Many years before I read the Hagakure, I was contemplating the phenomenon of How People Perceive things, and how they operate using that information. Not the "information" itself, but their PERCEPTION of that information. See the difference? It struck me that I could actually see something AS IT IS, rather than clouded by my own perception...
By Scott Bolan
Many years before I read the Hagakure, I was contemplating the phenomenon of How People Percieve things, and how they operate using that information.
Not the “information” itself, but their PERCEPTION of that information.
See the difference?
It struck me that I could actually see something AS IT IS, rather than clouded by my own perception.
At the time, I didn’t know about Mushin (mind/no mind)
I had intuitively discovered Mushin before I knew what it was called.
Can you imagine how empowering it was when I did discover the Hagakure, Mushin, Budo, and all of the Samurai Master Mind Secrets?
Amazing!
Anways, back in that moment of contemplation years ago, it was easy to see mathematically that if a person were to get their DESIRED RESULTS much quicker, they would MULTIPLY.
Let’s start with Four for an easy example.
Let’s say your goal is 25 dollars an hour.
Learn how to get it in 15 minutes, and you’re now at 100 dollars an hour.
And of course you can increase that exponentially for any outcome you want.
– Increasing Your Fighting Abilities
– Getting Super-Fit, Super-Quick
– Kicking Ass in Any Endeavor
Simple enough, right?
Here’s the thing: as simple as it seems, what people don’t see is the hidden secret that allows you to actually DO that.
Knowing something is different than actually Doing it.
The hidden secret is what I call “Momental Mastery”
Life is made of MOMENTS. A second, a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a year, etc, all are made by moments.
Master the Very Moment, and you master life itself.
Then (and only then) can you MULTIPLY by four (or more)
Not by effort, but by harmonizing your energy, intention and action into a single focus, moment by moment.
Mastering the moment is CRUCIAL to your success in any endeavor, and in life itself.
Now, let’s go back to what I said earlier about the difference between seeing something AS IT IS versus seeing it “How It Was Perceived” which is subject to all kinds of errors and illusions.
With MUSHIN (mind/no mind) you are Free to See “IT” without the hindrance of a clouded PERCEPTION of “IT”.
This is what I call “Void Thinking”
ALL Potentiality and Answers are within “the Void” of the Subconscious/Superconscious Mind.
“The void is that which stands right in the middle of ‘this’ and ‘that’. The void is all-inclusive, having no opposite – there is nothing which it excludes or opposses. It is living void, because all forms come out of it and whosoever realizes the void is filled with life and power and the love of all things.” – Bruce Lee
Now, when you combine Void Thinking with Momental Mastery you have literal MAGIC to do almost anything you want!
Isn’t that cool?
Absolutely!
“There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man’s whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue.
Live being true to the single purpose of the moment”
– Yamamoto Tsunetomo, The Hagakure
Sincerely,
By Scott Bolan
Tactical Awareness is your ability to:
1. Perceive…
2. Your cognitive reaction time…
3. … and your tactical ability (skills) to deal with ANY situation that arises.
That’s great for street survival and combat, but why stop there?
How about using the same skills to Survive, Thrive, and DOMINATE every situation you find yourself in?
Then, not only would you be more effective, powerful, and dangerous… you’d also have a lot more fun!
You start by bringing the Tactical Mind into daily life and perceiving things you had been missing, in order to make more of every opportunity.
Here are 28 tactical tips for street survival and DOMINATING your situations!
1. Turn off the chatterbox of your mind.
You won’t be able to hear as well or listen to your “sixth sense” if your mind is full of chatter and noise.
2. Always Choose Power.
If you don’t choose power, a disempowering choice will be made for you by default.
You have more choices right now than you were previously aware of.
3. Begin practicing “tactical choice” in all situations.
4. Retain your center. Do not over-extend physically, financially, emotionally, or with your precious asset of time. This will give you a tactical advantage in most situations!
5. Always calibrate possible approach in any situation. Leave yourself room to maneuver.
6. Have a solid police flashlight at ready within easy reach of your driver’s seat. You may need a powerful light if your car breaks down at night, and you can use it as a club if a carjacker reaches in.
7. Always look for and remember the exits in any situation or location you go into.
8. Always choose the best tactical placement in any situation.
… seating at a restaurant that allows you to view the entrance and doesn’t allow anyone to approach you unseen.
… a hotel room a few floors up from ground level – so they can’t break in through the window, and if you have to jump in the vent of a fire, you’re not too high up.
… how and where you stand and walk – in line at the store, or anywhere outside the comfort of you home. Always position yourself for the optimum tactical position, even when speaking
to another person.
9. Bar your hotel door with a chair. Use a portable entry alarm, or a make-shift one, such as a glass that will fall if someone opens the door, to alert you to intrusion.
10. Keep a tiny pinch-flashlight on your keychain. This is great when you’re in a building and the power goes out.
11. Have a code-word and pre-set behavior pattern with your family that you’ll use if… you are attacked in public … someone breaks in to your home… there is a fire… or any other emergency.
12. Guide your children in making the right choices on their own as soon as possible.
13. Do not take the bait!
Enemies, attackers, manipulators, and jealous rivals use guilt, jargon, chit-chat, greed, anger, gossip groups, fear, slogans and rhetoric all in an attempt to cause a reaction in you, much like a boxer’s probing jab, in order to gauge your tactics and response time.
If you take the bait, you become a puppet in their strings. But when you do not take the bait – it causes a reverse effect and they become the recipient of their own attack!
14. Do not empower your attacker by responding to him emotionally.
15. Do not assign your values to others. If they appear to have your values, if they preach your values, it does not mean they actually do have them.
16. When you enter a room, practice peripheral and energetic perception by being in tune with the energies of the other people in the room without being obvious.
17. Soften your eyes and use energetic softening with keep perception… notice who sizes you up, who may be staring at your date, who is avoiding you, who else is tactically aware, who is concealing their tactical awareness, and the cultural, demographic, body type and personality specifics of each person.
18. People have an “energy” that is as noticeable as the color of their clothes and gender! Become a student of the art of people-perception… this can be great fun and you will soon become a pro at reading people as easy as reading a neon sign!
19. Your Energetic Intuition will tell you more about people than anything else! This is true “tactical awareness”
20. When attacked, target “BENT” – Balls, Ears, Nose and Throat – these are the quick and nasty instantly DEVASTATING targets. They are also YOUR vulnerable points. Protect them by keeping turned slightly to the side when talking to strangers.
21. Don’t be close enough to get surprised by a head-butt.
22. She’s beautiful, she’s new, and everyone is swarming around her like flies. Stay back and ignore her while keeping an inwardly-amused smile and she’ll come to you (this is called “reverse magnetism”)
23. “Beautiful” does not necessarily mean “intelligent” or “honorable”
24. “Famous” does not necessarily mean “intelligent” or “honorable”
25. “Common sense” does not necessarily mean “tactically optimal”
26. Dress tactically for perception and functionality, so you can blend in or stand out if you want to, and so you can move unhindered.
27. Everything is a weapon: in any environment you enter, notice what can be utilized as a makeshift weapon. You’ll be amazed!
And lastly, perhaphs most importantly….
28. Control your breathing and thinking and you control your personal power supply.
Read that one again!
Yours in Living Powerfully,
By Scott Bolan
Here’s 7 Killer Fight-Winning Tips for Your Knowledge Arsenal….
– Hit Hard and Aim THROUGH the Target (this means you are more effective)
– Strike Repeatedly
Do not stop Striking until the attacker is either down, running away, or surrenders, which leads to…
– Remain Combat-Ready
Inside the Act of Submission lies the counter-attack!
Do not let your guard down when an attacker surrenders.
Keep vigilant and remain in command and physical control until you can safely discharge the attacker where they cannot harm you, which could be allowing them to flee, or handing them off to the authorities.
– Use Stealth-Hitting
Now that you know that Inside the Act of Submission lies the Counter-Attack, when situational-appropriate you can use false submission to get your attacker’s guard down and surprise him with Devastation.
– First Pain, Best Gain!
When attacked, Hit first. Make your defense an instant devastating and overwhelming counter-attack of multiple Strikes (and repeat until Attack is ended)
– Hit to Hurt
Make every strike count with Full Intention and Power.
Always have a specific target instead of dispersing your strikes and energy in confusion and panic.
Your attacker is a Fire. You are a fire-hose. Your strikes are the water. Focus them with Intention and Power and you put out the fire.
Otherwise, the fire grows and consumes YOU.
– Do Not Give The Attacker Power!
Most people ASSUME they can’t hurt bigger, stronger attackers.
Thou Shalt Not Assume!
I have seen little guys destroy HUGE street thugs.
You CAN hurt your attacker.
Instead of focusing on being hurt by your attacker, focus on Hurting Your Attacker.
This can make a huge difference in the results you get!
Be all about it and all over it, and become your attacker’s NIGHTMARE.
I hope you enjoyed these powerful tips.
If you’d like to further your education check out Essential Combatives.
You only live once, live as a Warrior.
By Scott Bolan
This may be the most powerful article I have ever written.
I promise you, if you take the time to read it, you may discover a vital and empowering new skill.
Not knowing how to defend yourself from physical attack is preparing yourself to be a victim.
The same applies for Mental Attack.
In fact, Mental Attacks are something You Will face every day!
Make no mistake about it: your mind is like a fertile field.
If you feed it by design with the seeds of Power, Wisdom, Elite Knowledge and Skills, it will reap you a huge harvest of success.
But if you feed it by default with the Poison of Negativity, Apathy, Cynicism and Fear, you reap the worthless weeds of failure and lukewarm mediocrity.
Does that make sense?
Protecting and Empowering Your Mind Field is VITALLY important, yet easily overlooked because Most Mental Attacks Are SUBCONSCIOUS, Multi-layered, and Indirect.
They are like computer Viruses and Spyware that are installed maliciously and covertly.
We’ve all heard the term “Programming Language” that applies to programming computers
And that is EXACTLY what is occuring with your own use of language, and your acceptance of other’s use of language.
Re-read the last 7 words of the last sentence I just wrote.
Read the 2nd word out loud.
When you do that it leaks your power and potential away like a hole in a bucket of water!
It’s the mental equivalent of slowly bleeding to death.
Here’s a way to stop this mental blood-letting and get Your Mind Strong.
Start with your own own programming language.
Your own use of language is divided into two areas:
1. Your “thought speech” – the language running in your head.
2. Your “verbal speech” – what you say and how you say it.
With those in mind, reflect on The Warrior Mind Master Key:
—“The Warrior Knows That Every Thought and Every Word Has an Energetic Result, So He Thinks and Speaks By Design. The Peasant Thinks and Speaks By Default” (Scott Bolan)—
Begin to recognize the language of your own thoughts and your thought habits and patterns. If you’re honest you’ll notice thought-speech and habits that do not serve you.
They distract you and weaken you.
You may also notice they didn’t come FROM you.
A useful question to ask is “How will thinking this way affect my Energy?”
As it is written in the Samurai text The Unfettered Mind:
“If your mind stops on your opponent’s sword, you will be taken by his sword” (Takuan Soho)
You see, when your thoughts are fixated on any situation, on any agitation or stimulation (positive or negative), the mind is essentially “stopped.” You’ll miss the Red Light (the Warning)
and you’ll miss the Green Light (the Opportunity)
Have you ever missed a warning sign, or an opportunity, and later looked back and knew you could have done much better?
We all have.
This is the Key to make sure you never miss another warning or opportunity again, fellow Warrior: From this moment forward, practice recognizing your own thought-speech habits.
Each time, ask yourself “Does thinking this way empower me or weaken me?”
If it weakens you, send it back to where it came from with “refused” firmly stamped on the package.
Replace it with an Empowering thought.
It’s the same with your verbal speech-patterns.
You might find they’re programmed by Default from your peers and your environment. The people you live with and work with and the people you see frequently, as well as the socio-speak, politi-speak and media-speak that constantly chatter at us from multiple outlets.
Now choose to speak By Design instead.
Speak in ways that are authentic to you and what is empowering to you, as opposed to what everyone else is saying.
Ask yourself, “Does speaking this way weaken me, or Empower me?”
And by Design, choose to speak powerfully, naturally.
Slow down your rate of speech and actually notice what it is you are REALLY saying about yourself, and about circumstances. You’ll usually find it was laced with Default-thinking, rather than Design-thinking.
And right now you are being given the Master Key to change it.
Yours in Total Life Mastery,
by Scott Bolan
Whether or not you’re a parent, this is a vitally important self-question, because ultimately, you’re raising your self (only a fool stops learning)
Here’s the question…
“Would you rather raise a peer-dependent, status- conscious, relief-oriented, group-thinking consumer…
… or, a courageous, principled, strong, enterprising, victory-oriented, independent thinker?”
To do the latter requires developing an appetite for empowering, strategic, self-reliant thinking…
rather than dependent, trend-following, group-thinking. Notice I said “developing an appetite for…”You develop an appetite for what you are continually fed.
You develop an appetite for what is familiar.
Does the media and pop-culture continually feed your thinking?
Does it tell you what your priorities should be – what is significant and important, and what should be valued?
Authentic Martial Arts and Mental Mastery Training are a powerful antidote to the emasculating effects of continual pop-media consumption.
Emasculating effects?
Yup.
Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines “emasculate” as:
to castrate.
Today’s online dictionary defines “emasculate” adds to this definition as: to deprive of strength, vigor, or spirit.
Both definitions apply.
Listen. I’m all for technological advances and constant improvement.
But there are timeless empowering qualities that are constantly under attack through what I call “catabolic appetite development” (development of
an appetite for things which weaken you).
These qualities (which are taught in Authentic Martial Arts and Mental Mastery Training) include:
Are there those that would benefit and profit from you NOT developing one or any of the above?
Absolutely.
Be aware of what you appetites you are developing for your self by design, and what appetites are being developed FOR you by outside influences.
Choose consciously!
Happiness is not Pleasure, Happiness is Victory.
Yours in Warrior Wisdom,