The Blueprint

I spent these last two weeks traveling, without Hagakure and Book of Five Rings in my possession. All I had with me was The Unfettered Mind. And maybe it’s just the mood I’m in. Maybe it’s the translation I have. Maybe I’m just not bright enough. But something isn’t connecting me to that material. I loved the 1st chapter. I don’t get the 2nd and 3rd. I will re-read for a 3rd time in a couple of months, maybe from a different translation. I know it’s supposed to be great…it’s not that great for me right now.

Without those other two books, I’ve felt a little uninspired. A little lost. I equate it to a religious man who reads the bible every day…what happens when you take that bible away from him?

Then it dawned on me late last night. A man who reads the bible every day doesn’t need it in front of him to know the principles. He doesn’t need to see the cover of the book to be inspired by the words inside. He knows everything he needs to know. I have read The Book of Five Rings and Hagakure…the blueprint is already laid out for me.

I know exactly how I want to live and what I want out of life. The only problem is that even though we know the right way, we oftentimes go in the wrong direction.

If you know everything you are supposed to eat…why aren’t you eating that? If you know you need 7 hours of sleep…why are you staying up late every night? If you know you should be working out and meditating every day…why aren’t you? You know which activities you engage in that are productive and which are destructive…do not you engage in any of the latter. You know the relationships that add energy, motivate, and inspire you…do not engage with people that only subtract. You know everything you are supposed to do…so why aren’t you doing all of it?

You have in your possession, everything you need to get everything you want in life. You know the goal. You know the right path. What is stopping you from walking it?

Do this. Envision what you want. It could be anything. Something material, a job, or finding a significant other. Write that goal down. Now create a REALISTIC blueprint of how you are going to get there. Step by step. Really think about it and write down every hurdle you need to clear.

Keep that vision and that blueprint close to you. Every morning ask what you are going to do that day to reach your vision. Look at the blueprint and decide which of those you are going to work towards tackling that day. Every night, and ask yourself if you did everything you could that day to reach your vision.

You already have the blueprint in your mind to get everything you want out of life. All you need to do is follow it.