| Have you ever been convinced to walk away | | | | So how do we overcome this onslaught of |
| from your dreams by people who manage to | | | | negativity that assaults our dreams, threatening |
| throw enough self doubt at you to win that war | | | | to drown them out of existence? We must learn |
| of attrition? The constant day in and day out | | | | how to reinforce our mental immune systems. I |
| negativity that pushes you to give up your | | | | call it "mental martial arts" ~ the ability to shatter |
| dreams and conform to something you're not? | | | | belief systems that imprison the mind, body and |
| "What are you nuts? You can't do that!" "Oh | | | | spirit. We must earn our Black Belts as Dreamers! |
| there's another hair brained scheme!" "Get Real! | | | | So what is a Black Belt Dreamer? Why the |
| Go get a real job!" "Who do you think you are? | | | | concept of Mental Martial Arts and the term of |
| You aren't something special, stick to the things | | | | "Black Belt Dreamer?" Because a Black Belt in |
| you can handle." "What are you stupid or | | | | martial arts is the highest rank of achievement in |
| something? Why do you think you can do that?" | | | | the skills of self-defense and mental discipline. In |
| "How on earth are you going to accomplish that?" | | | | my newly published book "Becoming a Black Belt |
| Lambasting you with negativity, giving you the | | | | Dreamer ~ Unleash The Dream Warrior Within!" I |
| message "Who are you to become an author, or | | | | have defined a focused, strong, step-by -process |
| an inventor, or any number of other things your | | | | on how to stand your ground against the |
| dreams may lead you to?" The litany goes on and | | | | onslaught of daily negativity and nay-Sayers in |
| on... | | | | your lives. This process utilizes martial arts |
| We are taught to focus on the impossibility of our | | | | philosophy and techniques, applying them to |
| dreams as adults, why things "can't be done"; to | | | | mental self defense, building up our mental |
| hide behind the "how" instead of understanding | | | | immune system to fight to regain and protect |
| that the first step is to reconnect with our | | | | that which is most precious; our ability to dream. |
| dreams in a magnificent flight of imagination. Don't | | | | Perhaps it would help to give you a little history |
| worry about the "how" first; the means will come | | | | on the subject and what it means to me. In my |
| to you as part of the process. The question of | | | | life I have had to lean how to defend myself, not |
| "How are you going to do that?" is so often used | | | | just physically, but mentally, emotionally and |
| as a weapon against us by negative people, proof | | | | spiritually as well. As a child I grew up in a cult |
| of our "imminent failure." We are told to | | | | environment where I was constantly told I was |
| prematurely focus on the "how" before the | | | | worthless, useless and undeserving of love. I |
| "what" and this stops the process before it has | | | | endured years of emotional and mental abuse. I |
| even begun. The energy you generate by | | | | grew up without knowing my biological father, |
| focusing on the what, will bring forth the how. | | | | watched helplessly as my mother was repeatedly |
| Planning is a wonderful thing, there is nothing | | | | robbed of her money and as my brother was |
| wrong with that, however if you focus on the | | | | exiled from the family at a young age. As |
| fact that you "don't" know how yet, then you will | | | | devastating as this story sounds, it led me to one |
| miss all the possible "how's" that show up when | | | | undeniable conclusion: I am a conqueror! At my |
| you begin to truly entertain that dream first. | | | | lowest points in life (there's been more than one), |
| The fact of the matter is that we possess more | | | | a powerful and imaginative warrior was always |
| personal power than we even know...I read a | | | | there to rescue me. Now I know that warrior |
| definition of personal power once that said that it | | | | was me! |
| is: "Your capacity to dream without limits and fulfill | | | | What started out as a passion for martial arts |
| those dreams through your imagination." I'm afraid | | | | has expanded into far more than that, it became |
| I do not recollect the author but I like the way | | | | not just a means of learning physical self-defense |
| they put it. The ability to manifest our own reality | | | | and mental discipline, but also fueled my ability to |
| is the power of creation itself. I believe that | | | | defend myself spiritually and emotionally as well |
| developing these abilities is a gift to ourselves and | | | | through the turmoil of a very restrictive and |
| the world. | | | | challenging upbringing. Why am I telling you this |
| It can be a long and sometimes difficult journey | | | | story? Because I strive to use my own |
| to re-discover those qualities in ourselves after | | | | experiences of oppression, abuse and isolation as |
| years of being trained to deny their existence. | | | | real-life examples that every individual has the |
| We use our personal power as children without | | | | power to transcend any situation - no matter |
| even knowing what we are doing but then we | | | | how hopeless it seems. That is how I became |
| are trained what to believe, how to think, and to | | | | The Black Belt Dreamer - fighting, surviving and |
| limit ourselves by having our perception and | | | | winning against all odds. I believe that regardless |
| interpretation of the world dictated to us by our | | | | of our mistakes, traumas and tragedies, we all |
| conditioning. As a child our personal power is | | | | have an inner dream warrior that empowers us |
| limitless, but as we grow older it so often remains | | | | to walk through the fires o f life and create the |
| untapped. | | | | reality we truly desire. |