Martial Arts
For our purposes, the most pertinent modern equivalent is martial arts, in which a skilled practitioner can compete with a superior opponent by using dexterity rather than might. Bruce Lee, a diminutive kick boxer, became an international star by virtue of his uncanny ability to prevail over multiple and mightier armed opponents using only his flying feet and hands. The martial arts, which evolved from Asian philosophy and religion, employ these six critical mental and physical skills:
- Concentration
- Self-defense
- Balance
- Agility
- Preparation
- Self-control
I’ve translated each of these martial arts skills into a set of best practices that you can apply in your mission-critical encounters so that you can succeed in your challenging exchanges. Deploy these pivotal dynamics against a sea of troubles and, by opposing, you can end them.
This overarching objective can be stated in one word: control. Although it will take 200 pages to provide you with the details, when you are confronted with tough questions, you can control
- The question
- Your answer
- The questioner
- The audience
- The time
- Yourself