New to Ready Force; Talk the talk is designed to produce a topic of interest and connect you directly to the forum page of the Ready Force website by clicking on http://www.readyforce.net/forum. You can comment on the topic of this newsletter or on any of the topics featured there by going through the simple sign up procedure. I will respond to anything you want to bring up and this is a great chance to get input from other people on anything you want to sound off on. The best comments posted on the Forum will be featured in the end of the year newsletter in a special section! In addition, in the month of January 2007, one person from the forum will be selected to win an autographed copy of my book, The Warrior's Mantra, and a one-on-one training session with me on the topic of their choice. You name it; fitness, nutrition, stress management or anything from the warrior sciences, it's up to you! This is a great way to start off the New Year, so let those comments flow!

This month's Talk the Talk topic is: Reasons to Train. I would like to know two things:

First: What do you let get in the way of your training. What excuses do you come up with on a regular basis to justify once again not advancing yourself mentally, physically and/or spiritually? I would be willing to bet the number one reason is TIME, but let's hear those excuses! By the way, I'm not immune from this either as you will see when you go to the Forum page to respond.

Second: What do you do to deal with the things that get in the way of your training? What do you use to motivate yourself against the demons that keep you from reaching your goals? What is your excuse to train? For example, if time is an issue, then tell us how you are making or finding the time to train.

By addressing these central issues we can come up with a great list of ideas, perhaps things we have never considered before, that will help us deal with the inevitable horse pucky life is constantly tossing in our path to divert us from our goals. Just click on the following link and sign up for access to the Forum page of Ready Force, and let fly! It's a great place to sound off and help others overcome some of the barriers to training. http://www.readyforce.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=9

I recently had someone challenge me about some personal safety classes I conduct. These classes are not designed for police officers, rather they serve the general population, people who are interested in learning how to protect themselves and improve their safety. We talk about a lot of things including how to deal with extreme stress when you are challenged by someone or something dangerous, how to improve your intuition and the "gift of fear", how to settle the bodies physiology through stress inoculation techniques and breathing principles, and so on. The person who challenged me was incensed that someone would actually teach things like this. they told me that I was being insensitive because I was making people paranoid, afraid to live their lives. They told me in no uncertain terms that they would rather not know these things because "ignorance is bliss".

I told them to take a number.

When they asked me, hands on hips and jaw set, what the "hell" I meant by that; I told them that they should take a number because they would without a doubt make an excellent victim and that they were indeed setting themselves up to become just that!

If I were a predator this is the type of person I want. The one who has their head buried so deep between their biscuits, unwilling to even acknowledge that life can toss a challenge at us at any time, that when they are confronted they just crumble into an emotional heap. Ah yes, this is a victim in the making because victims waste their time on the things they can not control and survivors focus on what they can control. Victims wallow in denial, like this person, while survivors acknowledge risk and do something about it. One is predestined for failure and the other is predestined for success.

A survivor is the kind of person who is willing to acknowledge that life can include, at times, elements of real danger, but they are also willing to empower themselves with the knowledge they need to deal with it when it comes. My training is not about freaking out a group of people and turning them into drooling paranoids who can't or won't function in society because they are overwhelmed by the possibility of danger. This is about helping people to discover the innate warrior spirit that resides within us all so they NEVER have to walk in fear again. Just having your awareness awakened is in and of itself one of the most empowering experiences anyone can have in this life. Imagine what it would be like to know you can keep yourself calm, cool and collected the next time you are facing a serious situation. Imagine and you have taken the first step toward becoming a survivor!

This brings me to a short story about my daughter. She's 11 years old, very small for her age and in the 6th grade. She was walking into her class carrying a large, colorful poster she had created for a class project. She walked past an 8th grader who is known in the school as a bully. Being an 8th grader he is significantly larger than my daughter and the "big man" tried to intimidate my daughter by yelling at her that he "hated" her poster. He, of course, had his friends with him because like all cowards they are only "strong" in a group.

My daughter, without missing a beat, turned to face the much larger coward. She set her jaw and probably looked like she grew two feet as she looked him right in the eye and said; "That's OK, I hate your face!" With that she turned, shoulders back and head up, to walk away in total confidence. The bully, and all his friends who had watched the exchange, just stood there in stunned silence. He has never bothered my daughter again. That's the warrior spirit in action and we can all call upon it when there is a need!

My good friend and mentor Dr. John Mason, owner and founder of the Stress Education Center, www.dstress.com, refers to the coming holiday season as the "holidaze". John has it exactly right. Starting right after Halloween the silly season is thrust upon us with a fury. You only have so many freaking days until... Give me a break. Our lives are already so insanely busy we don't have time to wipe our privates let alone take on one more thing! So, let's throw some gas on the fire and spend hundreds (if your lucky) on gifts, fight traffic, crowds and grumpy people all in the name of celebrating. Things that make ya go humm.

So, should we cancel the holiday season? Can you say Scrooge? Not an option. So, since we can't stop the craziness, what can we do? Well, planning is a good start. Setting a good plan into motion can at least keep things organized. You can also get creative like Dr. Mason. He literally waits until Christmas Eve to do his shopping. Not because he's lazy. Dr. Mason has turned the holiday into a game. He actually looks forward to going out and letting his feelings guide him to the gifts. No stress, he just looks at what he can afford and buys what feels right without an agenda. He often takes his son with him and the goal is to just have fun with it. Dr. Mason is also a person who likes to people watch. What better night of the year is there than to watch all the other shoppers, (mostly men), running through the local mall in a state of near panic. Pure entertainment folks!

At the very least please remember to set some quite time aside for yourself when you feel the pace of the season increase. Even a couple of short 10 minute breaks just sitting in silence and thinking about nothing can be amazingly rejuvenating. Bottom line, remember to take good care!

Last newsletter we talked about the E. coli outbreak in spinach and how the media played the fear card to the max. I told you that produce sales were down for all fruits and vegetables across the board at my local supermarket. I checked again, 30 days after the outbreak was first reported. Yep, sales are still down significantly. Fear has done its job well again. I imagine it will be some time before people begin to trust the food supply. I suppose this is a natural response and I'm sure many people feel it is prudent given the seriousness of recent events. As for me, I've never seen a better selection of produce available since a lot of people are abstaining and I'm enjoying the bounty of the end of summer harvest! I've said this many times; victims focus on what they can not control, survivors focus on what they can. I'm taking normal food precautions and loving my fruits and veggies!

Speaking of fruits and veggies, here is one of the best weight loss tips ever. Forget dieting; think in terms of setting yourself up for lifetime nutrition. Instead of taking things away from your diet that you love to eat, try adding things! Try adding an extra fruit or vegetable to every meal and make sure you eat it first. In this way you will be getting all the wonderful benefits of eating more fruits and veggies and in the process you will be filling yourself up on the good stuff so you will be less tempted to eat more of the bad stuff. The best wellness strategies are always simple and easy to implement. Give this a try for 30 days and watch the amazing results!

This month's mantra is: "My heartbeat is calm and regular."

Staying calm, centered and focused in the middle of a life challenging event is one of the most important keys to survival. Letting the mind and body relax is counter to the heart pounding, muscle cramping experience that fear can bring. By practicing and developing a centered and focused mental state before something happens, we can set ourselves up for success when life brings us a challenge. Keeping the heartbeat calm and regular at all times is one of the highest goals we can attain when facing a crisis situation.

Now, sit or lie back comfortably. Take three deep breaths, pausing after you inhale and then exhale fully and completely. After you have taken your first three breaths, just breathe normally. Close your eyes and let any tension you may be holding in your muscles just begin to melt away. After you center yourself and you feel your breath quite down, repeat the mantra, "My heartbeat is calm and regular" to yourself for the next five minutes. See yourself remaining calm in all situations as you use your calm heartbeat to keep you centered and focused.

As many times as you can throughout your day, stop what you are doing, take one deep breath and repeat this mantra. You can do this when the phone rings, or when you look at your watch, or anytime you feel the need to just slow down for a brief moment and focus. The power of setting a positive intention throughout your day should not be underestimated. It can literally change your life. Make this short time commitment everyday and begin on the path of empowering yourself to survive.

Well, that's all for now. Don't forget to place your comments in the Forum section!

Stay trained, stay tactical, stay safe!