Ninja Mind Tricks

Announcing--- My latest book is LIVE at Amazon.com.

Ninja Mind Tricks (Take Control of Your Life with the Secret Mental Powers of Japan's Shinobi Warriors).

You might have heard of something called the Law of Attraction. Japan's shadow warriors, shinobi-no-mono --the Ninja, have used the Law of Attraction for centuries-- long before anyone heard of the so-called "New Thought Movement" and The Secret.

The teachings of the Ninja incorporate the mental discipline of Kuji-In, taught to Daisuke Togakure, the founder of the Iga ninja Togakure Ryu tradition.

I began my study of this Ninja tradition at twenty years old. I fully embraced the mental discipline and have used it to accomplish many goals over the years since then. 

This book teaches you the mental discipline of the Ninja without the combat arts. It goes beyond the teachings of the dojo (martial arts training hall). I teach you how to use this power to your advantage.

Take control of your life. Cast off fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Become a fortress of Iron Will. Become the WINNER that you were meant to be.

Available at Amazon.com.

Dare to Be Different

There's just as much opportunity in one business as another, if you will only stop playing copycat and begin to think creatively. ~Earl Nightingale

The world is full of also-rans and me-toos.

I see a lot of people going into business these days, but they all seem to be copying what has already been done. While it is true that some people have built a successful business doing what has been done before, on closer inspection you'll see that they have been able to do so with improvements and refinements.

What happened to invention? What has happened to creativity?

What sets you apart from everyone else?

Being good is not good enough anymore. You have to be exceptional. You have to go farther, climb higher, be better, and stand out from the crowd if you want to be noticed.

Jobs come and go. Businesses rise and fall. In recent trends, it seems that everyone wants to be a copywriter. Funny, I recall when everyone wanted to be a journalist. Now, out of work journalists all seem to be jumping into the copy-writing arena. "But we tell the story." they say. Yeah, right. But can you SELL?

There are lots of opportunities in this world. The question remains, "What makes you so special?" Indeed, what sets you apart from everyone else?

It's called a differentiator in copywriter geek speak. What's yours?

Surround Yourself with Positive Thinkers

Positive thinking is easily tainted by the people with whom you associate. If you are always hanging out with cynical people, don't be surprised if you start feeling the same way they do. That's the way things work.

Misery loves company. People love to moan and groan about things. If you want to maintain a positive attitude, you have to limit your exposure to negativity. If not, negative people will taint you. Their bad attitude and cynicism will influence your thinking even when you try to resist.

The same holds true with stories in the nightly news and on the Internet.

Sensationalized stories get people all fired-up until their emotions get the best of them. Tragic stories like that of a gorilla getting shot and killed while dragging around a kid who fell into its exhibit in the Cincinnati Zoo charge peoples' emotions. People on both sides of the argument go online and take shots at each other. Political debates over presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, or Hillary Clinton's e-mail server and Bill's wandering Willy can end what were once cordial online relationships and even real-world friendships.

With news like that, who needs Middle Eastern terrorists and wars?

So much of what we put in our heads is negative. It's no wonder that cynicism is rampant.

If your emotions get the best of you in these incessant political debates and emotional reactions to news and events give you stress, don't engage in the debates and stop watching the news-- it's really all about entertainment.

When a genuine news story that might really be important to hear comes across the airwaves, trust me, you will hear about it. If you want to be aware of what is going on, just do what I do, read the headlines and not much else unless it is something that you need to know. Then, fact check it.

As for friends online and off... surround yourself with positive thinkers. You have hopes and dreams and they will never become realities if you fall into the trap of negative thinking.

Find Your Passion, Reach for the Stars

Passion is the driving force that propels people to achieve greatness. ~Mickey Maguire

The quote above is from my latest book, Ninja Mind Tricks (Take Control of Your Life with the Secret Mental Powers of Japan's Shinobi Warriors).

If you are passionate about what it is that you are doing you will do it better. You will go farther. You will give it all you've got. You will achieve more.

It's true, passion is the driving force that makes you a winner. It is what separates a champion from an also-ran. 

There are lots of great actors in the motion picture industry and in theatrical productions around the world, but the performers who win an Oscar are the ones who reach for the heavens.

Jimmy Stewart poured his heart into his performance as Jefferson Smith in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and I cannot imagine anyone else in that role. Charlton Heston played Moses in the Cecil B. DeMille's motion picture classic, The Ten Commandments. Again, I could never even imagine anyone playing that role other than Heston.

Passion is the key to reaching the pinnacle, the zenith, the highest height.

Find your passion and reach for the stars.

Keep Moving, Keep Improving

Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving. ~Albert Einstein

When I was twenty-years-old I started studying a traditional Japanese martial art. The 34th Grandmaster of the tradition taught his students that the goal of the Togakure Ryu ninjutsu discipline was to develop a balanced personality.

Balance is important. Like riding a bicycle, balance in life is achieved by constant learning, constant improvement, constant refinement. That is what the brilliant scientist, Albert Einstein meant when he said you have to keep moving.

Learning new things makes life interesting and infinitely more rewarding.

I had a friend who was in sales for many years. Jerry once said that in business, if you are not growing, you are dying. I don't necessarily hold to that opinion in the way he does, but there is truth in the fact that when a business is no longer expanding, it is harder to stay financially healthy and survive when the market is tough. You don't want to become complacent.

Like Jerry's business philosophy, I have looked at life in a similar way. If I were not learning new things, setting and achieving new goals, and making new memories, life would not be worth much. Growing makes life interesting and rewarding. Sharing it with someone makes it even better.

Like the way of the ninja, life is the journey, not the destination. It is the experience of learning new things, refining your skills, achieving a balance between working life and personal life.

My life has been a mix of business and artistry. I am both the artisan and the artist. I am the writer, the poet, the philosopher, and the entertainer.

There are lots of roads to success. It is important to chose one that will reward you monetarily and also build a legacy.

How do you want to be remembered?

My goal is to be remembered not for wealth, not for great possessions, but for the lives I helped make stronger, for the joy and laughter I brought to people, and for personal integrity and the fact that when I gave someone my word, I lived by it.

Seiko Pocket Watch Follow-up

Yesterday's post was titled "The Pocket Watch Saga" and I just wanted to post a follow-up to that story.

The watched arrived from Japan Tuesday at about 3:30 PM. It is extremely well-built and is keeping perfect time. The watch left Japan early Monday and was at my door the next day.

Here is a picture...

Notice that it says "Success" right below the "XII" position on the watch face. It is one of the main reasons I picked this particular watch.

Stellar service and superb quality. Again, thanks Seiko.

The Pocket Watch Saga

So much of what I see in the world these days is sloppy workmanship and poor service.

I have always had a passion for time-pieces. I love anniversary clocks, grandfather clocks, and, in particular, pocket watches.

Many years ago, I carried pocket watches with me wherever I went. For whatever reason, pocket watches became harder to find in the mid 1980s and I had no choice but to put up with wrist watches with their ill-fitted straps and cheap bezels. I like mechanical time pieces. I am not a big fan of battery powered watches. Although, in recent years, I have had more satisfaction from battery powered Timex and Casio watches than I did years ago, I still prefer pocket watches.

Around 2005 or 2006, I bought a pocket watch from Fossil. It had a quartz movement. Annoyingly, the battery lasted about a year and had to be replaced. I found out that Fossil had to use a special tool to open the watch and replace the battery and when I stopped at the store, the young lady behind the counter did not know how to open the watch back, could not find the tool, and suggested I return in a day or two when the manager was there and could help me. I went home and threw the watch in the trash.

I found a mechanical pocket watch on Amazon's website and ordered it. The watch was made by Charles Hubert Paris. It turns out, the watch was made in China using inferior materials and it stopped working about six months later.

After a couple of years using a Timex, I was irritated with having to replace the watch strap again and bought a new pocket watch in an upscale mall in Columbus, Ohio. It was made by Dakota Watch.

The Dakota would not wind at all. The spring was just turning in circles when I tried to wind the watch. They gave me another one. It stopped running a month later. They replaced it and told me that if it breaks they will not give me another and I will have to send it to their repair center to determine if it was abused or damaged by me. Winding that watch, the hands slip around when the spring is tighter, but not fully wound. Another problem.

I then ordered a Celtic design pocket watch from a store in Ireland. When trying to set the time, the hands jump around when I push in the stem. Once the watch is set right, it does not keep perfect time, but it will do. The problem is that this watch is flimsy and has “quartz movement” under the hood. In short, it is made in China and it's junk.

I would prefer a mechanical watch, but, I bought the “Irish” Celtic watch with a quartz movement in the hope that it would last longer than the mechanical watches that I have purchased over the last dozen years.

I finally ordered a Seiko pocket watch that is made in Japan. I should be receiving it some time late this month. It is a quartz movement with a five-year battery. Unlike most companies, Seiko still makes a quality product.

When I first started carrying pocket watches, they were all mechanical movements and they were all nicely made. Back then, you could buy one for as low as $30 (USD) and get years of use from them. Today, like so many other things that are deemed “commodity goods”, it is hard to find a pocket watch that is well-built.

So, what does this have to do with passion and self-discipline?

When you really love what you are doing and you pour your heart into it you don't settle for mediocrity. You don't want to make junk. No, when you really pour your heart into it, whatever IT is, you want to do the best you can. You want to be the best you can be.

Like the sword maker, the pen maker, and the watch makers of times past, you want to be a master of your trade.

NOTE: I checked the status of the Seiko pocket watch order just before I started typing this blog post. The order was processed in Japan yesterday. The product was shipped to the USA from a Japan-based UPS terminal. The watch is currently received in a UPS facility in Kentucky and is now scheduled for a delivery today, May 24th. Now THAT is SERVICE!

Perhaps it is the discipline of Japanese people. Perhaps it is their devotion to service. Perhaps it is the culture and success of Seiko. If all businesses were run this way success would be guaranteed

To Seiko, I say: 

 
arigatou gozaimashita ありがとうございました (Thank You for what you have done).

What a great way to start the day!