As a manager at my day job, I have a rule that I got from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, which is that 4-out-of-5 interactions should be positive. That way people are excited to hear from you, receptive to what you have to say, and primed to become friends, associates, customers, and team members.

Do the 4-out-of-5-thing with yourself. Make notes in your training journal to reflect your successes and PRs. Note your milestones, goals achieved, and all of that. But you had better be critical as well.

There’s real power in realizing that you really aren’t all that amazing.

In my work as Christian apologist, seminarian, and deacon — and just in everyday life — I’ve noticed that many people who are critical of Christianity are folks who want to create a safety bubble of like-minded people around themselves in which nobody is threatened or criticized. All criticism is directed outward at the “other.” And when they criticize Christianity, I hear them say that Christianity creates a false sense of sin and guilt and then provides a make-believe solution in the form of forgiveness, salvation, and redemption.

I know this because I said those things myself after I lost my faith. Thank God I got it back. But I quickly noticed that there are a lot of complacent Christians create their little safety bubbles too. In their bubbles, everyone is Christian (perhaps even of their own denomination) and everyone outside it is the evil “other.”

To hell with safety bubbles.

If you’re sufficiently self-critical — if you’re doing the work of being the best person you can possibly be — then you are staring into the darkness of yourself and seeing some ugly things. You should feel the need to repent, to be washed clean, absolved, forgiven, saved and redeemed. And from time to time, you should need a life-line to prevent descent into self-loathing. I pray for the peace of non-Christians doing the work, because I’m not sure how that’s done.

But if you’re okay with who you are, and if everyone in your circle is also okay as they are, then sin, repentance, absolution and all of that either looks really stupid (atheists) or already handled (complacent Christians). Not much is getting done on the self-improvement horizon.

Believe or don’t believe in the reality of Christ. I hope you will. But either way, be critical of yourself and see past bubbles.

Critical: Mettle Maker #265

1. Warm-up before training.  To avoid injuries, warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes before you train. Do 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope or footwork (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, light heavy bag work, or 8 minutes of MBF.  
2. Can you manage your body weight or not? 4 sets of Chin-ups, Front Lunge (martial artists do them DDU-style), Bear Walks (5 yards), and Shoulder Rolls.  If this is your your MBF for today, do 4 reps/set slowly with perfect form.  If more intensity is needed or desired based on your training cycle and approach, increase the reps/set.  Don’t know what some these abbreviations?  Ask in the comments or schedule a call.
3. Can you hit stuff or not?  Set timer for 3 x 3:00/1:00.  Round 1: Lead hand straight Palm Strike once, Reverse Punch; lead hand straight Palm Strike twice, Reverse Punch; lead hand straight Palm Strike three times, Reverse Punch.  Repeat. Whenever you gas, change stance.  Round 2:  Same as first round, except alternate straight and hooking lead hand Palm Strikes.  Round 3: all Palm strikes, alternating lead and reverse hand, in ascending count sets — 1 strike, skip a beat; 2 strikes, beat, 3 strikes, beat; then 4.  
4. “Aggumplish” something you’ve been “slothilizing.”¹  You can’t run a marathon without practice or deadlift twice your bodyweight without ever having picked up something heavy.  But if you’ve been practicing a long time toward a goal that has been just out of reach, it might be time to push through and just get it done.  This week I ripped off the bandaid on two scores — I played my first guitar solo and finally got my rope climbed.  See video below for details.
5. Look at yourself for 10 minutes. This month’s spiritual symbol is the Candle and the associated activity is meditation.  Last week we used sound as a meditative tool.  This week we’re using a visual technique instead of an auditory one.  Set a timer for 10 minutes.  Assume your meditative posture of choice, calm your breathing to a slow and steady rhythm, and do not fidget, wiggle or scratch (meditation is a mental exercise, but it’s also about developing control over your instincts and reflexes).  Keeping your eyes open, imagine a translucent screen in front of you, and on that screen is a movie of your life.  It’s playing backwards starting right now.  Watch that movie unfold.  Do not think in words — only images.  Just like a real movie at the theater, it will skip certain chunks of time, but that’s okay.  Keep going back, back, back.  You might get back to last week, last month, college or pre-school.  That’s okay, everybody’s different.  When the timer beeps, analyze what you saw.  What did you like?  What did you not like?  Write down what you want to change in your training journal.

¹ Remember sniglets, created by Rich Hall?  Hilarious stuff.  What’s a sniglet?  “A word that doesn’t appear in the dictionary but should.”  Aggumplish is a mix of gumption and accomplish.  If you can’t figure out slothilize I can’t help you.

TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!

I’ve always wanted to be able to climb a rope.  Today I did it for the first time.  Let me tell you about the mindset you need to get this — and other hard things — done and dusted.

TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!

Pastor Cynthia Jackson of the Church of the Evangel (L) and her deacon (R) singing at the Feast of St. Andrew ordinations of Bishop Erik, Bishop Angela, Bishop Linda, and little old me to the role of deacon.

Sing Your Song: Mettle Maker #264

• Hum your solfège before you break out into song.  To avoid injuries, warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes before you train. Do 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope or footwork (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, light heavy bag work, or 8 minutes of MBF.  
• Wreck your rhythm.  Disrupt your form by picking up an awkward object, like a hiking stick or water bottle, and go for a run.  It’s amazing how a little thing can make such a big difference in terms of cadence and therefore, energy demand.  Try it!
• When it comes to your favorite weapon, change your tune.  With weapon in hand, can you safely run and perform key maneuvers like shoulder roll, side deadfall, forward dive, baseball slide, etc.?  If not, you should probably pause working on your fancy techniques and interpretive dance moves and start figuring it out.  If you can’t move with your knife, stick, tomahawk, gun, or what-have-you without killing yourself, that’s an issue.  Put in 10 minutes of movement practice with a dull/dummy version of your weapon.  Count the number of faults — times you touch yourself with the business end or point the weapon at yourself.  When your 10 minutes are up, perform 50 Push-ups for each fault.  For more help and guidance, sign up for the Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts Program.
• Learn a bird song.  This is a Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) that I identified using the Cornel Ornithology Lab’s free Birdnet app.  The single “weep” call at dawn or twilight is indicative of a calm area free of aggression by other birds or predators.  Learning bird calls brings your landscape alive.  Get there. 
• Sing a new psalm.  This month’s spiritual symbol is the Candle.  The wick runs through a candle the same way your spine runs through your body, and the flame at the top of the candle is analogous to enlightenment.  Try lighting your fire with meditative singing.  Chant or sing a piece of beloved scripture and see what happens to your head.  If you’re new to this, you’ll likely feel a little peculiar.  But if you stick with daily practice, in a few short weeks you will likely come to appreciate its affects.  I’ve pasted the words to one of my favorites below, as well as an audio recording.  A sung hymn, psalm or other “mantra” easily triggers a positively altered mental state.  Get there.  

Psalm 24, Responsorial Form

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!

The martial focus for this month is Sparring, the Symbol is the Candle, and the constitutional is:

2 minutes each of the following:

• Tire Flips
• Tire Burpees
• Tire Lunges
• Tire V-ups
• Tire Squats
• Tire Slams
• Tire Hops

Video below.

TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!

Earlier this week my wife said I was a contrarian.   

contrarian/ kän·’trer·ē·ən / noun. 1. one who espouses contradicting viewpoints, especially toward the majority 

I decided she was right and that I was okay with that. 

• Religion is hemorrhaging membership in the U.S. So I headed off to seminary and built a temple in my backyard.
• Most martial artists are doing either doing MMA, BJJ, Muay Thai, or traditional Eastern martial arts.  I’m practicing Western martial arts — Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble and Cabal Fang. 
• The rest of the world likes e-books and digital music.  I read paper books and listen to CDs.
• R&B, Hip-Hop, Rap and Pop dominate the music charts.  I prefer Blues, Rock, Metal and Punk.
• If there’s a topic nobody wants to talk about, I usually bring it up.

The other night I watched a couple of videos about the ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine COVID controversies, and they scared my socks off.  The hydroxychloroquine video — an interview of Dr. Peter McCullough by NYT and Men’s Vogue award winner and best-selling author Peter Leake — had to be put on Vimeo to keep from being banned.  The other one was on the highly respected Dark Horse podcast with Brett Weinstein.  

Why are contrary viewpoints on COVID and other topics being banned on YouTube, Twitter and other platforms?  No tin-foil hats here.  I think it’s about money.  Advertising revenue drives the news and social media, corporations and their lobbyists drive our politicians, and the almighty dollar is in charge.

In 1776 — for the first time in human history! — a citizenry decided to take control of their government from kings, queens, emperors and princes.  Corporations are the kings and emperors of the 21st century.  The next revolution will be against Amazon, Pfizer, Facebook, and Google.  Don’t believe me?  Watch The Social Dilemma.

• Revolt against your phone.  Put it down and read a book.
• Resist your web browser.  Try Duck Duck Go.
• Throw your Amazon boxes into the harbor and try buying local, or getting your books and CDs on Alibris.

Be a contrarian.  Come on in.  The water’s fine.

Contrarian: Mettle Maker #263

• Warm up before exercise.  To avoid injuries, warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes before you train. Do 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope or footwork (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, light heavy bag work, or 8 minutes of MBF.  
• 

  Wrestling dice ©

  Get out your floor bag or wrestling dummy.  Who trains catch wrestling techniques these days?  You do!  Set your timer for 12 minutes.  Complete as many sets as you can of Bottom Scissors (1 squeeze to failure), Shin Rides (10 each of mixed pop-ups and switches with perfect form from cross-body position), and Front Bridge (5 each mixed pop-ups and clocks from cross-body position). Created using the Wrestling Dice © program.  Get some. 
• Run two miles in two parts.  Who breaks up their run into two parts?  A contrarian, that’s who!  Run 1 mile, stop and practice your forms, flow drills, or shadowboxing for 12 minutes, and then run your second mile.  
• Try this month’s auto tire constitutional.  Who in their right mind uses auto tires for fitness?  A rebel, that’s who!  Complete 2 minutes each of Tire Flips, Tire Burpees, Tire Lunges, Tire V-ups, Tire Squats, Tire Hops, and Tire Slams.  Don’t know the exercises?  Read this.
• Practice meditation with an unspoken mantra.  Who keeps their mantra to themselves?  A renegade, that’s who!  Before you sit down, select a sacred phrase 10 to 15 words in length.  I prefer “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner” or “That which is below is like that which is above.”  Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes.  Assume posture of choice.  Keep your eyes open.  Do not fidget, wiggle or scratch.  Breathe in as you say the phrase in your head.  Hesitate with lungs full and airways open as you recite the phrase again.  Repeat, reciting the phrase in your head as you breathe out.  Again hesitate with lungs empty and airways open as you recite the phrase in your head.  An unspoken mantra times your breathing to a steady rhythm without having to count, and triggers a positively altered mental state. Get there.  

TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!

¹ruffle \rəf·əl\  vb 1. to roughen or abrade 2. to stand up (as in feathers or a collar) 3. to flip through as in the pages of a book 4. to fold back and forth in accordion fashion

²ruffle \rəf·əl\  n 1. a state or cause of agitation 2. a commotion or brawl 3. a surface disturbance ie. a ripple  4. a strip of fabric pleated on one edge 5. a low vibrating drumbeat

Bust of Patrick Henry at Scotchtown

Yesterday was Patrick Henry‘s birthday.  I’m a big fan.  I went to visit his house at Scotchtown last year.  Henry was a contrarian and an expert at ruffling feathers.  In honor of Patrick Henry’s birthday yesterday, allow me to ruffle your feathers with some of my favorite contrarian quotes from history and fiction.

• “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government – lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.”  ~Patrick Henry, Patrick Henry, Champion of Liberty
• “Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and generally more useful.” ~Mark Rippetoe
• “When deep space exploration ramps up, it will be the corporations that name everything, the Microsoft Galaxy, the IBM stellar sphere, Planet Starbucks… “ ~Narrator, Fight Club
• “We’re consumers. We are by-products of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty, these things don’t concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy’s name on my underwear. Rogaine, Viagra, Olestra.  Martha Stewart.” ~Narrator, Fight Club
• “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
• “Just because you are a character doesn’t mean that you have character.” ~Winston Wolfe, Pulp Fiction
• “I saw that the State was half-witted, that it was timid as a lone woman with her silver spoons, and that it did not know its friends from its foes, and I lost all my remaining respect for it, and pitied it.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
• “You don’t win wars with niceness, doctor. You win wars with guts.”  ~Col. Chester Phillips, Captain America: The First Avenger
• “When you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. But lawyers have other strategies including buying a stronger whip, changing riders, declaring that the horse is better, faster and cheaper dead, and finally, harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed.”  Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, The Wall Street Journal, 2/18/99

Ruffle: Mettle Maker #262

• Warm up before you train.  To avoid injuries, warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes before you train. Do 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope or footwork (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, light heavy bag work, or 8 minutes of MBF.  Here’s a fun MBF warm-up: 8 minutes of low-intensity 4-rep sets of HSPU, Shots, Spike Sprawls, and Shoulder Rolls.
• Don’t “work out.”  Train.  If you don’t have a plan or you’re just doing something to burn calories, you are “working out.”  Stop.  Think about where you want to go and devise a plan to get there.  What are the fundamental movements, fitness requirements, and success indicators in your martial art or sport endeavor?  What are you doing to tailor your training to suit them?  If you’re stuck, start here. 
• Read a book.  Research indicates that reading rewires and strengthens the mind, increases empathy, builds vocabulary, fights cognitive decline, reduces stress, aids sleep, alleviates depression, and lengthens lifespan. Read more here.  I read three in the last two weeks — A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Old Catholic Church, Self-Defense for Gentlemen and Ladies, and Relation of Virginia: A Boy’s Memoir of Life with the Powhatans and the Patawomecks.  If you want to read a book a week, you’re going to have to put down your cell phone, power off your Switch, and close your laptop.  Get there.
• Go outside in the rain.
  
  

  A rainy day tire run

  
  Look, the holes are in bottom of your nose and your skin is uniquely suited prevent absorption of falling water.  I promise that, no matter how stupid you are or how wet you get, you will neither drown nor stay wet forever.  Few things are better for mood and resilience than cultivating the ability take joy in inclement weather.  Get dirty!
• Practice contemplation — one of the four essential methods of spiritual development. Assume posture of choice and regulate breathing to a slow and steady rhythm. Keep your eyes open.  Do not fidget, wiggle or scratch. Allow your thoughts to dissipate like ripples on a pond and your mind to approach a state of calm and relaxed awareness.  Do not think at all, but especially not in words — do not evaluate, judge, make lists, fixate on emotions, let your mind wander, or any of that.  Just breathe and be.  Start with 5 minutes and work your way up to 20 minutes.  Eventually you should be able to do this for an hour if so desire.

TWO MARTIAL ARTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE. 100% free and operated through my non-profit, Cabal Fang is martial arts for personal development, self-defense and fitness. Bobcat Frontier Martial Arts is just $19.99/month and that’s your choice if you’re interested in Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble — the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period (1607 – 1912). What are you waiting for — enroll today!