Entrepreneurs Creative Edge

Wax On Wax Off

This classic scene from The Karate Kid is worth revisiting.

It makes intuitive sense to anyone with experience in the martial arts, or any art for that matter, because it is only by mastering the fundamentals that you can have a prayer in mastering the applications.

There are so many choices available today, so many alternatives to distract us from a chosen path, that like Daniel in the film, most people would reject this form of training as boring at best, and something like slavery at worst.

However, if the teacher has really mastered the process and knows how steps, it might be wise to follow without needing to rationalize it. Select your teacher and your path well, then follow it and see where it takes you.

To see how this applies to a Creative Career Path, read my article on that topic, Thinking Inside the Box.

There are also a series of related articles on this blog under the category of the Power of Ritual.

Wax On Wax Off

Wise words, if you get the breathing right!

Happy New Year 2010

Bright and Happy in the Year of the Tiger 2010

The character for Bright is 明 (mei, akarui), and this is also the character that begins the New Year's Greeting which people exchange as their first words when meeting a person at the beginning of the New Year, literally meaning:

Congratulations on the bright newness of things.

明けましておめでとうございます！

Akemashite Omedetō Gozaimasu!

Beginnings are auspicious, full of hope and new possibilities, a chance to start over from a fresh perspective. The New Year is also a chance to return to Beginner's Mind (初心 shoshin).

So is the ritual of exchanging New Year's cards, such as the one above.

I selected the character for Bright also as a theme for the year. 明 is made of two parts, Sun 日 and Moon 月, representing the combination of projected and reflected light, the opposites of Yang and Yin, which both brighten our world by making everything possible. It is the world of opportunity.

I chose the brush to express it, because calligraphy is an art of capturing the fleeting opportunity on paper. A good friend commented that the left-hand radical in the character reminded him of a Tiger's Eye, as well as the Tiger's Eye gemstone.

2010 also happens to be the Year of the Tiger (寅年 toradoshi).

This implies opportunity and caution, approaching your goals step by step with quiet assurance.

Opportunity is where you find it. It makes all the difference if you happen to be looking for it. Opportunity favors the prepared mind. If you assume there is none, that all doors are closed, you will find it is just as you expected. It is not the doors that are open or closed, it is your mind.

Caution is also a challenge. What should we be cautious about? Take care to keep your Beginner's Mind throughout the year, and to associate with positive people, who can help you stay positive. Negative people, or more precisely, negative attitudes can drag you down. Misery loves company, and will seek it to feed and reinforce itself. Taking care is also caring for and about others.

Therefore the real opportunities are there for people who seek and share them with others of Bright mind.

Make this a Great Year, and share your Brightness with others. Your candle can light the candles of others.

Aikido: Joy of a Common Cause

Photo: Aikido Yuishinkai Tokyo Year End Party
(click on photo for larger view)

One of the Joys of practicing Aikido is the opportunity to learn together with people in a Common Cause.

Aikido is a martial art often defined as the Way of Harmony with the Universe.

合 (Ai: Harmony, Unity)
氣 (Ki: Energy, Universe)
道 (Dō: Way, Path)

This photo was taken at our dojo's year end party in Japan, with Aikido Yuishinkai founder Sensei Maruyama Koretoshi at the center.

The aura of the group is a happy one, coming from our gratitude in being able to be together with Maruyama Sensei and to train in the marvelous Way of Aikido.

Maruyama Sensei gave us some deep insights into the origins of another Japanese word for happiness (shiawase 幸), which comes from the meaning combining two other characters:

志 (Shi: intention, cause, mission)

合わせ (Awase: joining together)

Hence the Joy of a Common Cause.

Moreover, Shi (志 kokorozashi) is written with the characters meaning Mind of the Samurai (心 ＋ 士).

The Way of Aikido joins people together in a common cause, which because you never quit or graduate from, becomes a way of life.

When people come together in happiness on the surface, but below the surface are actually seeking their own individual happiness, something happens over time that reveals the disharmony of the group. This ends in tension, stress, conflict, and separation, and deviation from the original Path of Harmony.

What binds people together and keeps them together is an understanding of the original meaning of Shiawase, the joy of joining together in a common cause.

This cause can be great or small, can involve a large group, a small group, a couple, or even an individual who has joined with something greater than him or herself.

Mohandas K. Ghandi said that, Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. This authenticity was also the secret of his ability to lead others, to speak for hours without notes, and to change the world.

2009 has been a difficult year for many people. But as we look back we see that despite the challenges, hurdles, and hardships, perhaps even thanks to these, we have emerged stronger and better for it, and have much to be grateful for.

Keep this in mind and seek harmony as you enjoy family gatherings, year end parties, and celebrations together with the people with whom you share a common cause.

The Talent Code

If you have an interest in improving your skills in any area, particularly performance, you owe it to yourself to read The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle.

Written by an award-winning sports journalist who turned his own talents toward investigating the process of talent itself, what it is, how it develops, what is universal. The subtitle offers the promise: unlocking the secret of skill in math, art, sport, and just about anything else.

He breaks the code into 3 essential parts: Deep Practice, Ignition (Passion), and Master Coaching, and ties it together with a biological key that could revolutionize the entire field of learning and teaching. In a word: Myelin, the insulating sheath of protein that forms protective layers around the axons of neurons.

The author's metaphor for a well-formed myelin sheath is extra bandwidth, formed through repetition and particularly deep practice, which increases the speed, accuracy, and frequency of nerve impulses which result in the performance of a particular skill.

He traveled around the world to visit the "talent hotbeds," places which produced an extraordinary number of world class performers in music or sports, and came back with some surprising findings. Regardless of how different the language, the culture, or the field of play, there were surprising consistencies which the author describes as the Talent Code.

Everything he said makes perfect sense of what I call the Power of Ritual.

Have a read, and I think you will find ways to accelerate your learning and bring your performance several notches closer to world class.

Personal Power Ritual

Photo of Hasegawa Sensei, taken by David Michaud

One of the purposes of ritual is to develop personal power, to make yourself strong first, so that you can then go out and help others become strong.

People often confuse ritual with routine, when in fact they are nearly opposite. Routines dull your senses and crush your spirit, whereas when practiced properly rituals can renew your mind and body.

An essential way to discover something new is to visit the same place.

This was known by Confucius (206 BC~220 AD), and immortalized in his proverb,

     Discover something new in the old (温故知新 onko chishin).

It was also known by Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who lived around 500 BC, and who famously wrote,

    You can not step into the same river twice.

People who don't have a personal power ritual often ask, how can you keep doing the same thing, over and over again? But is a game of golf ever the same? Doesn't the artist see ordinary things with a fresh eye?

Similarly, training in martial arts or calligraphy is never boring, or you are there for the wrong reasons.

To learn more about how to create your own power ritual, read my latest article on DAIJOB.COM called The Power of Ritual.

You can also read more short articles related to this topic on the Power of Ritual Page on this blog.

Good Rituals for Takeaways

Have you ever heard something that made great sense when you heard it, only to forget later what it was or how to apply it?

If you think too much about a decision you may suffer paralysis by analysis. There is so much information available today that it is easier than ever to overload your circuits. 

To prevent this, it is a good idea to form the ritual of leaving each experience with a good takeaway. 

These are not always part of an information package, and the best takeaways are those which you create yourself. Here are a few things you can do to ensure that you walk away with real learning, rather than leaving empty handed.

When you hear or read something you consider to be useful:

Take notes to capture it

Make a habit of carrying a small notebook wherever you go, preferably something that fits in your day planner. Make a habit of taking notes in the context of your daily activities.

Paraphrase to check it

If you are in a position to dialog or ask questions about the information, form the habit of paraphrasing what you have heard to make sure you got it right. This will clarify and magnify the message.

Summarize to secure it

If you've ever tried to read notes that you took some months ago, you realize how helpful a good summary can be in saving time and reinforcing understanding. Make your summary while it is still fresh in mind.

Take action to apply it

The best retention comes from the reinforcement in action. Applying what you learn heightens relevance and retention.

After you have captured and secured something of value for yourself, you can do even better by sharing your knowledge with others. 

Blog about it on your platform. Share it on Social Media. It has never been easier.

The important thing to remember is that understanding does not equal recall. Remind yourself that "I understand means I can do!"

A takeaway is a breakaway from the habit of forgetting to apply what you have learned.

What happens to this knowledge if you don't capture or share it? Try writing on water and see how long the impression lasts.

Perseverance brings Power

Maruyama Koretoshi Sensei, Founder of Aikido Yuishinkai

From Method to Mastery

One of the wonderful things about learning Aikido is that it takes you step by step into a world that is beyond steps. Training takes you from the world of technique to the realm of art, from method to mastery.

My teacher Maruyama Koretoshi, founder of the Aikido Yuishinkai, is a Master of this process, and has captured its essence in a way that rewards perseverance and practice. Anyone, regardless of age or experience, can reach a level of mastery if they persist on the path. Genius and talent may give you a head start, but like the hare in Aesop's fable, it is more often the tortoise that wins the race.

Having trained directly with the founder of Aikido Ueshiba Morihei, Maruyama Sensei's career in Aikido extends over more than half a century, and at age 72 he is incredibly fit and full of energy. A Japanese proverb says that Perseverance brings Power (keizoku ha chikara nari, 継続は力なり). However, Maruyama Sensei points out that perseverance requires power, and the source of this power is actually training, the mastery of forms which with practice become an integral part of you.

Mastery is a kinesthetic process, learning with your body. Such learning does not abandon you over time. Once you learn how to swim, how to ride a bicycle, or how to speak your native tongue, it sticks with you for a lifetime, even if you are away from it for a while. By contrast, how much do you remember of the subjects you studied in school? Could you still pass the tests now that you once passed years ago to graduate?

Did you see that?

For those who have not experienced the magic of training over time, the martial arts may seem to be more about mystery than mastery.

How is it possible to detect the movements and intentions of an opponent before they actually occur?

How can you successfully subdue a person who is much larger or stronger than you?

How can you keep your center and remain calm when those about you are losing it under pressure?

How can a small turn of the wrist result in such a dynamic throw?

Aikido training may begin with the mechanics of movement, but it quickly progresses from method to magic, as the dynamics become more subtle and sophisticated. The untrained eye may altogether miss  what is happening, because beginners focus on following the obvious rather than attuning to the opportunity.

A real Master of Aikido can do both the mechanics and the magic, and will adjust their teaching in such a way that anyone, starting from any level, can move quickly from where they are to where they can be.

To see Aikido in action, to feel its power, is still magic despite decades of practice. There is certainly more to it than meets the eye, which is why when you see an amazing throw in the dojo, all you can say is, "Wow! Did you see that?"

Power of Ritual

Without practice you will end up with more froth than finish. This applies as much in life as it does in the dojo. In fact whatever you do, even not doing something, is actually practice leading to habits, good or bad. The key is to find the best practices which enable you to leverage the power of ritual to a favorable result.

What happens if you drift along without discipline? You end up becoming a victim of your own bad habits, or as some would say, stewing in your own juices.

Samuel Johnson (1709~1784) remarked brilliantly that, The chains of habit are too weak to be felt, until they are too strong to be broken.

If you want to start now forming good habits that will serve you for a lifetime, I can think of no better place to start than Aikido.

Bathing in Buddhist Paradise

In the modern world we don't usually associate religion with ritual bathing. However, in many native traditions, as well as the world's major religions, ritual cleansing is an integral part of the practice.

The tradition of ritual bathing in Japan actually has roots in a Buddhist ritual that was introduced to both heal the sick and cleanse the spirit.

The Great Bath House (Oyuya) on the Todaiji temple grounds in Nara is listed as a National Treasure in Japan. Located on the same grounds as the Great Buddha of Nara and the Five Storied Pagoda, also National Treasures. The temple was built in 728 by the Emperor Shomu.

This was a period when Buddhist religion and culture was imported to Japan on a grand scale, and it left a lasting imprint that still pulls strings on the institutions and behaviors of Japanese life. One of these is the custom of communal bathing, which has roots that can be traced to this boom in Buddhist culture.

In Medieval Japan the custom of seyoku (施浴), or bathing for the sick, was a custom of ritual cleansing initiated by the Empress Koumyou Kougou (701-760). Herbal steam baths led to healing of the body and cleansing of the spirit, initially coming from the Indian tradition.

Ritual bathing has become a part of Japanese life, evolving into local bath houses, natural onsen hot springs resorts, herbal steam baths, and in the private home the soaking bath, and an thriving industry of onsen products.

While many people visit onsen resorts or use onsen products for health and relaxation, it is interesting to note that originally it was introduced as a means of both healing the sick, and spreading the Buddhist religion and culture by giving people a physical experience of paradise.

The word for paradise in Japanese is Gokuraku (極楽), and it still carries both spiritual and sensual connotations. Bathing is big business in Japan. And it is a hot ritual that makes Japan a very cool place to be.

Why are you here?

  Why are you here?

Your answer to that question reveals to yourself and to others your sense of purpose and clarity.

Not every action in life requires a sense of mission and purpose. Maybe you are just at the supermarket to pick up some things for dinner. But even these small actions, our daily rituals culminate in the life we live and the legacy we leave behind.

It is worth looking at our daily rituals, both conscious and habitual, to orient ourselves in the greater scheme of things, in the context of the day, the week, the project, the people you live or work with.

People become disoriented under pressure, partly because they were not well oriented to begin with.

What were they thinking?

It can be both comical and tragic to watch how people behave when things are going badly for them.

Large companies in Japan are restructuring, cutting back jobs by tens of thousands of people, in an effort to dealing with sluggish demand in the current economic crisis.

Some employees are offered a generous payoff of a year or two salary, in exchange for being cut loose from any future employment. While this should be a welcome cushion to make a fresh start, some people go into denial, continuing to put on a suit and tie every morning, pretending to go to the office so that their family doesn't find out they have lost their job, and spending the day hanging out in movie theaters or coffee shops until it is time to go home. This ruse doesn't last forever, because the family is bound to find out when the money runs out, or the conversation dwindles.

When I heard about this, I assumed it was a rare case. It certainly isn't typical or accepted. However, I heard from a friend who teaches at a major Japanese university, that it is not uncommon for people of various ages to appear in class, though they are not enrolled, and sometimes appear suspiciously out of place. When discovered, they are expelled from the classroom, but when questioned as to why they are there, it turns out that they are there for a strange reason. Not to study or learn, but rather to pretend that they are attending classes at a well-known university.

Whether student or company worker, the ruse serves no one, and is doomed to fail. While these may be extreme cases, they show what can happen to people who fail to ask or answer the question, Why are you here?

If you can answer this question well, you will not be so easily lost or disoriented when conditions change.

Ask yourself this question often, and you will find reasons that empower you with meaning and purpose.

Fibonacci Numbers Put Power in Your Ritual

Can Fibonacci Numbers put power into your physical training ritual?

From my experience, the answer is a resounding YES!

In case you missed The DaVinci Code, you can click here to learn more about Fibonacci numbers and their fascinating recurrence in masterpieces of art and nature.

The sequence begins with 0 and 1, and continues indefinitely by adding the last two numbers to get the next.

0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144,233,377,610,987...and it continues to grow exponentially from there. The simplicity of the formula is remarkable when you see how it occurs over and over again in nature, in the form of proportions of spirals from flowers to galaxies, in population growth with rabbits, in masterpieces of art such as the Greek Parthenon, and in Geometric sections such as the pentagram.

Fibonacci was an Italian who lived in the 13th Century, and is famous both for discovering the sequence of numbers which occurs in nature and art, as well as for introducing the decimel system.

So how can Fibonacci numbers improve your physical training ritual?

This idea was discovered by Joseph Mullen, a practicioner of fitness and holistic wellness, and described in his book The Da Vinci Fitness Code. While I don't subscribe to his particular approach to fitness training, I found his idea of applying Fibonacci numbers to physical training rituals to be extremely helpful.

In a nutshell, you establish your exercise routines based on repetitions or numbers of minutes, always working with Fibonacci numbers. As a practical matter, you are most likely to work with numbers in the sequence up to 89 or 144.

The way I use it in my daily physical routine is to practice Nanba exercises in 3 minute lengths, Bokken (wooden sword) cuts in units of 55 each side, Zen Meditation in 8 or 13 minutes and Breathing in sets of 13 or 21. If I lose concentration and go over the Fibonacci number, I simply continue until the next Fibonacci number, which can be a daunting challenge, if you shoot past 89!

You can expand or contract your practice session by selecting larger or smaller numbers, and you can be quite flexible by applying the number either in counting repetitions, or if you prefer using a digital timer to count minutes.

Is this approach superstitious? Perhaps. However, if it is good enough for Mother Nature and the masterpieces of Genius, then I think it is at least worth a try! Though belief is also an enhancement, I have found in practice that it doubles or triples my energy to perform physical training rituals, and makes the discipline much more engaging and fruitful.

My exercise routine is based on Nanba and Aikido, whereas Joseph Mullen takes the approach of Western body building. However, I see no reason why you could not apply this approach to Yoga, Running, Dance, or any form of exercise that you prefer.

Why not give it a try, and let me know through your comments below how it works for you.