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Title: Unleash the Warrior Within: Develop the Focus, Discipline, Confidence and Courage You Need to Achieve Unlimited Goals by Richard J. Machowicz ISBN: 1-56924-497-9 Publisher: Marlowe & Company Pub. Date: December, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.72 (46 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Good first effort from a very credible source
Comment: When deciding the merits of a self-help book, the very first thing one should do is look on the back cover and read the author's credentials. When I see terms like "consultant", "motivational speaker" or "owns own business" immediately the caution flag goes up. Store bookshelves simply are too full of books that conspire to tell us how to run our lives but are written by con men or Ivy League graduates with little or no real world experience.
But the ironically surnamed Richard Machowicz ain't no Bob Patterson- he is a Navy SEAL, a member of one of America's elite special forces. And that impressive designation on someone's resume alone makes one immediately sit up and pay attention.
Machowicz has taken his intense Navy SEAL training and has created a combination self defense and self-improvement system called Bukido. And within this book are some of the concepts of Bukido that are a breath of fresh air.
Especially useful are Richard's chapters "The Dynamic Elements of Combat", "Crush the Enemy Called Fear" and "Guarantee the Win". Drawing on examples from his combat and training experiences, as well as student examples, one learns organizing tasks into primary and secondary targets, recognizing and "walking through" fear, and a truly "winning" concept known as "Advantage Stacking". Richards' treatise on fear, and his theory that most negative human reactions can be traced to it, is nothing new but a concept well worth taking from the book.
Richard's honest style is fun. Unlike other gurus who present themselves as these happy go lucky people with great families and perfect lives, Machowicz readily admitted to his trouble with women. He also describes one encounter as a mall with a student who dropped out. Instead of telling us in glowing terms how he motivated this ne'er do well to give Bukido another try, he realizes it's a lost cause, and shakes his hand to wish him well.
Unfortunately, "Warrior" gets a little lost in acronyms and sometimes Machowicz gets too deep into his concepts, or not deep enough, without showing the reader useful practical tools to truly make them work in our everyday lives. There are some exercises, but they didn't all seem to do much for me. I found the middle of the book extremely hard to get through. The "Verbal Command Request" comes across an amateur neuro-lingusitic programming, and ACTE (I won't get into what this means) was pure drudgery. The chapter entitled "Master Your Weapons" is something so basic and heard before, that I frankly found it very boring.
But to his credit the author wraps things nicely at the end of the book, describing a SEAL mission and using every concept described in the book as an example. The concluding chapter on complacency is simply inspiring.
And to me, that's what the book seems to be missing: inspiration. The reader walks away with a few tools, and the germs of some great ideas. But I still get up in the morning after reading the book, and turn to caffeine for motivation. Maybe I need to attend a Bukido class.
That does not mean the book is not worthwhile, and I especially hope Machowicz writes some followups. It almost seems as if he was trying to squeeze an entire volume on "Fear" into one chapter; perhaps an entire book on this concept would be a welcome read in the over saturated self help field.
In the meantime, Richard please don't track me down and beat me up for giving your first book only 3 stars!
Rating: 5
Summary: Great even for a pacifist!!
Comment: I'm a middle aged woman whose biggest battle in life has been with my weight. I don't care for the testosterone-laden metaphors for business and life, and have little interest in martial arts. Yet this has to be one of the most powerful and helpful books I've read in a long time.
MACHOwicz (can you believe that name!!!) fills the book with very practical steps on how to identify the "targets" in your business and life, and how to approach them with the mindset of a Navy Seal. I did that and have accomplished more in the past two months than I have in the last couple of years put together.
The only weakness in the book is that some of the analogies to military action are difficult to apply to non-military "targets" and I wish he had given a few more examples, particularly of the CARVER procedure.
Still, that's such a minor complaint that I couldn't bring myself to lower the rating by even one point.
By the way, if you like this kind of book, check out Michael Janke's "Take Control" and "Power Living." Janke is also an ex-Navy Seal and his books are written in the same vein.
Rating: 5
Summary: A rare find.
Comment: This is one of a very few books I have read in one sitting. As someone who has read all the self-help books I can get my hands on, I had identified self-discipline, organization, and a plan of action as lacking in my efforts to achieve my goals.
This book addresses all of concerns, as though it were written especially for me. I can't thank the author enough for the additional tools he has given me to achieve my goals. Only 189 pages, but the author has made each one count. Easily one of the 5 favorites in my library of over 1,000 books.
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Title: Ultimate Guide to Mental Toughness: How to Raise Your Motivation, Focus and Confidence Like Pushing a Button by Daniel Teitelbaum ISBN: 0966431200 Publisher: Mental Toughness Pub. Date: 01 December, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self by Rosalene Glickman ISBN: 0471414646 Publisher: Wiley Pub. Date: 29 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Self-Discipline in 10 Days: How to Go From Thinking to Doing by Theodore Bryant ISBN: 1880115026 Publisher: HUB Pub Pub. Date: 1999 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Take Control by Michael Janke ISBN: 156833172X Publisher: Madison Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Discipline: Training the Mind to Manage Your Life by Harris Kern, Karen Willi ISBN: 1403367248 Publisher: Authorhouse Pub. Date: 01 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.50 |
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