How To Be As Sharp As A Samurai Sword

Subject: How to have a sharp mind

Location: Miami, Florida

What you will get out of this article: a deeper understanding on how to have a samurai sword sharp mind.

The world famous book 'Think and Grow Rich' has sold millions of copies. Some people grew rich from reading it. Most didn't.

What separated the two?

In the book they talk about how the secret to the success was written in plain site.

Here is a direct quote:

"The secret to which I refer has been mentioned no fewer than a hundred times, throughout this book. It has not been directly named, for it seems to work more successfully when it is merely uncovered and left in sight, where THOSE WHO ARE READY, and SEARCHING FOR IT, may pick it up."

So, the question becomes...what is the secret that is written in plain sight?

What did some people see that allowed them to become rich while others didn't?

It's simple. It's written on the cover of the book, and even then people ignore it.

Think and Grow Rich.

THINK. Think. Think. Think. Think.

You must THINK and then you will grow rich in whatever endeavor.

To think is akin to holding a sword. Some people are better swordsmen. Some people have wooden swords, some have swords with rust. Others have broken swords. A few select individuals have samurai swords. 

“If you keep your sword drawn and wield it about then no one will dare approach you and you will have no allies. But if you never draw it, it will dull and rust and people will assume that you are feeble.” - Yamamoto Tsunetomo

To be successful in this life you must have a sharp mind. It must be able to cut through any resistance that you will face.

This is an abstract concept, but immediately applicable.

You will face Resistance. Your inner Enemy will flood you with different forms of self-sabotage.

This Enemy will attack you every single day for the rest of your life.

The Professional and Master of his own Kingdom must never allow his sword to dull and rust.

In this article you will learn  7 ways to how to develop a sharp mind.

1. Always Be Planning

Our minds are always coming up with thoughts and ideas. That's not thinking.

Thinking happens when you consciously choose to direct your focus. 

Most people are slaves to their mind instead of being a King.

A) the difference between an employee and a boss is that the boss thinks and plans ahead of time. This transcends the title you have at work. 

B) when you decide to always be planning, you become prepared for whatever fate brings to your door step.

C) by consciously spending time and mental energy planning you are flexing your mind. You are sharpening the blade. You are eliminating rust.

D) It's the opposite of what you want to do. It's easy not to think. It's hard to spend time thinking about a specific issue. 

E) a bad plan is better than no plan. 

F) without a plan you are a flower. Letting the wind decide which direction for you to flow.

G) when you plan ahead of time, you are choosing the behavior before the event happens, thus giving you a better chance of winning.

H) you can use negative visualization to imagine everything going wrong and seeing yourself be cool with it. 

I) no war was ever been won without planning.

J) some people are better as 'improvisors'. This doesn't mean they stop planning as using your brain to create strategies is for everyone.

K) learn improv. The people embarking on having a mind as sharp as a samurai sword must learn to be spontaneous.

L) no matter how much planning you partake in, life has it's own plan for you. We all have a plan until we get punched in the face as the great Mike Tyson said. 

M) plan for your plan to not work and decide preemptively what to do in that case. 

N) be clear on your values, principles and character. This will allow you to always have something to fall back on if your original plans fail to materialize. 

O) there is always something in the box. A famous improv technique is imagining I came up to you with a box in my hand. What's in the box? Every person will have a different answer. The lesson is that there is always something in the box. You will always have something to say, something to do and something to think.

2. Develop Problem Solving Abilities

"The sword has to be more than a simple weapon; it has to be an answer to life's questions." - Miyamoto Musashi

The bigger your problems the bigger your life. If you want a billion dollars, solve a billion dollar problem.

Most people shy away from problems just as they do with thinking. It's a boulder not a stepping stone. It's an obstacle, not the Way.

Many problems are 'man made'. Suffering that you cause yourself because of avoidance.

Letting small baby dragons become ferocious three headed monsters.

People committed to the Way, develop their problem solving skills daily. 

The sword must be practiced with. Dragons must be killed. 

A) play games such as chess. In chess, as in life, you will make mistakes. Your opponents will capitalize. In these moments, you must think your way out of sticky situations. Not only to get out of it, but to use your mistakes for your advantage, planning a counter attack to win the game.

B) the more problems you solve, the higher your self-belief becomes. You face problem after problem, and continuously come up on top. You begin to trust yourself.

C) the more problems you solve, the more you realize the massive opportunities they hold.

D) by practicing your problem solving, you can implement strategies and start a feedback loop of what works and what doesn't.

E) this works in tandem with always be planning. 

F) high level martial arts coaches focus on problems. When a fighter reaches advanced levels, the coach will now just set up problems for them to solve. In a fight, where every moment is life or death, one misstep can prove costly. The fighter that practiced more problems to solve, will be able to solve the man set in front of them when the time comes. 

3. Recognize The Power Of Their Mind

"Our life is the creation of our minds." - Buddha

"As you think, so shall you become." - Bruce Lee

The person that is on the journey to having a samurai sword sharp mind, understands the limitless power that thinking holds. 

Ancient wisdom teaches us that there are two worlds. The world you create with your thoughts and the universal world.

Most people don't recognize that they are actively creating their reality.

A) how you think about your situation is how the situation becomes. 

B) people with sharp minds are constantly strengthening their interpretation muscle. They recognize that any external event can be interpreted in an infinite number of ways. They consciously direct their mind to interpret events in the manner that is most useful to their goals. 

C) they understand how crucial their thought life is. They work on eliminating all contamination. They wrap their hands around the necks of all complaints and worries and substitute it with empowering thoughts.

D) they become VIP bouncers of their mind. Every thought must be checked. Show me your passport. Show me your luggage. I don't care if you have entered my mind 1 billion times before. This time, I will check you and ban you from my country. That is the attitude of a winner, someone that is committed to creating a life of their dreams. 

4. Become a Minitature Sherlock Holmes

“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.” - Sherlock Holmes

"Thinking you’ve thought something through and actually thinking it through are two very different things" - Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is renown for his brilliant mind and world class observational skills.

If you want to have a sharp mind sharp, then modeling this man is the Way.

Someone that is extremely sharp doesn't let anything slip by his attention. Everything is noticed. 

A) to reach this level, you must develop degrees of mindfulness. If you are a ghost than everything will slip by you. You must be present and aware to notice what is happening in your environment.

B) constantly develop your external awareness. See everything without seeing. How many tables are in the room, how many chairs? What is this persons body language say about them? Seek out what is happening underneath the surface of any environment you are in.

C) understanding the social world. This is completely understated. In order to be truly sharp, you must deeply understand what is happening when people are socializing. 

D) the devils in the details. Pay attention to details, always. If details are your weakness, I'm here to tell you it can be GREATLY improved. 

E) come to your own conclusions. Learn to investigate, become the detective in your own life. Come up with a hypothesis and prove it wrong in the search for truth. 

5. Present Yourself as Sharp

"If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good." - Deion Sanders

Look good, feel good.

Everyone has had a similar experience. They dress in well-fitted, good quality clothes and start walking with swag. Fashion, just as in life, is in the details.

When you look good, people will treat you better. If your self-image is that of a King but you dress like a pawn, people will treat you as a pawn.

You will walk through life in constant cognitive dissonance. I think this - people think that about me.

They don't add up.

When you dress well, paying special attention to the intricacies, people will recognize you as sharp.

A) it requires thinking to create a great outfit.

B) you are going to feel something throughout the day, why not feel confident, bold?

C) it doesn't take much to dress well. This doesn't mean you have to wear a three piece suit to the gym. Wear clothes that fits you, shows a part of your personality and pay attention to the details.

D) dressing well is an act of self-love. If you truly love yourself you will cut your nails, have a clean haircut and dress sharply.

E) a lot of being sharp is spending a tiny bit more than the average people. Apply this to dressing, thinking, planning well.

6. Be Precise and Certain

Words are magic. That's why they are spelled.

It is imperative to be precise in the words you use. Avoid black magic at all costs.

Words influence people more than we can ever imagine. It is important to be precise in your language even when you are flowing.

Through language we transmute information. 

Do you want people to understand you when you speak?

Do you want to prevent mis-interpretation of your ideas?

How often do you say 'that's not what I meant?'

To be truly sharp, you must be sharp in speech.

A) people crave certainty. If you are saying 'umm' after every word, not a single person will believe you. People are looking constantly for someone to come and speak with certainty. Here is a practical exercise I teach my clients: start making obvious observations out loud in your environment. For me, right now, I'm looking at my computer. I'm drinking coffee. My desk is grey. I have two hands. Become aware of how certain you speak, when saying such obvious facts. Now transfer that vocal tonality for everything you do. 

B) eliminate all complaints. You must stop complaining and moaning and eradicate all expressions of victimhood from your being. This will make your speech infinitely better.

C) eliminate all passive aggressive behaviors. Speak your truth. Have clear boundaries. Do not hide and shy away from conflict. 

D) think through things. If in a conversation something comes up and you realize that what you thought you 'knew' you actually didn't. Research it. Learn it and go deeper than just a surface understanding. 

E) stop lying. It makes you weaker. It's also extremely hard to keep up with all your lies, thus moving you away from being sharp. 

F) words hurt. Words inspire, demoralize and create the entire range of emotions within yourself and others. Understand this deeply, and be very aware of each word you say. Talk slowly, record yourself and shine the light of awareness on your speech.

7. Develop Competence Daily

Work on your craft. Read articles and books. Watch lectures. Think deeply. Have deep conversations and place your ideas to the test. Go deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole in your chosen profession. Learn. Teach. 

A) learn from the best. If you were a basketball player and you could either learn from Michael Jordan or your middle school gym teacher...who would you choose? Obviously Michael. Model the best in the field you are aiming to increase competence in.

B) don't learn real estate from a fish salesmen. Learn from people that are masters in the field you are curious about.

C) get better everyday. Nothing is more powerful than compound interest. One penny doubled everyday for a month ends up being 5 million. 

D) learn above your pay grade. Read materials where you have to read definitions, think about the concept and apply your own judgment.

E) Don't be a passive observer. Read material and spend time thinking about it. It's not a race to see who can read the most books. It's about what you can understand and apply. 

F) become an expert. It takes a thousand + hours to become an amateur expert in field. Put in the time and the work. 

G) the more competence, the more confidence. The more you are competent in a field, the more confident you will be in life.

Develop a sharp mind with these 7 principles.

Become the person that thinks. 

A person with a sharp mind bends the world to his will. It is a necessary skill to develop and sharpen in order to make your dreams a reality.

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