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