As humans, we have a unique ability to recognize patterns and make decisions based on intuition. This instinctual decision-making process is often referred to as “gut feeling.” It’s that sudden, inexplicable sensation that something is right or wrong. But what is it that drives our instincts, and why should we…

Developing a Growth Mindset and Positive Outlook by Overcoming Challenges and Building Resilience — A growth mindset is a belief that one’s abilities and intelligence can be developed and improved through effort and learning. It is a positive attitude towards personal development and growth, viewing challenges and failures as opportunities to learn and improve. In contrast, a fixed mindset is the belief that one’s abilities and intelligence are fixed and cannot be changed. People with a growth mindset tend to embrace challenges, persist in…

A Guide to Creating Control Over Thoughts, Emotions and Behaviors — Creating self-discipline involves developing a sense of control over one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. To create self-discipline, it is important to set clear and specific goals, create a plan, prioritize tasks, eliminate distractions, practice self-control, hold oneself accountable, stay consistent, reward oneself for progress, use visualization techniques, seek support, take…

Are you your own worst enemy? — I posted a thought to Facebook a while back. Asking in an open-ended way if “you are your own worst enemy?” It was enlightening to me to read the replies. Overwhelmingly the answer I saw was; “yes”. Why is that? I have my assumptions and if you’re interested in what…

How to align your values and beliefs for a life of clarity, purpose and motivation, inspired by the principles of Bushido and the mindset of Navy SEALs. — Matters of great concern should be treated lightly. Matters of small concern should be treated seriously. — The Hagakure, Yamamoto Tsunetomo In today’s fast-paced world, it can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle and lose sight of what truly matters to us. That’s why it’s crucial…

Discovering the Stoic and Samurai values of Virtue, Self-Control, Acceptance, and Gratitude for a Fulfilling Life. — As warriors, we understand that death is not something to be feared, but rather embraced as a natural part of life. We recognize that at the end of our journey, we will be left with nothing but a bed to lay on, and the cognitive function to reflect on our lives. We will think back on how we treated others, our biggest regrets, our greatest triumphs, our first love, our last…

First Learn, Then Detach and Finally Transcend — Shu-Ha-Ri is a Japanese martial arts concept that describes the three stages of learning and development in any art or discipline. The three stages are Shu, Ha and Ri, which can be roughly translated as “follow,” “break,” and “leave.” Shu is the first stage, where the student follows the rules…

Musashi’s 21 principles are a collection of guidelines for living a meaningful and fulfilling life. — Miyamoto Musashi was a legendary Japanese swordsman and rōnin (masterless samurai) who lived during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. …

Miyamoto Musashi was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, and writer who lived from 1584 to 1645. He was renowned for his skills in the art of sword-fighting and wrote the famous book “The Book of Five Rings”, which is still studied by martial artists today. Musashi was also known for his…