Many years ago I discovered an article written by John Perkins. I believe he was/is a karate instructor in New Jersey. He was very accomplished in his craft and was teachings rookie cops who had just gotten out of police academy. They had been taught the skills of a policeman but there was an ingredient that could not be taught at the police academy and that was how to train your mind to act in an immediate situation of dangerous chaos. The article was entitled “Think and Prepare Like a Warrior”. I believe he has written a book on self-defense and not the easy stuff taught by your local YMCA or gym. It is quite hard core.
It really brought home the idea of how to train your mind in the midst of utter chaos and seemingly complicated conditions. I would say it is relative to our life and times of today. We just had another school shooting, more harassment headlines, endless wars using US treasure, economic uncertainty, political uncertainty, financial uncertainty and of course, job uncertainty. Add the flu, cancer, skyrocketing health care, a rise in prices and a hanging shoe that hasn’t dropped. A little bit of exhaustion among the population. People are tired and scared. God bless those who have secure pensions.
Now if we could just take some of John Perkins advice and learn to think and prepare like a warrior. Sometimes if “feels” like we are going into battle. Here are a few of John’s pieces of advice:
- Develop your mind so that you have a well-grounded and uncomplicated outlook. Ground yourself and stay uncomplicated. Stop making things into catastrophes.
- Keep your mind sharp so that it can cut through clutter and quickly get to the heart of the issue.
- Keep your mind clear in chaos. Train yourself to act with deliberation. Guide yourself–even while others are trapped in their own fears and depression. Do not borrow their trouble.
- Keep your mind tough enough to withstand hardship. Also keep it flexible enough to be able to shift tactics as conditions change.
- Never underestimate the enemy nor overestimate your own abilities. (This is really important)
- Always be able to distill a situation down to its bare essence. Do not get trapped into illusion. He tells you that all warfare (in life and in battle) is based on deception.
- Train your mind to see things that others do not. Create your own opportunities. Size up the situation for what it is.
- Stop pinning your hopes on someone else to come to the rescue.
- Be tenacious and willful. For survival immediate action is required. The faster you can change the way you see yourself, the sooner survival options will present themselves.
John’s advice is very helpful if we really process what he is telling us. Since the earth plane is always in chaos as that is an orderly system of creation, it pays to help ourselves operate well within this chaos. Keep a well-grounded and uncomplicated outlook on life. Simplify yourself and your environment so that you minimize the chaos. You, too, can “think and prepare like a warrior”.
Somehow I missed this blog and just found it in my inbox today. Good advice and worthy of printing it out. Thanks, Gail!
An evolving Social Worker Poet and Artist Advocating the following:
Creation of The Office of The Poet a Cabinet Level Post reporting to The President and have The Attorney General Report To The Poet. The Poet would be appointed by The Vice President who will be independently elected by popular vote with no party affiliation.
Thanks Gail!
Seeing what others don’t see, or always being “on the lookout” for what else you can dis-cover about the essence of the situation..that’s what sticks with me. It doesn’t mean wearing blinders or denying; it has to do with chosen focus. Thank you, Gail.
Great Advice & one more…
Stop watching the nightly gluttony of BS, that is fed to you & meant to brainwash you into a state of fear.
FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real.
Put out into the Universe, what you want to come back to you & the way you want the Universe to be.
Don’t listen to the chaos that is fed to you, don’t buy into it. …Each & Everyone Of Us, has the power to change what is happening….Don’t give your power away.
Thank you Gail. This is a fabulous article. I needed to see this. And I’m sure many others do too. I’m going to share.
Excellent. Thank you!