Bull Fighting with a Double Barrel

My son, Sina, consumes books at an incredible pace. Greetings Everyday Spy, My son, Sina, consumes books at an incredible pace. One of his childhood favorites is by a children’s author named Dav Pilkey. Pilkey writes silly comic-book type novels that feature larger-than-life comical characters like ‘Captain Underpants’ and ‘Super Diaper Baby.’ One of his favorite Pilkey books is called ‘Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls.’ When my wife, Jihi, saw the book, she took a teaching moment to tell Sina about the famous novel by Ernest Hemingway, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls.’ She even quoted a famous passage, “I am thee and thou art me and all of one is the other.” I just pulled up Metallica and let the music speak for itself, “Blackened roar, massive roar, fills the crumbling sky, Shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry” Sina was too busy reading to pay attention to either of us... The exchange reminded me how much [CIA officers love Ernest Hemingway](. Not because intel types are super-students or ivy league graduates, but because Hemingway was both deeply troubled and uniquely able to put words to the chaotic thoughts in his head. There is a term we have in the field to help overcome fear, pain, and anger when it creeps up. Rather than let negative emotions fester and compromise our focus on objectivity, we are taught to ‘name the pain’... or ‘name it to tame it.’ This practice isn’t exclusive to the intel world. It’s actually a mental health discipline known as ‘Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).’ It is a simple exercise where you recognize a build-up of emotion in yourself (increased heart rate, tense muscles, hyperfocus, etc.), and then you take a few seconds to define the dominant emotion. Once you find the right ‘name’ for the emotion, the emotion itself starts to immediately reduce. As if it has been caught, or unmasked, or outed. And in that funny way that parenting works, I see in Dav Pilkey’s books a subtle but empowering message for my son and thousands of other young readers that ties back to CBT. Heroes don’t have to be beautiful. They don’t have to be strong. They don’t have to be brilliant, or grown-ups, or even humans! They just have to be true to themselves, their feelings, and love helping others. Godspeed, #EverydaySpy P.S. - [The most powerful spy tactics and techniques are ready for you to dominate everyday life with your Deep Cover Platform!]( Follow @EverydaySpy on Social Media! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Andrew Bustamante, Founder of EverydaySpy.com, is a former covert CIA Intelligence officer, decorated US Air Force Combat Veteran, and respected Fortune 500 senior advisor. Learn more from Andrew on his Podcast (The Everyday Espionage Podcast) and by following @EverydaySpy on your favorite social media platform. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe]( EverydaySpy, 411 Walnut St. #20309, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043