Its all in the Thinking!!!!

IT’S ALL IN THE THINKING

By Dr. Grant Kruhly, Sensei and Founder of Applied Samurai Wisdom

This morning I asked my wife what she would like me to write on, what would help her today?  She thought a moment and then asked for something that would tell her how to have 5 minutes of peace and centered calm at work.  It’s interesting to think of that concept.  Using a 5 minute window to recharge and find peace in the hurry of the day’s affairs and commitments. 

 If you have been following my articles and blog you know that I always root to the present moment by first coming into the body.  That is a methodology derived directly from Samurai and Zen Culture where the fundamental assumption is that our mind and body are one set.  Since our mind is already stressed and congested with multi tasking, it makes powerful sense to use the body and it’s sensations to punch a whole and break the automatic reactive mental patterns that we are caught in.  Following the assumption of one set, by becoming fully present in your body, your mind is carried there too.  Thus, you find yourself, where you are in time and space

But, once you are there, your job has just begun.  At that moment you have achieved presence which confers power, but in order achieve mastery we need to look at thinking. 

 Let me illustrate this point with a funny but true story of my senior in Aikido, Joe Ballazich, and his son Greg.  When Greg was a little boy Joe allowed him to enter motor cross (cross country motor cycle races).  One day there was a meet way out in the country in Michigan.  Joe and Greg packed everything up and left with lots of time so they could arrive early.  But once Joe was well out in the back country he got lost.  In those days the GPS had not been invented and so Joe tried to back track and find his way. Eventually he ran out of time.  Frustrated and angry at the thought of disappointing his son Joe turned to Greg and exclaimed, “Damn it Greg, we’re lost!!!!”  And his little son turned to his Dad and said calmly, “No we’re not Dad, we’re right here”

Greg, being young and pure was like a Zen Master, simply content in the moment.  Joe, having been programmed for decades about time, being punctual, the consequences of not being punctual, judgment, and an entire quagmire of nonsense was distraught, stressed, and angry over sheer illusion.   As soon as Greg said that so casually Joe came into the present moment and the two of them carried on to find the meet. 

 Can you see that Greg’s comment punched a hole in the automatic unconscious stream of Joe’s mental chatter?  That is exactly what I share with you at www.AppliedSamuraiWisdom.com, I give you strategies and exercise you can apply to do just that.

Now we have all heard stories like that before, and we usually just laugh and say something like, yes, that’s true, did that myself once.  But let’s take a slightly deeper look at Joe and what was happening for him at that time.  Remember as I describe the following that the difference between Joe and Greg was their THINKING.

Joe’s process starts with the thought, “I think I’m lost”. This quickly cascades to worry that he will be late, which cascades to disappointing his son, which begins self criticism of his preparation, which intensives his worry and feelings of urgency.  The longer he searches the greater the intensity of his negative self talk.  Throughout all of that process acids like cortisol are searing his body on the inside.  His thinking capacity is being lowered more and more from the hormonal stress cascade.  His heart is racing, his musculature is tensing, and the cellular processes of growth and repair have stopped.  I am being very basic here, there is much more negative info I could share but you get the point. Eventually he is truly mad, which causes greater degrees of tunnel vision until finally in exhaustion he tells his son with anger in order to hide his inner sense of shame.     

Meanwhile, young Greg, in the same car, in fact, on the same car seat, is enjoying a country drive.  Quite a contrast eh?  Yet most of the population, myself included, lives out Joe’s example almost daily to one degree or another depending on your level of self mastery.   The trick is the thinking. 

 That’s going to be the subject of my classes in my online training program.  It’s one class per month.  In those video classes I am going to share with you not only the classical meditations and practices to unite your mind and body as a powerful whole,  I’m going to teach the latest understanding in brain neurology.  When you see that information, you will understand how and why your brain works as it does, and why you get the results you have now or in the past.  Then I will show you the latest and greatest ways to re- program and re- wire your brain so that you become the sovereign of your personal world. That same process addresses emotional change and mastery as well.  When I learned this it changed my life, and continues to do so today.  In fact, I use it EVERYDAY.

Remember, Joe and his son were participating in the same story, agenda, time line, and car.  However, they lived in and experienced totally different realities.  One was happy, relaxed, at peace, in good health.  The other scared, angry, stressed, and headed toward major health issues.

Creating happiness, health, and prosperity depends on your thinking.  Period.

Go to www.AppliedSamuraiWisdom.com now, the video is free, just enter your name and email and it will take you there.  If you like it, subscribe and begin your journey.  Each month I will send you the next class, and you can cancel at any time.  Subscribers also get a detailed pdf article I write to augment the class. 

Sincerely,                                                      

Dr. Grant Kruhly, Sensei and Founder of Applied Samurai Wisdom

Author of the soon to be published book, Want More? The 7 Simple Disciplines to Empower You