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Break Through [ AN EXCERPT ]
Tackling everyday problems and achieving life goals is not much different than smashing your hand through a stack of concrete.
By Robert Bussey

So, you’re facing one of those obstacles in your life that seems like a brick wall and you can’t seem to get to the other side. Ever been there? Perhaps you feel that your not strong enough, or good enough, or talented enough to break through. Oh yeah, and you’re tired and don’t have enough time either. Well, don’t believe it for a minute.

I know a little something about breaking through. For thirty years, I have dedicated my life to the study of personal protection and the strategies of martial arts. I’ve found myself in extreme situations – against odds that seemed insurmountable. In many cases, I learned that perseverance and the sheer process of endurance had as much to do with winning as my performance. But I’ve also learned to guide my energy and economize it into a direct course of action to gain victory without compromising my integrity. As a survivor of some unique life experiences, I have had the privilege of offering support and strategies to thousands of individuals to enhance their perspective.

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Imagine if you will, several cement slabs stacked one upon the other. Each slab is about two inches thick, like the patio blocks you have in your garden. Sometimes, I’ll break as many as ten of these with one blow. But, before this performance takes place, I’ll have my audience members jot down an important goal on a piece of paper and then fold it. These goals are kept private and are written down only as a tangible representation of each person’s target. “I want to lose fifteen pounds,” or “I want to buy a house.” You get the idea. Then, everyone places their paper underneath the pile, that is, on the bottom under the bricks themselves. After I talk to them about how to appraise their target goal, I help them to perceive and recognize the obstacle that stands in their way and we write that down. This piece of paper is placed on top of the pile of concrete. When I proceed to crush the stack, it clearly represents each person’s plan to execute his or her own direct course of action.

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Obviously, I don’t recommend that you try to destroy a pile of concrete. My hope is that you would be self-assured enough to apply this kind of focused energy toward solutions, rather than giving in to a sense of powerlessness. You can make decisions that can dramatically change what happens next in your life. Go after it.