You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you think.”
A.A. Milne
Novelist, poet, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh
I’m nursing some aches and pains after spending the weekend in Dublin with my eldest daughter, Tilly, taking part in what is probably the world’s leading self-defence intensive. Tilly turned 17 this year, and as she ventures out into the world on her own, it’s important that she learn how to take care of herself. Patrick Cumiskey of Krav Maga Ireland teaches the intensive; a programme he’s been refining for over 10 years. In that time, he’s taught over 45,000 people, including civilians, police and special forces combatants. Patrick attended one of my courses 10 years ago, and I was fascinated by how he was using accelerated learning to teach people to defend themselves, so I attended his programme. The impact was so enormous that I ended up telling the story in my new book to point you to your innate capacity for creating results. In this article you’re going to be introduced to your inner results-creator.
Here’s an excerpt from my forthcoming book RESULTS: Think Less, Achieve More (© 2016 Jamie Smart, John Wiley & Sons Ltd).
“This system uses your innate capacities and instinctive abilities, developed by evolution over hundreds of thousand of years…”
I’d never thought of myself as a fighter, but just a few hours into the experiment, I was hit by a sudden realization about our nature as human beings…
You’re built for reality…
You’re optimised for results…
You’ve evolved to survive, transform and thrive…
The experiment was Krav Maga, a powerful self-defence system invented in the 1930s to help Czech Jews protect themselves against Nazi thugs. I was doing a weekend workshop designed to train ordinary people to respond quickly and effectively in dangerous situations. And why is it so effective? Because it runs on the “operating system” of your innate capacities and instincts; pre-existing abilities that show up automatically, without you having to think about it consciously. I’d never thought of myself as a fighter, but in just a few hours I was introduced to the fighter that had been right there within me, my whole life.
You’re going to be introduced to the “operating system” of your innate capacities and instincts for creating meaningful results and living a life you love. As you discover the results-creator that’s been right there within you your whole life, your ability to create the results you desire and enjoy the process is going to increase exponentially.
You’re built for reality, optimised for success, with the factory-settings for creating results. By definition… Whether you believe it or not. There’s a built-in quality check that nature has performed on every one of your ancestors going back millions of years: were they fit enough, resilient enough, attractive enough, creative enough, aware enough, courageous enough and wise enough to get safely to breeding age, have children and pass on their genetic material? The fact that you’re here means the answer to that question was “yes”, hundreds of thousands of times in succession.
You are a state of the art results-creator, tempered in the furnace of millions of years of evolution…
This means that the hardware and software that comprises you has been through countless iterations, beautifully tuned, improved and adjusted for living in this world. You’re built for being, walking, talking, loving, learning, playing, working, resting, thinking, making, growing, appreciating, reflecting, realizing, transforming, creating and much more. And one of the most valuable gifts that helps you survive and thrive in reality is your innate capacity for realization and insight.
You have an innate capacity for realization and insight
A realization is a fresh new thought; an insight that brings your understanding more closely into alignment with the truth of some aspect of life. History has numerous examples of dramatic realizations that have changed the world, for instance…
- Isaac Newton’s insights into the principle of gravity that transformed our understanding of the material world and paved the way for the industrial revolution
- The realizations about “invisible matter” on doctor’s hands that prompted Ignaz Semmelweis’ pioneering of antiseptic procedures
- James Watson’s breakthrough discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure, leading to numerous modern-day applications including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and forensics
Realisations reveal pre-existing facts about the reality you’re built for
In each case, the realisation revealed the existence of pre-existing facts about some aspect of life; principles or laws behind how life already works. There are many more examples that make the history books, but it may surprise you to learn that you’ve had countless realizations and insights in your own life…
Let’s start with a universal example: walking. You spent the months before you were born in a near-weightless environment. Then you emerged into this world and started learning about the implications of gravity; a pre-existing fact of life. As you started exploring this new domain, you effortlessly processed the megabytes of data pouring through your senses and had realisations about the fact of gravity. These realizations came automatically, without you even having to think about it consciously. By the time you were able to stand on two feet and walk freely, your realisations had given you a deep “embodied understanding” of the implications of gravity. Today, your ability to walk is built on that embodied understanding; an understanding you developed without even knowing you were doing it.
You have an innate capacity for realisation…
A realisation brings you more closely into alignment with reality…
The more aligned with reality you are, the more effective you can be at creating results…
By the way, if you get better acquainted with your inner results-creator, I’m doing an “up close and personal” session later this week so you can experience a profound shift in your life. The morning session has sold out, and there are only a few places left in the afternoon. Here’s the skinny:
– There will be the chance to have 1:1 work with me during the session
– It’s at a super-low price which is going up on Wednesday at midnight
– You can join us either live in London, or virtually via live streaming
If you’re a coach, trainer, therapist or consultant and want to take your results to a whole new level, I highly recommend you book a place. Experience shows that this event will sell out, and in all likelihood, that will happen today. So, if you’re ready to make a change, book your place now, and I’ll see you on Thursday.
To your increasing clarity,
Big love,
Jamie
PS the self-defence course with KravMagaIreland.com was brilliant. Tilly and I both came away feeling confident and empowered, with practical approaches for dealing with the most common situations. Most importantly, we both feel even more capable of getting home safely and enjoying our lives. Highly recommended.