Home
>
Success
>
Self-Development Through Asking Why?

Self-Development Through Asking Why?

The Enlightened Warrior's 'Keys to Success' Through the Power of Our Thoughts, Words, and Deeds

In the philosophical teachings of the Ninja Warrior's Mikkyo esoteric mind-science that forms the foundation for the Warrior Concepts Life Mastery Program taught to my students and clients, there are three areas of focus that allow the Ninja Warrior, or anyone who understands these principles, to act with enlightened clarity and always achieve his or her goals. Each of these so-called '3-Keys of Success' can be focused on in and of itself, but the real 'magic' results when the three are brought together and aligned with the Ninja's vision.

The 3 Keys are collectively known in Japanese as the Sanmitsu or '3 Secrets.' Not at all 'secret' in the conventional sense as being kept away from others or hidden, the sanmitsu are seen as 'secret' because they have to be 'discovered' by the student to have any benefit. The three are the "thoughts," "speech," and "actions" of the Ninja practitioner. They are seen as both the necessary elements to bring about success, and the means by which we can change and affect our world. In this article, I'd like to focus on the 3rd Key, the 'secret' of the power of our actions. And, like a well-maintained vehicle that gets us where we want to go, our actions are the direct manifestation of our thoughts and intention in the outside world around us.

As seen on the Kongo-kai mandala of Universal Enlightenment, our actions are associated with the 'wind' realm of All-Accomplishing Wisdom and the concept of skillful means. Our actions have the potential to change our world and our experience of it. Students studying within the upper training modules before advancing into the Black Belt Mastery Stages are constantly reminded of the truth of the power of their actions during their class opening and closing as they recite the Ninja Master's Admonition of Sh'kin Haramits' Daikomyo! The lesson of this phrase is that 'every moment - every action - holds the potential of being just that thing that will produce the happiness, understanding and power that we have been seeking.' It means that "no-thing doesn't matter" - everything deserves our attention.

Of course, merely running around 'doing stuff' is not at all what we're talking about here. Most of us can remember a time when we did a lot but accomplished very little. For most of us, we need only think back over the past few days. The key or 'secret' here is not in the activity itself but in the focus or direction that requires a particular action. The truth is that unfocused, undirected action is nothing but idle 'wheel-spinning.' It accomplishes nothing toward the accomplishment of goals and more towards creating even more of the feelings of exhaustion, exasperation and distraction that regularly plague our days.

To harness the power of our deeds and actions, we must first take the time to focus on what it is that we would like to accomplish. We must ask the important questions that will allow us to discipline ourselves to acting with purpose and not impulse. Questions like: "What do we want our life to be like and about?" and "What is important and what needs to be illuminated?" will help to answer the primary question of "why?"

Why are we doing these things? What, if anything, are we working toward, or is this just another distraction or another attempt to avoid the unpleasant? The following is a list of "why" questions that can be used to determine whether an action is worth doing in the scheme of things:

Why am I doing this?
Why is that important?
Why is that important? (This is not a duplication but a clarification of the last answer!)
Why do I give in to avoid unpleasant responses from others even when I don't think this is beneficial or productive?
Why don't I act when I know it is the right thing to do or is something that must be done to produce the results I need?
Why do I fill my days with activities that do not contribute to the accomplishment of goals, conditions and results that I say and believe are important?
Why do I choose inactivity (laziness and procrastination) when there are things that should be done to bring me closer to accomplishing my goals?

This is a partial list and I'm sure that you can, and have thought (and possibly asked yourself) of many others like them. The point here is not to discuss acting out of the mindset that says, "when you're unsure of what to do, do something." But, to maintain a constant focus on the purpose for acting. In fact, if you were to refer to your life purpose process and the lists you created to establish the "why" for acting, you will see the difference. Remember, anything done that is in alignment with our life purpose is what the Ninja - the Enlightened Warrior engaging with his or her world - sees as an Enlightened Action. And, anything that does not contribute to our life purpose - to creating the life we want to be living - is a distraction.

Period.

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior Concepts International. A senior teacher in the Japanese warrior art of Ninjutsu, he specializes in teaching the ancient ways of self-protection and personal development lessons in a way that is easily understood and put to use by modern Western students and corporate clients. Through their martial arts training, his students and clients learn proven, time-tested lessons designed to help them create the life they've always dreamed of living, and the skills necessary for protecting that life from anything that might threaten it. To learn more about this and other subjects related to the martial arts, self-defense, personal development & self-improvement, visit his website at personal development & self-improvement

cleaning help near Morton Grove ...

In The News:

New research shows Americans increasingly trust AI for wellness guidance over social media, with 63% finding artificial intelligence reliable for health.

Luxury fashion brand Dior experienced a January 2025 data breach affecting customer personal information, and notifications were sent months after the discovery.

The commercial Unitree H1 humanoid robot weighs 104 pounds with 365 pound-feet torque per joint and demonstrates dangerous potential when software glitches occur.

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.