Self-Development Through Asking Why?

The Enlightened Warrior's 'Keys to Success' Through the Power of Our Thoughts, Words, and Deeds

In the philosophical teachings of the Ninja Warrior's Mikkyo esoteric mind-science that forms the foundation for the Warrior Concepts Life Mastery Program taught to my students and clients, there are three areas of focus that allow the Ninja Warrior, or anyone who understands these principles, to act with enlightened clarity and always achieve his or her goals. Each of these so-called '3-Keys of Success' can be focused on in and of itself, but the real 'magic' results when the three are brought together and aligned with the Ninja's vision.

The 3 Keys are collectively known in Japanese as the Sanmitsu or '3 Secrets.' Not at all 'secret' in the conventional sense as being kept away from others or hidden, the sanmitsu are seen as 'secret' because they have to be 'discovered' by the student to have any benefit. The three are the "thoughts," "speech," and "actions" of the Ninja practitioner. They are seen as both the necessary elements to bring about success, and the means by which we can change and affect our world. In this article, I'd like to focus on the 3rd Key, the 'secret' of the power of our actions. And, like a well-maintained vehicle that gets us where we want to go, our actions are the direct manifestation of our thoughts and intention in the outside world around us.

As seen on the Kongo-kai mandala of Universal Enlightenment, our actions are associated with the 'wind' realm of All-Accomplishing Wisdom and the concept of skillful means. Our actions have the potential to change our world and our experience of it. Students studying within the upper training modules before advancing into the Black Belt Mastery Stages are constantly reminded of the truth of the power of their actions during their class opening and closing as they recite the Ninja Master's Admonition of Sh'kin Haramits' Daikomyo! The lesson of this phrase is that 'every moment - every action - holds the potential of being just that thing that will produce the happiness, understanding and power that we have been seeking.' It means that "no-thing doesn't matter" - everything deserves our attention.

Of course, merely running around 'doing stuff' is not at all what we're talking about here. Most of us can remember a time when we did a lot but accomplished very little. For most of us, we need only think back over the past few days. The key or 'secret' here is not in the activity itself but in the focus or direction that requires a particular action. The truth is that unfocused, undirected action is nothing but idle 'wheel-spinning.' It accomplishes nothing toward the accomplishment of goals and more towards creating even more of the feelings of exhaustion, exasperation and distraction that regularly plague our days.

To harness the power of our deeds and actions, we must first take the time to focus on what it is that we would like to accomplish. We must ask the important questions that will allow us to discipline ourselves to acting with purpose and not impulse. Questions like: "What do we want our life to be like and about?" and "What is important and what needs to be illuminated?" will help to answer the primary question of "why?"

Why are we doing these things? What, if anything, are we working toward, or is this just another distraction or another attempt to avoid the unpleasant? The following is a list of "why" questions that can be used to determine whether an action is worth doing in the scheme of things:

• Why am I doing this?

• Why is that important?

• Why is that important? (This is not a duplication but a clarification of the last answer!)

• Why do I give in to avoid unpleasant responses from others even when I don't think this is beneficial or productive?

• Why don't I act when I know it is the right thing to do or is something that must be done to produce the results I need?

• Why do I fill my days with activities that do not contribute to the accomplishment of goals, conditions and results that I say and believe are important?

• Why do I choose inactivity (laziness and procrastination) when there are things that should be done to bring me closer to accomplishing my goals?

This is a partial list and I'm sure that you can, and have thought (and possibly asked yourself) of many others like them. The point here is not to discuss acting out of the mindset that says, "when you're unsure of what to do, do something." But, to maintain a constant focus on the purpose for acting. In fact, if you were to refer to your life purpose process and the lists you created to establish the "why" for acting, you will see the difference. Remember, anything done that is in alignment with our life purpose is what the Ninja - the Enlightened Warrior engaging with his or her world - sees as an Enlightened Action. And, anything that does not contribute to our life purpose - to creating the life we want to be living - is a distraction.

Period.

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior Concepts International. A senior teacher in the Japanese warrior art of Ninjutsu, he specializes in teaching the ancient ways of self-protection and personal development lessons in a way that is easily understood and put to use by modern Western students and corporate clients. Through their martial arts training, his students and clients learn proven, time-tested lessons designed to help them create the life they've always dreamed of living, and the skills necessary for protecting that life from anything that might threaten it. To learn more about this and other subjects related to the martial arts, self-defense, personal development & self-improvement, visit his website at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

---

Set Yourself Up For Success

I receive several emails every week asking me about how... Read More

Is This Your Time To Take Action?

If you are sick and tired of the dreaming phase... Read More

What Am I Going To Do With The Rest Of My Life?

Unexpected life changes. Anticipated transitions. Long, sleepless nights. What do... Read More

Are You Looking For Success With A KISS?

I am sure that you're familiar with the old formula... Read More

Success; So Close, Yet So Far Away!

Have you ever had this feeling? You're standing in front... Read More

Success Without Excuses

If we hope to achieve any worthwhile goal it will... Read More

Persistence is Tops

To take the online road to success is not, contrary... Read More

Create Your Own Security As You Create Life Changes

Self-change is a personal phenomenon. In order to accomplish it,... Read More

Success Takes Practice

As a speaker and trainer, people often approach me after... Read More

As Long As You Try Your Best, There Is No Such Thing As Failure

I always say to my children, as long as you... Read More

Top Ten Ways To Create Positive Behavior Change

1. Open your mind to new ideas: Positive behavior change... Read More

Insinct Is Your Life-blood - Says Author

Fourteen thousand civilised people died when the tsunami hit Andaman... Read More

Success Lessons From Cricket That Can Improve Your Life

This summer (2005) huge crowds in England and Australia have... Read More

An Honest Commitment To Action Is Key To Your Success

With topics in personal development ranging from goal setting to... Read More

10 Critical Success Clues

I don't need to be a gypsy fortune teller to... Read More

Learn Faster, Change is Coming

Challenges posed by recent economic and market shifts, though predicted... Read More

The Lazy Mans Way To Riches

The title of this article also happens to be the... Read More

Falling Up the Stairs

There have been a lot of really good movies made... Read More

Top 5 Sources of Energy Drain

Along with time and money, energy is one of your... Read More

How To Get As Lucky As J. Paul Getty

J. Paul Getty appeared to be incredibly lucky, but it... Read More

The Fuel That Drives The Ultimate Lifestyle

In a recent article (What is The Ultimate Lifestyle), I... Read More

Attitude Is The Key To Success

We all want success in life. We want success in... Read More

It Takes Competence to Change!

This article is about a subject that few people think... Read More

Masterminding Your Way To Greater Success

Napoleon Hill coined the concept of the mastermind alliance in... Read More

The REAL Secret to Success

I used to see a chiropractor who handed out a... Read More

The Winner Walk

The Winner's Walk is a key strategy in the sport... Read More

Your Words Have Power

You teach others how to treat you by how you... Read More

The Secret To Life Long Success And Fulfillment

What Makes the Difference?On a warm spring afternoon, fifteen years... Read More

Expectations

I'll let you in on a little secret...life delivers pretty... Read More

Perseverance - How To Quit Quitting

The Definition Of PerseveranceFrom a dictionary: "Persisting in or remaining... Read More

3 Power Tips To Increase Financial Success FA$T!

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to be... Read More

Identity Theft - Defining Who We Are

Identity theft!We've all seen them. The commercials use the voices... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Get Professional Help

Get professional help There's no rule that says you have... Read More