My First step into the right direction
.... Military school obligated me to refine the way I mentally and emotionally deal with difficult situations. It helped me in making the realization that negative feelings and thoughts are counter-productive to effective decision making in everyday life. "Parker! Rise and shine maggot!" barked my staff sergeant, Stephen Cragg, accompanied by a powerful stream of lung-constricting cold water from his massive, possibly military issue, super soaker. "It's four in the morning sergeant" I groaned, immediately realizing that my complaining was not a good idea. I hopped to my feet, already dressed in my class B uniform and ready for the day. Sergeant Cragg was trying to affirm his position as the alpha male, by inspecting me with such intensity that I immediately made the direct connection between the inspection and a lion, picking every minute spec of meat from the bone of a fresh kill. Sergeant Cragg screeched, "Do you realize that you are missing a button from your class B's NAP?" Nap is Newly Authorized Personell, in military lingo. "Yes, Sergeant." I realized that if no was my answer, then push ups were my consequence. Although, shortly there after i was "pushing ground" for no apparent reason, regardless of my response. I stood, only to find myself on the grill again. "Do I anger you Parker?" he was surely trying to find a reason to punish me. This was all a mind game in an effort to shape my behavior. For some reason, all that came to mind was Bruce Lee's book Jeet Kun Do and the life philosophies that I learned from it. Lightbulb! That book was ...