I’ve been training in Karate and at the gym pretty aggressively for about 6 months now. Before that I just focused on getting my diet right and running. That was 2 years ago today (yes, I marked the day on my calendar…) The thing i’m thinking about here though is that I began working outside of the Dojo or gym and pretty much on my own, now i’ve moved that focus to inside those establishments and am working with experienced trainers and professionals, so my view of training shifted and is now centered around being “there”.
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The NINJA
This book really went a long way to change my world view of the Ninja, more specifically their heritage and mental state. They have their own Bushido and it’s not all evil night stalking like you’d think.
One very interesting part is the Ninja training verses throughout the book, some are pretty interesting in and of themselves if you apply them to your life, some are weird and more suited to you if you are actually a spy. But perhaps think about your business or politics around the office, it’s kinda fun to daydream sometimes, no?
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While working on a writing assignment recently I began to think of these rules for life that I would think about each day before starting work:
- Never think of yourself as being “finished” with your study, practice or work.
- Learn to know your weaknesses and insufficiencies deeply.
- Never think that you have succeeded with your endeavors, you can always make things better through practice.
- You can always set a higher goal and get to work on it right away.
It takes a great deal of discipline, patience and humility to truthfully apply these rules and ask yourself the pertinent questions needed to get beyond your own ego.
I know I fail on a daily basis with these things, but I’m working on it.
How i’ve felt all day today… (yes, i’m the yellow chicken…)
(Source: lunatictoons)
I’ve been working in this industry for a good while. Going on … years now (let’s just say more than 10 years.) There’s been a lot to work on, build up, see torn down, screw up, get right, do again, sell, buy, hire, let go, rebuild, etc…
For the past year i’ve been giving this talk at web design conferences: “The Bushido and the Design Business”, the title isn’t right, but I’ve found the path to giving that talk personally gratifying. Publicly sharing stories of things you’ve gotten wrong so that others can learn from your mistakes and telling the tales of lessons you’ve learned from others through observation and shared experience is mind altering. Truly, it’s changed my life.
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Watching the Gamecocks take the field. Current status… #2001 #WOOOO
When life gives you lemons…
(Source: sheasmith)
Current status of fixing this bug.
Current Status as I scan all the tasks ahead of me for the afternoon…
Can’t remember where I found this, but the rumor is every new employee at Apple is given one of these cards. Inspiring.
Current status of projects…
![I’ve been training in Karate and at the gym pretty aggressively for about 6 months now. Before that I just focused on getting my diet right and running. That was 2 years ago today (yes, I marked the day on my calendar…) The thing i’m thinking about here though is that I began working outside of the Dojo or gym and pretty much on my own, now i’ve moved that focus to inside those establishments and am working with experienced trainers and professionals, so my view of training shifted and is now centered around being “there”.
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Dojo: In Japanese the word means “place of the way”. It’s one of the words I learned for my first rank test. Both my kids did too:
Sensei will ask: “What is the Japanese word for school”“Dojo. D. O. J. O.” we’ll answer.
For Karate students the Dojo is treated as a sacred place. We students keep it up, clean it, fill it with action, learn there, we even bow and ask permission to enter before we begin practice. The thing i’m asking myself is why have I begun to only focus so hard when i’m in the Dojo or the gym? Everything in life is a lesson, so we should always be open to learning. Isn’t the world one big Dojo?
It makes me think of this quote by Jon Kabat-Zin:
Wherever You Go, There You Are
I want to shift my focus back to the idea that i’m always training, anywhere I go. To be present with training or “getting better” in mind even during everyday routine stuff. Maybe training outdoors or finding some old-school manual labor to get into will help with a physical transition. The mental aspect to this is the harder one to accomplish for me.
We can learn from so many sources, even when the teacher is unaware of even being a teacher. My goal is to always be in the training mindset and maintain the correct level of awareness, humility and openness to learn when someone is teaching. Treating the world around me with the same awareness, humility and openness seems like a worthwhile pursuit to me.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/508548d09ccc4245fb906103ed53a878/tumblr_mksej6Wbtt1qz5u1ao1_500.jpg)
![The NINJA
This book really went a long way to change my world view of the Ninja, more specifically their heritage and mental state. They have their own Bushido and it’s not all evil night stalking like you’d think.
One very interesting part is the Ninja training verses throughout the book, some are pretty interesting in and of themselves if you apply them to your life, some are weird and more suited to you if you are actually a spy. But perhaps think about your business or politics around the office, it’s kinda fun to daydream sometimes, no?
[[MORE]]
Ninja Instructional Poem: (Without further comment, in order from the book)
Once you get the details and layout of the castle or camp, all you need to do is get back with the information as soon as possible.
Make yourself resolute with the idea that you will win whenever you go on a mission, and you can win even if it is not so realistic.
If a ninja steals for his own interests, which is against common morals, how can the gods or Buddha protect him?
The way a good ninja works is: to know about people without letting them know about him.
Ninjas should not be ashamed of falsifying, for it is their duty to outwit the enemy.
It is a fundamental lesson for ninjas to think more of the way out than the way in.
If there is an unlucky aspect to the direction or date of your mission, you should back out and choose another day or time for departure.
Even if a ninja does not have impressive physical abilities, remember the most vital thing is to have acute observation.
Though there are so many principles a ninja should learn, the first thing of all is to get close to the enemy.
Always draw what you have learned while scouting, and then report it to the strategist directly in person.
If the camp is the subject of a night attack or an infiltration by an enemy ninja, you should judge that it is the fault of your own men.
If lightning is behind you, it is auspicious: if it is ahead of you, be careful.
Fighting among yourselves can always happen, so always decide on a sign for your warriors beforehand.
Every single thing is decided by your own mind and by the way you think. Never let your guard down nor fail to observe your state of mind.
When you are on night patrol or have to stand guard in an emergency, you should keep quiet so that you can hear any sounds.
If you always assume you are facing the enemy, you will never drop your guard in any way.
If guiding and planning the way whilst moving position, the essential information you must bring are the mountains, the rivers, and the distance from the enemy.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/91e05a27aca131d5ed6fa9a0144b599d/tumblr_mkscynsOLq1qz5u1ao1_500.jpg)
