The Mushin Way to Peak Performance : The Path to Productivity, Balance, and Success

Follow your own nature to achieve clarity, power, and success The Mushin Way teaches tools and techniques to help you reach peak performance and transform your business and personal life. Regardless of what we want to achieve in business or in life, transformation can be difficult and we tend to be our own worst enemies. We hold ourselves back without even realizing what we are capable of. In this book, you'll learn how to break through the cycle of stress and setbacks to act with clarity, purpose, and direction—achieving peak performance and transformation along the way. You'll look deep inside to discover the natural leadership abilities lying dormant within you; you'll wake them up, make them stronger, and learn to draw on the strengths of those around you instead of muscling through with brute force. You'll discover how making the right choice is an empowering act, and develop the strength and confidence to stop hesitating at every crossroad. With pragmatic advice and wisdom drawn from the guiding principles of the Japanese martial art of Aikido, you'll find your inner warrior and learn that even the most challenging battles can be won—or may not even need to be fought. When you set your sights high, peak performance can feel like a constant uphill battle fraught with failures and disappointments. What if success was more like a transformational river current that carries you along to your goal? This book shows you how to come down off the hill into the refreshing waters of mindfulness to begin your journey to the top. Develop laser-like focus, even in high-stress environments Identify and develop your own innate leadership qualities Turn setbacks into opportunities and defeat into victory Achieve much more than ever before, with far less effort Eastern philosophy teaches us to work in harmony with our own nature instead of fighting ourselves every step of the way. The Mushin Way shows you just where your inner strengths lie, and how to leverage them for success. The Mushin Way to Peak Performance: The Path to Productivity, Balance, and Success 1 Contents 9 Introduction: The Aikido Way 13 The Modern Battlefield 14 What Is Aikido? 15 My Path to Aikido 17 First Encounters 18 Journey to Japan 19 The Interruption 20 How the Book Is Structured: Applying the Principles of Aikido 21 How to Use This Book 26 Chapter 1: 平気Heiki: Equanimity 29 There Is Another Way 30 An Opportunity to Prevent Violence 31 A True Hero 32 Calm Courage in the Everyday 33 A Moment When I Needed Heiki 34 Calm Energy Leads to Action 37 There When You Need It 40 Embracing Heiki 41 When You're Known for Fighting Fires, You Get More Fires to Fight 42 Helping Others through Heiki 43 Chapter 2: 気Ki: Energy 49 Building a New Routine to Embrace Change 50 It's All about Energy 52 My Own Encounters with Ki 53 When It Feels Like Ki Deserts You 55 Ki Alone Is Not Enough 57 When Strength Seduces You 58 Understanding Ki Means Understanding Your Own Limits 59 Learning Self-Awareness As an Entrepreneur 61 Channel Your Ki to Succeed 62 Building Elegant Support Structures 63 The Payoff 64 Chapter 3: 結びMusubi: Connection 69 Tying Things Together 70 It's All about Connection 71 Building Musubi: Start with Self-Interest 74 Deepening the Connection 75 Working without Musubi 77 You Can't Sell without Musubi 78 Turning a Company Around by Cultivating Connection 80 Putting Musubi into Action 81 Chapter 4: 念Nen: One-Point 87 Finding Your Center of Gravity 88 Staying Centered through Good Times and Bad 90 Finding Your One-Point by Stepping Away 93 Maintain Your One-Point and You'll Achieve Integrity 95 Sometimes You Have to Make a Change to Remain Yourself 97 Michael Veltri, Super-Spy? 100 Chapter 5: 無心Mushin: No-Mind/No-Distractions/No-Fear 103 Give the Grenades to the Zen Masters 104 No Expectations, No-Mind 105 Mindfulness and No-Mind 107 Emptying Your Mind Isn't Easy 110 Silencing the Monkey Mind 111 The Opposite of Mushin 112 A Better Way to Make Decisions 113 Chapter 6: 入り身Irimi: To Enter 121 Centripetal Force-You Have to Get Close 123 Not Confronting a Problem Can Be Disastrous 126 The Real Cost of Avoiding a Problem 126 Procrastinators, Take Notice! 128 How to Tell the True Problem from a Distracting Tangent 129 Confronting the Smartphone Problem 130 Starting Small Is Still Starting 132 The Power of Irimi 133 Chapter 7: 呼吸Kokyu: Breath-Power 137 Kokyu-Ho: Knocking Someone Over with Only a Breath 139 Time to Get Uncomfortable 141 One Way to Get Past Your Anxiety 142 Breathing While You Work 144 How to Take Control of Your Day 145 Risking Failure to Succeed 147 Real Risk, Real Rewards 149 Creating Emotional Exhale Moments 151 Try It Yourself-Today 152 Chapter 8: 合気Aiki: Unity 157 What I Should Have Known 158 Harmony in Action 158 Using Aiki in Daily Life 160 Try It Yourself 161 Use What You Have 162 The Road Less Traveled 163 Start with Self-Awareness 165 Embrace Your Weaknesses 168 Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome 170 Do Your Own Self-Assessment 171 Finding a Way 173 Chapter 9: 残心Zanshin: Calm Awareness 179 Real-Life Daredevils 181 The Skill That Gives Spies Their Edge 182 An Exercise in Zanshin 183 Moments of Calm Awareness 185 Prepared for the Unexpected 186 Developing Zanshin 188 A Moment of Truth 190 The Power of Zanshin 192 Chapter 10: 和Wa: Harmony 197 Why the Finns Are Different 198 Fighting for Peace 199 Harmonious Hiring 202 The New Polaroid: Winning through Cooperation 204 Harmonious Progress 206 Understanding How Progress Really Works 207 The Honorable No 209 The Honorable No That Saved My Company-and My Sanity 211 Conclusion 澄み切りSumi-Kiri: Clarity of Mind and Body 215 Clarity of Mind and Body 216 The Road to Acceptance 217 Listening to the Inner Voice 218 Clearing the Way for Action 220 My Teacher 221 Duty and Obligation 223 Strength Forged in Pain 224 Tempered Steel 226 A World of Enlightened Warriors 227 Are You Ready to Transform Your World? 228 Notes 231 Acknowledgments 241 Hire Michael to Speak 245 Index 247 End User License Agreement 259