There are two ways to look at unavoidable obstacles created by your past.
You can look at them as chains dragging behind you, or see them as obstructions that you now get the opportunity to move beyond. T
he former viewpoint erodes your confidence; the latter builds it. Easy choice!
Guiding is helping people get where they want to go. Managing is helping people get where you need them to be.
In a world which can at times be a hard place, full of harsh circumstances and tough decisions, I see the study of Budō as one of the most effective means of understanding and cultivating one’s potential.
The Japanese term for martial arts, Budō is a compound of bu, meaning war or martial, and dō, meaning path or way. One of the reasons I have infinite respect for Budō is because it embodies a spirit of preparedness without the associated condition of being enslaved by fear of what you are preparing for. The fearlessness that Budō cultivates comes from ultimate capability – the confidence & self-possession to make decisions that lead to “win-win”.
Ultimately, the purpose of Budō is the cultivation of one’s own personal capabilities to such a degree that one can effectively manage the challenges of Life while generating peace & harmony in both spirit & practice. So the true spirit of Budō is really the spirit of winning through having cultivated a Decisive Spirit.
Resist the temptation of being too self-deprecating; it can become a self-indulgence that foreshadows an abdication of personal responsibility.
Conviction should never feel like a dead weight. Rather, it should feel like and function as dynamic fuel for excelling yourself.
Don’t bother trying to replace “bad” emotions with “good’ ones – you will find it a continual struggle, and not really worth the uphill battle. Trying to corral your bad emotions doesn’t work either – they can consume you if you try.
Instead, work to purge yourself of emotions that are of no use to you. A good start is to say to yourself: “Y’know, at the end of the day……”, and then see what really matters in terms of getting the results you’re looking for.
This is a simple but effective way to make your emotions work for you rather than against you.
Try shifting your thoughts regarding goal achievement from “I Have To!” to “I Want To!” and see what happens.