From CDM
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
My knees are bloody, my neck is sore, I have bruises all over the place, I’m flat out exhausted.
And that’s just because of the beating Mickey Schuch gave me.
That guy Mickey Schuch. More about him later.
Mickey’s that guy from Carry Trainer and GunFighter Gun Oil. He was also an instructor at the conference. How he built his students' confidence while also challenging them continuously, both mentally and physically, was pretty impressive. I’ll tell you more about that beating later. I wasn’t sure if I wanted it at the time, but I went for it, and it turns out I needed it.
The 2022 Guardian Conference was September 16th-18th at the Oklahoma City Gun Club. The Club is right in the backyard of CCW Safe, the host and title sponsor of the event.
People from 25 states got in their vehicles or boarded planes, some having to travel a few thousand miles to come and train with an incredible line-up of instructors. I could sit here and type forever, just going through the experience levels and accolades of each of these instructors. That list is long, and it is impressive. On top of that, these men and women were incredible human beings.
left to right (J. Johnston, B. McLaughlin, J.Meyer, R. High, M. Lauer, R. Bowman, A. Little, M. Little, A.J. Zito, S. Middlebrook, M. Burgess, M. Schuch, C. Haggard, W. Dobbs, B. Eastridge)
The conversations I had were overwhelmingly positive, having to dig deep for criticism. Best I could get were suggestions on different muffin flavors at breakfast and if I could install a controllable thermostat on Mother Nature. I also would have liked to see a Chocolate Chip muffin in the mix. But that whole government climate control conspiracy rabbit hole isn’t something I want to go down, not again anyway. Not trying to get on any more lists than the ones I’m undoubtedly on already.
Sam Middlebrook encouraging students like only he can do.
I didn’t actually take any courses; I was there just to do my best to make sure the Conference went well. Whether it was running to pick up lunches or fighting our instructors, I was the man for the job. The Conference was fantastic. We crushed it. Our team invests their time and abilities unlike any other I’ve seen. There were constant smiles on attendees' faces and the positive energy was impossible to ignore.
left to right (C. Lucero, M. Goerdt, J.P. Svec, R. Beckman, M. Maruster, B. McLaughlin, J. Paulsen, S. Paulsen, D. Adams, S. Delmonico, J. Meyer)
You would think with the conference landing smack dab in the middle of Mercury being in Retrograde (shout out to my fellow hippies) we would have experienced more hiccups or issues, but we made it through. A few scratches and bruises, but every person who attended left a better person at the end of the weekend.
David, one of the hardest working guys I know.
I have zero doubt that every single attendee, 19% of which were women, went home with new invaluable knowledge. Attendees had their minds blown.
Wayne Dobbs is a wonderful human, who is also one heck of an instructor.
Yes, weapon handling skills saw significant improvements. But the experience changed the mindset of everyone involved. Pre-conceived notions on gun-culture got tossed out the window, and there were tears of joy and realization every day (probably mostly from me).
This conference is different. It’s about people. It’s about becoming a better human being. The experience challenged everyone to push themselves and they left more confident in their abilities. Better equipped to be leaders in their communities and Guardians of those that they love.
We are putting the 2023 Guardian Conference on the same weekend next year September 15-17th at Oklahoma City Gun Club. 25% of this year’s attendees also went last year and I expect an increase in that number next year as just about everyone was saying they were coming back for sure in 2023! This is some of the most diverse, highest quality, and most affordable training you can ever get, we make sure of that.
Be sure to sign up early to save more and secure your spot for next year!
Okay… back to the sparring match with Mickey.
Let me tell you, I’m a talker and I always have been. I can talk crap with most, but Mickey Schuch is a grandmaster. His verbal skills and quick wit are impressive. I like a challenge, so I felt like going back and forth with him and we wrestled a bit. He went easy on me. I used some of my non-existent ground fighting skills on him, and then after I told everyone that I would have had him if only he hadn’t given up. You can bet he was gonna' hear about it.
Clearly, I am letting Micky feel like he was winning.
Fast forward to the next day, the conference has wrapped up, attendees are all gone and Mickey calls me out. He’d heard I’d been talking smack. Challenge accepted. I continue to run my mouth. Mickey continues to make me tap out via various chokes and armbars half a dozen times over what seemed like a much longer time than a few minutes. He still took it easy on me, but he made sure I felt it this time. A few of my coworkers were even slightly concerned. But it looked worse than it felt; I kept smiling and talking smack.
Truth be told, I was just proud of myself for accepting the challenge.
Another shot of me dominating Mickey.
Afterwards Mickey shook my hand and thanked me a few times and was sure to tell me I would probably be good at Jiu Jitsu if I went to some classes. Maybe he respected me a bit more afterwards for not backing down… but either way, I respected myself more.
The experience humbled me, reminded of my weaknesses, and inspired to be better. Then, just like he did with the students in his classes, he built up my confidence. Maybe next year Mickey and I will go for round 2. I hope you will be there.
Energy drinks are known to give you an instant boost of energy. However, research reveals that many leading energy drinks are not healthy, and some many even be harmful. One single energy drink can increase heart disease risk in young adults while significantly boosting blood pressure and stress hormone response (Mayo Clinic). They can also lead to nervousness, irritability, insomnia, rapid heartbeat and increased blood pressure. Further, some energy drinks are jam-packed with stuff that's bad for you. For example, most are laden with caffeine and sugar.
Recreational oxygen, such as Oxygen Plus canisters, provides an easy, side-effect free energy boost and recovery aid. In fact, breathing supplemental oxygen has been shown to enhance cognitive performance in healthy, young adults (Moss). Additionally, O+ pure recreational oxygen does not contain any sugars, fats, carbohydrates or other potentially harmful ingredients. Recreational oxygen, when used as directed by health individuals, is completely safe and can be breathed multiple times throughout the day - without any side effects or fears of overdose.
Source: Mayo Clinic. "Mayo Clinic study: One energy drink may increase heart disease risk in young adults." EurekAlert! N.p., 9 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Feb. 2017. Moss, MC, Scholey, AB, Wesnes, K, "Oxygen administration selectively enhances cognitive performance in healthy young adults: A placebo-controlled double-blind crossover study," Journal of Psychopharmacology, 1998 Dec;138:27-33 NOTE: Oxygen Plus products are intended for recreational, intermittent use only, and are not to be used as a medical or life-saving device. WARNING: Persons with any type of health or medical condition should consult their physician prior to use of O+ products. Elevate your IQ: www.oxygenplus.com.
From Intouch Ministries
Yesterday I shared with you about a time when the Lord reminded me that I am not the vine—He is. For years I had tried to accomplish by myself what Jesus wanted to achieve through me. My desire was to impress God and earn His approval. His goal, on the other hand, was for me simply to abide.
The Holy Spirit’s job is to live the life of Christ through us. This is known by a variety of names, including the exchanged life, the Spirit-filled life, and the abiding life. All of these describe the joyful existence Paul spoke of in Galatians 2:20: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.”
Seen from the outside, a branch does not appear to be doing anything. But that doesn’t mean that the abiding life is passive. Jesus was the perfect example of a Spirit-filled life, and He certainly didn’t sit around! He worked hard out of a reservoir of divine energy (John 8:28). All of Christ’s wisdom, knowledge, and courage was drawn from God through the Holy Spirit.
Christians bear fruit through surrender. We “take root” in the Lord by meditating on His Word, praying, and serving. We reserve nothing for ourselves to control but fully rely upon Him. That’s not passive living; it’s an abiding life.
Bible in One Year: Zephaniah 1-3; Haggai 1:1-15, Haggai 2:1-23
Bruce Wilson, PhD
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”- C.G. Jung
How do passion and addiction differ? How are they similar? Could our passion escalate into an addiction? Is it possible to change an unhealthy addiction into a healthy passion?
Addiction
An addiction is a chronic dysfunction of the brain system that involves reward, motivation, and memory. It's about the way your body craves a substance or behaviour. This definition demonstrates how the mind can take control of the body. Dysfunction implies that the control is really out of control. We don’t have an addiction, an addiction has us.
Our motivation and memory systems have been hijacked. We are no longer in charge. The reinforcement schedule of addictive behaviour creates its own reward scheme. We are being handed a counterfeit reward for a dysfunctional behaviour. Meanwhile, a co-dependency is being created each time we renew this reward. It is believed that the self-centred qualities of an addiction are mainly about the ego and not the task. Over time the co-dependency takes away our personal agency, our self-discipline, and our life. Disturbingly, we can become oblivious to this regression.
“In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you.”- Andrea Dykstra
Passion
Passionate people are compelled, perhaps even called, to do something meaningful with their lives. There is a sense of achievement, pride and purpose in their pursuit of life.
Passionate people take charge. They are in control of their life and demonstrate this control through having personal agency, self-discipline, and autonomy in their life. Rewards are still important but not central to their drive and ambition. They are not ego driven. They are task driven. They are all in on accomplishing goals and creating purpose and value in their lives. Fortunately, they notice their progress.
“You don’t follow your passion. You take it with you.”- Mike Rowe
Personal Agency
Personal agency refers to “the sense that I am the one who is causing or generating an action” (Gallagher 2000, p. 15). A person with a sense of personal agency perceives himself/herself as the subject influencing his/her own actions and life circumstances (Bandura 2006; Gallagher 2000).
To develop personal agency takes time and effort. You will need to choose what you let into your mind. This would involve your physical environment as well as your social environment. This means choosing the people, experiences, and really all the stimuli that you are exposed to. You will need to learn to be very selective about who and what you let into your mind. Try to see yourself as a learner, and that includes paying attention to your self-observational skills as well.
Manage your emotions and your beliefs through introspection. Impulsive behaviour is a by-product of mismanaging your emotional being. This degree of self-discipline requires your being into reflection not reflex. Your intuition may at times need to be cross-referenced. Make an effort to be deliberate before you take any action. Realize that risk is not about being impulsive but being impulsive can be a risk.
“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”- Malcom Forbes
When we take charge of our personal agency, we are able to dispense with our addictive behaviours in favour of our passion. Our needs are altered into our wants, which is a healthier place to be. Remember, both addiction and passion have power. However, they pull us in opposite directions. Addiction pulls us toward dysfunction and despair, while passion pulls us toward purpose and fulfillment. We have the power to decide what we want. Our personal agency, which we all have should we call upon it, will be our guide.
Bio
Dr. Bruce Wilson is a psychologist with 25 years of experience. He enjoys sharing his ramblings with friends and colleagues. He is currently in private practice at Mind Health Care in Geelong, Australia. This article is solely his work.
From CDM
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).
-Author Tyler Fleetwood
Most important problems that athletes and competitors struggle with are not the result of poor practice, lack of physical work, inadequate coaching, or lack of physical abilities. Rather, they’re the result of poor mental conditioning.
Be honest with yourself. How much time do you dedicate each day to mental conditioning, although great coaches and athletes will state, without exception, that mental toughness is the biggest factor in determining great champions, whether they be a champion in athletics, business, or life in general.
When the heat of competition is turned up high, the individual performer or team that falls apart most often does so because of mental factors like runaway nervousness, intimidation, poor concentration, negativity, lack of confidence or an inability to let go of mistakes or bad breaks.
To realize your full potential as an athlete or performer, you have to start training your mind as well as your body! Just as you develop physical skills and techniques, you have to learn to develop these sports psychology mental skills. What are these so-called mental skills?
• Staying relaxed under pressure, in what could be called "good nervous."
• Focusing on what’s important and letting go of everything else.
• Rebounding from mistakes, bad breaks and handling last minute self-doubts and negative thinking. If you’ve done the preparation, don’t doubt yourself. BELIEVE!
• Using visualization for upcoming performances. See it like you want it to be before it happens.
• Motivating yourself by setting personally meaningful and compelling goals. The ability to self-motivate is probably the greatest factor for success in any aspect of our lives. Those who look to others for their motivation in any area of life are usually left standing on the corner waiting for the bus. The bus will either be late, or probably, never will come.
• Recognizing mental traps and avoiding them. Run away from negative people. Listening to or participating in negative talk will never benefit you and will always take away a piece of your edge.
• Developing self-confidence and a positive, go-for-it attitude. In other words, if you’ve done the preparation, what are you waiting for?
Before accomplishing a goal, or participating in a crucial sporting event, you wouldn’t leave your physical conditioning to chance……. why would you leave your mental toughness conditioning to chance. How many times have you observed the competitor that "wouldn’t give up" triumph over the competitor with superior physical talent?
There is a wealth of great motivational/mental toughness information out there. Go to a bookstore, find a great mentor, but take a step. The greatest "muscle" you have is the one between your ears.
Don’t ignore it!
For all your fitness information you can check out http://www.ourbodysystem.com
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