Welcome to the Beast Zone-The High Performance Zone

Release your Beast, and Ride your Fears
conscious  thought gives way to common instinct.  A place where you're thinking three to five
moves ahead of the next guy. Blink thinking, rapid cognition.....achieved by not thinking.
Achieved by tapping your instincts.    


We refer to the Zone as Riding the 85 because Albert Einstein said that we use about 15% of our
brains. The Zone is  the other 85%: highly developed, often brilliant, instinct.  That
lies hidden behind our fears.  


It takes hard work to get there.   That’s the first step towards the Zone.  To quote my college
Coach, the great Dom Starsia,  “Master the Fundamentals first, show me that you can ‘hit the
spot’ 100 times in row, with both hands.  Dazzle me with consistency. ”   


The second step is taking Self-Confidence to a higher level.   “The most vital quality a soldier
can possess is self –confidence.”  Self-esteem is a start, and cocky is a stepping stone. As in,
“Don’t be humble, you’re not that great.” (Golda Meir)  Ya gotta believe in yourself with the
brute force of a freight train,  to get to the tipping point,  a place where giving becomes more
rewarding than receiving.  A place where you tap into something more powerful than any one
man,  woman, or beast!  


Human nature, of course, set up a few road blocks on the path to Riding the 85.   Road blocks  
commonly known as  Fear.    And yet we know that “The only thing to fear is fear itself. “  (FDR)  


Mike and Kobe are uber-confident, and the shrink community (MD’s) has  given us a road map  
to  overcome the same fears they did.  Abraham Lincoln once asked the American people:  “Do
I not destroy my enemies when I befriend them?”  The enemies here are clear: 1. fear of loss,
2. fear of  embarrassment, and 3.  fear of failure.    Understanding them is the key to
befriending  (destroying) them.


As to Fear of Loss,  there is no winning without losing.   And even when you lose, you can win
the handshake line.   Most important, as Vinnie Lombardi taught us,  losing can be ‘glorious.’  


Regarding Fear of Embarrassment, it is important to note that folks surely respect you for your
talents and strengths, but they love you for your flaws. In other words, embarrassment is way
overrated, because nobody really cares!

And then there’s Fear of Failure.   Which is easily managed as per Lombardi’s powerful quote:   
“In great efforts,  it is glorious even to fail.”   It’s elegantly simple:  If you try hard, if you make a
great effort, you will have glory, even if you lose 10-0.  

Valor-Valor is not a lack of fear, but the courage to face fear.  

Truth-Seek the truth whenever possible.  Lying is an admission of fear, and the truth, while not always pretty, is
forever ‘beautiful.’ (thanks Keats!)

Loyalty-Remain loyal to your people and your precepts,  ever honoring and defending them, never forsaking them.  

Respect-Strive to not only tolerate,  but to respect the sanctity of other’s beliefs.  The best way to get respect  is to
give it.

Purpose- Life is a gift,  and those who grab an oar on the good ship humanity give it the noblest of meanings.  

Defense-Defend those who depend on you, as well as those who cannot defend themselves.

Humility-Let your deeds speak for themselves.  Do not seek recognition,  but act as an example.

Charity-Be generous so far as you can be,  so that the community might prosper.  

Good Cheer-Strive to courteously enliven the spirits of all you encounter.

Prowess-Work for excellence in all endeavors.

Justice-Serve the cause of justice, and remember that forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.  

Honor-While a person's ideals cannot always be reached, striving towards them ennobles the spirit.  The best in us
comes out when we put ourselves into service of the people we love.


Ride a Giant!


Abe Lincoln-  Am I not destroying my enemies when I befriend them?

(meet my new friend, Mr. Fear)

Golda Meir- Don't be humble, you're not that great.

(Cocky is a rest stop on the road to Kind)

Charles De Gaulle-  Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.

(screaming and yelling has it’s place, but when you really want to bring the wood, crush ‘em with silence. )

Henry Ford-  Don’t find fault, find remedy.

(Hank had a ‘no whining” rule in his shop.)

Mahatma Gandhi-  No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.
(the Club doors are open)

Vince Lombardi-  In great attempts, it is even glorious to fail.
(which is nice, considering 99 out 100 great attempts fail. Gloriously!)

Optimus Barbarus-

Release the beast!
The most important thing we have is each other.  
The best way to get respect is to give it.
Spread cheer, not fear.
No one is ever alone.
There is no joy without pain.
Folks like your strengths, sure, but they love you for your weaknesses.
A team is one of the few things that is glorious just for being there.  
You are the star, and celebrities should worship accordingly.