Introduction:ThisIsUnbeatableMind

Whenamanisbeaten,tormentedanddefeated…Heisreadytolearnsomething.

—Emerson

BasedonmydiscussionswiththousandsofmySEALFITandUnbeatable

Mindtrainees,Ihavenoticedthatnomatterhowsuccessfultheyare,

theyfeelincompleteandthattheyhavemoretogive.Buttheyarestuck.

Sometimesanexistentialthreat,suchascancer,joltsthemoutoftherut

andtoahigherlevelofthinkingandacting.Butmytraineesdon'twantto

waitforanexistentialcrisistofindtheirfullpowerandtomakea

differenceintheworld.Ibetyoufeelthesameway.Thegoodnewsis

thatyounowhaveatoolinyourhandsthatwillhelpsolvethispuzzling

aspectofthehumanexperience.

The"bigidea"ofthisbookisthatyouarecapableofsomuchmore

thanyouthinkyouare,butyouhavebeenkeptinthedarkaboutthis

potentialyourentirelife.Icallthispotentialyour20XFactor,inthat

youarecapableofatleasttwentytimeswhatyourcurrentparadigm

allowsyoutobelieve.Itisnotasthoughyourfamilyorourculture

purposelykeptyouinthedarkaboutthisimportantfact.No,theywere

ignorantaboutitaswellandcan'tbeheldtoblame.Wecannotignore

thisunbelievabletruthanylonger.Notonlydoyoudeservetotapyour

fullpotentialforyourownsuccessandhappiness,butourcollective

mindsareneededtosyncuplikeaglobalcrowdsourcednetworkof

solutionfinderstopullusoutofthemesswehavecreated.Thisbook

isn'taboutthosemesses,though—thereareplentyofauthorswriting

abouttheperilswefaceonourabusedplanet.No,thisbookisabout

howyoucanbegintotapintothatvastpotentiallyingdormantinsideof

you—sothatyoucanachieveyourfullestexpressionofyourself,help

thosearoundyou,andsendpositiveripplesthroughouttheworld.

Einsteinsaidthatyoucan'tsolveaproblemfromthesame

paradigmthatcausedit.UnbeatableMindoffersanewparadigmofhow

touseyourmindasawholemindtoelevateyourselftowhatIcall“fifth

plateauconsciousness”byintegratingyourfivekeylinesofhuman

development,whichIcallthe“fivemountains.”Theyareyourphysical,

emotional,mental,intuitional,andspiritualintelligences.Itisalsoabout

learninghowtoavoidmentaltraps,developingnewmodelsofthinking

thatarepositiveandsupercharged,andworkingfromthe"we"

perspectiveratherthanyournarrow"I"perspective.Whenwecanall

accomplishthis,evenonasmallscale,Ibelievewewillensureour

children'sfuture.ThustheUnbeatableMindphilosophyandtrainingis

aboutdevelopingyourpersonalpowerfullysoyoucanbemore

successfulinyourjob,career,andlifeandthenuseyourgrowingpower

tohelpguideyourtribes,organizations,andthehumanracetoabetter

place.Soundslofty,right?Ifyouareonboardwiththisvision,thenlet's

getbusylearninghowtodevelopanUnbeatableMind!

TheEarlyYears

Letmebackupnowandgiveyouan ideaofwhere I came from

andhowIgothere.MyupbringinginUpstateNewYorkwassimpleand

groundinginmanyways.Wide‐openfarmcountryandsixmillionacres

ofAdirondackPark,withafewsmalltownsdottedhereandthere,gave

mealotofroomtoroam.Upstate,aswecallit,covers95percentofthe

realestateofNewYork—theother5percentissqueezedintotheNew

York Metro area. Aside from the occasional cow crossing the road or

drunkdriverpeelingoutofthelocalwateringhole,therewasn'tawhole

lotgoingonUpstate.

Inmyearlychildhood,Ilearnedtofindsolaceinthesilenceof

nature.Andgrowingupinthemountainsandvalleys,allIhadtodowas

stepoutdoorstofindit.Myfather'sconstantneedtotinker,hislovefor

thetrails,combinedwithmymother'sathleticism,keptusoutdoors.

TwiceaweekduringthesummerIwouldfindmyselfnavigatingthe

Adirondackpeakswithmydadandbrother,Brad.Ilovedthese

expeditionsthatarousedasenseofaweforthenaturalbeautyand

excitementofalwaysfindingsomethingnewaroundthenextcorner.

InawayIchoseMotherNatureasabestfriendbecauseofthese

experiencesandforlackofmanyothersuitableoptions.Ibecamevery

comfortablewithsilence,whichprovedtobeanimportantthemeinmy

life,unbeknownsttomeatthetime.Naturewasatrustworthyandloyal

friendwhoIdidn'targuewithandwhodidn'tdemandmuchfromme,as

longasIrespectedher.OftenIwouldjustsitinabsorption,notthinking

orstrivingforanythinginparticular,andallowthepeacetosettlein.

Onthehomefront,thingswereloudandoftenconfusing,andfor

reasonsIdidnotunderstandatthetime,Iwasshutdownandunsettled,

asiflockedinanemotionalprison.IcravedtheconnectionthatIfeltso

keenlywhenaloneinnature,butIhadnoluckfindingitinrelationships.

SoIkeptturningtomyfriendshipwithnature,anditwasthatmentor

relationshipthatpreparedmemostforwhatwastobemyfutureasa

warrior.Butbeforeanyofthat,Ihadtowakeup.

MortalityKnocks

"Sitdown,Mark."Thedoctorlookedwaytooserious.Iwasinthe

hospitalforaherniaoperation.AweekearlierIhadtriedtoimpressmy

dadbyliftingamassivelogontoasplitter.Egowasdrivingtheshow,and

asIhoistedthemonster,mystomachpoppedthroughmygroin.The

surgerywasnoproblem,andIwasupandreadytorollaftertwodays.At

seventeenIwasn'ttobediscouragedbyaminorsetbacklikethis.

MyparentsandIsettledinandwaitedforthenews.Ihadallbut

forgottenabouttheotherissueIhadnotifiedthedocaboutbeforegoing

undertheanestheticfog.Heclearedhisthroatandbegan,"Wetooka

lookatthegrowthonyourleg,Mark."Hissternlookchilledmyspine."It

ismelanomacancer…doyouknowwhatthatis?"Itriedtofindamental

footholdasIshiftedfromexpectinggoodnewstothesemoresinister

words."Weneedtoschedulesurgeryrightnowtoremovethelymph

nodesinyourlegs.Thiswillpreventthecancerfromspreading."

Whatthehell?Ithought.Mymomanddadnoddedinconcurrence,

butIsatquietly,takingitin.Mymindseemedtodissolveintoastateof

shockandpresence.Everythingseemedbrighter,andIfeltarushoflife‐

forcethatIalsofeltwhenabsorbedinnature.The"I"ofmeleftfora

moment,asifIwereinsuspendedanimation.Thiswasmyfirstaltered

stateexperience,anditfeltliketenminutes,butitmusthaveonlybeena

fewmoments,beforemyrationalmindclickedbackin.Whatdoesthis

mean?Isitreal?Iamtooyoungtodie.Inspiteofthestitchesinmygroin,I

feelprettydarngood.Wouldn'tIknowitifIhadcancerriddlingmybody?

MyinnervoicetoldmethatIwouldhaveknownandthateverythingwas

fine…butwhattheheckdidaseventeen‐year‐oldkidknowabout

intuition?

Thedocexplainedthatiftheoperationwassuccessfuland

followedbythenormalradiationandchemo,Ihadachanceat

eradicatingthecancer.Icouldleadanormallifewithonemajor

exception:Iwouldneverbeanathleteagain.Thelymphnoderemoval

wouldresultin"fattylegsyndrome"duetotheabsenceofthecleansing

workofthelymphnodes.Hedidn'ttellmewhathetoldmyfolks…that

hisprognosiswasthatIhadsixmonthstolive.

Strangehowthingscanbecruisingalongswimminglyone

moment,andthenthenextmoment,boom:youhavecanceroratree

fallsonyou.Beingignoranttothegravityofthesituationwasablessing

indisguise.

Thedoclefttheroom,andIlookedatmyparents,whoseemedin

moreshockthanme.

"Idon'tbelieveit,"Isaid."Idon'tbelievethisishappening,andI

don'tbelievethedoctor…shouldn'twegetmoreopinions?"Myparents,to

theirgreatcredit,agreedandinformedthehospitalthatIdeclinedthe

surgeryandcancertreatment,pendingfurtherresearch.

AsIattemptedtoreturntomylife,Iwassoonhitbyafloodof

sympatheticpeople,manyofwhomIbarelyknew.ApparentlyIwasthe

onlyonekeptinthedarkaboutthesixmonthstolivepart.Awkwardto

findoutthatway.Ikeptmyfocusonhealthandinsistedonattending

summerswimcampafewweekslater.Itfeltgreattogetbacktomy

trainingandtakemymindoffthings.Swimcamphelpedmeclearmy

head,andwhenIleft,Iwasfeelingmuchbetter.Thewholeepisode

seemedlikeamistake,andtwomonthslaterIgotword.Threeresearch

hospitalslookedatthebiopsy,andthescorewas:

Cancer:0

Notcancer:2

Uncertain:1

Thatreportputanendtothisstrangeepisodeofmylife.However,

itimpactedmedeeplyforafewreasons.First,itshowedmehow

preciouslifeisandhowquicklyitcancometoanend.Muchtomy

dismay,theillusionofyouthfulimmortalitywasgone—soIhadbetter

makethemostoutofeachday.Second,Ilearnedthatprofessionalsare

limitedandpronetoerror,justlikeeveryoneelse.Itisimportantto

questionauthorityandgetmultipleperspectivesonimportantissues—

thenmakeupyourownmind.Third,itshowedmethatmyparentswere

notinfallible,andthoughtheyhadmybestinterestsatheart,Iwould

needtochartmyownpaththroughlife.Finally,ittaughtmetolistento

thatlittlevoicedeepinsideofme,theonethatwhispered"no"whenI

heardthewordcancer.Ilearnedtoappreciateintuition,eventhoughI

hadnoideahowtotapintoityetfordeeperlevelsofinsight.

TheEducationYears

During my high school years, my siblings all got shunted off to

boarding school, butmymomdecided tokeepmeathome.Her logical

reasoning was that I was smart enough to get into a good college

without that fancyprepschool finish.The truthwas that Iwas justan

easy kid to have at home, and I added color and comfort to the home

front.SothereIsatatthepublichighschool,whereImadeletteringin

sports a pastime. Though I enjoyed the team sports, I was drawn to

endurance training for themental challenge and the simplicity. Endless

laps in the pool and running track were predominantly mental

endeavors. Through these sports I learned the importance of proper

breathingandmentalmanagement.Myswimtimesearnedmeasloton

theColgateUniversityteam,andoffIwentin1981.

Colgate is a considered a "lower Ivy League" school that prides

itself on academic rigor and football, neither of which I majored in. I

settledoneconomics,thinkingthat itwouldhelpwhenI landedbackat

DivineBrothers, Inc.,a legacy familybusiness inmanufacturingstarted

in1898.IquicklybecameasolidBstudentat"theGate"asotherpursuits

capturedmytimeandinterests.Socially,myworldburstwideopenasI

beganmyloveaffairwithbeerandwomen,inthatorder.IfeltasifIhad

beenacave‐dwellingasceticinamountainhamletwhohadfinallysnuck

awaytotastethehedonisticrealworld…mybrainexplodedwiththenew

experiences.

After a semester of craziness, I knew I needed to groundmyself

againor Iwoulddrown, so I reverted towhat I knewbest:natureand

sports.Therigorofmydailyschedulekeptmefocusedandlessproneto

participateinthenonstopparty:

6–6:30am:Wakeandrunthreemilestotheboathouse

6:30–7:30am:Rowcrewforagut‐bustinghour.

7:30–8:00:Runthreemilesbacktothefraternityforbreakfast

9:00–11:30:Classes

11:30–13:00:Hitthegymtoliftweights

13:30–15:30:Classes

15:45–18:00:Swimpractice—uptofivethousandmeters

18:30–19:50:Rowthedreadedergometer

20:00:Dinner

Dinneratthefrathousewouldbefollowedbyatriptothelibrary,

where Iwould end up facedown in drool, snoring like a big dog. Upon

finishingmy"studies,"Iwouldheadtothepubtoscanforgirlsandbein

bedbyeleveno'clock—dependingontheresultsofthepubvisit.

OK,Iadmitthoseweregreattimes,andIhavesomegreatfriends

fromthatera.However,IhadnoideawhatIwantedtodowhenIgrew

up besides the family business, which was my default. As senior year

groundtoaclose,though,Ifoundmyselfwithauniquejobofferfroma

Big 8 CPA firm in Manhattan. The firm, Coopers & Lybrand (now

PricewaterhouseCoopers), somehow thought it a good idea to sponsor

me to attend NYU Stern School of Business as part of a work‐study

program.Iwouldworkasanauditorfortwoyears,duringwhichtimeI

would get amaster's and pass the CPA exam. Sowithin fiveweeks of

graduatingColgate,IfoundmyselfbackinsummerschoolatNYU.Class

washeldMonday toThursday,and thenFridayswerespentatCoopers

with the other students. It was not too complicated, and I picked up

auditing quickly. For a few months, the newness of the challenge

motivatedme,butitwasn't longbeforeIdreadedthemonotonyof"the

"realworld."WasthisreallywhatIwasgoingtodofortherestofmylife?

Completelyonmyownnow,desperationovercamemeastheeducational

billspiledupandmyoptionsdwindled.Itwasn'tlongbeforeIstartedto

questionwhetherIhadmadeahugemistake.

TheMentorAppears

Walking home from the subway one evening, I heard spirited

shoutsexplodingfromasecond‐floorwindow.Lookingup,Inotedaflag

stating"SEIDOKarate,WorldHeadquarters."Interesting.Soundslikethey

arewhippingupastormupthere,Ithought.Icouldn'tresist,soIclimbed

thestairsandmetthemanwhowouldbecomemyfirstmentor,whoheld

thekeytounlockthedoortomyownUnbeatableMind.

Kaicho(Grandmaster)TadashiNakamurafoundedSeidoKaratein

theseventies.HewasbroughttotheUnitedStatesbytheKyokushinkai

founder, Mas Oyama, to head up the training. After a few years,

Nakamurabecamedisenchantedwith the tournament fighting focusof

thatstyle,desiringtoteachkarateincombinationwithZentrainingtoa

broader base. He believed that the inner development of the warrior

mustparalleltheouterdevelopmentortheartcouldbeusedimproperly.

In essence he felt that self‐mastery was equally important as fighting

prowess. The fighting strategies, tactics, techniques, and physical

conditioning were methods of the outer training, while meditation,

contemplation, and silence were the methods of the inner warrior

development.Incidentally,mostmodernmartialartshavelostthissubtle

artofwarriordevelopment,aiminginsteadatcompetitionorMMA‐style

training.KaichoNakamura'strainingandmentorshipcausedaparadigm

shiftinmyownconsciousness—meetinghimwasawatershedmoment

inmylife.EverythingafterSeidowasjust,well,different.

IreceivedmyShodanblackbeltrankinginNovemberof1989.

Incidentally,IalsoreceivedmyCPAandmyMBAcertificatesthesame

month.Butthemostsignificantthingthathappenedthatmonthwas

thatIhoppedonatraintoNewport,RhodeIsland,tobeginmysecond

careerasanavalofficer.ThementorshipIhadreceivedunderMr.

Nakamura'sguidancehadopenedupnewdoorsofpossibilitytome,and

Itookaleapthroughoneofthemoreadventurousones.TheZenand

warriortraininghadfinallygroundmyoutershelldownenoughthatit

allowedmyinnervoicetobeheard,tellingme,"Mark,youareoutof

alignmentwithyourpurpose.Yourpassionistobealeader,awarrior,

andtofindagrandadventure.Yourprinciplesarebeingcompromised

bychasingmoney,andyourpurposeisbiggerthanjustbeingin

businessforthesakeofacareer."Ihadalsobecomeenchantedwiththe

NavySEALs'sirencallto"BeSomeoneSpecial"andtookthebait.Into

thenavyIwentin1989andneverlookedback.

Teams'n'Shit

ItwaslateNovemberwhenIgotoffthetrainforNewport,Rhode

Island,leavingthesuit,thecorporateworld,andsadly,KaichoNakamura,

behind. Officer Candidate School (OCS) was four months of marching

from one class to another in formation, and I gutted through it, no

problem. InMarch I checked intoBUD/S, the sixmonth SEAL training

course, for Class 171 on a Friday and found that itwasn't starting for

another tenweeks. Iheard thatadifferent class,170,was rampingup

that coming Monday. I was determined to get started right away, so I

wentsearchingforsomeonewhocouldmakeithappen.

SoonIfoundmyselfsteppingontothedeckoftheCombatTraining

Tank (SEAL‐speak for pool) facing 180 scared‐looking students of class

170, lorded over by Lieutenant Rick May perched high on the dive

platform. The entire class went silent when this newly minted officer

(me)enteredtheirspace.

"What can we do for you, Enzyme?" was May's response to my

interruption.

"Sir,Ihaveordersto171butwouldliketoclassupwith170,"Isaid

withasenseofconfidence.

"OK,that'snotnormal.Provetousthatyouareready:swimfifty

metersunderwater inyourbootsandutes(utilitypants)rightnow,"he

said.

OK, I thought, this is going to be interesting, but it's rightupmy

alley.

The sea of candidates parted, likely wondering about my sanity

during this brazen stunt. I stood at the pool's edge, took a few deep

breaths,andjumpedin,bootsandall.Ipulledlikehellagainstthewater

andmadeit totheotherside,andthenIturnedandkickedagainst the

wallwithallmymight. Iglidedhalfwayandthenpulledmywaytothe

other side. Gassed, I could barely drag myself onto the deck to await

sentencing.

"See me Monday morning," May said. Then he went back to

hammeringtheclass.

On Monday I classed up with 170. May and the other SEAL

instructorswereadifferentbreedofmenthanIhadeverbeenexposed

to. Their confidence was born not of cockiness or the size of their

paycheck,butofextremecompetenceanda"beenthere,donethat"air

ofuntouchability.The legendwas thatLieutenantMay fracturedhis leg

onthethirddayofhishellweek.Hewasn'tgoingtoletthatdetailsideline

him,sohecontinuedtorunonituntilhepassedoutfromthepain…after

securingfromtrainingondayfive!

PeoplelikeLieutenantMayandLieutenantZinkeweremyheroes

andnewmentorsforthenextninemonths.Theydidn'tmessaroundor

wastetime,goingfromzerotoahundredmilesperhourondayoneand

not throttling back at all for the duration. The training standards kept

gettingharderand fasterwhile thequitting linegot longer.Thoseofus

who had spent several years preparing and cultivating our mental

toughness were ready. Those who had not…were not…and didn't

survive. Of the 180 who started in my SEAL training class, only 19

graduated,andIwastheHonorManoftheclass.

The arduous BUD/S training has been exposed by many SEAL

authorsandHollywoodmovies,soIwon'trepeatdetailshere.ButIwill

sprinkleinafewanecdotalstoriestobackupaprinciplehereandthere.

BeforeIgoon,foryouladiesreadingthis,Iwantyoutoknowthatthis

bookiseverybitasmuchforyouasitisfortheguys.ThoughtheSEALs

andmartialartsaredominatedbyrough‐and‐tumblemen,Ihavetrained

alongsidemanywomenintheartsand,morerecently,inthedisciplineof

AshtangaYoga. InAshtangamostofmypeersarewomen,everyoneof

themasphysicallycapable,ormoreso,thantheirmalecounterparts.The

principlesofUnbeatableMindarenotaboutbeinghard‐corebutrather

abouthow toperformat yourpeak in anydomain,whether youarea

mom,dad,SEAL,student,orCPA.SomeoftheintriguinglessonsIlearned

duringSEALtrainingareworthstatingnowthough:

I. Getting through SEAL training is largely a mental exercise. The

physical readiness is certainlyaprerequisite,but it is themental

preparationandresiliencythatmakethedifference.Provingthat

isthekeytoprovingyoucansurviveandbea leaderinthemost

chaoticanddangerouscircumstancesknowntomankind.Applied

toanygoalinlife,thislessonwillserveyouwell.

II. SomeamazingindividualsmakeittoSEALtrainingbutfaildueto

"bad luck" injuries. But isn't it true that the more aware and

durableyouare,thelesslikelyyouwillfallpreytowhatotherscall

bad luck? Idon't subscribe to thebad luck theory.Murphy'sLaw

says that what can go wrong will. Destiny favors the prepared.

Awareness,sleep,recovery,anddurabilitytraininghelpwithinjury

avoidance and allow you tomaintain peakperformance over the

longhaul.Hardisnotalwayssmart,andenergymanagementisa

crucialskillwhetheryouareaNavySEALcandidateortopfemale

CEO.IntheSEALswelearnedhowtoputout100percentwhenit

paid to be a winner and then how to rest, even if that meant

sleepingcomfortablyonapointyrockwhengiventhechance.

III. SomeofthesmartestandfittestpeoplemadeitthroughBUD/Sbut

failed as SEAL leaders because they lacked emotional depth and

control. This is difficult for men but is a critical skill for

performanceatthelevelwedesirewithUnbeatableMind.

IV. Theself‐confidenceofaSEALisbothacharactertraitandaskill.

The skill is to rackup small,worthy, and achievable victories on

thewaytomissionaccomplishment.Inaddition,itrequiresbeing

abletoreframefailurestofindasilverlining.Withthesetwoskills,

youwillhavetheself‐confidencetoattackanychallenge,andyour

confidenceinyourdomainofexpertisewillgrowasyoursuccess

grows.

V. Trainingneverstops.IntheSEALs,BUD/Swasjustthebeginning.

ThetraininggotharderandriskierduringSQT(SEALQualification

Training), and then it was notched up by another large factor

when we got to the actual SEAL Teams themselves. It never

stopped, and it became the "main thing" in the life of the SEAL

operator.Thisconcept isa fundamentaldriverformylifeandfor

theUnbeatableMindprogram.

VI. Valuesarejustwords.SEALstakethewordsandmakethemhabits,

turnthemintovirtuesandeventuallytheircharacter,andsomust

you. When you do this, your actions will truly express your

character,whichwill forge your destiny. Youwill stand out from

theaveragelikealighthouseonastormynight.

VII. Navy SEALs solve problems in unique and unconventional ways

not obvious tomost people. Through trial and errorwe learn to

reframeallproblemsbylookingatthemthroughmultipledifferent

lenses.We turn themupsidedownand insideout;westepoutof

the box altogether to look at them from a new paradigm, or

dimension,orculturalperspective.ThisisaSEAL‐inspiredversion

of the science of creative invention called TRIZ, developed by a

Russianinventor,whichwewillgetintoabitinchaptereight.

VIII. SEAL training established the conditions for accelerated human

performance. This is due to the immersive nature of the

experienceandtheconstantexposuretonewskills, ideas,people,

places,andchallengesofahigh‐risknature.Wegrewfastandmade

learning to learn a passion. This same type of accelerated

development is my goal for you with this book and the online

UnbeatableMindAcademy.

AfterBUD/StrainingIwastoldthatastheHonorMangraduateI

couldchoosemynextdutystation.IwrotedownSEALTeams2,4,and8,

allon theEastCoast,onmydreamsheet. I liked the ideaof serving in

Europe with SEAL Team 2 and knew I would enjoy the cold weather

work. But I soon learned that the needs of the navy trumped their

promises, and I was ordered to SEAL Team 3 in Coronado, California.

There IwasassignedasassistantplatooncommanderofAlphaPlatoon

under Lieutenant Washabau. Wash was an excellent officer, and we

trainedtheteamhardfortwelvemonths.WewereslatedtogotoDesert

Storm when the war ended just as we were heading out the door, so

instead we deployed to The Philippines. In the "PI" we conducted a

mission confusingly called "Foreign InternalDefense" (FIDwas a term

usedtodescribeUSSpecialOperationsForcestrainingaforeignforcefor

theirinternaldefenseneeds)andotherspecialreconnaissancemissions.

FIDhadustrainanumberofnavalspecialopsforcesintheAsianrimfor

thepurposeofbilateralrelations,pointofpresence,culturalawareness,

and intelligence. I really enjoyed thesemissions, though they paled in

comparison to thehard‐coredirect actionmissions seenby theSEALs

since 9/11. Most of all I loved working with Alpha Platoon and SEAL

Team3, serving there for close to fiveyears.Theworkwas fast‐paced,

extremely challenging, and very rewarding. Some of the stories that

cameoutof thatperiod areoutrageously funny andmind‐blowing.We

chalkedallthoseexperiencesuptowhatwecalled"teams'n'shit."Most

SEALs who stick around for more than a single tour have crazy sea

storiesduetothenatureoftheteamandthemissionstakenon.

In 1995my Platoon Commander Tour ST‐3 was cut short, and I

was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 in Hawaii. I also got

married to a Coronado girl named Sandy. Learning how to drive and

navigate theminisubswasalmostas funas learninghowtonavigatea

marriage!When I checked into the team insteadofgoing intoanother

operatingplatoon,Iwasslatedtoheadupaspecialprojectthattookme

back toSouthKorea.At thispoint inmyactive‐dutySEALcareer, I felt

pulledinoppositedirections.Mywifewasnotthrilledaboutthemassive

amount of travel, and I did not want to be away from her for eleven

monthsoutoftheyear.IcertainlyunderstoodthetravelneedswhenIgot

married, but I wasn't prepared for the emotional challenge they

presented.Manypeopledealtwiththisbytreatingtheirmarriagelikea

business arrangement—it didn't bother them, and they enjoyed being

away. I, on the other hand, didn't like it one bit andworried that the

marriagewouldn'tsurvive.Inretrospect,IthinkthatbecauseIhadsuch

adifficult time connectingwhen Iwas younger,when I finally founda

heart connection with a woman, I didn't want to blow it. Therefore I

made the difficult life‐changing decision to leave the active duty and

transfertotheSEALReserves.

In April of 1996, I found myself a part‐time SEAL and full‐time

entrepreneur. I paired up with my brother‐in‐law to launch the third

brewery in San Diego, the Coronado Brewing Company (CBC). The

business is thriving to this day, and since that fateful decision I have

launched five more successful businesses, including NavySEALs.com,

Inasoft, US Tactical, US CrossFit, and SEALFIT. While busy as an

entrepreneur,IalsoservedatReserveSEALTeams1,3,and17,aswell

asNavalSpecialWarfareGroupONEandSpecialOperationsCommand

Pacific.Iwasmobilizedforone‐yearactivedutystintstwice,onetimeto

BahrainandAfricaand theother to Iraq.There I rana specialproject

withST‐1tostudywhethertheMarineCorpsshouldbecomepartofthe

special ops community. I was also hired as an adjunct professor of

leadership at the University of San Diego and helped launch an

entrepreneurial leadership institute there. Iwas very busy, but again I

feltlikesomethingwasmissing.

I thought back through the years and noted that Iwas happiest

andmostsuccessfulwhenIwasactivelyengagedindailycomprehensive

training.Inbusiness,whetherasaCPAinNewYorkoranentrepreneur

inCalifornia,thefocuswasallonwork.Therewasscantattentionpaid

to physical training or mental performance. For a second time I was

facedwith the prospect of a slide into physical andmentalmediocrity,

and I decided Iwould find away, ormake away, to train like I had at

Seidotenyearsearlier.

YogaJitsu

In1998IstumbleduponSaitoNinjitsuandAshtangaYogaandtook

themboth up. Throughmy ninjitsu training, Iwas able to tap into the

physicality and raw warrior spirit of the martial arts again. It was

liberating. But it was through the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga that I

finallyunderstoodwhatittooktomovefrombeingawarriorathleteand

leadertobecomingametaphoricalwarriormonk.Yogaturnedmeinside

out,slowedmedownandfirmlyplantedameditativepracticebackinto

mylife.ItwastheperfectcomplementtothehardphysicaltrainingthatI

wassoaccustomedto.Throughmyyogatraining, I foundthe following

insightstoaddtomygrowingknowledgeofhumandevelopment:

I. Yoga ismuchmore thanbending and flexing yourbody. It is the

oldestformofpersonaldevelopmentknown,spanning5,000years.

It isalsorumoredtobethesourceofmodernmartialarts,witha

fellownamedBhodidharmahavingtraveledfromIndiatowhat is

nowChinaandestablishingtheShaolinMonastery.

II. Yogaliterallymeansto"yoke"orunifyyourlimitedconsciousself

withyourexpansive,soulself.Thetrainingcomesinmanyforms,

but the one I foundmost intriguing is the eight‐limbmethod of

Ashtanga Yoga outlined by a fellow named Patanjali in his Yoga

Sutras.

III. Theeightlimbscoveracomprehensivedevelopmentpathwaythat

includes developing personal disciplines, cultivating an ethical

foundation for good living, developing the body, developing the

breath (or life‐force), deepening sensory perception, deepening

powers of concentration, releasing into presence and the void

through meditation, and finding bliss, union, or

enlightenment…which have existed all the time but need to be

discoveredpersonally.Whatapowerfulandmotivatingpath.

IV. What I love about Ashtanga Yoga is its synchronicity with the

warrior disciplines I learned from Kaicho Nakamura and Zen

training, and also the teachings of Christ from my Christian

upbringing (I distinguish the teachings of Christ from the rules

anddogmaofsomeoftheChristianreligioustraditionsthathave

evolvedovertheyears).BecauseofyogaIbegantostudyhowand

whythegreatspiritualtraditionsallcameathumandevelopment

with similar tools and methods but using different words and

culturalinterpretations.

V. Yoga reinforced the notion that daily training and practice was

more important thananyspecific teacherorskill.The journeyof

disciplining the body,mind, and spirit to still itself and focus on

higher‐ordernotionsofbeingandlivingisoneofthegreatsecrets

to development. Just as the body will atrophy without constant

training, the mind and spirit will not develop, and will atrophy,

withoutasimilarfocus.

I began to experiment by combining CrossFit, Ninjitsu and

Ashtanga into my training regimen. I found each to be rich and

rewarding,but alone theydidnotmeetmywarriordevelopmentgoals.

CrossFit lacked the inner development, Ninjitsu lacked the functional

fitness and meditation, and yoga lacked the strength, stamina, work

capacity, and endurance training I desired. So I cobbled together a

program with all three, but I found it difficult to handle three $150

monthly training memberships and juggle the schedules. So in 2006 I

finally decided I would figure out a way to integrate the best of each

system into one training model. The result, launched in 2008, was

SEALFIT.

Thetrainingworkedverywell.Infactitwassofun,effective,and

upliftingthatby2013SEALFITwasknownworldwideforourAdvanced

Operator Workouts, live‐in Academy, and fifty‐hour Kokoro mental

toughness camps. Along the way I had become a recognized mental

toughness expert. All of this came from my simple desire to create a

trainingprogramformyselfthatintegratedthemostpowerfulelements

ofphysical,mental,emotional,intuitional,andspiritualtrainingthatIhad

experiencedintheSEALsthroughthemartialartsandyoga.Cool.

TheUnbeatableMindRoadMap

Since leaving theactivedutySEALs in1996, Ihavewatchedhow

businessandlifehavebecomesomuchfaster,morecomplex,andmore

aggressive. The rules that I knew then have been shattered by the

Internetandthediffusionoftechnology—bothofwhichhaveseemedto

flatten the world and compress time. Entire cultures that were once

isolated arenowconnectedviamobiledevices, andvalues are clashing

and morphing. The business landscape now looks more like enemy

territoryonasecretSEALmission.YouandImustdevelopnewmethods

andbeliefstoeffectivelydealwiththisnewreality.

Inthefirstchapterofthisbook,westartwithwhatIcalltheFirst

Premise—that youmustwin in yourmindbefore setting foot into the

battlefields in life. Using visualization techniques I first learned from a

swim coach and then honed in Zen training, I planted the seeds for

success intomysubconsciousmind.This training,alongwithpositivity,

self‐talk,andpropergoalsetting,cementedthedealandensuredthat I

wasusingmuchmoreofmymentalpowers thanmypeerswhen I set

foot onto the BUD/S grinder. This brings us to the second chapter of

Unbeatable Mind. The Two Disciplines were gleaned from closely

observingmymentor Kaicho Nakamura. He taughtme that to live an

uncommon life, one needs to learn uncommon disciplines. He andmy

NinjitsuSenseiShanePhelpsinspiredmetodevelopthe"FiveMountain"

trainingmodelofUnbeatableMind,introducedinchaptertwo.

In SEAL training, and later in business, I learned that if we can

control stress and fear, we can focus and leadmuch better. In chapter

threeIdiscussthatmentaltoughnesshasthreesecrets—controllingthe

body, the mind, and the emotions. Win those three, and you win the

battle every time. Next, chapter fourwill get into the four elements of

awarenessandguideyoutoactivateanddeepenyourself‐awarenessand

the situational awareness of your surrounding environment. You will

become sheepdog strongwith this knowledge. In chapter five I discuss

the five critical skills for developing mentally tough leadership, drawn

straight frommy high‐risk days as a SEAL officer. Chapter sixwill get

into how to develop power virtues. A virtue is a value that you have

habituated until it becomes a character trait. Unbeatable Mind leaders

embody these virtues that help to propel them into new territory and

keep them on track to be uncommon. Since we all rely on teams to

accomplish worthy goals, I offer seven "tough team" training tools in

chapterseven.Youwillleveragethesetoolstotrainyourteamtooperate

atanelitelevel.Chaptereightdivesintotheeighttraitsofmasterythat

willstartshowingupinyourrelationshipsandactionsasyourtraining

progresses.Thesesignpostsareyourindicatorsthatyouareontheright

pathandalsoyourmotivatortostaythecourse.InchapternineIprovide

a glimpse into the five plateaus of consciousness so you can better

understandwhereyour centerof gravity lies, and to lay the foundation

foryoutoascendtothehighestlevels.

Letmesaythatyouarenotaloneonthejourney—therearemany

whoare following theUnbeatableMindprescription, includingathletes,

executives, moms, dads, teens, martial artists, yoga practitioners, and

spiritualseekers.Thisbookwillprovide thebasicphilosophyand tools

to allow you towin in yourmind, forge grit, and develop an offensive

attitude. It will help you to train yourself and your team to peak

performance, and,more importantly, to leadwithyourheart andmind

mergedinaction.Iencourageyoutoenjoythejourneyratherthanfocus

onthedestination.Foreverymountainyouclimbandplateauyourestat,

therewillbeanotherandmoreinterestingviewahead.