A New Approach to Gain Needed Traits

At some point in our lives each of us takes at least a moment to step outside of our bodies and look at ourselves from an external position. For me this reflective time has occurred while looking in a mirror and thinking about important decisions or possibilities that are coming in the near future. For instance, before I originally decided to major in accounting. I remember looking at myself in the mirror one morning asking if I could see myself being an accountant. Could I picture this tall, shaved head, serious faced individual wearing a suit, white shirt, and a tie approaching a client to audit or prepare taxes for him/her? Did I have the mental capacity to do the work? Did I have the personality needed to succeed? Would clients trust me enough to allow me to view confidential records or business material? I asked myself these questions, and probably a few more I can’t remember right now, to try and get an idea if the decision I was about to make would be one I could live with for many years to come. Since I was able to answer these questions in a satisfactory way I made the decision and picked my major. Now, the fact that there were a lot of questions I didn’t think about, let alone think of an answer for, is another issue all together. The point is that the first time this occurs there are a few typical reactions and at least one powerful emotion. Today, we’re going to run through what occurs when you perform this introspection and then get to the new approach to gain needed traits.

In order to be remotely accurate in this self search you have to start with honesty. You have to be able to look at yourself as if you were on the outside of a fish tank looking in. You have to notice how you react to the other fish; how you prefer to swim; how you like to eat; how you try to defend your territory. Do you lead the school of fish or are you just one more fish behind the leader? Without a base level of accuracy all you’re doing is lying to yourself and this can have devastating consequences on your future. Say for instance that you do not have the mental capacity to successfully complete your chosen major, but you lie to yourself and say you do. You’re setting yourself up for countless days and nights of unending frustration, stress and worry. If I would have picked Chemistry as a major I would have gone insane. Chemistry is the one subject I’ve put TONS of work in and still managed to have below a 50 average. There is something about chemistry that just doesn’t click with me and to know that and still try and make that my life pursuit would have been destructive. So remember, the first thing you have to do is be honest with yourself.

Once you have honesty the first thing that will happen (at least with me) is a sense of shock. I believe that most people view themselves through ‘rose colored glasses’. They don’t necessarily see themselves objectively, they view themselves subjectively. They think they are smarter, stronger, better looking, wittier, and any number of things than other people. Other people might see them as a smart ass, instead of smart; an overconfident weakling, instead of strong; a self-centered ego maniac, instead of good looking. We, as individuals, have the luxury of knowing why we do things and then the ability to place our actions into the proper context. Others, however, probably don’t know our reasoning (or care about it at all) and just see our actions. What I discovered when I first performed this introspection is that others probably view me a LOT differently than I view myself, and to be as successful in the world as I desire to be I must view myself as an outsider looking in (this is still not an easy task).

After being honest and getting over my shock I started analyzing the traits that I thought I needed in order to be a successful accountant. Although accounting really doesn’t have much to do with math at all, I do like numbers. I like looking at pages of numerical data and making something out of it. Put a plus on the accounting side. I’m a bit of a perfectionist (Ok, that’s a little bit of an understatement. I expect perfection. Period.) so the whole paying attention to detail is right up my alley. I typically have no problem at all interacting with new and different people, so put a check by "client friendly". Virtually every question I could think of as to whether or not I should major in accounting I put down in the positive column of, “Yes, I can become an accountant.”

You’re probably not going to be able to say ‘Yes’ to every question you can think of concerning your decision or direction. Sometimes you’re going to have an overwhelming ‘NO!’ for an answer (this is where honesty really plays a big roll). My overwhelming ‘NO!’ came from the question, “Do I fit in with other accountants?” I have to say that I don’t fit in with the majority of accountants. I’m very straightforward and direct; where as most of my classmates were not. I enjoy the work of accounting, but I do not want to spend all day everyday inside. I typically get along a lot better with blue collar workers than white collar workers. I question everything and have a VERY hard time accepting the response “That’s how we’ve always done it.” or “That’s just how it is.” As a professor once told me, “You’re going to have a very hard life in accounting because you just don’t fit the mold.” When you come across the no’s in this introspection you have to ask yourself if you’ll be able to perform and maintain your happiness in spite of the issue. If not, I suggest moving on to the next option.

To jump ahead: I tell you all this because I’ve had to look at myself in the mirror and ask, “Do you have what it takes to start and run your own business?” I believe I do, but there are a couple areas I know I’m going to need help with. These areas are confidence, emotional control, discipline, and physical health. I’ve decided to take a new approach to gain/improve these traits in myself. I’ve decided to pick back up my training in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Ninjutsu. Let me explain how I think training in Ninjutsu will help me improve the four areas mentioned above.

The first area I see Ninjutsu helping me in is my confidence. When starting a business I think I will need all the confidence I can muster; I already possess a healthy dose of confidence in my mental abilities. As it stands, I already believe I will be able to successfully accomplish any task I set for myself. Also, if any problems arise I believe that I possess the mental capacity to overcome them and move forward. The confidence gained from Ninjutsu is much different than being confident in my mental capacity. With Ninjutsu I will gain a certain physical confidence (not to be confused with physical arrogance). A confidence that will allow me to say that, “Everyone here is a little safer because of me.” (Robert Humphrey) I will also gain confidence in the fact that I will be creating a whole new set of skills for myself. Those that know me know that I am one of the least athletically inclined individuals out there. The only form of athletics I’ve ever been any good at is working out. Other than that I am uncoordinated and downright goofy. So gaining the skills necessary to progress in Ninjutsu will show me that I can learn skills that are not solely related to mental capacity. The new realm of confidence I think I will gain from Ninjutsu just might be the edge I need to truly succeed at my own business.

The next area I see Ninjutsu helping me out in is in emotional control. As one of my closest friends likes to say, “[People] can read me like a book.” I’ll be honest; I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. If I’m happy you know it because I do my best to share it with everyone. If I’m angry you can tell very quickly because my face turns bright red (and if I’m really angry I sometimes have a vein in my forehead pop out). When I’m worried or concerned you can tell by my quietness and inability to focus on the task at hand. Basically, no one ever has to guess what I’m thinking. If I have some grand idea I basically turn into that kid in school who is about to stand up and raise their hand because they want the teacher to call on them so they can share their answer/knowledge with the whole class. One of the things I like about Ninjutsu is that it encompasses both the body and the mind of a person. As my instructor likes to say sometimes, “Ninjutsu not only teaches you how to defend yourself, it also provides you with the mental and emotional stability to know when to use it.” Ninjutsu will help me gain the emotional control that will help me succeed in my own business.

Ninjutsu will also help me gain more discipline. As I’ve mentioned in other postings, I have no problem knocking out goals I set for myself. That is, as long as the goal can be achieved in a relatively short term. If a goal is going to takes more than a few months or maybe even years my success rate is not very high. My problem is that I get bored. Once I get bored I start looking for something new and when I find that new thing, whatever it is, I jump on it and charge ahead full steam. Unless I can’t accomplish it quickly, then I start over on the same cyclical trip. To me, Ninjutsu and discipline go hand in hand. In order to master the different techniques and skills needed in Ninjutsu you must be disciplined to practice on your own. As with anything worth learning, if you just do/use it while in class you won’t learn much. It takes practice outside of class to gain the necessary skill levels. Luckily, I really enjoy Ninjutsu and have no problem practicing it outside of class. Also, discipline comes into play with Ninjutsu in knowing when to use what you’ve learn. With Ninjutsu we are taught that it should only be used to defend our family, ourselves, or others (if necessary). Where discipline comes into play here is in making certain that we don’t walk around like arrogant bullies. I also intend on displaying discipline by setting a goal of gaining the rank of Shodan (1st degree black belt). Since this goal will take anywhere from three to five years I will need to display enormous discipline to accomplish it. Discipline will help me in too many ways to count when starting and running my own business. The most sought after goal for me is in being able to set a long term goal and reach it.

The fourth area I see Ninjutsu helping me with is my physical health. Although it is not mandatory to be in great shape to learn and perform Ninjutsu, it definitely helps. Also, many of the exercises and actions are fairly demanding and will improve my physical health through repetition and practice. In terms of starting and running my own business, being in good physical shape will allow me to work the extended hours that are usually necessary to start and run a business. Also, being in shape will mitigate the effects of stress that are common with a startup.

I think Ninjutsu will really help me out on this adventurous journey I’ve begun. I hope that this post helps you see that solutions to your problems can come from unexpected sources.

Until next week…