I find that “controlling myself” through the emotion of anger is the best way for me. I constantly tell myself to “Drop my emotions,” “A turtle gets somewhere only by first sticking its neck out,” “I do what I want” (which helps me to explore what I want when I don’t know), and sometimes “Keep this situation at arm’s length from me” (or rather, keep my emotions out of it so I can respond accordingly, or like you said, that “blank slate”). I wish I didn’t have to do all of these things, but I find that it’s the only way to utilize what little control I have over my mind.

By the way, I have studied various psychological ideas. I have found that actually, the best lessons for me come from being around real men who have lived long, experienced, and courageous lives. Of course these men are hard to come by and they’re often “old fashioned,” but always for the best. I notice myself being more virtuous in their presence as I naturally want to follow their more fine-tuned methodology.

GTFO & RTFM.
Poems. Pfft.