Fast Strike - the Key to Success

一切一殺 One strike, one kill
A key to success in business and life

One strike one kill is a traditional Japanese theory for success in fights and warfare. It also applies to success in business and life.

This seems like a bloody violent way to think of things. But it makes sense when you think of commitment. Commitment requires a total focus and concentration to success. To achieve one strike one kill you must have:

• Impeccable training and preparation. You must be thoroughly trained and prepared for opportunity. Constant training and preparation are necessary for success in any endeavor.
• Indomitable spirit. The courage to go for success, push hard and fast, and not surrender or hesitate when things look difficult or daunting.
• Ability to wait and identify the proper opportunity. Timing is important. Trying for success too early will waste your resources and energy. Wait too long and the opportunity is gone. You need to be able to see the opportunity at the right time, then strike.
• Proper speed and skill to take action and go for success.

Two years ago I spent nearly a year trying to win a big contract for a new factory. I tried using a long campaign to gain success. I answered many customer questions, provided a lot of free services, and gave some great advice when trying to win the project. At the end, the customer never gave me an opportunity to provide a quotation. I wasted resources, money, and energy for a long campaign. The eventual winners of the contract laid back, did nothing until the last 2 or 3 months, and then swooped in and took the job. That's when I learned - one strike one kill is a better strategy for success.

Many years ago, I learned this same lesson during rock climbing. In rock climbing one strike one kill is better known as go for it with complete focus. Rock climbing is one of those strange sports where your brain divides into two parts. One part of your brain quietly says, "No problem, we can do this." The other part of your brain screams, "I'M GOING TO DIE!!" The key to success in climbing is to make the "DIE!!" portion stay quiet until you really are in a truly dangerous situation. Then maybe it's time to turn around. During a difficult rock climb, you must eliminate any extraneous factors, sounds, wind, ideas and focus only on doing 1 more move upward. You must be thoroughly prepared. You must train constantly to make sure you have the strength, ability, and confidence to move forward. And you must jump or move at the right time to do the next move in balance and prepared for the next move.

During rock climbing, the only times I fell was when I was worried that I might fall. When I was confident, then (usually) I would go through the moves with no problem. One of my friends had a similar story. He climbed quite high up on a rock and then had to do a jump to grab his next handhold. He didn't know what was above him for his hand, but he knew he would hit the ground if he missed. The first time, he worried about the ground and jumped tentatively. His hand felt the big hold but missed. He fell and landed in a tree, dropping harmlessly to the ground. NO PROBLEM. Now he knew that he could fall and live. He immediately climbed up again to the same point, jumped with confidence, grabbed the handhold, and finished the climb with no problems.

One move one climb. One strike one kill. One day one life. Go for life with confidence, proper training, and ability. Live each moment with complete focus as if it is your complete life. You will be successful.