Life As A Warrior

Lesson 5: Focus “Do not let your opponent distract you or fake you out.” --Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of 5 Rings There are a few definitions of focus that are applicable to this context. One definition, however, stood out the most for me: focus - the center of interest or activity. If something is the center of interest, then, by default everything else outside of that “center” is periphery. Human vision is very intriguing because our center of vision is very narrow, approximately the size of a dinner plate. Therefore, at any given time we’re looking at something, our eyes can only focus on an area the size of a standard dinner plate—approximately 9-11 inches in diameter. Everything else outside of that center, then, is out of focus and in our periphery. This means that our eyes have to continually scan our surroundings to get a “clear” picture of everything around us. And, to further show how amazingly intricate the human mind is, our brains have to interpret those images in an almost perpetual stream of data and information we take in and make sense of it all, in real time! So, what does all this mean for the warrior? It means that there are many things surrounding us that can easily distract us if we don’t focus—i.e., center our concentration on the object of interest. I love this topic of discussion in The Book of 5 Rings. Musashi spends a great deal of time stressing the importance of not allowing ourselves to be distracted from our mission. He makes it clear in a section called “Crossing the Sea” that many opponents will rise up against us, but that we must not be deterred from the course of our destination—i.e., our goals, dreams, aspirations. Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander and great tactician, coined the expression, and I’m paraphrasing, “I will either find a way or make one.” Theodore Ayrault Dodge, a military historian, called Hannibal the “father of strategy” because Rome, his greatest enemy, even adopted some of his tactics into their own arsenal. Hannibal’s dogged determination could only rise from having a laser-like focus. I guess you can call focus the “yeast” of a plan because, without it, there will be no (or very little) rise of the intended results. Musashi says that it’s important that we distinguish between what’s important, and what’s intended to distract us. He asserts this discernment of intent comes with a keen eye and practice. When we remain open and aware, keenly observing the things around us, Musashi says, “…even the subtlest of intents will become shockingly obvious to you.” So, if something isn’t in direct line (center) to achieving your goal, ignore it. If something isn’t directly hindering you from achieving your goal, then, it may simply be a distraction. You should avoid it. Dousing small and insignificant conflagrations and flames outside of your direct path to success only weakens you, limiting the amount of energy and strength you can exert toward your actual intended target. Any good competitor knows this, and will use this knowledge to his advantage. If I, as your opponent, can distract you and have your expending energy on unimportant matters, then, it makes it easier for me to overcome you and walk away with the spoils of the combat. The preceding excerpt is an example of what Life as a Warrior portends to be: An informative and practical guide that can be applied in a diverse array of situations, competitive or otherwise. The lesson on focus could for intents and purposes been the entire book. So much emphasis is placed on the importance of focus that it’s almost an ironic temptation to be distracted by that chapter rather than complete the book in its entirety. As stated in the excerpt, focus is the major key to success in any endeavor, that and vision. Vision comes before focus. If I could translate the two into an analogy, vision would be the cup of coffee, focus would be the sustained nourishment that sees that initial burst of energetic sight unfold. Our focus is so dear yet easily broken if we allow things to distract us. As Lesson 5 indicates, anything not directly in the center of our vision is considered peripheral, or outside, and hence a “distraction”. This means that defining something as a distraction is a personal matter and quite relative in nature. What may be important to me may be a distraction to you. If a parent calls their teen’s hobby a “waste of time”, then, to them it is. However, to the teen, what he or she chooses to place in their center field of vision (or their focus) is just that, important to them. It isn’t a distraction. That’s why vision dictates what we focus on. If my vision or goal is to finish this book, then, I’m going to devote the energy, the time, the effort, the patience, the focus necessary to see it though. Publishing a book isn’t a distraction to me because it’s what I want to do. And so, seeing that vision come into reality is the fruition of my focused exertion. My goal for Life as a Warrior is to touch the lives of the young primarily, young men specifically, but anyone who dares to rise above limitations especially. This book, in my opinion, has the potential to change your life if you read it with an open mind and study the lessons therein. I did not invent the wheel here. Heck, I didn’t even re-invent the wheel. What I did was compile the best from earlier classic works on strategy, mixed in my own experiences in competition on the golf course, and threw in my dogged determination for good measure to deliver my gift to you: This is LIFE AS A WARRIOR. God bless.