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