Product Description

A ten-year navy seal veteran, Richard Mack Machowicz was trained to complete every mission assigned to him, under any condition, because failure was not an option. Drawing from this experience, Unleash the Warrior Within (more than 25,000 copies since 2002, largely through word-of-mouth) offers Macks original program for mastering the arts of focus, discipline, and determination under any circumstances. In this newly revised edition, Mack shows readers how to use his seven principles of combat-such as Create an Action Mind-Set, The Critical Keys to Conquering Anything, and Guarantee the Win-in order to conquer fear and turn ambitions and dreams into reality.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80830 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
War is hell, but if you prepare properly for war, there's not much about life that will take you by surprise. At least, that's the premise of Unleashing the Warrior Within, in which Machowicz takes the lessons he learned as a Navy SEAL and applies them to real-life situations.

In war, for example, you learn that there are three dynamic elements of combat: target, weapons, movement. The target dictates the weapons, and the weapons dictate movement. In real life, your target is what you want; your weapons are your skills; and movement is whatever you need to get in position to use your skills. But, since deciding upon a target is the step that's most troubling to people, he adds another wartime analytical tool called the CARVER matrix. You lay out various targets you may have in life--a better job, getting in shape, buying a new house, and taking on a new business partner, say. Then you assess the Criticality, Accessibility, Recognisability, and Vulnerability of the target, plus its Effect on your overall mission in life, and the potential Return on your effort.

Machowicz calls his philosophy Bukido, and if you take his classes in Los Angeles, you learn self-defence along with these life-improvement skills. In this book, the object is to get you to choose a mission that is closest and most important to you, and then achieve your goals with military precision. By the time you're through learning the seven principles of combat, what you've really learned is how to think critically and focus your efforts. Machowicz uses his students as examples of how the enemy in life is really a lack of action, allowing life to take you along for a ride. So if your current target is a solid self-improvement course, Unleashing the Warrior Within could be your most effective weapon. --Lou Schuler

Customer Reviews

What you need to know
I ordered this book while on an Amazon shopping spree. When it arrived I stood there going "What was I thinking?". Navy SEALS, macho man on the cover, mean stare and a title which reads "Unleash the warrior.." Anyway, I've made some stupid purchases in the past, so at least it wasn't as if this was the first one.

A few days later I got the flu and had to stay in bed for a few days, so I started paging through this macho title. And suddenly I propped myself up, and got a pen and paper for notes. This book was good!

It seems as if most of the macho stuff was concentrated on the cover. Okay, so the author tells quite a few stories about his SEAL-days, but always to illustrate a point. Funny thing is, the point was often related to un-macho things, such as (his own) fear and feelings of inadequacy.

As I lay there reading, I soon came to realise that this was the VERY BEST self-improvement book I've ever read. Yes, even better than Covey's "Seven Habits" (because Machovitz's advice will work for everyone, his ideas are not pie-in-the-sky, and the methods have been tried, tested and perfected in numerous very difficult situations). If you are from the Carnegie school, you are also in for a surprise - this guy is genuine, and not once does he imply anything along the line of "fake it till you make it". Quite the contrary.

Machovitz is a good writer, and his editor also did a great job. I enjoyed the book thoroughly. Not one boring page. His anecdotes from his military days were amusing, captivating and thought-provoking. A good read even if this isn't a leisure book.

The purpose of the book is to provide the reader with "tools" with which to order his life, establish and prioritise goals, and then to equip himself with the right mindset to go out and get it. Very effective. And it works.

While reading the book, I had a pen and paper handy with which I made notes. I used the 8 or so pages I've made and prepared a series of talks for my employees. The results in their lives were as dramatic as the changes in my own.

Don't let the packaging put you off. It's one of the most life-changing books I've ever read.

Unlimited Power meets Bravo Two Zero
If you told me a week ago I would be recommending a book by a guy who's personal philosophy includes such gems as "the way to destroy an attacker is to destroy the attacker's mind" and "not dead, can't quit", I would have given you a talk on the difference between the path of the adventurer and the path of the warrior, and explained why I prefer the adventurer's path.

While that would have been an interesting talk (:-), it wouldn't have been half so interesting or enjoyable as this book. Written by a retired US Navy SEAL, this book manages to be equal parts gripping narrative, practical exercise, and innovative "phraseology". Not only was I not put off by the authors machismo (the fact that his name is "Macho-wicz" seems to be lost on him, which was a pleasant surprise), I actually wound up liking him, and unlike a fair few authors in the genre, would enjoy spending time in his company.

The most exciting chapter for me was the one on fear. Take for example the author's description of fear as:

"...this paper-thin, veiled mist. And once you walk through this paper-thin mist, it's clear on the other side. Your fear is behind you."

Or this:

"Fear is not a true indicator of danger, evaluated experience is...good evaluation of past experiences makes for good decisions, period."

Excellent stuff and a great read.

USEFUL!
I'm giving this book five stars not because it was well-written (it's not bad). But for the fact that it has truly useful ideas that you can use to improve your life. Especially the ideas about fear - a much neglected issue in self-help - which are worth the price alone.