we would call “holistic” (and they would call “bloody obvious”), an approach that gives those who practice it a deliberate, powerful and stress-free life of continual inner and outer achievement.
All of this rests on their understanding of how your mind-body organism was designed to function and what it’s really capable of – which goes far beyond what you’ve been taught to believe. And, paradoxically, that’s an understanding that modern science, with its recent forays into the study of consciousness, sub-atomic physics and genetics is more and more likely to support.
Acquiring resilience is the basis of personal power, which in turn is the basis of transforming your life. Until you have resilience, you can read all the self-improvement books you want, go to workshops, go to church, go on a diet, go to the gym and more, and none of it will transform your life in any significant way.
You see, all those nifty self-help techniques you learn are like seeds – how well they do depends on the quality of the soil you plant them in. And in this case you are the soil. So if you want to become soil that produces phenomenal results, you’ll need to adopt an entirely different, holistic approach to your life and acquire resilience.
Next time, I’ll talk about what you can do to acquire this resilience for yourself, so that your many of your challenges in life will dissolve on their own.
If you want to get off to a running start, just pop over to this address and grab a copy of my Special Report on resilience for free:
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/specialreport/index.php
- Dr. Symeon Rodger
Friday, 19 June 2009
Peak Performance: Did I Stick to My Plan? Find Out Here...
Earlier this week I shared with you the incredible benefits of focusing on just one activity in your life and training that activity really hard for a week. This is a key to achieving peak performance and to living a deliberate, powerful and stress-free life.
And my personal committment this week was to double my usual "maintenance" regime of physical training and do 1000 Oriental push-ups and 500 Squats over the space of 5 days. Have I followed through?
Well, it's like this. It's before noon on Friday and I've got just 50 more push-ups and 75 more squats to do! So yes, I'm right on schedule. Okay, I'm 25 squats behind, but that's easy to make up before I get to the finish line at midnight tonight ;-)
What did I get out of this? So far, I've experienced the following benefits:
And my personal committment this week was to double my usual "maintenance" regime of physical training and do 1000 Oriental push-ups and 500 Squats over the space of 5 days. Have I followed through?
Well, it's like this. It's before noon on Friday and I've got just 50 more push-ups and 75 more squats to do! So yes, I'm right on schedule. Okay, I'm 25 squats behind, but that's easy to make up before I get to the finish line at midnight tonight ;-)
What did I get out of this? So far, I've experienced the following benefits:
- I plan to make this into my new "maintenance" regime - that's how much I've loved the resulting increases in strength, endurance and even flexibility.
- A few weeks back I injured a knee - stretched some tendons - and it really bothered me for several days. Doubling my squats has really strengthened all the surrounding tissues and made the knee seem just about as good as new.
- Yes, it feels really good to have decided to accomplish something tough and actually done it. Whenever you do that, it's a deposit into the bank of your self-esteem ;-)
Your life will improve to the extent that you take massive and focused action - there's not other way to acquire Personal Power and self-mastery. So what have you decided to focus on for the next 5-7 days? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know!
~Dr. Symeon Rodger
Warrior Coaching International - "Transforming your mind, body and spirit into SOLID STEEL... wrapped in cotton" ;-)
http://www.warriorcoachinginternational.com/specialreport/index.php
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Take a Week to Test Yourself and WIN
One of the best ways to get yourself to peak performance and stay there is simply this:
...every so often, train just one thing really hard for a week.
This week, for example, I'm focussing on something very physical - strength training. In concrete terms, that means I'm going to double my usual "maintenance" regime and do one thousand push-ups and five hundred squats this week.
Naturally, that may mean some other physical training items take the week off, and that's okay. The value of this type of focussed training far outweighs any potential downside.
I should emphasize that you can do this with ANY element of your usual training - your meditation, any aspect of your spiritual life, your interactions with others, etc. Your imagination's the limit!
The next two weeks happen to be a fasting period in the Orthodox Church, and fasting periods have been used since ancient times for more demanding spiritual training. What most people don't notice these days is that this "spiritual" training usually involved more physical work too. So it's a nice coincidence for me.
Using a week to focus on a single aspect of training yourself (and PLEASE remember, every single thing you do IS training you for better or worse!) has some huge benefits:
...every so often, train just one thing really hard for a week.
This week, for example, I'm focussing on something very physical - strength training. In concrete terms, that means I'm going to double my usual "maintenance" regime and do one thousand push-ups and five hundred squats this week.
Naturally, that may mean some other physical training items take the week off, and that's okay. The value of this type of focussed training far outweighs any potential downside.
I should emphasize that you can do this with ANY element of your usual training - your meditation, any aspect of your spiritual life, your interactions with others, etc. Your imagination's the limit!
The next two weeks happen to be a fasting period in the Orthodox Church, and fasting periods have been used since ancient times for more demanding spiritual training. What most people don't notice these days is that this "spiritual" training usually involved more physical work too. So it's a nice coincidence for me.
Using a week to focus on a single aspect of training yourself (and PLEASE remember, every single thing you do IS training you for better or worse!) has some huge benefits:
- You improve dramatically in one area in a very short time (yeah, you may be a bit sore, but you'll still be light years ahead at the end)
- You'll often find it hard to go back to your usual regime once you discover what you're really capable of
- You'll feel dramatically better about yourself and what you can do when you put your mind to it.
- You'll have lots more energy to burn and less stress to deal with
This kind of training gives you a victory over yourself and I can't say often enough that in the world of self-transformation, you have to experience frequent victories. They're vital to your progress and to your morale.
So why not pick something over the next few days and just do more of it than you're doing now? Give yourself that victory you deserve. Take a week to test yourself and enjoy the benefits!
~Dr. Symeon Rodger
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