Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 5 of 10 – Meditation

Posted by on Sep 25, 2007 in Buddhism, Ninjutsu, On ko chi shin | 0 comments

Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 5 of 10 – Meditation

Zenjo
Dhyana Paramita
Meditation

As part of my every thought, word, and action, I am inspired by the heroic ideal of concentrated awareness. I am in the moment here and now!

Our society conspires against you every moment of every day to take you off course, away from your goals and dreams. Marketers flood you with advertisements, politicians mouth empty promises, and cutting through the fog of noise requires heroic effort unto itself. Every superhero has their retreat, their hidden sanctuary or fortress of solitude where they can go to reflect, recharge, and refocus. The real secret is that your personal fortress of solitude can go wherever you go, because it’s always inside you.

Meditation means more than just sitting down and breathing, although that’s as good a place to start as any. Find what works for you, whether it’s Zen-style seated meditation, playing the piano for an hour, going for a long walk, or whatever it is you need to do to clear your head of distraction.

Commit today and every day to finding something to tune into that is positive, inspiring, and uplifting, then tie that to a special word, gesture, or mental keyword that you can recall at a moment’s notice every time you engage in your meditation-style activity.

Thought: find a memory, dream, or time in your life when you felt as close to perfectly calm and content as you can remember during every meditation-style activity.

Word: with the memory in mind, assign a special word to it that you don’t use conversationally, perhaps in another language. Say it out loud during your meditation-style activity.

Deed: create and assign a special gesture to your memory of contented calmness that you don’t use in daily life, such as dusting off imaginary dirt from your shirt, and make that gesture during your meditation-style activity. When life gets hectic, take a moment to say your special words and perform your special gesture to refocus your mind.

Endnote: The powers themselves are translated by Senior Master Instructor Stephen K. Hayes from the Enlightened Warrior Gyoja Practitioner Recitation Handbook, published by the Kinryuzan Golden Dragon Mountain Kasumi-An Dojo.

Dear Facebook Friends…

Posted by on Sep 25, 2007 in New media, Social networks | 6 comments

Looks like a busy morning on Facebook. Rather than try to reply to everything there, I thought I’d have some fun here instead.

Sorry, Steve Webb, I won’t be at PME. Equally sorry, Bill Sobel, for not being able to make it for another NYMIEG. Wayne Cook, I’m still not attending any of that stuff. Most of it isn’t relevant to me, as I’m American and your invitations are largely Canadian. Maybe look up Amaya Thompson? She’s Canadian.

Chris Johnston, cool app idea for the business card thing, but also, no on that. I’m trying to cut down on Facebook apps. They scare me a little. Same is true for TV Trivia, Jaan Lutter. No offense intended. Jeffrey, no on Top Friends as well. Top Friends is too elitist for my tastes. Aruleba Grace: no, I’m not going to become a werewolf, pirate, vampire, zombie, or sandwich. And I’m already a ninja in real life.

Bob Rains, thanks for the tequila in the Booze Mail app, but I’m still not installing it, and besides, tequila is too generic a term to send me. There’s a difference between Cuervo and El Tesoro de Don Felipe. Same for the coffee. There’s a huge gap between Folger’s and a Sumatra Mandelhing 2005.

Neda, no need to compare us. You’re WAY more attractive than I am, probably smarter, and 12 years my junior.

Mohammed Naser, you don’t strike me as the type to go to luaus often, but thanks for the invite nonetheless.

Did I answer everyone piling onto my Facebook page today? Except Kfir – dude, I RARELY check Facebook’s messaging system. Email me instead! I rarely check any social network’s messaging system, actually, because 99% of the messages are garbage.

Presenting at Emerson College : Slide Deck

Posted by on Sep 25, 2007 in Presentations | 2 comments

I’ll be presenting on Tuesday night at Emerson College on the topic of Social Networking and career search. In anticipation of the short 20 minute talk I’ll be giving as part of a panel, I’ve put together a small slide deck for participants and attendees.

Download the slide deck in PDF format.

Many thanks to Amanda Mooney and Bryan Person for creating this opportunity to discuss cutting edge social networking ideas for boosting your career.

Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 4 of 10 – Effort

Posted by on Sep 21, 2007 in Buddhism, Ninjutsu, On ko chi shin | 0 comments

Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 4 of 10 – Effort

Shojin
Virya Paramita
Effort

As part of my every thought, word, and action, I am inspired by the heroic ideal of courageous, diligent effort. I work to make things happen!

The ability to make things happen, to get motivated to jump in and get the job done, the reputation of the person who always generates the results – these are superhero powers in their own right. Having someone who can create results is good – being the person who can create results is great.

Positive momentum starts with the famous sneaker slogan – just do it. There’s an expression attributed to Voltaire – best is often the enemy of good (enough). Once you get rolling, it’s much easier to build momentum, so the very best time to do something is right now. Be the superhero who leaps into action (thoughtfully, of course) and leads from the front.

Responsibility as a word has been tarnished by people unwilling or unable to act – it’s not an obligation, but the ability to respond, to act, to move forward when no one else is willing to step up.

Commit today and every day to taking responsibility for your life and deciding where you will take your life, rather than where life will take you, in your thoughts, words, and actions.

Thought: Take a moment today to create a to do list, but rather than prioritize solely in terms of importance, focus on what you can get done today.

Word: Is there someone you’ve been meaning to call or write? Stop reading this blog post and go do it NOW.

Action: What have you been putting off that you know you must accomplish? Do it now, do it today, and get it done.

Endnote: The powers themselves are translated by Senior Master Instructor Stephen K. Hayes from the Enlightened Warrior Gyoja Practitioner Recitation Handbook, published by the Kinryuzan Golden Dragon Mountain Kasumi-An Dojo.

Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 3 of 10 – Patience

Posted by on Sep 20, 2007 in Buddhism, Ninjutsu, On ko chi shin | 2 comments

Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 3 of 10 – Patience

Ninniku
Kshanti Paramita
Patience

As part of my every thought, word, and action, I am inspired by the heroic ideal of tolerant patience. I do not take opposition personally!

The musician Munk has a striking lyric in one of his songs – for every light that shines, a shadow falls. The world is full of people who aren’t ready to be heroes yet, and may actually resent the idea that others are trying to go past our human frailties towards a life of meaning.

As you awaken your superhero powers, there will be people who will think differently, speak harshly, and perhaps even act contrary to your and their own best interests. What may appear at first to be an enemy may simply be a call for help twisted beyond recognition. Rather than engage them in battle, just remember that every storm must pass. True, there are times when you will need to take a stand against legitimate supervillains, but those are few and far between.

Commit today and every day to being mentally bulletproof by enduring and patiently waiting out battles that you don’t have to fight with focused thoughts, words, and actions.

Thought: Take a moment today and every day when you feel an instinct to lash back at someone to ask yourself: is this a battle I need to fight, or can I just wait this out?

Word: In a conversation today and every day, when you feel the need to react to someone else’s words, ask yourself how you can ignore, redirect, or even create confusion in the conversation rather than deliver a heated reply.

Action: As you move through your daily life today and every day, practice taking a deep, satisfying, long breath with your eyes closed or partially shaded when you feel the physical effects of stress beginning to take hold of you.

Endnote: The powers themselves are translated by Senior Master Instructor Stephen K. Hayes from the Enlightened Warrior Gyoja Practitioner Recitation Handbook, published by the Kinryuzan Golden Dragon Mountain Kasumi-An Dojo.