The Mushin Way to Peak Performance

Chapter 2 Ki: Energy

This chapter will explore the concept of ki, the life force that drives everything you do. You'll learn why strength alone is never enough, how strength can actually make you weak, and how aikido teaches us that the key to success is to channel your strength into productive directions through the proper forms and systems of support.

My student David was 6 foot 4 and built like a tank. My students in general tend to be type A high achievers like me, but even in this driven crowd, he stood out. He worked for the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), an elite group of CIA officers, FBI agents, and military special forces that focuses on analyzing intelligence drawn from many sources to identify and nullify threats from around the world. David was also a diligent student of aikido. When you showed him a move, he got it. He seemed to be unstoppable.

Then he decided to go back to school and get an MBA—while continuing his high-stress work at NCTC and his studies of aikido with me. And then he found out he was getting a huge promotion. And the promotion meant moving to the Middle East. Oh, and his wife was pregnant with their first child.

Even for David, pulling off all of this at once was going to be a challenge. In day-to-day life, David was like a force of nature. His physical size and strength, combined with his intelligence and his drive to succeed, ...