Rebirth? It’s Time To Meet the Three People You Are

Continuing from Rebirth? The Journey Within we get to the part of Self-Introductions to foster self-awareness. Unchained acts like a therapist asking questions from the comfort of your home and towards the end of the book, Thorin gives possibilities (eerily accurate in most cases with me) and solutions to your answers. Questions on your present, past, goals, who you admire, etc. and expanding on the other questions. This is straightforward for someone to fill out, but the real revelation is the General Attitude Assessment, this requires help.

We all have an idea of what we are like, but how do we really come off? What is your ego hiding from you? I have tendencies to be self-righteous and judgmental, a bit of a control freak due to my independent nature, quick tempered, and critical. Which is very true, I am critical of everything and myself. The solutions to these? If it doesn’t matter to me, don’t judge as it’s not my problem. Realize I am not always right; improve my self-esteem along with more control over my emotions.

I learned this by sending the form (copied from the book with permission) to those I interact with most. They answered anonymously with the promise that I will not hold it against them; it is about making me a better person potentially so they are helping with brutal honesty. The first two of four segments are a series of 15 statements and they choose the two that you sound the most like in each statement.

Following this is the third segment on your communication, attitude, emotional sensitivity, energy, ego prominence, and motivation. As for me, I come off as quiet, critically negative or realistic (this was tied so I wonder if it depends on the thickness of their skin), balanced, even-keeled (steady), cocky, and laid back.

Now all these segments thus far, the answers have to come in clusters or at least three people of differing personalities pointing to the same things. Take note of that. Then as a bit of salve to the burn, they list your top three qualities. You look at this and Thorin’s suggestions and decide through reason and introspection if what people listed is a problem or not. Most of mine I would like to tone down, however one of the second place answers that was numerically close was the fact I can be callous. I do see this as an asset with this caveat, save it for those that deserve it by trespassing against me. Not against people who haven’t done a thing to me.

These show the three people you are, who you think you are, who others think you are, and who you really are.

From this, I can be a better version of myself, not changing for the sake of being liked but truly mastering myself. From my personal introspections, research and Thorin’s books I will have my goal, know what I am working for and toward. I’m going to begin an introspective series of essays on my journey towards being Ronin…heh, Ronin’s Journey. As I finish I will post them here with the hope they’ll help you.

Related articles

• Rebirth? A Journey Within (roninsjourney.wordpress.com)

Rebirth? A Journey Within

Sorry I haven’t been posting as of late. I have been on a bit of an internal walkabout. Awhile back, I proofread and edited a book entitled Unchained by Thorin. A good…no…great book but while I ‘read’ it, I only read it with an editor’s eye for mistakes, structure and understanding. After my preorder came in I started to reread it but it was fresh enough in my mind I couldn’t finish. I could not give it the focus it demanded.

Then one day a friend said he’s sending others and me something. Ooh-kay. When it arrived, it was the exercises from the book. Moreover, the analyst I am, I was inspired to do the same; though my ego said I’m fine, this is just me kicking the tires. When I was editing I did one exercise, learned a bit, cool…whatever. I’m Ronin, by definition I am masterless. So I thought…

I started with the 17:06 exercises, which are a free writing purge that lets your subconscious come through to your hands. Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed, set a quiet timer (no beeps as it counts) for 17 minutes and 6 seconds. The book gives you questions, one a day for a week, and without forcing let your thoughts become words on paper or computer. Let them flow, don’t censor yourself, for at least 17:06. Timer sounds and you have more to say, silence it and keep going. I went to 55 minutes one day. You may have seven questions but its expandable, I dealt with a relative, miscarriage and my fears in separate ones. Thorin covers parents, past loves, love, self-esteem, and revisits what had the most words, and closes with one on how to find peace.

The key is when you go back the next day to look for pure emotion and insights. This was enlightening to me as I noticed a lot of my behavior was rooted in my past. So I was being controlled by my past. If you read “Why Ronin?” in Growls Of A Wolf I said being Ronin, being masterless was originally a goal but I had made it. Apparently not, I was still a scared, neglected kid deep inside. And after the pure emotional purge that is comes with this, I found I felt at peace, but wandering. I just realized not everything that I thought I was is as cut and dried as it appeared. So I had a chance at a rebirth, but I needed to get to know myself again without this baggage. Thorin gives the reader three ways to deal with those that hurt you in the essay following the 17:06 section and I began working on that. As for getting to know myself, that is the next post.

Release The Demons

Walking through life
A life of strife
Taking it in
Every little sin

Holding them inside
Where the demons reside
More than I knew
I’ve released in a spew

I’ve taken the darkness
And face my reality’s starkness
To battle I go
The outcome I do not l know

I’ll kill them as they attack
There is no going back
The chains I’ll release
And will do as I please

Better than before
More than Ronin by four score
I have an ideal
And now I’ll make it real

Did Open Carry Just Pass In Arkansas?

Handgun Cycling (Photo credit: dagnyg)

The Arkansas Legislature slipped a gun-bill under practically everyone’s radar and it was signed into law by the Governor. I had no clue of it’s existence till Nicholas Horton from The Arkansas Project broke the story here, he’s usually on top of everything so I’d check back if I were you. Now onto Act 746: AN ACT MAKING TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS CONCERNING THE POSSESSION OF A HANDGUN AND OTHER WEAPONS IN CERTAIN PLACES; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

From what I can understand “Journey” is finally defined, before it was ‘on a journey’ and left up for interpretation. If you leave the county you live in that now qualifies as a journey and you can have a loaded handgun in the vehicle with you without a permit as long you’re not going with the intent to shoot a certain person. Or to go to a shooting competition or target practice.

Here’s an interesting section:

(c) It is a defense to a prosecution permissible to carry a handgun under this section that if at the time of the act of carrying a weapon:
17 (1) The person is in his or her own dwelling, or place of business, or on property in which he or she has a possessory or proprietary
19 interest;

Open Carry on your property? A form of Constitutional Carry? The state gun rights group Arkansas Carry issued a press release here. We’ll see as this law is nitpicked and dissected.

Final Self-Assessment of the PM for MMA

Well I finished the 18 week program and took two steps forward and one step back. Since the last assessment I started really watching the carbs to cut the fat; and it worked very well since I’m back in my comfort zone. However it appears I sacrificed some size and my strength remains the same. I taped a Press Test and posted to Facebook here. I thought I had 6 reps, and thought I’d hit 7 however 5 was all I managed. My 60lb maximum remained which is 39% of my bodyweight so at least I’m not weaker and have a good strength to body weight ratio. Let’s look at body comp:

Fitness Progress Report:

Body Composition

Body Part                      Before                  After                   -/+

Neck                               14.00                   14.25             +.25

Shoulders                  44.50                   43.62              -.88

Chest                             38.00                  38.00               0

Waist                             32.50                   32.25              -.25

Biceps                           12.75                   12.50              -.25

Forearms                   11.10                    10.87             -.23

Thighs                         21.82                   21.95              +.13

Calves                          14                           13.8                -.20

Weight                         156 lbs              151.8                 -4.2 lbs

Body Fat %                15.7%                14.6%               -1.1%

Lean Body Mass    131.6 lbs        129.60           -1.0lbs

Final tally from when I started the program I have gains in weight, lean body mass, body fat, biceps, forearms, thighs and calves. Neck and chest dropped. Hmm, looking at it that way I feel better about the results. Big picture view works. I started practicing the more complex moves of the new program on Wednesday’s and that has helped my conditioning. Now after my deload week, no exercise at all I’ll get started on Mike Mahler’s Kettlebell Solution For MMA Strength And Conditioning though not at the level he recommends. I’ll start at two for the lifts instead of 5 since it’s my first time with double kettlebells, and I’ll be sprinting once a week as well for hormonal optimization. The strength will come from

Double Kettlebell Clean and Push Press

Double Kettlebell Squat Shrug

Guard Attack

Alternating Renegade Row

Full Body Attack or Full Body Defense

Double Swing

And Conditioning from One-Handed Swings and Squat Thrusts. Two lift days, one conditioning and one sprint day. Let’s see what that forges.

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• Three Years of Dedication; Conventional Wisdom Falls to the Primal Blueprint & Kettlebells (roninsjourney.wordpress.com)
• Geoff Neupert, StrongFirst Master Kettlebell Instructor, Releases New Video Showing the Best Upper Body Exercises to Use in Traditional Kettlebell Workouts (prweb.com)