Ishi Buy paperback or Kindle

Ishi The Discipline of Determined Intent

Ishi is a discipline of self-governance.

Hold a decision under pressure without letting urgency rewrite it.

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Three paperback copies of Ishi: The Discipline of Determined Intent by Gareth A Holebrook, foreword by L. David Marquet
Gareth Holebrook swimming at night, his face above the water, a glowing red tow float beside him, at the Kiwiman Double
Photo: Scotty T Photography.

Persistence without governance turns into stubbornness.

The Ishi Spiral: a four-phase discipline of personal self-governance. 1. Decide, choose and constrain. 2. Forge, practise deliberately. 3. Persist, endure friction. 4. Reflect, recalibrate. AHA (pronounced A-Hey): Adjust, Hold, Abort, at the centre.

The practice

The Ishi Spiral

A four-phase discipline of personal self-governance

  1. DecideChoose and constrain
  2. ForgePractise deliberately
  3. PersistEndure friction
  4. ReflectRecalibrate
The Ishi Spiral guide on Leanpub

The Ishi Spiral explained, free on this site

Three copies of Kaizen of the Day by Gareth A Holebrook, in black covers

A companion to Ishi

Kaizen of the Day

Built to turn the Ishi Spiral into daily practice. Each entry is small, bounded and practical.

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About Kaizen of the Day

Gareth Holebrook in a Kiwiman 2026 T-shirt, smiling and holding up a copy of Ishi
Photo: Scotty T Photography.

The Author

Gareth A Holebrook

Engineer, Coach, Triathlete, Author, Farmer

About Gareth
A copy of Kettei: The Discipline of Governed Intent on a wooden desk, beside a pair of glasses, a cup of coffee and a red pencil

Forthcoming

Kettei: The Discipline of Governed Intent

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