Book Review

Unleashing the Warrior Within

Dallas Morning News

HELP YOURSELF
By Mike Maza

PREPAREDNESS
Unleashing the Warrior Within by Richard J. Machowicz (Hyperion hardcover, $21.95)

This only looks like a martial-arts book. As a Navy SEAL, Mr. Machowicz spent most of his time developing a winning attitude. So don't come looking for reminiscences about the glories of combat. Most flashbacks go to the agony of conditioning – mental and physical. "Being a warrior is not about the act of fighting," he writes. "It's about being so prepared to face a challenge and believing so strongly in a cause that you are fighting for that you refuse to quit." Obviously, this view has wide application in civilian life. So after 10 years with the Navy's special operations unit, Mr. Machowicz devised a self-protection system he calls Bukido®. As refined for the book, it is primarily mental exercises (with lots of notebook writing) that build self-confidence, motivation and determination. He teaches by numbers and acronyms, including three "dynamic elements of combat" that count in the conference room as well as behind the lines; four "critical keys to conquering anything" with the acronym ACTE (Assess the situation, Create a simple plan, Take action and Evaluate your progress). Two fears that you won't have to face here: no war loving flights of excess (Mr. Machowicz's pals call him Mack not Macho) and no wandering into philosophical Neverneverland: SEALs know how to stay on the point.