Unbeatable Mind

Forge Resiliency and Mental Toughness to Succeed at an Elite Level

MarkDivine

Second Edition, 2014

© 2011–2014 Mark D. Divine www.unbeatablemind.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may

be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written

permission from the author/publisher. Copyright © 2014 Authored By Mark Divine All rights reserved.

DedicatedtomyfriendandteammateGlenDoherty

ContentsIntroduction:ThisIsUnbeatableMind

TheEarlyYears MortalityKnocks TheEducationYears TheMentorAppears Teams'n'Shit YogaJitsu TheUnbeatableMindRoadMap Illustration:UnbeatableMindFramework

ChapterOne:FirstPremise

FirstWininYourMind WitnessProcess FishBowlGuidedVisualization FeedingtheWolf StarvingFear,FeedingCourage TheUnfetteredMind

ChapterTwo:TwoMetaDisciplines

Self‐MasteryDisciplines TheFiveMountains Illustration:FiveMountainsofSelfMastery Self‐Mastery’sSub‐disciplines ServiceDisciplines

ChapterThree:ThreeSecretsofMentalToughness

ThePowerofChoice UnderstandingStress Double‐BarrelPower:Breathing,andConcentration Illustration:BoxBreathing EmotionalResiliency Illustration:BigFourofEmotionalResiliency

ChapterFour:FourElementsofAwareness

ClearingYourBOO AligningwithUniversalBeliefs

OneThingandThreePs Three‐SphereAwareness Illustration:ThreeSpheres SheepdogStrong DogTraining

ChapterFive:FiveCriticalMentalToughnessSkillsforLeaders

TraintheZooKeeper ShortcuttheGladwellEffect UseMentalModels KISSPlanning SMART‐FITSGoalSetting Illustration:F.I.T.S. SMEACandPROP Illustration:P.R.O.P. OODALoop Illustration:OODALoop VisualizeSuccess BeaMoraleOfficer Illustration:TheBigFourofMentalToughness

ChapterSix:SixPowerVirtuesforCharacterExcellence

TrustworthinessandLoyalty HonorableIntegrity FollowToLead ResponsibilityandAccountability TheOnlyEasyDayWasYesterday FailureIsNotanOption TheNavySEALEthos TheSEALCode

ChapterSeven:Seven"ToughTeam"Tools

FunctionalTeamTraining MindGamesandChallenges PromoteFailureandRiskTaking ThereIsNoIinTeam GetReal UseStandardOperatingProcedures KeepItSimple,Again

ChapterEight:EightTraitsofMastery

Single‐PointFocus UncommonResolve PositivelyOffensiveAttitude Discerning ExcelinChaos EmbracetheSuck Humility KokoroSpirit

ChapterNine:Integration

IntegralTheory TheFivePlateausofConsciousness

Afterword

OneDay,OneLife TenSecretstoSuccess

TheBodyIstheFeelerofEmotionsandSensations

TheMindIstheThinkerofThoughts

TheWitnessIstheObserverofAll

—SenseiShanePhelps

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.

ChapterOne:FirstPremise

The roarof the chopper's rotorblades seared the stillnessof the

night'spitch‐blacksky.Thejumpmastergavethethumbsupandflipped

onthegreenlight.Shit;herewegoagain,Ithought.ThenItookadeep

breathandflewofftherampintotheinkydarkness.Thewindbuffeted

melikearagdollforafewmoments,andthenIfeltmybodyaccelerating

awayfromthebird.Iarchedmybackandleveledout,acceleratingto120

milesperhour.Itookalookatthehorizonandsawastreakofsunlight

penetratingthenight.Thiswasmyfirstpredawnfree‐falljump,andmy

SEAL instructor,MikeLoo,waswatchingmeclosely. Idida360‐degree

turn and then looked over at Loo for his next set of instructions. If I

hadn't been hurtling through the air at 120miles per hour, you could

haveseenmyjawdrop.Loowasstanding feet toearth,dropping likea

bullet, smilingcalmlyatme.Thenhe flickedhis fingersanddida180‐

degree flip, landing feet to earth again. His control over the air was

astounding,developedduring2,000‐plusfree‐fall jumps.Lootappedhis

altimeter,causingmetolookatmine.Fourthousandfeetaboveground

level…timetopull.Lookingatmyripcord,Ireachedandpulledforcefully,

deployingmyparachute.Itwaffledupandcaughtairwithapop.Idrifted

toasafelanding,andthemomentwasindeliblyburnedinmybrainasa

displayoftotalcontrolofbodyandmind.Ihadwitnessedmastery,andof

courseMikewasjustdoinghisjob.

Theyearpriortothatjump,whilegrindingawayasaCPAonWall

Street, I had finally been invited to test formy black belt test at Seido

Karate. A month before the test, I had embarked on a final tune‐up

retreat at the ZenMountain Monastery, where the Seido teamwent a

coupletimesayearfor"mentaltraining."Itwasn'tcalledthat,ofcourse,

but that was what it was. The monastery is a Woodstock, New York,

centerforZenpractitioners.Ourschedulehaduspracticingthephysical

aspects of karate and the mental aspects of Zen in a very yin‐yang

fashion: two hours of meditation followed by two hours of karate

training,twiceaday.

The meditation sessions were so much harder than I had ever

expected.AsItookmyseatonthelittlebench(whichwassupposedto

takethepressureoffourkneesandallowustokeepourbacksstraight),

Isnuckapeekaroundattheseriousstudents.Mostweremonkslivingat

themonasterythatwasniceenoughtosharetheirspacewithus.Ifyou

couldimaginewhataprofessionalmeditatorlookslike,theywereinthat

room. I felt like an intruder and wondered if they could sense the

charlatanintheroom.Afterabouttenminutesoftryingtofocusonmy

breathing, counting each inhale and exhale, I was exhausted, and my

back hurt like hell. Why did this suck so much? I thought it was

supposedtobeallpeaceandbliss.Whowouldhavethoughtthatdoing

nothingcouldbesopainfulandhard?

Iredoubledmyefforts.Tryharder;concentrateonthatspotinfront

ofyou,Itoldmyself.IgottothecountoftwobutrealizedIwasthinking

aboutbreakfast.Back tozero.Next time Igot to threebutrealized the

whole time I had been fantasizing about a girl I hadmet the previous

weekend. Shucks; back to zero again. Needless to say, those two‐hour

sessions were harder than much of my later SEAL training! The

experiencewasareal"eye‐opener,"anditwasn'tmythirdeyethatwas

opening. I could barely make it ten minutes before my mind, like a

monkey grasping for a banana, would race off in another direction. I

called it "concentration camp" because we were instructed to

concentrateonthecounting,butitfeltmorelikementalprison."Justsit

and count your breath," instructed Daido, the head monk. "When the

mindwanders,bringitbacktothebreath.Don'tbeatyourselfup;lifeis

too short." Life never felt longer…Iwas used to things being easy and

couldn'thelpbeatingmyselfupforsuckingsobadatthisnewskill.

Duringthislasttriptothemonastery,Ihadamajorbreakthrough,

though:eventhoughIkeptfeelinglikeameditativefailure,Inoticedthat

I felt better themore I did it. Maybe this type of internalwork didn't

require the aggressive goal orientation of sports or theWesternmind‐

set.Maybetherewasno"there"there.WhatIfoundoutwasthatevenif

Isuckedatsittinginsilence, itworkeditsmagicanyhow.Thesilenceof

the bench was not much different than the silence of nature I had

enjoyedinmyyouth.Whatasimpleyetprofounddiscovery!

Themajor lesson I gained frommy journey into Zenwas that I

couldgaincontrolovermymindifIpracticed.Thekeywastolearntobe

silent, truly, in your mind silent. When you are silent, you can then

witness the mind in action. In doing so you begin to separate your

identity from "the thoughts" and get acquaintedwith that part of you

watching the thoughts. That space between the thought and the

watcher—your witness—is where the magic is. Absent that space,

efforts to develop concentration, confidence, creativity, and spirit fall

short.

LikeMikeLoo,whospentyearsdevelopingtheabilitytocontrolhis

body andmind to such a degree that he could stand on air, youmust

approach mental training without goal orientation. Be patient, and

expect theunexpected.WhenI finally tested formyblackbelt, theZen

trainingtrumpedalltheyearsofphysicaltraining.Whenpressedtothe

edgeofdespairinfightafterfight,itwasmyabilitytoquietmymindand

tapintoaninnerreservoirofstrengththattippedthebalanceandwon

the fight for thebelt.Mr.Nakamurausedthecrucibleof thetest toget

meoutofmyheadandintomyheartandspirit.Ihadtosurrendertothe

unknown, where active thought mattered less than instinct and

unconsciouscompetence.Inthatspaceofsilence,agranderintelligence

than I had ever experienced could flow through me. This experience

pointedtoanentirelynewlevelofpotential,whichIwouldwitnessagain

hurtling to earth on that parachute jump, and in other moments of

extremecrisisthroughoutmySEALcareer.

Later, as my twenty‐year SEAL career unfolded, I sought to

understand those seeds that Mr. Nakamura had planted during those

formativeyearsinNewYorkCity.Inotedthatduringlongtraininghikes

and numbingly long dives, my mind began to drop into the same

meditativestateIhadexperiencedontheZenbench.Hourswouldslipby

as a calmness and sense of confidence penetrated my awareness. I

learned to feel my way, rather than think, my way through crisis

moments. I noted how excessive thinking and analysis paralysis got

peopleinjuredorkilled.Ichoseinsteadtosurrendertomyintuitionand

seekpresencewhenpossibleover constant rationalization.Over time I

became hyperaware of what was going on in and around me. This

presentmomentmind‐set broughtmy rationalmind under evenmore

controlandallowedforcreativitytoflow.Theseexperiencespiquedmy

interestintrainingtheinnerskillsevenmore.Iwondered:

HowcouldIdeepenmyintuition?

CouldIlearntoactivatethatpreciousflowstateatwill?

CouldIintentionallyslowdowntimeandensureIwascalminthe

midstofacrisis?

How were deep breathing, internal visualization, positivity, and

effectiveplanningpracticeslinked?

Whatimpactdidthesetoolshavefor long‐termgoalactualization

versusspotperformances?

HowcouldIdevelopmycreativity?

Whatwerethelimitstomyperformanceasahuman?

The articulation of the answers to these questions, and their

presentationinatrainingformat,wouldhavetowaituntilSEALFIT.

In 2006 I was hired by the navy to train and mentor all SEAL

candidates nationwide. This program was the business driver behind

puttingmy integrated trainingprogramtogetherand teaching it to the

public.Thattrainingbecamethepetridishfordevelopingtheprinciples

discussed in these pages. That iswhere I developed the tactics behind

theFirstPremise.

Victoriouswarriorswinfirstandthengotowar,whiledefeatedwarriorsgotowar

firstandthenseektowin.—SunTzu

First,WininYourMind

IthinkbynowIhavemadeitclearthatSEALsoperateatanelite

level because they learn to control their minds and establish the win

internallybefore theyenterthe fight.This is theFirstPremise,andwe

mustgorightintothebellyofthisbeasttotacklehowtodevelopmental

control now. You don't have time or the luxury to join amonastery or

spend twenty years as a SEAL as I did (unless that is your goal, of

course!). For many of you, it will be the first time you have been

challengedto thinkabout themind in thewayIwillpresenthere.Stay

withme,andtrustthatwhatIamofferingworks.Afteryouestablisha

foundationformentalcontrol,thenyoucanmoveontomore"practical"

concepts in the ensuing chapters. Consider this high‐level process for

mentalsuccess:

Step1:Thefirststepistofocusyourmindandpreventitfrom

runningallovertheplace.Theundisciplinedmindcanbeafeistyfiend,

wreakinghavoconyourplansandaspirations.TheBuddhistscalledthis

aspectofmindyour"monkeymind."Themonkeymindisyourenemy.

Thedisciplinedmind,ontheotherhand,isyourcalm,clear,focusedally,

readytolendahandwhenyouneedit.Theprocessofdevelopingmental

controlisnecessarybeforeyoucanmoveontostep2.Evenslight

progressinthisstepleadstoaradicalshiftinawarenessandgrowth.

Step2:Asyoudisciplineyourmonkeymind,youwillbegintolearn

toconnectwithyourinternalwitness.Thisisthatpartofyouthatis

untetheredfromyourego.Asyouconnectandidentifywithyour

witness,versusyourego,youwillbegintoprotectyourmindfrom

negativeanddefeatinginfluences.Thoseinfluencesincludefear‐based

thoughts,negativeinternalfeelings,andnegativeexternalinfluences.

Rootingoutnegativeemotions,beliefs,andbehaviorsthatwillholdyou

backcantakemuchtimeandeffort.Thisstepiswheremanyfalloffthe

path.Assumingyoudonotstray,youwillfindtherewardstobe

monumental,andyouwillpushthroughtostep3.

Step3:Thisstepistofeedyourunfetteredmindwithsuper‐food

forsuccess.Thisfoodisintheformofpowerful,positiveimageryaswell

aspositiveemotionsdirectedtowardyourdesiredfuturestates,skills,

andvictories.

Step4:Inthisstepyouactivateadailytrainingplantonurture

yourinternalvisionthroughrepeatedpracticeandtoprepareforthe

fifthandfinalstep,whichisto…

Step5:Takemassiveaction,andrecruitlike‐mindedteammatesto

alignwithyourvisionandhelpyouwinyourmissions,everytime.

There is a lot of nuance packed into this simplified five‐step

process.Wewillcoveritallinthisbook.ButwheredowestartonStep1

if ourminds are like runaway freight trains? Formost of us, sitting in

silentmeditationcanseemimpossible.Withgreatintentionswegiveita

trybutare immediately frustratedby thebusynessandrandomnessof

ourmentalmachinations.Attemptstosettlethemindbyjustsittingand

tryingnottothinkcanleadtofrustrationandfailure.AsateenagerIdid

TranscendentalMeditation™(TM)withmydadforafewdays.Sittingina

nice,comfortablechair,Itriedlikehelltofocusontheirmantra.Mymind

conspiredtoturnthiseffortintoadisaster,asafterseveralsecondsmy

inner dialogue started chattering like a schoolgirl about anything and

everything:What'sfordinner?Gottagomowthelawn.WishIhadn'tsaid

thattoSally.Boy,Ihavealotofhomeworktodo.WhattheheckamIdoing

thisforanyway?Thissucks…Ihavetoomuchtodo…I'moutofhere!

Theonly consolationprizewas thatmydad failedmiserably too,

andwebothgaveitup.OnlylaterdidIlearnthattheproblemisthatwe

are bred to identifywith our thoughts.We findmeaning by constantly

thinkingofourbody,beliefs,success, failure,rules,androles in life.We

havefewmechanismstoshutthemdownexceptforsleep.Asweageand

developourrationalmindfurther,thehumblewitnessgetsevenweaker.

Wearenotencouragedtospendtimeinsilenceorgettoknowourown

depth of character, and our souls cry out for attention. But controlling

our thoughts can seem counterintuitive; after all, aren't they (our

thoughts) us? Heading down this path can be downright scary. What

would you become if you disassociated from your thoughts? Fear,

frustration,andtimedemandssidetrackmanyofus,andwequitbefore

weexperiencethesurrender.

Ifthishasbeenyourexperience,pleaseknowthatyouaren'talone.

Mymessage to you is this: forget about thepast and the failedefforts.

Now is the only time that matters. Getting to the terrain of elite

performers requires that you learn to tap into the 90 percent of your

mentalpowerthat liesbeyondtherational, thinkingpartofyourmind.

Let'sbreakthisdownandgobacktoStep1.

WitnessProcess

Haveyoueverbeenknee‐deepinanargumentwhenyousuddenly

had the experience of separating from the dialogue and watching the

absurdityofwhatyouandtheotherpersonweredoing?Youmayhave

brokenoutlaughingasyouinstantaneouslyshiftedfromidentifyingwith

thethoughtsandwordsspewingoutofyourmouthtowhat Icallyour

witness.Yourwitness isnotattachedto the thoughtsandknows itwas

all bullshit anyhow. This is a very liberating moment. Then the more

often you surrender to your witness, the wiser you become. You will

eventuallyallowyourwitnessanequalpositionwithyourrationalmind.

Youcanbeginnowtoconnectwithyourwitnessbytakingtimeto

pauseinconversation,inadditiontofindingtimetobecompletelysilent.

Thesilencedoesnothavetobewithanyspecialformofmeditation.Most

meditationpractices(aswiththeTMandZen)comefromaculturewe

arenotfamiliarwith.TheyaredifficultforthecontemporaryWesterner

to wrap their steel‐trap heads around. To solve this challenge, I offer

somesimpleguidedvisualizationsthatfocusandclearthemindquickly.

Oneiscalled"TheFishBowl"andtheother"StillWaterRunsDeep,"both

of which can be used as a jumping‐off point formental control. I will

describe the Fish Bowl technique here. ("Still Water Runs Deep" is

describedinmybookTheWayoftheSEAL,andallthepracticesinthis

bookhavewrittenandvideosdescriptionsintheonlineUnbeatableMind

Academy).

FishBowlGuidedVisualization

Findacomfortableplacetositinachair,onacushion,oronastool.

Thekeyistokeepyourspinestraightandtoavoiddiscomfortthatwill

captureyourmind.Beginthepracticebyclosingyoureyesandscanning

yourbodyfromtoestohead.Thisisasensitivityawarenessdrillthatcan

alsobedoneasastand‐aloneawarenessdeepeningexercise.Itwillbring

yourmentalattentiontopartsofyourbodyoneatatime.Asyoumove

up your body, linger for a breath at each of the six energy centers

(knownaschakras inyoga),andimagineaglowingwhitelightateach.

Theyare,inorder:

1. Root:locatedatthebaseofyourspine

2. Sacral: located about three inches above the root in your lower

abdomen,belowthenavel,nearthespine

3. SolarPlexus:locatedjustbelowtheribcage,nearthespine

4. Heart:locatedbehindtheheartinthecenterofthechest,nearthe

spine

5. Throat:locatedinthethroatbehindtheAdam'sapple

6. Brow:inthecenterofyourbrowbutacoupleinchesbehind(also

called"thirdeye")

When you get done with that intro, expand your awareness all

aroundyouforafewmoments.Trytosensetheenergyaroundyouand

inside of you and to feel connected to it. If yourmindwanders during

this phase, don't sweat it…just bring it back to feel the body and the

spacearoundyou.

OK,nowyouarereadytoclearyourmindcompletelyusingthefish

bowltechnique.Inyourmind,imagineyourskullasafishbowlandyour

thoughtsarethecloudy,murkywater(nottoofarfromthetruth,Imight

add!).Yourbreathingisthefilter.Eachdeepbreathyoutakeinandoutis

a cleansing breath that begins to clear themurkywater of yourmind.

Youbegintosensethewaterofyourmindgettingcleanerandcleareras

youbreathe.Aftertenbreathsitismostlyclean;aftertwentyitisaspure

as a natural spring on a sunny day. As you imagine the clarity of your

mind,yourealize thatwhatyouarewitnessing isa "nomind"state. In

thisstateyourmindisunspoiledbythinking.Youmaintainthatstateas

longasyoucan.Ifyoustartthinkingagain,yourfishbowlgetsdirtyand

youcanrecommittocleaningit.

Fish Bowl and Still Water are super‐effective because you are

combining concentration, awareness, andguidedvisualization intoone

powerfulpractice.Thereareothertoolsyoucanuseaswell.Youcanjust

sit and observe your breath going in and out. Don't force things; just

observe the breath and any thoughts that arise. Another is a

concentrationpractice, such as Zen,where youwill count each breath

cycle,tryingtogettoten,whilewatchingforanyerrantthoughts.Ifthey

arise, you note them, release them, and go back to zero to count the

breathagain.Spendingmoretimeinnatureisanothergreatwaytostill

your mind. If you are an athlete, you can practice "no mind" on long

endurance runs, swims, or hikes.A final tool Iwill discusshere is the

elegant practice ofmindfulness. Mindfully savoring every morsel of a

meal, ormindfullynotingeverydetail onawalk, is alsoa greatway to

train yourmindwhile participating in everyday activities. A favorite of

mine is mindful dishwashing. Washing dishes was such a distasteful

chorewhenIwasakidthatIdecidedtoturnitintoameditationpractice

as an adult. Soap on, soap off. In fact, any routine chore or task that

doesn't requirehigher‐order thinking isagreatopportunity topractice

theartofmindfulwitnessing.

FeedingtheWolf

Now that you are on yourway to being in control of yourmind,

let'sconsiderwhat'snext.Haveyouevernoticedthatwhenweget"stuck

in our heads" we can veer toward negativity quickly? We judge, get

attachedtoouropinions,areimpressedwithourbrilliance,andtendto

shutothersout. Inthesemomentswemakelousyteammatesandtend

to sabotage success.Negativitydestroysperformance in the short term

andprecludessuccessandhappinessinthelongterm.

Itturnsoutthatforsurvival'ssake,ourrational,thinkingmindis

wired with a bias for negativity. It must decide and act on life‐

threatening influencesdaily,and it isconditionedtobepessimisticand

scaredasaresultofthebarrageofnegativeinfluences(Wewillgetmore

into just how themindworks in chapter five).NativeAmerican elders

said that a wolf of fear resides in your mind, ready to pounce at the

slightestdanger.

Howdoesthisrelatetomentalcontrol?Verysimply;wehavesaid

nothingyetaboutthequalityofwhatgoesoninourmindswhenwedo

think.Oneof themainreasonstodevelopmentalcontrol issothatyou

canalsoimprovethequalityofthecontentofyourthoughts.Asyougain

control over theworkings of themind, youwill alsowitness negative,

flawed thinking. Then you have the opportunity to vastly improve the

contentofyourmind.Attheriskofbeingredundant,youcanapproach

thisasatwo‐waystreet:Whenyoustillyourmind,youwillnote(maybe

for the first time)howoftenyouharbornegativeorweak thoughts.At

thispointyouhaveachoicetochangethemimmediately.Also,youcan

learntonoticenegativitywhenitcreepsinduringconversationoraction.

Thenyoucanuseitasatriggertoquicklybringyourmindbackunder

controlandredirectyourselftopositiveperformance.

Nodoubtyounoticethatthosemomentswhenyouactfromyour

heartfeelverydifferentthanwhenyouarestuckinyournegativemind.

Inthosemomentstheheartoverridesthefear‐basedmind,andyouact

out of love and courage. Seeing a crying baby in need or an injured

puppy immediately takes us out of our fear‐based monkey mind and

into our courage‐based "heart‐mind." The wolf of fear is subdued in

thosemoments; youactwith apureness and senseof connection.You

arenowconnectedtothewolfofcourage.Thenextstepofyourtraining

is to starve fear (negative thoughts and energy) and to feed courage

(positivethoughtsandenergy).

StarvingFear,FeedingCourage

WhenIcheckedintoSEALBUD/SClass170,Iwasalittlenervous.

The instructors seemed almost superhuman and the students like little

antsrunningaround.Myclasshad180,andthenegativechatterintheir

mindswas revealed in their anxious faces. Iwas picking up a lot of it

myselfandnoticedtensioninmystomachasfearsettledintotheclass.I

begantotalktomyself:"What'sup?Ihavetrainedhardandmadeitthis

far.Manyhavegonebeforemeandmadeit.Iftheydidit,socanI.Quitting

isnotanoption;theywillhavetokillmetogetmetoquit!"

AsIsaidthosewordstomyself,Ifeltthefeargraduallymeltaway,

replaced by courage. I was grateful that I had spent four years

meditating and training my mind so I had the control to witness and

dialoguewithmyself inthismanner.WhatIdidinthatmomentwasto

witnessmythoughtsandfeelingsandthentakeactionwhenInotedthe

negative creep in. This is what I mean by "starving fear and feeding

courage."Itisacombinationofself‐talk(whattheSEALscall"attention

control") and emotional management (more on that later). As I said

earlier,negativitydestroysperformance,soit iscrucialtotraintomove

from witnessing negative thoughts to starving them and feeding the

positive.Thisisthespecificprocess:

I. Witnessnegativity.

II. Interdict,orstop,thenegativethoughtswithapowerstatement.

III. Redirect your mind with self‐talk and imagery to something

positiveandproductiveforyourcurrentgoal.

IV. Maintainyournewmentalstatewithajingleormantra.

Let me break this part down further as well. When you note

(witness)anegativethoughtpatternorfeeling(theyarecloselyrelated),

you will interdict it to prevent the negativity from spreading like a

cancer. If you fail to interdict the negative energy, it will drive you to

failure.Let'slookatafamiliarexample.TheotherdayIwasdrivingdown

Route 5 in San Diego when suddenly a maniac driver cut me off. I

narrowly avoided a dangerous accident and felt an upwelling of

negativity with an impulse to react with outrage. This is a normal

response you have no doubt experienced. It is common to allow that

negative influence to take you down a dark rabbit hole for some time

untilanothereventchangesthings.Thethoughtthat idiotcutmeoff, if

left unchecked, could ruinmuch of your day and impact everyone else

you come in contact with. In the scenario I was able to interdict the

reactionwith apower statement and then redirectmymind to anew,

positivethoughtpattern.Iforcedmyselftoletgooftheanger,forgivethe

unwittingdriver,andensurethatthenegativedidn'twin.

Interdictionpowerstatementsarewordsthatshockyourmonkey

mindbackintocontrol.Wordslikenoorstopworkwell,thoughIprefer

usingpositivepowerstatements,suchas"I'vegotthis,""pieceofcake,"

"stepitup,Mark,"ormyfavorite,"feedthecouragewolf!"Youwillwant

todevelopapowerstatementthatresonateswithyouandpracticeusing

it daily. Practicing power statements until they become second nature

will, over time, make the interdiction process automatic. Power

statementsblowupnegativementalchatterandallowyourmindtostill

itselfandawaititsnextsetofinstructions.

Power statements temporarily interdict negative thoughts but

don't ensure they will stay away forever. Negativity will likely return

unless you redirect your mind to a new, positive thought pattern.

Essentiallyyoumusthaveacontingencyplantopreventbackslide.Isee

thiswithKokoroCamptraineesallthetime.WhenInoteastudentgoing

negative,mystaffandIwilldoaninterdictionforhimorher."Whatwolf

are you feeding, Joe? Feed the courage wolf!" The interdiction

temporarilystopsthestudentinhisorhertracksasheorshenotesthe

negative state and the degradation of performance caused by it. The

student has a moment of presence and choice for a new direction, a

positiveone.Butifheorshelacksasolidredirectstrategy,heorshewill

revertbacktothenegativerut.

The secret for a successful redirect is to inject a new positive

thoughtpattern intoyourstilledmindthatalignswithyour immediate

goal. You will infuse these new thoughts with positive imagery and

feelings.Youwillkeepyourmindfocusedonthenewinternaldialogue,

imagery, and feelingsuntil you arewell intopositive terrain. Typically

theentireprocessisdoneinaninstant.Asanexample,sometimesduring

mySEALFITdaily trainingwithmy team I find itnecessary to shout a

verbalinterdiction,followedbyredirectinstructionswhenIwitnessthe

whole team suffering from a defeatist attitude. "Hooyah, team; we got

this. Focus on the next round…see it happening…let's crush this."

Instructionstothiseffectshocktheteamoutoftheirslumpandgetthem

focused on a new, positive direction. The final step is to maintain an

unfettered,positivelychargedmind.

TheUnfetteredMind

Thisisagoodtimetoremindyouthatourculturehasamultitude

of negative and intrusive triggers pounding our brains at all times. An

hour of television news and a barrage of negative people everydaydo

untolddamagetoyourfertilemind'sattempttoperform.Negativepeople

andnegative interpretations of everyday events destroy confidence and

"bringyoudown."Further,negativesubconsciousprogrammingisready

tostrikewhenyouaren'tpayingattention.Withthetoolsinthischapter,

you cannowblock external negativity, similar to pruning theweeds in

yourgarden.Yourmindgardencanthenbeplantedwithpositiveseeds

and maintained in a pristine, unfettered state—where you will have

room for spontaneous intelligence, creativity, and acceptance of new

ideas. The last step is tomaintain your positivemental state over long

periodsoftimewithajingleormantra.

The jingle (aka mantra) is a song, rhyme, or saying that is

positively charged and has a strongmeaning to you. The jingle is like

background music that keeps negativity at bay by engaging your

consciousmind in its positive words, images, feelings, andmeaning. I

must reiterate that these coded messages must be charged with

meaningbeyondtheirsimplewords.Forexample, the jingle"Everyday,

in everyway, I'm getting better and better"was coined by the French

doctorÉmileCoué.Thismanwasahundredyearsbeforehis timeand

was able to heal his patients by having them changenegative thinking

andemotionalstates.Theychangedtopositivebysayingandbelieving

that one statement. I use it daily myself, along with a couple others.

Whenthegoinggetstough,IreverttotheoneIusedexclusivelyduring

SEALtraining:"Feelinggood,lookinggood,oughttobeinHollywood."To

thisdaythatjinglekicksinthemomentIstartsufferinginaworkoutor

whenanyseriouschallengecropsupinmylife.Itworkslikeacharmto

starve fear and feed courage.With practice your jinglewill run in the

backgroundofyourmindwithlittleornoprodding.Itwon'tpreventyou

from using your mind for problem solving; rather, it is like the

gatekeeper for yourwitness, ever present toward off negativity. Your

mind remainsunder control andunfetteredby thoughtsorbeliefs that

sapyourenergyanddegradeyourperformance.

You should experience immediate results with this four‐step

mentalcontrolprocess.However,pleasedon'tbediscouragedifyoufeel

like it is taking too much time. Like the practice of silence, you are

making progress just by paying attention to this vital skill. My

recommendationistosettle intoyoursilencepractice(FishBowl) fora

few weeks and then implement the four‐step process of Witness,

Interdict,Redirect,andMaintaintostarvefearandfeedcourageinyour

life.Payattentiontowhichwolfyouarefeeding,andyouwillbeonyour

waytodominatingthisskill.Easyday,right?

Nowthatwehavesettledthat, let'smoveontothenextprinciple

thatiskeyforourgrowthasawarriorandleader.Itistodevelopthetwo

meta‐disciplinesofself‐masteryandservice,alongwiththeirassociated

sub‐disciplines.Thesedisciplineswillprovidethecontextandfocusfor

youreffortsasyoudiveintodevelopingyourUnbeatableMind.

ChapterTwo:TwoMeta‐Disciplines

Kiai,Kiai,Kiai!Theshoutsrangoutforalmostthreehoursstraight

as two hundred karate students and I shouted at the top of our lungs

duringtheannualKagamiBaraki(ringingintheNewYear)celebration,

atSeido.Thefloorhadaninchofsweatcoveringit;thewindowshadlong

ago foggedup.Overa thousandkicksandpuncheseach followedbya

multitudeofpush‐ups,sit‐ups,andfightingsequences.Thetrainingwas

arduous but exhilarating. The intense physicality of these sessions

appealedtomyathleticselfandleftmeinanalteredstate,similartowhat

I felt after a good two‐hour yoga session or a long ocean swim. The

reasonforthis,Ilaterlearned,isthattherepetitivenatureoftheworkin

thistypeoftrainingallowsyourthinkingmindtoshiftintolowgear.The

braingoesintoanalphabrainwavepatternsimilartoameditativestate.

This explainedwhy I felt like Iwasmeditatingwhile doing the intense

physicalrepetitionsofkarate,yoga,andendurancesports.Buttherewas

moreto theequationthan justhoningthemindso I feltgood. Ihadto

learntoactinmorepowerfulwaysalso.

Through the contact of man‐on‐man (or woman) fighting and

workingwith a close team, Iwas forced into uncomfortable emotional

situations that Ihadavoidedmywhole life.Thisup closeandpersonal

work with others exposed weaknesses in my social‐emotional

development. The work of the warrior extends beyond her nose and

requiresthatshealsomastersheremotionsandlearnstocommunicate

honestlyandfranklyintheteamsphereaswell.Thispartofthemartial

artsandSEALtrainingposedastarkcontrasttomyathletictraining.

Like the code of conduct for the sport athlete espoused by great

coachessuchasLouHoltzandUSOlympicHockeylegendHerbBrooks,

themartialartsalsohaveauniquecodeofconduct.Theircodeisdistinct

fromtheathleticcodeinseveralways.First,themartialcodeisn'tabout

winning.Victorymustbehonorable,andthosemartialartsthathavelost

sight of this truth have lost the way. Second, humility is placed above

accomplishment and ego. Finally, though individual performance is

valued,theteamismoreimportant…andseniorityoftrainingisgivenits

due respect. The elders aren't thrown out to pasture but train side‐by‐

side the younger generations to serve as examples, mentors, and the

occasionalbuffertoyouthfulegoclashes.ThisBushidocode(absentthe

moreradicalculturalnuancesofthecodethatwewillnotaddresshere)

washandeddownbytheSamuraiandNinjitsutraditionsandcantraceits

roots all thewayback to the fightingmonksof theShaolinMonastery.

Thesamecodeisfoundamongelitewarriorculturesofthepast,suchas

the Spartans, and exists to some extent within the modern special

operationsforces.Becausewarriortraininghasaverydifferentpurpose

than athletic training, it emphasizes a lifetime effort by the committed

warrior.Theultimategoalwas,andremains,tobecomethebestpossible

versionofyoupossible.

My commitment to lifetime warrior training required me to

developdisciplineaswellas interpersonal"disciplines" that ledtonew

behavior and habits. Over time these new disciplines penetrated my

subconsciousmindandbegan to influencemybehavior in all areasof

life.Theybecameaspectsofmycharacterbecausetheyshiftedmydaily

focusof effort and improved thequalityofmymindand relationships.

They also required me to look back upon my underlying beliefs and

throwoutwhatwasn'tsupportingmeanylonger.

Self‐MasteryDisciplines

Let me backtrack a little to talk about some of those underlying

beliefsthathadtobethrownoutformetoleaptothenextlevel.Priorto

theSEALs,mycareerasafledglingaccountantatCoopers&Lybrandwas

driven in the short term by my goals of earning an MBA and CPA

(showinganeedforsignificance)andbymylong‐termgoalsoffinancial

independence (displaying a need for certainty). I was cruising along

towardthesecommongoalsbutdidn'tfindtheworkveryinterestingor

rewarding.Thosesixletters,"CPA‐MBA,"becamemyfocus,andIwasn't

goingtoquit,nomatterwhat.Myfamilyandfriendswouldsaythatmy

futurelookedbright:Iwasmakinggreatmoneyinaprestigiousjoband

hadacareerpathlainoutinfrontofme.ButIbecamemoreandmore

miserableandbegan to feel likea fishoutofwaterasmyZen training

exposedmetomyrealself.

ThedeeperIwent, themoredisdainIbegantofeel forthegreed

andbackstabbingbehaviorIwasobservingintheoffice.AndIwasafull

participantinthecharade.Thiswasdisorientingtomeasmyunderlying

beliefs from my family and upbringing contrasted with what I was

experiencing in person. Themessage from the home front was that I

was kicking ass in this professional business career, and other

professions,suchaslaw,academia,andmilitaryorbluecollarworkwere

forothers…theDivineswereabusinessfamily,period.

IcontinuedinthequestbutfoundmyselfseekingrefugeatSeido

up to twiceaday. Itwasmyhangoutwhen Iwasn'tatworkor school,

fillingasimilarrolethatnaturehadinmychildhood.Butitwasthereon

the training floor and bench that I was slowly awakening to my true

purpose.Soonenoughthedilemmawasmadecleartome:stayandplay

thesecurecorporategameandbemiserable…ordive intoanunsecure

butboldnewlifewiththeSEALsandfindoutifIcouldbefulfilled.

After one of our Zen trainings, Kaicho gave a lecture titled "One

Day, One Life."He explained that awarrior experiences a lifetime in a

singleday.Yousee, thewarriordoesn'ttakeanythingforgranted.Heor

shelivesontherazor'sedgeofexperienceasifeachdaywerepotentially

thelast.Eachmomentislivedasifone'shairisonfire—withafullness

andpurpose.He or she avoids getting caught up in the dramas of life,

preferring to avoid regrets and desires by keeping things simple and

practical.Inordertoexperienceonelifeinonedaythewarriortrainshis

body,mind,andspirittobeattheready.

Iwasverymovedbythelectureandthoughtdeeplyaboutitover

the next few weeks. What would I be like if life had a deep purpose

beyondcareeror job?Howmotivatingthatwouldbetowakeupevery

day with that hair‐on‐fire passion to fulfill a deep purpose! This

awakening allowed me to finally drop the old beliefs about work, the

corporate ladder, and success and to accept awholenewphilosophyof

life.TothisdayIcontinuetotraindailytoupholdthestandardsetbyMr.

Nakamura's "One Day, One Life" speech. The discipline this concept

represents is called Self‐Mastery. It is developed by travelling The Five

Mountains.

TheFiveMountains

WhenIfinallyfoundthecouragetostepoutofthecorporategame

tojointheSEALs,IlearnedthattheSEALsembodiedasimilarapproach

to life, albeit itwas expressed through their unique cultural lens. Both

theSeidoandtheSEALculturesaidthattooptimizepotentialwemust

trainourselvesinawhole‐person,balancedmanner.Ibelievethatthere

are five primary domains of intelligence thatmust be developed to be

trulysuccessfulinlife.IcalltheseTheFiveMountainsandtheyare:

I. ThePhysicalMountain:methodicallydeveloping theability touse

your body fully and functionally. This builds confidence and self‐

esteemandmakesyoumoreusefulinlifeandtoyourteam.This

includes the physical skills of strength, stamina, work capacity,

endurance, and durability, as well as properly fueling the body,

sleep,andrecovery.

II. The Mental Mountain: cultivating mental control for a positive

contributiontotheworld,thementaltoughnesstostayinthefight,

andthecreativityformorepotentwork.Thisincludeslearningto

tapintoandrewiresubconsciousprogrammingandtomasterthe

skills, knowledge, and expertise necessary to your personal or

professionalcalling.

III. TheEmotionalMountain:understanding,harnessing,and

controllingyourvastemotionalpower,transmutingnegative

emotionalbaggageintopowerfuldrivers,andforgingresiliencyin

thefaceofgreatchallenges.

IV. TheIntuition(andAwareness)Mountain:becominganawareand

intuitiveleaderbylearningtolookwithinanddevelopyoursixth

sense,tolistenwithyourbelly,andgetsheepdogstrong.

V. TheKokoroMountain:thewordkokorohasJapaneseoriginand

meanstomergeone'sheartandmindinaction.Thismountainis

aboutlearningtoleadandactwithheart,authenticallyconnecting

withothers,andstrivingforanintegratedworldviewandinclusive

consciousnessthatbenefitsallmankind.Kokorocanalsobe

describedaspositivewillpower,anon‐quittingspirit,andis

associatedwithyourspiritualdevelopment.

The physical mountain is covered in detail in my book 8 Weeks to

SEALFITandalsointheonlineUnbeatableMindAcademy.Wewillnotgo

intophysicaltraininginthisbook;ratherwewillexaminetheotherfour

mountains.ThekeyconceptIwanttoleaveyouwithistolookattraining

your"wholeperson"inanintegratedmannerfromnowon.Thiswillset

you on the path to mastering yourself at all levels and accelerate you

towardhigherplateausofconsciousness…whereyouwillexperiencelife

atitsfullest.

Self‐Mastery'sSub‐disciplines

During my classroom lectures at the SEALFIT Academy, I often

beginbyaskingtraineeswhethertheyarethe"subject"orthe"object"

oftheirlifestory.Inotherwords,dotheywritetheirownscriptsorare

they, like Iwas inmy"pre‐Seido"youth, reacting toascriptwrittenby

someoneelse?Irelatethestoryabouttwinbrotherswhosefatherwasa

heavydrinkerandabusedthembothterriblyaskids,asadscenario.A

reporterwaswriting a story about the achievements of one twinwho

clawed his way out of the poverty and depression to achieve great

success. The reporter asked the man, "To what do you attribute your

accomplishments?"Heresponded,"Ihadnochoice,yousee.Ihadtofind

awayupandoutbecausemyfatherwasahorriblealcoholicandabused

meandmybrother—IknewthatifIdidn'tworkhardandseekabetter

life, I'dbecomejust likehim."Curiousaboutthe fateof theothertwin,

thereporter trackeddownhimdown.He foundhimdestitute, livingon

the streets. The reporter asked him the same question. The response

was,"Ihadnochoice,yousee; Iwasdoomedbecausemyfatherwasa

horrible alcoholic who abused me and my brother. I didn't stand a

chance."

Thepointofthisstoryisthatyouobviouslyhaveachoicetobein

control of your life. How you use your mind, body, emotions, and

intuition and connect with your spirit is a choice. Do you leave it to

chance, letting the preconditioning of life write your script, or do you

takecontrolandwriteyourownbestseller?Theanswerisclear.

No maritime journey of importance is ever achieved without

disciplinedshipbuildingandadisciplinedcaptain,crew,andnavigation

system. As you set out to tackle your Five Mountains, so too will you

need disciplines as powerful as those. To use a different metaphor,

disciplinesare like railroad tracks foryour life: theykeepyouon track

whiledirectingthewayforward.

The word discipline should be defined before we go further.

Commondefinitionsinclude:

I. Training to ensure proper behavior:the practice or methods of

teachingandlearningbehaviorpatterns

II. Order and control: a controlled, orderly state as in a classroom

settingoramilitaryunit

III. Calm,controlledbehavior:theabilitytobehaveinacontrolledand

calmwayevenduringadifficultorstressfulsituation

IV. Conscious control over lifestyle: mental self‐control used in

directingorchangingbehavior,learninghowtoexecuteanew

taskoridea,ortrainingforanevent

Thefirstdefinition,"trainingtoensureproperbehavior,"isclosest

tomymeaning here. To be disciplined is literally to be a "disciple" to

something larger than you. In this context you must be a disciple to

mastering yourself and your personal Five Mountains. The first sub‐

disciplineofself‐masterytoguideyourchoicesissimplicity.

When I was in the corporate world navigating the political and

social scene, life seemed complex. I note that many people gravitate

towardthecomplexbecauseitmakesthemfeelimportantandprovides

distraction from other, truly important, things. While distracted they

don'tneedtofocusonthemoredifficultworkofimprovingthemselves

orservingothers.WhenI jettisonedthatworldand landedintheSEAL

Teams,lifesuddenlygotverysimple.Mymissionwasclear:huntandkill

the bad guys, and protect the life we had back home. Personal

possessions often got in the way so were discarded. Communications

betweenteammateswaskeptSpartanandauthentic.Thefocusofmylife

collapsed to training and conducting missions around the world. I felt

liberated by the simple life of the warrior. I try to live by the same

standardtothisday.

Let's break this down to the practical level. In the context of

everyday life choices, simplicity can mean to be content with your

present situation. Though it is important to work toward the best

possiblefuture,remainingcontentatthesametimekeepsthingssimple.

Infact,whereyouarenowisanecessarystepinyourevolution,andit

wascreatedbyyou.Itdoesn'thelptobeatyourselfupifyouaren'thappy

with the current state of affairs. Keep it simple, and be content:

obsessing about what you don't have accomplishes nothing. Remain

contentwithwhereyouarewhileexecutingasimplestrategyforgetting

towhereyouwanttogo.

Simplicity also offers the deeply liberating opportunity to reduce

the number of commitments, material possessions, and unsupportive

relationshipsweencumberourselveswith.All thesetendtoclutterthe

mindandweighyoudown.Lighteningtheloadlightensthespiritaswell.

This principle extends tomoderation in speech, food, drink, and other

habits. Toomuch of a good thing turns it into a bad thing.Moderation

helpsusremaincontentwithwhatyouhaveandwhereyouare.Oneof

the two statements at the Greek temple at Oracle was "everything in

moderation."Theyunderstoodthepowerofthisdiscipline.

SometimesIallowthingstoclutterupinsomeareasofmylife:my

closet, office, and car trunk, to be specific. Maybe you do the same in

otherareas.Ihavefoundthataperiodicunclutteringofthesespacesis

anexcellentway to experience simplicity and contentment.Beginwith

yourmostclutteredspace.Cleanitandthenkeepitcleanquarterly.De‐

clutteringwillhelpyouavoidaccumulatingunnecessarypossessionsand

commitments, keeping things simple. Always be asking yourself these

twoquestions:

I. DoIreallyneedthisnow/Can'tIdowithoutit?

II. WhatcanIgetridof/letgoofnow?

Thissimplesimplicitypracticeleadstolessattachmenttomaterialthings.

Nonattachmentisapowerfulattitudecloselyrelatedtocontentment.Itis

extremely liberating to know that though you can't take your

possessionswithyou…youcandietrying!

Thenextsub‐disciplineisdedication.Ifyouarecommittedtoself‐

mastery, then youmust be dedicated to your training. After I endured

two years of continuous training to become a Navy SEAL, I was

somewhatsurprisedtolearnthatmynumberonefocusasa"Teamguy"

wastotrainmoreandharder.Itneverended,andithastransformedmy

life in several ways. First, training was not optional; rather, it was

elevated to the same level as eating and sleeping. Second, trainingwas

toocriticalforittoberandomorhaphazard.Mostpeoplehavearandom

approach to physical training andwonderwhy they don't get very far.

Random training would be a disaster for any elite team, as it is for

individuals. Trainingmust be planned and purposeful and approached

witha"crawl,walk,run"methodology.Dedicationisrequiredtoshowup

andputouteveryday.

AfewyearsagoIwasvisitingfriendsinManhattananddecidedto

visit the Seido dojo. As we entered the building, a flood of memories

rolled intome. I recognized some of the students I had trained twenty

yearsearlier,whowerenowfifth‐andsixth‐degreeblackbelts.Leading

the class was none other than Kaicho Nakamura. He noticed me

immediatelyandstoppedtheclasstowelcomemyfamilyandme.

"Mark,sogoodtoseeyou!"hesaidwhilegivingmeabighug."Is

this your beautifulwife and handsome son?"He introduced himself to

my family.Thenhe turned to the classandsaidproudly, "This isMark

Divine,numberoneNavySEALandaverygoodKarateka too!"First, I

wasawestruckbyhismemory(hehadn'tseenmeintwentyyears)and

tobegreetedlikea long‐lostson.ThenIwasawestruckbytheshowof

disciplinethismanhad.In1989Ihadleftthatsamefloorwherehestood

and taught a class, just like today.Nothinghad changed except his age

andthesizeofhistribe.IknewIwasinthepresenceofamaster.

A note of caution: dedicationmust be balancedwith humor and

reality checks. What I mean is this: be serious and dedicated to your

training, but balance it with humor and let "real life" flow. I often see

thosewho embark on this path get really serious, as if being serious

would move them along faster. It won't; trust me. Having a sense of

humorandbalanceismorefunandeffectiveforthelonghaul.Basedon

whatyouhaveseeninpopcultureandthemovies,youmayexpectthat

Kaicho Nakamura andmy SEAL brothers were a stern lot. Nothing is

further from the truth. Though they are all dedicated and intensely

seriousaboutmastery, theyarealsohilariousand lighthearted.Trynot

totakeyourselftooseriously,andkeepinmindthatthejourneyismore

importantthanthedestination—soyoushouldrelaxandenjoyit.

Thethirdsub‐disciplinetolookatisauthenticity.Authenticitywill

evolvenaturallyasyoufocusonself‐mastery,butitisalsoimportantto

groove it into your being. The values that underlie authenticity of

character include integrity,honor, andhumility.Wewill look closely at

these values in chapter six. Living with integrity begins with mental

controlanddirectingyourthoughtstowardpositive,powerfulintentions.

Then youwork to align yourwords and deedswith those thoughts. In

this way your character begins to display authenticity because you

becomeintegrated.Iprobablydon'tneedtostresshowuncommonthis

has become in our world today. Your relationships going forward will

largelybedefinedbythelevelofauthenticityyoubringtothem.Alackof

authenticity leads to diminished trust, creating a transactional

relationship. An abundance of authenticity leads to enhanced trust,

fosteringatransformationalrelationship.Whichwouldyouprefer?

ServiceDisciplines

Medal of Honor recipient LieutenantMichaelMurphywas killed

during a SEAL mission in the mountains of Afghanistan. The riveting

story was told by his teammate Marcus Luttrell in his book Lone

Survivor. Heroics aside, the behavior of the late LieutenantMurphy is

interestingtolookatinthecontextofourdiscussionofdisciplines.First,

"Murph," as hewas known to his teammates, demonstrated incredible

compassion for his team during the failed op. When the team was

discoveredbyashepherdandhisson,Murphhadtoquicklyweighthe

militaryrulesofengagement,thelocalthreatofaTalibanresponse,and

hiscompassioninmakingadecisiontokillorreleasetheunarmedlocals

toprotecthisteamandmission.Heultimatelyletthemgo,leadingtothe

disastrousconsequencesforhimandhisteam,aslocalsindeedinformed

theTaliban.Itiseasytosecond‐guessthedecisioninthecomfortofour

living rooms (many special operators believe he made the wrong

decision);however,thefactthathisconsciousnessledhimtoactoutof

compassion,notviolence,iswhatIfindintriguing.What'scleareristhat

hediedaheroandwithaclearheart.

ThebiglessonwecanlearnfromMurphy,though,ishowheserved

histeammates.AfterbeingoverrunbyhundredsofTaliban,Murphand

theteamfoughtlikelions.Butthesituationwasgrim,sohereachedout

for help. Unfortunately the radio did not work in the mountainous

terrain, so he resorted to a satellite phone. To get an uplink to the

satellite, he exposed himself to the enemy fire, knowing full well he

wouldnotsurvive.Isurmisethathissenseofservicetohisteammates

made this an easy decision for him. There was no hesitation, no self‐

preservation.Hesteppedintotheopentocallforbackup,andthatwas

theend.

Thereismuchadoaboutserviceinthephilanthropicandreligious

communities.Thedoingofgoodworks inthenameofservice isanice

gesture.However,thisisnot"Murph‐level"service.Toomanycompanies

andindividualsdoitbecausetheythinkitwillmakethemlookgoodor

becausetheircompetitorsaredoingit.Oftensomeonewillprovidesome

service through his or her church but then be a self‐serving jerk at

home. Service has taken on the role of an obligation to check the "do

good, feel good"box.The typeof service thatMurphmodeled involved

serving your team (family) before yourself at all times. This is a

discipline that requires three supporting attitudes: compassion,

generosity,andabundance.

Compassionevolvesfromself‐respect.Self‐respectisdevelopedby

forgiving oneself and letting go of all regret. When you have cleared

regret, you can then turn your eyes toward others with respect and

compassion.Inoursocietycompassioncanbeseenasweaknessinmen.

But in warrior traditions it is a strength and even extended to your

enemy, asMurphdisplayed. Truewarriors are the last ones topickup

theweapontofight.

Generosityisanabundancemind‐setdirectedtowardothers.You

don'tneedtohoardorcutothersofffromthebounty;infactthe

universallawofgenerositystatesthatthemoreyoushare,themore

plentyyouhaveinlife.Thismentalityishardtofindtodaybutisa

powerfulchangeagentforyourgrowth.Ifyouareconcernedaboutthe

futureoftheplanetanditsdwindlingresources,IrecommendPeter

Diamandis'sbook,aptlytitledAbundance.Inithepaintsanoptimistic

pictureofourfutureplanetbasedonacceleratingbreakthroughsin

technologythatarechangingtheworld,startingwiththebottomfour‐

fifthsofthepopulation.

When you truly believe that there's enough to go around for

everyone,regardlessofthesituation,thentheworldstopsbeingazero‐

sumgame.Generosityoftime,support,andloveallowsabundantenergy

toflowfromyoulikeariverconstantlyreplenishedbythewellspringof

universal energy. Abundance and generosity can be developed through

awareness of your daily impulses toward scarcity and then redirecting

thosethoughts:

Doyoutip20percent?

Doyousmileatpeopleyouwalkby?

Doyougrabthebiggeststeakoffthegrillorallowsomeoneelseto

haveit?

Doyouhelpsomeonewithoutbeingasked?

What would you do for your family or teammates in a time of

need?

Often it is the tiniestof things thatbetraysascarcitymentality—

suchastheoddsteakquestionabove.Ialmostlostafingeratabarbeque

byascarcityguywhohadhismindfocusedonalarge,juicysteakthatI

wasabouttoremovefromtheBBQ.Hisknifecamedownhardbetween

mymiddleandringfingerasheexclaimed,"Mine!"Ouch.Pleasedon'tbe

likethatperson.

The Golden Rule describes the abundance mentality, a version of

which exists in every spiritual tradition. "Dounto others as youwould

havethemdountoyou"istheChristianversion.Theinterestingaspect

ofthisruleisthatthereturnisgreaterthanthegiving.Althoughitmay

come back at a later time, or from another source, or in a different

manner than that in which it was given, it will come back to you in

greatermeasure.Ontheotherhand,ifyou'reastingyhoarderwithyour

money, time, or energy, you will dry up like Ebenezer Scrooge. Your

energywillstagnateasyoubecomemorebrittleandinflexibleinthought

andbody.

UnbeatableMind training requires personal discipline aswell as

cultivating the interpersonal disciplines of self‐mastery and service.

These disciplines develop the foundation for an ethical life, whichwill

allow for growth toward higher stages of consciousness and a more

fulfillinglife.Let'snowmoveontothenextchapterandlookatthethree

secretsofmentaltoughness.

ChapterThree:ThreeSecretsofMentalToughness

Nowthatwehavecoveredthecriticalconceptsofdeveloping

mentalcontrolandestablishingtheethicaldisciplinesofself‐mastery

andservice,let'slearnhowtostaythecourseandsticktoour

commitments.SooftenIseepeoplewithgreatmindsandalltheright

stuffforsuccesstorpedothemselvesontheone‐yardline.Theydothis

becausetheylackthefundamentaltoolsformentaltoughness.Sointhis

chapterIwillsharethreeofmytopsecretsofmentaltoughness,which

are:

I. Mentaltoughnessisachoice.Firstyoumustchoosetocontrol

yourmindandturnittowardsuccess,andthentheskillsfor

mentaltoughnesscanbehoned.

II. Stresskillsmentaltoughness,soitmustbeunderstood,harnessed,

anddirectedintoapositiveforce.Breathingandconcentrationare

thebest‐keptsecretsforestablishingtheconditionsformental

toughness.AsimpledrillIuseandcallBoxBreathingutilizesboth

andwillchangeyourlifeifyouuseitdaily(moreonBoxBreathing

later).

III. Mostofwhatweconsidermentaltoughnessisactuallyemotional

resiliency.Learntobeemotionallyresilient,andyouwillbe

mentallytough.

Solet'sgetrightintothefirstofthesebytalkingaboutchoice.

ThePowerofChoice

Asyou learn to control yourmind, lifeopensup to choice rather

than being buffeted by the winds of chance and fate. Prior to your

mentally controlled life, things seemed to happen to you. Life was

random,andyouoftenfeltoutofcontrol,becauseyouwere,anditwas.

Nowthatyouarelearninghowtocontrolyourmind,youarebackinthe

driver'sseat.Youwillbeabletocreateexactlywhatyoudesireandavoid

what you need to. You are writing the script of your own

masterpiece…yourlife.

Note that your entire life ismade up of thousands of very small

choicesmadeeveryday.Wetendto focusonthe fewbigchoiceswhen

we look forwardorreflectonour lifeexperience.However, isn't it true

thatthebigchoices,thelife‐alteringones,areavailableonlyasaresultof

thesumtotalofallthesmallchoicesyoumadeuptothatpoint?Hereare

someexamples:

As a kid you chose to embrace school rather than resist it. You

sought to learn, did your homework, and got decent grades. The daily

commitment led toa choice togo toa topuniversity.Alternativelyyou

chosetoresistschoolandhaveanegativeattitudeaboutbeingforcedto

sitinclassesyouhadnointerestin.Then,asyouapproachedtheendof

theprocess,youhadadifferentsetofchoices—suchas todropoutor

finishandstartatthebottomofthe ladder inahard‐luck joborgotoa

community college to fix the damage. Very little had to do with

intelligence,exceptasithadtodowiththelittlechoicesthatdefinedthe

bigones,whichimpactedtherestofyourlife.

Or try this: Inyour formativeyearsyouchose toembrace fitness

andgoodnutrition.Everydayyouaskedyourselfwhether this foodor

thisactionwouldmakeyouhealthierorlesshealthy.Youmadeahabitof

training your body and eating well. Then, in your mid‐twenties, you

decidedthatyour lifewascallingyoutobeaNavySEAL.Becauseyour

choicestothatpointwereinalignmentwiththebigchoiceofbecoming

a SEAL, you sailed through the program. The alternate universe is

obvious,andIdon'tneedtodescribewhathappenstothevastmajority

ofpeoplewhomake"lessgood"smallchoicesintheareaoffitnessand

nutrition.Ourhealthcare,medical,andinsuranceindustriesaretrillion‐

dollar industries as a result of several generations making poor small

choicesinthoseareas.

OK,whereamIgoingwiththis?Itissimple:stressandsuccessare

definedbychoice,anditisthesmallchoices,notthebigones,thatmake

thedifferencebetweengoodandexcellent.Sincestressissooftencited

asthecauseforpoorhealth,breakdowns,and lackofsuccess, itmakes

sense that we seek to understandwhat stress really is andwhy it's a

myth that stress is your problem. It is that belief that is really the

problem. The prevailing view in society is that stress acts on you

insidiouslyandyouareitshelplessvictim.Howoftendoyouthinkthese

thoughts,orsaythemoutloud?

"Iamsostressedout."

"Thisjobiskillingme."

"Ineedadrink."

Iwasthereinmyearlytwentiesandknowhoweasyitistofall

intothistrap.Nowthatyouunderstandthatyourmindcanbeeithera

feistyfiendorfriendlyally,youcanseethathowwereacttostressis

actuallyastorywetellourselves.Changethestory,andyouwillchange

howstressorsaffectyouandyourlife.Tochangeourstoryaboutstress,

let'susetheprocesswelearnedinthelastchapter:

I. Step 1 is towitness the adverse stressor as it impacts you and

beginstoaffectyourpsychologyandphysiology.

II. Step2 is to interdict theresponse to thestressandthenredirect

yourpsychologyandphysiologytocountertheimpactofthestress

andtransmuteittopositiveperformance.

III. Step 3 is to use breathing and concentration techniques to

maintain performance and eliminate the stress from yourmind,

body,and life.With thisprocessyou takebackcontrolandmove

fromstresstosuccess!

The three steps work whether we are talking about a one‐time

acute stress, like in a crisis, or long‐term chronic stress, such as the

crushingloadofcommitments.Incidentally,themainstressexperienced

in our lives is time stress, and it is entirely self‐induced. After all, isn't

timealsoastoryandsocialconstructthatallowsushumanstoorganize

social life?Redefiningyourstoriedrelationshipwith timewill reducea

bigsourceofstressinyourlife.Takeonfewercommitments,focusmore

positiveenergyontheworthycommitments(thatarealignedwithyour

purpose),andwatchyourperformanceskyrocket.

Taking control of stress and transmuting it to courageous action

allowsyou to leadwithgracewhileunderextremepressure.Thereyou

display the mental toughness traits of confidence, clarity, and solid

decisions.Butbefore I dig into the twomain tools formanaging stress

andtransformingitforyourbenefit,itwillbeinformativetounderstand

stress'seffectataphysiologicalandpsychologicallevel.

UnderstandingStress

Forty‐nine hours and forty‐five minutes into Kokoro Camp, the

instructors descended on the trainees, some who we sensed had held

backduringthearduousweekend.TheSEALcoachesarelookingnotfor

superhumaneffortbutratherforsuperdeterminationandafire‐in‐the‐

bellyattitudetowardchallenge. Ifsomeonetries toskateandsitonthe

sidelines,theyareeventuallyexposed.KokoroCampisavoluntaryevent,

sowedon'tdropnon‐performersunlesstheyareadangertothemselves

orwillholdtheclassbacksignificantly.Typicallyevensomeonewhoopts

out is transformed by the totality of the experience. But occasionally

someoneletsusdown.

Thatdaywewereon the vergeof securing the classwhen some

unspokenurgestruckustopressharder.Weratcheteduptheintensity

level and put the class under a whole new level of mental duress and

uncertainty. They had thought therewere only a fewminutes left and

that if they could endure forty‐nine hours and forty‐five minutes of

pressure,theycouldhandleafewmoreminutes.Butasweturnedupthe

heatandconvincedthemthatweweregoingforanotherfewhoursuntil

theygot itright, tooursurprise,a traineeupandquit.Thenewstress

had unhinged him, and he stepped aside and said hewas done, game

over.Thechoicewassimply tokeepgoingashehad for the last forty‐

ninehoursandfifty‐fiveminutesorgiveuponachallengehehadupto

thatmomentfoughthardtocomplete.Wesecuredtheclassasplanneda

fewmomentslater,andhewatchedinstunneddisappointmentfromthe

sideline.

Stress is neither good nor bad—it just is—but it gets a bad rap.

Mostfolksthinkthatthesecrettohealthandhappinessistoeliminate

or avoid stress. There are amillion courses out there that propose to

eliminate financial stress, work stress, relationship stress, everything

stress. Good luck with that…it is like peeing into the wind; it doesn't

workverywell.Everyonefacesamassiveamountofstresseveryday,but

hewhomanagesitwellwins.

Stressissimplyatermforresistanceorpressure,bothofwhichwe

need inour lives to growashumans. Let's use strength training as an

example.Weight introduces an external resistance stress to our bodies

whenweattempttomanipulate it.Thechallengerequiresusto learna

newskillandthendevelopthemuscularstrengthandstaminatoliftand

movetheloadsafely.Toaccomplishthisthebodymustbreakdownold

tissuesthatwereprogrammedforthepreviousskill leveland loadand

buildnew tissuesprogrammedwith thenewreality (weight limitsand

skill).Mostpeopledon't react to that formof stressnegatively—in fact

scientistsevengivethattypeofstressatitle:"eustress."Eustressisgood

stress,but in reality it ishowwementally frameandhandle the stress

thatisgood,notthestressitself.Thestressjust"is."Backtothestories

wetellourselves.Thestorythatstressisbadisnotagoodone.Stressis

stress;howwelearntorespondtostressanduseittogrowisthebetter

story.

When stress is not intentionally invited, we consider it distress.

Again,thestressitselfisn'tbad;itisourrelationshipwithitthatcauses

ustolabelitandexperienceitas"distress"ratherthan"eustress."How

we dealwith the stimulus is influencedby factors such as expectation,

fatigue,preparation,andresiliency.Whenwedon'texpectthestress,are

fatigued,aren'tpreparedtohandleitwell,andlackresiliency(theability

tobouncebackfromstressquicklyandstrongerthanbefore), thenthe

stresswilladverselyimpactperformance.

Ourbrainsarewiredtoprocessincominginformationthroughthe

amygdala, which puts the information through a test for threats and

opportunities. The amygdala interprets many modern influences as

threats(suchastimepressure),eventhoughthesearebenigncompared

tobeingchasedbyalionlikeourancestors.Theamygdalatriggerswhat

wecall the "fight, flight,or freeze" response.The response (also called

thehyperarousalandacutestress response) isaphysiological reaction

toaperceivedharmfulevent.Theresponsefuelsahormonalonslaught

fromglandsincludingthehypothalamicandpituitaryglandsandadrenals

that release hormones, such as adrenaline. These cause a plethora of

physiological andpsychological reactions, includingelevatedheart rate,

rapidbreathing,dilatedpupils, andbloodvessel constriction invarious

partsof thebody.Eachsymptompreparesbothmindandbodyforthe

inevitablereactiontotheimposingthreat.

The autonomic nervous system, which controls the sympathetic

andparasympatheticnervoussystems,stepsupto takecontrol in fight

or flight. The sympatheticnervous system originates in the spinal cord,

anditsmainfunctionistoactivatethephysiologicalchangesthatoccur

duringthefight‐or‐flightresponse.Theparasympatheticnervoussystem

originatesinthespinalcordandmedullaandworksinconcertwiththe

sympathetic nervous system. Its main function is to activate the "rest

anddigest"responsetoreturnthebodytobalanceafterfightorflight.

Ifyouareabitnerdyandwantevenmoredetails,keepreading.If

not,thenskipaheadtothenextsection.Asmentioned,thefight‐or‐flight

response begins in the amygdala, which triggers the hypothalamus,

which then activates the pituitary gland to secrete

adrenocorticotropichormone(ACTH).Simultaneously theadrenalgland

isactivatedtoreleaseepinephrine.Thesechemicalsconspiretoproduce

thehormonecortisol,which iswhat leadstothephysiologicaleffectsof

fightorflight,suchas:

Increasedbloodpressure

Elevatedbloodsugar

Boostofenergy

Thecirculationoftheadditionalcortisolfunctionstoturnfattyacidsinto

newenergy,whichpreparesmuscles throughout thebody to rock and

roll. The hormones adrenaline, epinephrine, noradrenaline, and

norepinephrine work on the nervous system to prepare the body for

violentaction,towit:

Accelerationofheartrateandinhalationcycles

Palingorflushing,oralternatingbetweenboth

Inhibitionofdigestion

Constrictionofbloodvesselsintheextremities

Dilationofpupils

Lossofhearingandperipheralvision

Shaking

The physiological changes give the body increased strength and

speed in anticipation of fighting or running. While the fight‐or‐flight

responseisanadaptivereaction,prolongedincreasesinstresscancause

avarietyofnegativeeffects,suchas:

PhysiologicalEffects

Headaches

Muscletensionandpain

Chestpain

Fatigue

Changesinsexdrive

Upsetstomach

Problemswithsleeping

Urinaryproblems

PsychologicalEffects

Anxiety

Restlessness

Lackofmotivationorfocus

Irritabilityoranger

Depression

Behavioraleffects

Over‐orundereating

Drugoralcoholabuse

Socialwithdrawal

Prolongedstressresponsesmayalsoresultinchronicsuppression

of the immune system, leaving the body open to infections. However,

there is a shortboostof the immunesystemshortlyafter the fight‐or‐

flightresponsehasbeenactivated.Thismayhavefilledanancientneed

to fight the infections in a wound that onemay have received during

interactionwithapredator.Thesesamesymptomscanresultfrompost‐

traumatic stress and panic disorder, in which the stress response is

activated by memory of an event and/or a catastrophic

misinterpretationofbodilysensations.

Enough with the tech speak, and back to the practical issue of

what to do about a human body that has not reset itself for modern

times. Through my own training and by helping thousands of special

operations candidates, I have found that stress is easily managed

throughbreathingandconcentrationtools.Thisknowledgecametome

initiallythroughmymartialartstraining,andIusedittonavigateSEAL

training.ButitwasmydeeptraininginAshtangaYogawhereIfoundthe

experientialdataanddeepunderstandingofwhybreathingpracticesare

so effective at developing control over your mind and body. Yoga

practitioners have used breathing and concentration techniques for

thousandsofyearstoeliminatestress,developoptimalhealth,anddrive

toward spiritual advancement. It turns out that breathing is free

medicine, and the daily practice of breath control will lead to optimal

health and a longer life. Concentration and breathing techniques have

beenpartofmydailyregimenforoverfifteenyears,andtheimpacthas

beenextraordinary.Let'slookathowandwhy.

Double‐BarrelPower:BreathingandConcentration

TheSEALDeliveryVehicle(SDV)wascruisingalongattwenty‐five

feetbeneaththewatersoffOahu,Hawaii.Iwasinthenavigatorseat;the

moreexperiencedenlistedSEALwaspiloting.Wewere twohours into

ourfive‐hourdivemissionwhenithappened.Waterrushedaroundmy

faceandfilledmywraparoundbreathingapparatus.Icouldbreathebut

couldn'tseeathingandbecamedisoriented.IfumbledthroughtheSOPs

(standardoperatingprocedures) to clear themask,but tonoavail.The

facemasksealhadrupturedandwasuseless. I reached formybackup

mask,butitwasnowheretobefound.Dang—somehowIhadlostiton

insertion. I immediately understood what the old‐timers meant when

theysaid, "two isone;one isnone"when itcametoequipment.NowI

wasuselessasanavigator,yettherewasnoturningaroundoraborting

the mission. So for the next three hours I dealt with the misery of a

floodedfacemaskandofbeingauselessbystanderinthemissionasthe

otherSEALtookovernavigationaswellasthepilotingjob.

After the initial fear and frustrationwore off, I settled in for the

longanduncomfortableride.Iknewthattheonlywaytogetthroughit

wastogobacktothetraining.SoIslowedmybreathingdownandbegan

toholdmybreathatthe inhaleandexhale. Ialsostartedtoconcentrate

mymind deeply on the breathing cyclewhile saying a positivemantra

and maintaining a positive attitude. I was just getting good at all this

whensuddenlytheSDVcametoahalt,andIgotasqueezefromthepilot.

I thoughtwehadaproblem,buthesignaledmetoexit theSDV.Tomy

surprisewehadarrivedatourdestination!Threehourshadpassed in

whatfeltlikeforty‐fiveminutes.Ratherthanadisastrousandmiserable

threehours,Iactuallyfeltapeaceofmindduringthedeepbreathingand

concentrationexercise.Itwasanotherpowerfulanchoringforjusthow

valuabletheskillsare.

Without the breathing and concentration skills, I could have

panickedandcompromisedthemission,orataminimumbeenmentally

tortured for the duration while I struggled to see. I don't recommend

waitingforacrisisbut learningtobreathproperlynowfortruemental

toughness to be experienced. Before I get into details on proper

breathing,let'slookatitssisterskill,concentration.

Weallunderstandwhatitmeanstoconcentrate,butcanwereally

concentratewithenoughdepththatalldistractionsareeliminated?Can

we concentrate on our one thing (the most important thing) for long

enoughperiodsoftimetogetthejobdone?Canwedoitwithahair‐on‐

fire intensity? Deep, long, unbroken, and inspired concentration is a

hallmark skill of super‐successful people. Yet the onlyway to improve

concentrationisbypracticingconcentration.

There aremanyways to practice concentration; in fact we have

discussedafewalready.Theguidedvisualizationdrillsintroducedinthe

firstchapterareconcentrationpractices,asisthebasicZenpractice.Any

endeavorwhereyoutakededicatedtimetofocusonaverynarrowrange

of things, or just one thing, canbe classified as concentrationpractice.

Most of what passes for meditation in the West today is actually a

concentration practice. The concentration practices that I use include

Box Breathing, yoga, Qigong, and mind games. Box Breathing is my

personal favorite; as we develop our breathing skill, we are also

developingourconcentration.Itisadouble‐barrelpowerpractice.

When we begin concentration practice, our goal is to maintain

focusononethingwithoutdistraction.Overtimeyouwillexpandyour

focus tobeable tobeawareofall that isgoingonaroundyou(and in

you)whileyoufocusonthatonethingwithoutdistraction.Focusinglike

alaserbeamonataskwhilesimultaneouslybeingawareofwhatisgoing

oninsideandaroundyouisanadvancedskillthathasgreatbenefitfor

authenticleading,communications,andcreativework.

Over time additional benefits will accrue from your deepening

powers of concentration. Youwill be able to learn new and important

thingsveryfast,andyouwillbeabletopenetrateyourowninnernature

to understand greater truths about our lives, human nature, and the

natural world in general. The yogis say that with enough deep

concentration one can know the nature of all things, allwisdom. Let's

settleforthepracticalbenefitsofimprovedconcentration,suchas:

Becomealeaderwhoisnotfazedinacrisis

Beamorepersistentandpositiveproblemsolver

Finisheverythingyoustart,assumingyoudeemitisworthyof

yourtimeandfocus

Bethego‐toguyorgirltosolveinterpersonalconflicts

Feelmoreconfident,withhigherself‐esteem

Gainmore insightandself‐knowledge,developinghumilityand

grace

Concentrationtrainingrequiresdailyeffort.Thegoodnewsisthat

youcandoenjoyablethingstodeepenconcentration,suchasbreathing,

yoga, and reading. Further, the better you get, the easier it is to

"practice"concentration inotherareaswewouldnot typically thinkof,

suchasinphysicaltrainingsessionsorwhenplayingasport.

In a crunch situation, I recommend you collapse your

concentrationtoyourbreathingwhilemaintainingrelaxedawarenessof

the surroundings. Breathing deeplywill greatly reduce the stress, slow

yourheartrate,andbringyournervoussystemback intobalance.The

mindwill remain focusedasyourbodycomesback intobalance.Then

youcanmakebetterdecisions in themidstof thechaos,danger,or the

debilitatingeffectoffear.Thisiswhybreathawarenessandcontrolisthe

numberonetoolforUnbeatableMindstudentswhochallengethemselves

and push the envelope. But it is equally effective to enhance your

performanceintheboardroom.Thelevelofcontroloveryourphysiology

and psychology I am talking about must be practiced and habituated

untilitbecomesaroutineskill.

Breathing practice doesn't just reduce stress and enhance

concentration—it has some other powerful benefits aswell. First, it is

important to understand that breathing works on two levels in our

bodies.Itstrengthensandmakesourphysicalbodieshealthier.Second,it

chargesandbalancesourenergybody,makingthathealthierandmore

powerfulaswell.Theenergybodyisthatsystemofenergeticpathways

thatincludeschannelsoneachsideofthespinethattransmitenergyup

and down the spine (nadis) and points where the energy channels

intersectastheyspiralbackandfortharoundthespine(chakras).The

energybodyisquiteelaborateandhasbeenmappedingreatdetail,yetit

is mostly out of reach of Western scientific instruments at this time.

There are three steps to breathing for optimal physical and energy

health:

1. Relearning how to breathe deeply through your nose into the

diaphragm

2. Trainingtodothisnaturallysoitbecomesyournormalbreathing

patternwhenawake

3. Learning to direct the breath to anchor and trigger razor's edge

performance; when triggered you will easily increase energy,

reduced stress, deepen concentration, reduce fear, and tap into

greaterwillpower

To say that learning breath control is the most important

component of forging mental toughness would not be an

understatement. During drown‐proof training at BUD/S, many people

dropbecausetheyhavedifficultycontrollingthestressandfearcaused

bythatseeminglydangerousevent.Withhandsandfeettied,theywould

panic and flail, throwing their energy down the drain. However, those

whohavelearnedtocontroltheirbreathingsailthroughtheevolution.

Whenyouwereababy, youknewhow tobreatheperfectlywell.

For someunknown reason, that knowledge is lostwith age.Today it is

likely thatyouuse justasmallportionofyour lungcapacitywitheach

breath.Theaveragepersontakesfourteentofifteenbreathsperminute

andutilizesaboutone‐thirdofhisorher lungcapacity ineachbreath.

This leads to increased blood pressure, carbon dioxide buildup, and a

hyper‐stateofmonkeymind.Thetrainedwarriorwill takethreetofive

breathsperminute,greatlyreducingtheamountofcarbondioxideinhis

system while maintaining a calm body and mind. There are three

problemswithrapid,shallowbreathing:

1. Youaretakingtoomanybreathsandwastingpreciousenergy.

2. Youarenotbringingintheoptimalsupplyofoxygenandlife‐force

ineachbreath.Youareleavingenergyonthetableandshortening

yourlife‐span.

3. Youarenotexpellingallthestaleairfromthedepthsofyourlungs,

leadingtosluggishness,toxicity,andlong‐termhealthproblems.

Learning the three‐part relaxation breath and doing it daily

eradicates theseproblems, freeingyouup toperformbetter.Here it is:

Begintoinhaledeeplythroughthenose.Oneachinhale,fillthebellyup

withyourbreathandexpandthebellywithair likeaballoon.Thenon

theexhale,expelalltheairoutfromthebellythroughyournose.Draw

thenavelbacktowardyourspinetomakesurethatthebellyisemptyof

air.Repeatthisforthreetofivecycles.Onthenextinhale,fillthebellyup

withairasinstepone,butwhenthebellyis"full,"drawinmorebreath

withyourdiaphragmintotheribcage,causingtheribstowiden.Onthe

exhale, let the air go first from the ribcage, letting the ribs slide closer

together,andthenfromthebelly.Staywiththis forthreeto fivecycles.

Finally,fillupthebellyandribcageasdescribedabove,andthendrawin

evenmoreairintotheupperchest,allthewayuptothecollarbone.You

willnoteyourupperchest risingandexpanding.On theexhale, let the

breath go first from the upper chest, then from the ribcage, and then

fromthebelly.Youwillfeelarelaxing,settlingfeelingasyoureleasethe

pressure. This three‐part breath focuses you on the three areas to be

filled with air and then released in sequence. The goal is to train to

breathethiswayunconsciouslyandnaturallyinonebreathmotion(that

is,youwillnotconsciouslybreakitintothreeparts).Icallthisbreathing

patterntherelaxationbreath.Pleasenotethattheinhaleandexhaleare

done solely through the nose in as slow and controlled manner as

possible.Infact,unlessyouaresmokedinaworkoutandgaspingforair,

the nose is the organ for breathing. Breathing through the nose

stimulatesthenervesthatactivatetheparasympatheticnervoussystem,

countering the fear response of the sympathetic nervous system. The

nosealsowarmsorcoolstheairandcleansesitofunwantedelementsin

theair,suchasdust.

Nowlet'sturntomyfavoritetrainingtool,whichdevelopsthe

relaxationbreathandconcentrationsimultaneously.ItiscalledBox

Breathinganditissimplyaddingaholdattheendofeachinhaleand

exhale.Startbyexhalingalloftheairfromthelungs.Nowinhaletoa

countoffive,andthenholdyourbreathtoacountoffive.Next,exhaleto

acountoffive,andholdtheexhaledbreathforacountoffive.Fora

profoundimpact,reciteapowerfuljingle/mantraoneachhold,suchas

"gettingbetterandbetter,strongerandunfettered."Thispracticeis

describedindetailinmybookTheWayoftheSEALandintroducedin

audioformatinthefirstlessonoftheUnbeatableMindAcademy.Doing

thepracticeseveraltimesadayisapowerfulwaytogreasethegrooveof

yourrelaxationbreathanddeepenyourmentalpoweratthesametime.

Nowthatwehavelearnedthecriticalityofproperbreathingfor

health,stressmanagement,andconcentration,let'slookathowthethird

secrettomentaltoughnessallowsustostayinthefightwhenthingsgo

bad.

EmotionalResiliency

TherewasajuniorofficerinoneofmyplatoonsatSEALTeam3

whoworehisemotionsonhissleeve.Attheslightestsignofcriticismor

honestfeedbackofhisperformance,hewouldflyoffthehandleand

ensurethateveryonewithinearshotknewhowscreweduptheofficer

waswhohadstraightenedhimup.Needlesstosayhiscareerwasshort.

DuringKokoroCampInotehowtheinabilitytobouncebackquickly

fromfailureoftencripplesatraineeemotionally.Doyouwonderhow

manytimesyouhaveletyouremotionstorpedoarelationshipor

stressfulproject?

Emotionalresiliencymeansthatyoucanbouncebackquicklyfrom

asetback.Itisaskillthatcanbetrained,justlikementaltoughness.The

processissimplystatedbuttakestimeandpatiencetodevelop:

I. Witnessthenegativeemotionalreaction,andtheninterdictitto

observetherootemotionbeneathit.

II. Leanintotherootemotiontoexperienceitfully,ensuringthatyou

areavoidingdenialortransference.

III. Transmutethenegativeemotiontoitspositivesister;forexample,

fearbecomescourage,angerbecomescommitment,jealousy

becomesappreciation,shamebecomespride,anddespair

becomessurrender.

IV. Engagethenewemotionwithimageryandself‐talkthatsupports

itandblockstheoldemotion.Thengetmovingagainbytaking

actionortakingyoureyesoffyourselfandputtingthemona

teammate.Thepositivemomentumwilltakeyoutoanew,more

positive,emotionalplace.

Letmewalkthroughapersonalexample.DuringOperationIraqi

Freedom,Iwasquotedinanewspaperarticlethathadaprovocativetitle

abouttheSEALs.Theauthor,withoutmyapproval,usedmyreserve

officerrankinthestory,makingitlooklikeasemiofficialstatement.Igot

calledonthecarpetquicklybyaSEALcaptainwhoreadmetheriotact.

AsIstoodtallinfrontofthisman,whoclearlylackedemotionalcontrol,I

feltmyownangerrisingtowardhim.Myinstinctualemotionalresponse

wastolashoutandfightback.ButIwasabletointerdictwiththisself‐

givencommandto"stop"andthenbegantoobservemyinneremotional

statewithoutlosingcontrolwhileIwasgettingrailed.WhatInotedwas

thatbeneaththeangerwasfearoftherepercussionsanddamagetomy

reputation.Ileanedintothatrootemotion(mybodyreactedwithanger,

buttherootwasafearofloss).Iexaminedit,kickeditstires,anddecided

thatthoughthefearoflossIfeltwasreal,Iwasblowingitoutof

proportion.IsawthatIhadanissuewithauthorityandthatthiswasa

valuablelearningmoment.Allthishappenedwhilethecaptainrattledon

abouthowbadapersonIwas.SoImadetheconsciousdecisionto

transmutethefearofthisauthorityfigureintoadeepcommitmentto

maintainmypositiveandprofessionalattitudetowardhim.Afterall,he

wasjustdoinghisjobandworkingwiththetoolsthathadsupported

himwellinthatsystem.Ibegantoenvisionmyselfasawell‐respected

officer,admiredfornotbeingafraidtospeakhismindandfordoingthe

rightthingregardlessoftheconsequences.Asyouprobablypredicted,I

gotthroughtheincidentwithouttoomuchbloodloss,andIwasableto

refinemyemotionalresiliencytoolkit.Ultimatelymyreputationwas

enhancedbytheincidentwiththosewhomatteredtomemost.

ItismucheasiertoberesilientwhentheFourAttitudesof

EmotionalResiliencyareburnedintoyourcharacter.Thefirstattitudeis

tohaveself‐esteem.Self‐esteemistheemotionalstateoffeelingworthy

andrespectedbyothers.Lowself‐esteemcancomefromchildhood

abandonment,volatileenvironmentswhereyourvoiceisnotheard,or

outrightabuse.Iftheseattributesexistinyourconsciousness,thenitis

imperativethatyougetsometherapeutichelpandgodeepintothe

silencepracticestotastetheunderlyinggoodnessinsideofyou.

Second,resiliencyisassuredifyouhavetheattitudeofbeing

orientedtowardothersversusjustyourself,asourseconddisciplineof

serviceseekstodevelop.Inotherwords,ifyouareserviceoriented,then

youtendtobemoreemotionallyresilient.Thischaractertraitshowsup

atthefifthplateauofconsciousnessdevelopment(seetheafterword),

associatedwithaworld‐centric,service‐orientedview.VictorFrankl

describesthisattitudeinhisbookMan'sSearchforMeaning,which

chronicleshisexperiencesinaJewishconcentrationcamp.Victor

survivedbyfindingmeaningthroughtendingtoothers'needsoverhis

own…andthenteachingthepowerofthissimpletruth.

Thethirdattitudeisholdingapositivemind‐setandoptimistic

outlook,whichwehavealreadydiscussedatlength.Itshouldbeno

surprisethatapositive,optimisticattitudeimpactsone'semotional

resiliency.

Finally,resiliencyisensuredwhenyouhaveanattitudeofself‐

controlinformedbyadeepcertaintyofyour"why."WhenclimberAaron

Rothfoundhimselfaloneinthedesert,literallystuckbetweenarockand

ahardplace,hefinallycuthisownarmofftosavehislife.Hedidit

becausehis"why"wastosurvivesohecouldbethereforhisunborn

daughter,showinghisorientationtowardothers.SEALLieutenant

Murphyshowedhisemotionalresiliencywithoptimismandloveforhis

teammates,maintainingself‐controlunderahailofgunfiretocallfor

back‐up.Hewasdeeplycertainofhisactions,eventhoughthedeadly

outcomewasvirtuallyassured.Tobeemotionallyresilientanda

survivor,itiscrucialtoknowtheanswerto"whatisyourwhy,andwhat

areyouwillingtodotomakesureitcomestofruition?"Thenbackitup

withself‐esteem,apositiveattitude,optimismthatyouwillsucceed,and

afocusontheothersinyourteam.

Nowthatwehaveabetterhandleonthesecretsunderlyingmental

toughness,stressmanagement,emotionalcontrol,andemotional

resiliency,wecanexpandourinnerandouterawarenesstobetteravoid

danger,andtapintoopportunities,whileonourjourney.

ChapterFour:FourElementsofAwareness

Ifyouknowtheenemyandknowyourself,youneednotfeartheresultofahundred

battles.Ifyouknowyourselfbutnottheenemy,foreveryvictorygainedyouwillalso

sufferadefeat.Ifyouknowneithertheenemynoryourself,youwillsuccumbin

everybattle.—SunTzu

WhilewithSEALTeam3,IdeployedtotheMiddleEasternnationof

Bahrainforanextendedmission.OnedayIwaswalkingonthenaval

basewithaBahrainiofficerwhenhereachedoverandheldmyhand.It

wasanawkwardmomentbutmadeevenmoresobecausehemadeno

movetoreleaseit.Infacthekeptholdingitwhilewestrolledthebasefor

aboutforty‐fiveminutes.Asatwenty‐eight‐year‐oldstraightguy,aNavy

SEALwithastrongdoseoftestosteroneflowingthroughme,everycellin

mybodywasscreaming.Tosaythisactrequiredemotionalcontrolfor

meisanunderstatement.Irealizedthoughthatthiswasnormaltohim

anditwassimplymyownbackgroundbeliefthatmadeitawkward.Who

deemedthatholdinghandswithamanwaswrong?Mostofyoureading

thisareprobablycringing,anddependingonyourplateauof

development,youmayhavesomechoicewordsforme!Doweexpectour

normstobethenormsofothercultures?No;theywillhavetheirown

normsandbeliefsthatwemaynotunderstand.InBahrain,holdinghands

withanothermaleisashowoffriendshipandloyalty.Whatisobviousto

otherswemaybecompletelyblindto,andviceversa.Wearequickto

judge,andforthatreasonJesusadmonishedusto"firsttaketheplank

outofyourowneye,andthenyouwillseeclearlytoremovethespeck

fromyourbrother’seye.”(Matthew7:5)

ClearingYourBOO

Thepointisthatweeasilyseetheshortcomingsofotherpeople's

beliefsandbehaviorswhileremainingignorantofourownlimitations,

whichareequalorworse.Icallthisblindnesstothepatternsandhidden

beliefsthatdrivebehaviorourbackgroundofobviousness,orBOO.This

BOOislargelyamemory‐inducedphenomenonofyourpast‐orientedself

anddeep‐rootedbeliefsystems.Itincludesthingssuchas:

I. Hiddenassumptionsaboutyourlifebaseduponthefamilyand

placeyouwereraised,whichshowupasrelativerulesandbeliefs;

amorepowerfulorientationistoalignwithuniversallawsand

hangyourbeliefsonthose

II. Amindprimedtothinkacertainwaybythedominantmyths,

stories,andlanguageofyoursociety

III. Anemotionalbodycorruptedbynegativeemotionsdeniedor

transferredatanearlyage

IV. Anovertrainedrationalmindfullofcommonconceptsandideas

fueledbypopTVandnewsculture

Imentionedthattheseattributesliedeepinyoursubconscious

mindandemotionalbody.Buttheysurfaceinyourconsciousmind

wheretheyshowupasbeliefsandpatternedresponsestothestimuliin

yourlife.YourBOOcantripyouupinsomanywaysthatitisamajor

reliefwhenyoufinallybegintorootoutflawedBOO,thatshadowpartof

ourselvesthatwedragaroundlikeakettlebell.UnderstandingBOOwill

leadtomoreclarityandbetterdecisions,helpingyouavoidfutureregret.

Butdoingshadowworktakesguts,andmanywell‐intentionedpeople

backoffwhenconfrontedwiththeirBOO.Why?Becauseitisscaryto

admitourweaknessesandflaws,andmanylegitimateobstaclesstandin

thewayoflong‐termsuccesswiththisimportantwork.Thebiggerthe

shadow,thebiggertheobstacle,whichcancomeinfourflavors:

I. Nothavingthetoolsorperhapsfinancialmeanstohireatherapist

orattendtraining

II. Aninabilitytomustertherequisitemotivationandenergyforthe

task

III. Fearoffailurefromdiminishedreputation,lossofjob,etc.(afterall,

youwouldhavetoadmityouaren'tperfect!);thesisterobstacleto

this is fear of success, which would disrupt one's comfortable

statusquo

IV. Not having the courage to do the deepwork, or simply blaming

someoneelseforyourflaws

AlignwithUniversalBeliefs

Theouterconditionsofaperson'slifewillalwaysbefoundtoreflecttheirinner

beliefs.—JamesAllen

As James Allen's quote suggests, you can't hide from your own

beliefs.What you believe in colors every thought you have and action

youtake…andtheverypersonyoubecome.Likesanddislikes,opinions

ofotherpeople,careerchoices,andeventhe foodyoueatareallaby‐

product of your beliefs. If your beliefs are working for you, then you

shouldbehugelysuccessful,peaceful,andcontent. If thatsounds likea

pipedream,thenperhapsyourbeliefsneedtobechallenged.Butwhenis

thelasttimeyouexaminedandchallengedtheverybeliefsyouholddear

in your life? Typically this only happens when we hit a wall because

things justaren'tworkinganymore. Inthesemomentsyouareopento

examiningnewbeliefs.

Socratesmadethiscommentlongago:"Theunexaminedlifeisnot

worthliving."Butwhatdoesitmeantoexaminealife?Ithinkitisclear

thathemeanttoexamineyourbeliefsbeforeatrainwreckforcesyouto.

Really,doesitmakesensetogothroughlifeassumingthatalltheideas

that we have ingested are unassailable? That would be leading an

unexamined life. Examining beliefs will lead to new levels of resolve

because you find deeper meaning and clarity about the nature of

existenceitself.

Beliefscomeintwoprimaryforms,relativeanduniversal.Relative

beliefs,suchasIbelieveinAmericanexceptionalismorIbelieveIwillbe

met by a bunch of virgins in heaven are formed through human

interaction and are relative (meaning they change) based upon the

values, expectations, and centerof gravityof the individual and society

heorsheisfrom.Theyincludenormssuchasreligiousbeliefsandideas

about things such as success, health, andmorality. Relative beliefs are

heavily influencedby familiesoforiginandpopculture.Thedisparate,

murky, and changing nature of these beliefs is what leads to such

disparityoflivedexperienceonourplanet,forbetterorworse.

Universalbeliefs,suchasIbelieveintheGoldenRuleorIbelievein

the lawofabundance,arefixedandexistoutsideoftherealmofhuman

interactions. These beliefs are beyond discrimination or judgment of

race,class,orcreed.Whatisuniversallytrueformeisalsoforuniversally

trueforyou,regardlessofwhetherwebelieveitornot.Philosophersof

all ages have noted that goodness comes from aligningwith universal

laws/beliefs, while the potential for weakness, even evil, comes from

moralrelativism.Theyhavehadendlessargumentsaboutwhethergood

and evil are part of the human condition, leaving it a choice tomove

towardoneortheother,orexistindependentofthehuman.

OurapproachatUnbeatableMindistotestatheoryonourselves,

implement what works, and then discard what doesn't. My personal

experiencehasledmetobelievethattheworlditselfdoesn'tcaremuch

aboutme,butwhenIalignedmybeliefsandactionswithUniversalLaws

then my life experience improved dramatically. This requires an

examinationoforiginalunderlyingbeliefstoseewhicharerelativeand

whichuniversal.Ifabeliefisrelative,thenIrecommendyouexamineit

morecloselyandbepreparedtoupgradeordiscardit. If it isuniversal,

thenaskwhetheryoufullyunderstandandappreciateitspower.Alsoask

whetheritispossibleyouholdacompetingrelativebeliefthatcancelsit

out.

Hereisanexampleofacancelingbelief:Youholdauniversalbelief

inabundance,thatthereisenoughtogoaroundandthereisnoreason

tohoardorseescarcity.However,youcouldsimultaneouslybelievethat

you are notworthy of the abundance youdreamof because youwere

bornpoor, lacktherightopportunities,didn'tgototherightcollege,or

arestuckinadead‐endjob.Inthissimpleexample,itisclearthatthough

youcouldbelieveintheconceptofabundance, therelativebeliefabout

yourself‐worthcontradictsandcancelsitout.Notgood.

The confluence of your beliefs, values, expectations, and level of

consciousnessformsthefoundationforyouroverallbeliefinyourselfas

a person. This impacts yourwillpower. Thus, if you hang your hat on

yourrelativebeliefs,thenyouareatriskofrelyingonweakoroutdated

beliefstopropupyourwillpower.Ifyourbeliefsareuniversal,thenyour

resolvewill be strong because you have the universe backing you up!

Deep belief in yourself and your mission will come from acting in

alignmentwithuniversaltruths.

Withthisapproachtolivinganexaminedlife,youmayaccelerate

your growth toward a multidimensional and integrated perspective,

leaving absolutism and rigidity behind. Only then will you find

uncommonresolvebyyoursidetobackyouuponworthypursuits.

Here are someuniversal laws to reflect upon. Youwill recognize

manyofthesefromyourSundayschoolclass,andyoumaybeabletoadd

otherstothelist:

I. The law of cause and effect: this law states that for every cause

there is an effect. It is also known in the East as karma. Your

resourceistostudyPatanjali'sYogaSutras.

II. Thelawofabundance:thislawstatesthattheworldhasenoughfor

everyonewho abides by this law. Your primary resource for this

lawistheBible.

III. Thelawofwinninginyourmindfirst,beforeacting:thislawsays

that youwill achievevictoryevery time if you first see it, say it,

andbelieve it in yourmind. Your primary resources for this law

areUnbeatableMindandSunTzu'sTheArtofWar.

IV. The law of attraction: that what you fix your mind on you will

attract in life.Yourprimaryresource forthis lawisTheSecretby

RhondaByrne .

V. The lawof receiving: that you receive in proportion to the value

you deliver in life. Your primary resources are to studyWarren

BuffettandBillGates.

VI. TheGoldenRule:dountoothersasyouwouldhave themdounto

you.YourprimaryresourceistheNewTestamentsofJesus.

VII. The law of surrender: this law states that instead of pushing

against the tide, surrender to it, and youwill find enlightenment

and peace. Your primary resources for this law are to study

BuddhaandtheTaoTeChingbyLaoTzu.

VIII. The law of forgiveness: this law says that if you forgive yourself

and others, you will release negativity and find happiness. Your

resourceistostudythelifeofNelsonMandela.

IX. Thelawofnonattachment:thislawsaystoletgoofattachmentto

material things, your ideas, andultimately to life itself for lasting

contentment. The resource is to study the writings of the Dalai

Lama.

X. Thelawofnonresistance:thislawissimilartononattachment,but

it specifically applies to nonviolence. Fighting violence with

violenceshouldbealastresortandonlydoneinself‐defense.Your

resourcesaretostudythelivesofGandhiandMartinLutherKing.

XI. The law of focus: this law says that what you focus on with

intensity anddurationwill come topass. Your resources for this

lawareUnbeatableMindandNapoleonHill'sbookThinkandGrow

Rich.

Nowlet'sturnourattentiontothepracticalmatterofhowone

goesaboutexaminingbeliefstoclearthemuptoalignwithuniversal

laws.Iproposethreeawarenesspractices,whichIprovideabrief

descriptionofbelow.Itislefttoyoutoinvestigateeachandintegrateinto

yourtrainingasyouseefit.

I. Insightmeditation

II. Contemplation

III. Recapitulation

Insightmeditationhasyouselectaninternalaspectofyourselves

tomeditateupon,suchasanemotion,aparticularbelief,orasticky

thoughtpattern.Ratherthanobsessingaboutadetailofyourlifewith

yourcognitive"monkeymind,"(moreonthatinthenextchapter),with

insightmeditationyouwillcallyourattentiontotheissueandjustlet

yourawarenessrestonit,tryingtopenetratedeeperanddeeperintothe

objectofyourattention.Don'ttrytoactivelythinkaboutit;rather,just

observeitandnotewhatcomesup.Whatcomesupwillbeinsightabout

theissuethatyouhadn'tconsideredbefore.Asanexample,aftergetting

miredinseveralbadbusinesspartnerships,Iusedthispracticetogain

insightonwhyIkeptrepeatingthepattern.AfterseveralsessionsIhad

thedistinctrevelationthatIwasoverlytrustingofthosewhocameinto

mylifeatabusinesslevelbecauseIhadlearnedtotrustmyteammates

withmylifeintheSEALs.Thisledtomistakesofentrustingthatpartners

wereatthesamelevelonlytobeburnedwhentheycouldnotmeetthat

highstandard.SothoughIwasdiscouragedbythisuncomfortablefact,I

hadtolearntoverifyandthentrust.

Contemplationisamoreactiveprocessthaninsightmeditation.

Withthispracticeyouwillchooseasubject(suchasabelief)oran

object(suchasaBibleverseorRumipoem)andthinkdeeplyaboutthe

meaning.Contrastyouractions,integrity,andstandardswiththeobject

ofyourcontemplation,andreflectuponhowwecanmoveinthe

directionsuggestedorthedirectionthatyourwitnessknowstobebest.

Thiscanbeverymotivatingandleadtoastrongdesiretogrowtoward

theideal.

Finally,recapitulationisanincrediblypowerfultooltouncoverand

eradicateBOO.Theprocessofrecapitulationistogobacktoreviewyour

lifeatmomentswhereyouthinkandfeelyougotstuck.TheUnbeatable

Mindeveningritualisaformofrecapitulation.AncientToltectradition

requiredyoungwarriorstorecapitulatetheirentirelivesbeforebeing

promotedtofullwarriorstatus.Needlesstosaythattooksometime,

patience,andcourage—likelyimpracticalforourpurposes.

Letmeprovideapersonalexampleofhowpowerfulrecapitulation

canbe.IrealizedafewyearsagothatIhadepisodesinmyyouthwhereI

wasemotionallystunted.Theemotionalblockagewascausingmetofeel

anxietythatwasunwarrantedandcausinganuncomfortablestrainin

meetingsatwork.Ididn'twantthisaspectofmyBOOtocontinueto

influencemenegatively,soIcommittedtogoingbackinmymindto

relivetheseepisodesvisuallyandemotionally.Thisrecapitulationhada

powerfulimpact,asIwasabletoseewhatcausedtheproblemtobegin

with,toforgive,andtoreleasetheemotionsthathadbeenblockedor

transferredtosurvivalmodefeelings.Itisapowerfultoolthatisbest

combinedwiththeothertwo.

Journalingisanexcellenttooltocomplementthesedrills.When

youjournalthoughts,ideas,fears,desires,andotherthingsthatcomeup

ininsightmeditation,contemplation,andrecapitulation,youwillobserve

patternsinyourthinking.Thosepatternspointtotheveryhabitsof

thoughtsandbehaviorthatyouareseekingtounderstandandperhaps

change.

Nowthatyouarefullyreadonhowtodeepenyourawarenessto

understandBOOandalignwithuniversalbeliefs,let'smoveintofuture

timetodiscoveryourOneThingandyourThreePsofpassion,purpose,

andprinciples,andthentoalignyouractionswiththem.

ONEThingandThreePs

Self‐awarenessofyourBOOwillkeepyourlimitingbeliefsfrom

causingyoutorepeatthesamemistakesoverandagain.Butitisself‐

awarenessofyouridealfuturethatallowsyoutocreateseriousforward

momentum.Thetwoprinciplesworktogetherlikeahandandgloveso

thatyoucanperformoptimallyinthepresentmoment.WhenIwas

youngerIwasagreatdaydreamer,butifyouhadaskedmetodescribe

whatmyfuturelookedlike,whatmypurposewas,whatmyprinciples

were,orwhatIwassupposedtodoaboutitall,Iwouldhavegivenyoua

blankstare.Tobefair,mostpeoplearenotveryclearonanyofthat

either.Thisinabilitytoseeandarticulateafuturefullofpurpose,

passion,andprincipleswascuredbymydeepinsightandcontemplation

sparkedbytheZentraining.Inretrospect,thelackofawarenessinmy

youthcausedmemuchhand‐wringingandlosttime.Ioftenwonderhow

manypeopleareinthesameboatorevenmakeittotheirforties,fifties,

andlaterinlifelackingtheclarityIspeakof?Ibelieveitiscrucialtobe

self‐awareenoughtobeabletoarticulateourOneThingandThreePs.

Let'slookatthesebyaskingafewquestions:

I. WhoamIandwhatamIherefor?WhatistheOneThingIam

supposedtoaccomplishinmylife,andwhatdoesthatmeanfor

merightnow?Thatis,whatistoday'sOneThingconnectedtomy

bigOneThing?

II. WhatismyPurpose?HowdoItakemyOneThingandactivateitin

theworld?

III. WhatamIPassionateaboutandhowcanIdomoreofthat?

IV. WhatdoIvalue,andhowcanIdevelopthesePrinciplessothey

definemycharacterfortherestofmylife?

Masteryovertheselfissomewhatdifficultifyoudon'thaveclarity

onthesequestions.Theanswertothesequestionsiswhatgivesyou

directioninlife.Ifyoudon'tknowyourself,whatareyouaresupposedto

dobesidesjustgetby?Lackofmeaningandpurposeisamajorcauseof

despairanddespondencyintheworld.Somewillstumbleuponavague

senseofpurposeintheirprofessionallives.Othershavetheirpurpose

showntothemearlyinlifeandarewellintofulfillingitintheirtwenties.

Ihavefoundthatthevastmajorityofmystudentscannotclearly

articulatetheirpurposeandaredeeplymovedwhentheyuncoverit.

Let'sstepbackandtakealookatyourOneThing.Itishighlylikely

thatyouhaveasenseofyourownuniqueness,thataspectofyouthat

setsyouapartfromothers.ThisuniquenessiscodedintoyourDNAand,

Ibelieve,putthereaspartofyoursoul'syokingtoyourphysicalbody.

Regardlessofyourphilosophicalorreligiousorientation,youmaysense

thatyoursoulwhisperstoyourmindyourdeepestyearningsandhas

propelledyouinsurprisingdirectionsinlife.Ifyouignoredthewhispers

inthepast,myguessisthatyoufeltoutofsortsandmisaligned,likeIfelt

asaCPAinmyearlytwenties.Listeningtoyourinnervoicewillleadyou

toyourOneThingandhelpyoudefineyourThreePs.Thenyoucanalign

theminyouractionsandmarchforthwithconfidenceandpeaceof

mind.

OneofthefinestwaystocultivateinsighttoyourOneThingand

ThreePsistheaforementionedinsightmeditation,contemplation,and

journaling.Youwillstartbyaskingdeeplypersonalquestionsinlayers.

Thisislikenedtocleaninglayersofdustoffamirrorinyourmindto

revealtherealimagebeneath.Lookinginwardandwritingdownwhat

comesupinafree‐flowingmannergetsyouintoanidealstateforthe

intuitiveandcreativeaspectsofyourmindtobeheard.Youwilltrain

yourmindtoentertheseintuitivestatesondemand,andasyoudoso

yourinsightswilldeepenevenfurther.

Iamgettingaheadofmyselfabitthough.Fornow,letuslookat

somedeeperquestionstogetyoustarted.Thesearegoodlayered

questionstoreflectuponandjournalabout:

YourPassion:

Whatareyoupassionateaboutinawaythatdefineswhoyouare?

Whatmakeyoufeelasifyourhairisonfire(besidesafire)?

Whatuniqueskillsortalentsdoyouhavethatyoulovetouseand

thatmakeyoufeeldifferent?

Ifyouwonthelotterytoday,whatwouldyoudodifferently?

YourPrinciples:

Whatisitthatyoutrulyvalueinyourlife?

Howcanyoumovetowardthosethingsyoutrulyvalueandaway

fromthethingsyoudon'tvalueasmuch?

Whatdothesevaluessayaboutwhatyouarepassionateabout?

Dothesevaluespointtoanoverarchingpurposeinlife?

Canyoumakeahabitofthebig,positivevaluessotheybecome

partofyourcharacterandthenyourdestiny?

YourOneThingandPurpose:

Whathaveyoubeenconditionedtothinkyouaresupposedtodo

withyourlife?

Whatdoyouthinkyouarereallysupposedtodowithyourlife?

Whatdoyoufeelyouarereallysupposedtodowithyourlife?

Isthereatinyvoiceofdoubtdeepwithinyousuggestingyouare

onthewrongtrack?

Isthatsamevoicenudgingyouforwardwiththesensationthat

youareontherighttrack?

WhatOneThingdoyouthinkyouareherefor?WhatOneThing

wouldyoufocusonifyouhadnothingholdingyouback?

Whatwouldyoudodifferentlyifyouknewyouhadoneyearto

live?

Writeyourepitaphfromtheperspectiveofhavingfulfilledyour

OneThingandlivedyourpurposeinlife.

WhenAlfredNobelreadanobituaryoneday,hedidnotlikewhat

he saw. It was written about him! Of course it was a mistake by a

reporterafterhistwinbrotherpassedaway.ThereporterberatedAlfred

intheobituaryasthemanwhointroduceddynamitetowarfare,leading

tomillionsofdeathsinWorldWarI.Appalled,Alfredusedthiseventto

findanewpurposeandOneThingforhislife…whichwenowknowwas

thefoundingoftheNobelPeacePrize.

Don't blow off the obituary exercise; it is very powerful. The

assignmentistowritetheobituaryasyouwanttoberemembered,not

as you are now. The person writing the obituary "knew" the major

impactyouhadonothersandtheworld,aswellasall thegoodthings

about you. This may be uncomfortable at first, but focusing on your

legacy canbe very enlightening. Itwill expose the gapbetweenwhere

youarenowandwhereyoucanbeattheendofyour life…ifyoualign

withyourOneThingandThreePs.Onceyoucanclearlyarticulateyour

One Thing and Three Ps, write them down someplace where you can

review them daily (mine are in my smartphone notepad). The new

awarenessofyourdeepestselfmustnowextendtoallthreespheresof

yourlife:theI‐Self,We‐Team,andIt‐Organization.

Three‐SphereAwareness

ThedayafterIlefttheactivedutynavy,Iwassomewhatsurprised

bythechangeinmymentalstateandsenseofself.AdayearlierIhad

beenpartofaneliteteamandacomplexsystem,bothofwhichhada

profoundinfluenceonmythinkingandbehaviors.Myteaminfluenced

mymentaltoughness,mysenseofpurpose,andmyconfidence.My

teammateshadgonetohellandbackwithme,andItrustedthemwith

mylife.IhadforgottenthatIwouldbehard‐pressedtofindthatlevelof

trustinthecivilianworld.Thesystemofthenavywasrigidandclear:I

knewhowmuchIwastobepaid,whattowear,wheretogo,andhowto

acteveryday.Thenjustlikethat—boom—itallchanged.ThatdayIdidn't

havetogotothenavyanylonger,Iwasleftwithoutmyteam,withno

directionsastowhattowear,wheretogo,howtoact,andwhattodo.It

wasanewblankslate,whichwasbothliberatingandscaryasheck!

Anyonewhohastransitionedoutofarigidorganizationalstructure

(evenprison)knowsexactlywhatIamreferringtohere.

Asyoureflectuponyourownlife,youcanseethosemoments

whereyouwentthroughamajorchangeofjob,careers,orevenfrom

schoolintotheworkforceandsufferedasimilarfate.Thebig"aha"for

mecamewhenIstudiedtheIntegralTheoryofAmericanphilosopher

KenWilber.Irealizedthenthatweliveinthreespheres,eacharising

simultaneouslyandeachimpactingtheother.Theyarethe"I,""We,"and

"It"spheres,whichIalsorefertoastheSelf,Team,andOrganizationin

thecontextoftheprofessionalrealm.Thesethreeareallinterdependent

andhavecausaleffectsoneachother.Changeone,andtheyareall

impactedorcollide.Let'stakeacloserlook…

TheIsphereistherealmofyourindividual,subjectiveself.Itis

yourconsciousness,worldview,beliefs,anddesires.Itincludesyour

senseofwhatisright,wrong,beautiful,andugly.Everyoneofusis

utterlyuniqueinourIspheres,andweareintimatelyconcernedwith

thissphere.Whenwesayweareworkingtowardmastery,itisprimarily

inthisspherethatwedoourwork.Thisisespeciallyimportantbecause

itisherethatwedeveloptrustworthinessandauthenticity,whichmust

precedemasteryintheWeorItspheres.

TheWesphereisyourintersubjectivemeaning‐makingspace

sharedbetweentwoormorepeople,alsocalledculture.Wecanbe

experiencedwithinafamily,aworkteam,oratribeoflike‐minded

people.ItisintheWespherethatethicalcodesofconduct,

communicationsstrategies,andleadershipauthenticitydevelop.This

sphereisalsowhereseparationcanbeexperiencedbaseduponthe

disparatedevelopmentalplateausfoundinothermembers(moreonthis

inchapternine).Ifyouhavewonderedwhythereissomuchconflictin

theworld,thenyoucanlookattheintersectionofIandWeatvastly

differentstagesofhumandevelopmenttofindtheanswer.

ButtheIandWespheresdon'texistinastructurelessvacuum.

Bothareboundedbysystems,rules,roles,andbehavioralaspectsofan

organizationanditsmembers.ThesearereferredtoastheItor

organizationsphere.Thisisthebureaucraticorganizationaswellasthe

familysystemanditsbehaviors,ortheteam'sorgchartandthetechno‐

economicsystemit'sembeddedin.

ThisdistinctionofI,It,andWeseemsobviouswhenwereadabout

it,right?Butitisnotreadilyapparentbecauseweareinsidethebottle

andcannotreadthelabel.Itcanbeapowerfulmentalmodelto

understandwhatisgoingonwithourselvesandothersatanygiven

pointintime.Youcanputyourselfinthemiddleofthethreespheresand

askyourselfwhatisrightorwronginyourownI,We,andItspheres.Or

youcaninsertateammateintothemiddleandseehowtheyfarewith

thesamequestion.Themodelgivesusinsightintothenatureofthe

individualandcollectivehumanexperience,whichhelpsusbebetter

peopleandmakebetterdecisions.IbelievethatforUnbeatableMind

performanceweneedtowinallthreespheresbyaligningforoptimal

resultsinallthreesimultaneously.Let'suseanexampleofaphysical

altercationtomakethispoint.

IwaswalkingdownadarkalleyinKualaLumpur,Malaysiaduringmylife

intheSEALs.Isuddenlyfoundmyselfwalkingpastthreeruggedlocals

whopausedwhattheyweredoingtosizemeup.Crap,Ithought,what

amIdoingonthisroute?Itwaslate,andthiswasanotedareaforcrime,

andIhadjustbecomeaWe.IknewthatIneededtomaintainmycool

andprojectstrength,notweakness.IcommittedtowinningmyIsphere

bybreathingdeeply,feedingmycouragedog,andseeingmyselfas

powerfulandincontrol.Thentheyapproached,andonemadeamove

towardme.Isidesteppedhim,turned,andconfrontedtheothers."Big

mistake—Ihavenomoneyandamnotafraidtofightyouall—andIwill

win."Isaidthosewordswhilemaintainingacalmstateofmindand

picturinghandilydefeatingthem.Theysimplygaveeachotheralook,

turned,andwalkedintheoppositedirection.Theyhaddecidedthatthe

WemomentofanaltercationwasnotworthinjurytotheirindividualI

selves.Theirroughandtoughculturefadedintothebackground.A

momentlaterapoliceofficerdrovedownthealleyandgavemeaglance

thatsaid"badidea,American."HadIengagedinafight—theWemoment

ofconflict—thentheItsphereofthelocallegalsystem,aswellasthe

culturalnormsandrulesoftheUSNavy—wouldhavecollidedintomyI

spherereality,makingmylifemiserableeventhoughIhadnotinstigated

thealtercation.ThekeywasthatIwoninallthreespheresbecauseI

understoodthemall.Iwoninmymind(theI),Iwonagainstthecriminal

culturalnormofviolenceandtheft(theWe)byavoidingbeingavictim,

andIwonintheItbynotcrossinganylegalstructuresandboundaries,

whichwouldhavegottenmeintroublewithItauthorities.Whenyoucan

alignandwininallthreespheressimultaneously,youwillcomeouton

topallthetime.

Letmetryanotherstory.Youmeetagirlonanonlinedatingsite

andagreetomeetheratabar.Bothofyouarenervous,andyourI

spheresareexcitedabouttheprospectsandthenewnessofthe

situation.YourWesphereinteractionisgoingfine,untilsuddenlyabeefy

mancomesuptothegirlandstartsgivingherarationofshit.Turnsout

he'saboyfriendshehasn'tbrokenupwithyet.SuddenlyyournewWe

spherecollideswiththisnewcharacterandtherulesandnormsshared

betweenhimandsoon‐to‐beex‐girlfriend,causingyourIsphereto

ratchetuptoawarenesslevelorange(wewilldiscussthatinthenext

section!).Theguyslapsyourdate,soyoujumponhim,andabarroom

brawlensures.Thecopsshowup,andthenextthingyouknowyouare

inthebackofapatrolcarastheItspherenowhasitswaywithyou.You

reflectthatyourIsphereisnowneitherexcitedabouttheprospectsof

thenewfemalerelationshipnorfearfulofthefightwithherthug

boyfriend,butwonderinghowtheheckyouaregoingtogetoutofthis

mess!Howquicklythingscanchange.Whatifyouhadgoneintothis

wholeeveningensuringthatyouwouldwininallthreespheres?Would

youhavedonethingsdifferently?WewilllookatIntegralTheoryagain

inchapternine;untilthen,learninghowtobesheepdogstrongwillhelp

answerthatquestion.

SheepdogStrong

I learnedintheSEALshowtoavoidthreats liketheabovewitha

three‐sphereattitudeandwhatIcalla"sheepdog‐strong"offensivemind‐

set.Today'sworldisevenmoredangerousandchaoticthanwhenIwas

with theactiveSEALs, and itwill likelygetworsebefore it getsbetter.

Becomingsheepdogstrongisanimperativetoprotectyourselfandyour

lovedones in theeventofacrisis.YoumayhaveheardDr.Grossman's

(authorofOnCombatandOnKilling)descriptionofthevastmajorityof

theworld'spopulationassheepgrazing in ignorantblissofany threat,

oblivious, with no situational awareness of what surrounds them. A

smallpercentageofthepopulation,though,iscomprisedofwolveswho

makeittheirbusinesstopreyuponthesheep.Thewolvesareproneto

violence and comfortable taking without conscience. The wolves tear

into theweaker sheepwhile theothers, andsocietyat large,pay scant

attention. However, there is a third, even smaller, percentage of the

populationwhostraddlethelinebetweenthesheepandwolves.Hecalls

them (us) sheepdogs, those individuals who keep their eyes on the

wolvesandprotectthesheep.Thesheepdogisthesoldier,sailor,marine,

coast guardswoman, police officer, and Good Samaritan. During quiet

timesthesheepwantlittletodowiththesheepdogs,feelingtheyarebest

outofsight,outofmind.Sheepdogsmakepeoplenervousbecausethey

sense that the sheepdog is comfortable with violence. Even my own

neighbor, when he doesn't see me for several days, assumes that I've

beengallivantingthroughforeignlandsrollingupthebadguys.Heloves

thataSEALishisneighbor,butmyknowledge,skill,andconfidencemake

himnervous.Perhapshefearsthatinmid‐conversationIwillloseitand

rip his head off. Sheepdogs carry a heavy burden: though trained for

violence,theyareoftenthemostdisciplinedandwell‐adjustedmembers

of society. The sheepdog knows his One Thing and Three Ps and is

committedtomakingadifference.Hisviolencediffersgreatly fromthe

violenceofthewolf.Boundbyastrictcodeofethicsandadutytoserve,

thesheepdogistrainedtocontroltheapplicationofviolencelikeafaucet

meterswater.Itismybeliefthatitisyourresponsibility,armedwiththe

knowledge and tools in Unbeatable Mind, to step up to be sheepdog

strongifyouarenotalready.

RecentlyIreadthefollowingheadline:"LostinSmartphones,San

FranciscoTrainPassengersDidn'tNoticetheGunmanuntilHePulledthe

Trigger."Scary,right?Thesmartphone is justthe latest ina long lineof

externalstimulithathaveallowedustoactlikesheepbytakingoureyes

off the important things in an endless distraction of noise and

entertainment. TV started the trend, web surfing and social media

acceleratedit,andnowtextingandgameplayonsmartphonesisputting

thenailinthecoffinofhumanawareness.Thesheepdoghasnoticedthis

trend,andhedoesnotgetstuckonhissmartphoneinpublic.

Herearesomerulesofengagement:

I. Stop being passive. Commit to being a sheepdog and making a

difference. Pull your head out of the sand, and pay attention to

whatisgoingonaroundyou.

II. Activateyour internal radar.We all have internal radars that can

sense danger, but most people have them switched off. Marine

ColonelJeffCooper'scolorsystemishelpfultolearnthis:

a. Complete ignorance iswhite. Your internal radar is off; you

areintheflockofsheep.

b. Passivealertness isyellow.Thisiswhereyourinternalradar

isswitchedonandpassivelyscanningforthreats.

c. Super‐heightened awareness is orange. This is when your

radar pings a threat and goes active, searching for

information as to the threat level, potential action plans,

resources, escape routes, weapons, etc. You are escalating

yourenergysystems,gettingreadyforafight.

d. Actiontocounterisred.Yourradarisredlining.Thisiswhen

youtacklethejerkwavingthegunbeforehepullsthetrigger.

III. Initiate sheepdog tactics. As a sheepdog you can keep your

smartphonetoconductbusinessandtextforhelp.However,learn

touseitinasheepdogmanner.Herearetheguidelines:

a. Alwaysoperateinyellowwheninpublic.

b. Neverbeonthesmartphonewhilewalking,driving(duh),or

inconversationwithanotherhumanbeing.

c. Whenonpublic transit, scan theenvironmentand sitnear

the backwith a good view of the entire scene. Keep your

smartphoneoffuntilyouarecertainthereisnothreat.Each

time the bus/train/whatever comes to a stop to pick up a

passenger,youturnitoffandrepeattheprocess.

d. Inarestaurantorotheropenpublicspace,enterbyscanning

the surrounding area outside and inside for any potential

threats. If you detect any potential threat, then tune your

radar to actively (but discreetly) scan in that direction. Sit

withagoodviewoftheestablishment,andenjoyyourmeal

or experience. Only check your smartphone in the

bathroom, or, if you must, then request permission from

yourguests.Makeanotherscanbeforeusing,andthentext

awayforafewmoments.

e. Don'tbecomeaparanoidnut.Thesearerecommendations—

Iamnotrecruitingavigilanteforce.Mypurposeistoprod

youtostepitupandbepartofthesolution.Asweworkon

becoming better people every day, let's also step up to

becomesheepdogs.Thatwaywecanprotectthelessaware,

weakerelementsofourwonderfulsocietyfromthewolves.

The sheepdog will develop a mental "binary switch" that turns

controlledviolenceonandoffatwill.The"bambooparty"ofmymartial

artstrainingisagoodexampleofhowItrainedthisbinaryswitch.Four

black belts place large bamboo poles over the ankles, hips, chest, and

finallythethroatofthebrownbeltcandidate.Withinsecondsthemental

lightsgoout…yetananosecondlater,thestudentbreaksfree,shattering

the bamboo poles and sending the black belts rolling. The trainee is

standing,withno ideawhatsoeverhowhe got there. This is "offensive

mind training," where we learned to switch from orange to red in an

instant and then to throttle it back down. My Ninjitsu Sensei, Shane

Phelps,usedto tellmethat Ihadtoalwaysbethe"subject"andnever

the"object"ofthesituationsIenterinlife,especiallyviolentencounters.

Thismeansthatwecontroltheframeoftheexperience,createthelens

thattheotherpersonlooksthrough,andthenwritethescriptofwhatis

unfoldingbeforeourveryeyes.Inthiswaywecontroltheoutcomeand

remainthevictors.

Sowhatifyoudon'tclassifyyourselfasasheepdognowbutwant

tostepuptobesheepdogstrong?Tostartyouwillneedtoelevateyour

awarenesstothe"yellowzone"ofpassivealertnessatalltimesinpublic.

Begintotrainyourselftoseethethreatsbeforetheyescalate.Igaveyou

somepracticalrulesofengagementearlier;nowlet'sstepupour

training.

DogTraining

Sheepdog‐strongtrainingstartswithtrainingyourawareness,but

itquicklymovesfromthat"I‐Self"sphereofpersonalmasterytothe

"We‐Team"sphereofteammastery.Nosheepdogoperatesalone,you

see;ateamisrequiredtotipthebalanceagainsttheviolentelements.

Contrarytopopularbelief,itisteamsoflike‐mindedindividualswho

changetheworld.Thefollowingsetofrecommendationsisofferedto

helpyougrowyoursheepdog‐strongteamanderadicatefear.

Tip#1:Buildasheepdogfamilybystartingimmediatelytomakeyour

familysheepdogstrong.Havethecolorsystemdiscussion,andpractice

awarenessdrills,suchastheKeepinMemorygame(theKIMgameis

describedindetailintheUnbeatableMindAcademyandisawaythat

SEALsusetotraintheirmemoriesandenhanceawareness),travelmind

games,andsensoryawarenessdrills.Havefunwithit,butensurethat

theyunderstandtheimportanceoftrainingthetribe.Ifyoudon'thavean

immediatefamily,thenthisextendstoyourclosestfriends.

Tip#2:Buildasheepdognetwork.Atmytrainingheadquarters,wehavea

networkofsheepdogswhomIwouldalertandrallyintheeventofa

crisissituation.Further,wetalkaboutbeingsheepdogstrongandtrain

foritdaily.

Tip#3:Becomeasheepdogcommunicator.Ifyouobservesomeonewho

isobviouslyapotentialthreat,takenoteandcommunicateittoyour

familyandothersheepdogsinyournetwork.Don'tbeoverlyparanoid,

buterronthesideofcaution,andreportthingsthatyournetwork

believestobeaclearandpresentdangertotheauthorities.Don'texpect

themtodoanything,though;justkeepwatching,andbepreparedtoact

ifnecessary.

Tip#4:Preparemorethanothers.Forinstance,whenyoutravel,takethe

followingactions:

1. Reviewthetravelrouteonamap,andcommitittomemory.

2. Printitoutjustincase.PhoneGPSfeaturesaregreatuntilyour

batterydiesorthesignaldisappears.

3. Picksomegasandfoodstopsalongtheroute.

4. Fillyourgastank.

5. Checktirepressureonallfivetires(don'tforgetthespare).

6. Havea"justincase"bagreadywithsnacks,tools,LEDflashlight,

rags,andmedicalkit.

Tip#5:Beanundesirabletarget!Thisisano‐brainerbutwillrequireyou

tosituateyourselfandactdifferentlyinpublic.Thiscanincludecarrying

yourselfmoreconfidentlyandavoidingareasthatmakeyouvulnerable,

thatarenotwelllit,aredesolate(suchaslargeparkingstructures),or

justmakeyoufeeluncomfortable.Carryahigh‐powerLEDflashlightin

yourcar.Theflashlightshouldbeabletoblastabout1,000lumen,andif

someoneyoudon'trecognizeapproachesatnight',youcanblindthem

withthelightanduseitasaweaponifnecessary.Thelightwillwardoff

99percentofwolvesandgiveyoutimetoescapeastheirnightvision

willbeshotforagoodfiveminutes.

Tip#6:Mentallypreparetodothingsyoupreviouslythought

unthinkable.Thisistoughforsomepeople,andyoudon'thavetogo

crazywithit.Simplyvisualizeyourselfdominatingafightbykickingthe

groin,gougingeyes,andthumpingtheevildoerintheneckwithyour

pipearm.Ifyouwantsomeself‐defensetraining,IrecommendKrav

Magaorattendingourthree‐weekSEALFITAcademy.Whenyoucansee

yourselfwinningthefightinyourmind,thenyouwillbemorelikelyto

respondoffensivelyandnotfreeze.

AveryrealbutextremeexampleisprovidedfromoneofmySouth

Africanfriends.There,carhijackerswouldstoppeopleintheircars,just

shootthem,andthentakeoffwiththeircars.Inthatenvironmentyou

wouldnotwaitforthethugtocometoyourcarbutwoulduseyourcar

asaweaponandgetoutofdodge.Thisisoneofthoseextremecasesthat

wehopewon'thappenintheStates.OnceIwasinKenyaonamission

travelingonahighwaywhenwepassedabuslyingonitsside.Afirewas

burning,andthereappearedtobeinjuredpassengersinside.Ourfirst

instinctwastostopandhelp,buttheKenyanSpecialForcesdriver

skirtedaroundit.Helatertoldusitwasahoneytrapwherethe

perpetratorsweretryingtobaitsympatheticforeignerstostopsothey

couldmugthem,orworse,kidnapthemforransom.Theworldis

dangerousandchaotic…destinysurefavorsthepreparedinbodyand

mind!

Afinalnote:beingsheepdogstrongrequiresthatyousetaside

worryaboutwhatothersthinkofyou.Manymaythinkyourtrainingand

preparationtobeextreme.Don'tmakeabigdealofitbecausethose

samepeoplewillberunningtowardyouifsomethinggoessouth.Atthe

sametime,beverydiscreet,buthavefunwiththetraining.Itisnotmy

intentiontoturnyouintoanoutlier.Quitetheopposite:Iwantyoutobe

aleaderandtobeviewedastheonewillingtogothedistancetotrain

andpreparebody,mind,spirit,andteamforsomeseriouskick‐assifthe

wolfcomesaround.Thisisadmirableand,frankly,necessaryifweare

goingtomaintainorderinaworldgoingslightlymad.Inthenextchapter,

wewillfurtherdevelopmentaltoughnessskillssothatwecanaccelerate

ourperformanceasleadersandwarriors.

ChapterFive:FiveCriticalMentalToughnessSkillsforLeaders

Togettotheheartofdevelopingmentalstrengthandclarity,itis

importanttofirstunderstandtheworkingsofthemindandits

limitations.Withthisknowledgeyouwillbeabletobypassfaulty

thinkingwithtoolssuchasKISSplanning,mentalmodels,and

visualization.Whetheryouleadamultinationalcorporationora

classroomofactivekids,asaleaderyouneedtobementallytoughto

makegooddecisions.Butthatiseasiersaidthandonebecauseyour

mindistrickyandpronetoleadingyoudownthewrongpath.Youcould

saythatitiseasytobecleverbutmuchmoredifficulttobewise.

Wisdommustbetrainedorattainedthroughmuchtrialanderror.The

fivekeystomentallytoughleadershippresentedinthischapterwill

allowyoubreakoldpatternsandmakebetterchoices.Youwilllearnto

avoidthementaltricksandtrapsthatmessyouupandaccessadeeper

levelofwisdom.

Let'sstartbytakingalookattheactualorganofthebrainby

examiningtheevolutionofthethreecomponents,ormini‐brains,that

makeupourwholebrain.Thenwewilllookathowthesepartsofour

brainscauseustobehavethewaywedo.Nextwewillintroduceseveral

mentalmodelsthatwillhelpyouavoidtrapssuchasgroupthink,

procrastination,andanalysisparalysis.Finallywedoadeepdiveinto

howtouseyourmindmorepowerfullythroughvisualizationand

positivity.Tokickoffthisjourney,let'stakeafieldtriptothebrainzoo.

TraintheZooKeeper

I'dbewealthyifIhadadollarforeverytimeIputmyfootdeeply

intomymouthbyjumpingtoaconclusionutterlydevoidoftruthor

operatingoutofsomeBOO‐inspiredbias.Sowouldyou,I'mwillingto

bet.EvenCharlieMungerandWarrenBuffett,whorunBerkshire

Hathawayandareconsideredthesavviestinvestorsintheworld,don't

trusttheworkingsoftheirminds.Instead,theyrelyonmentalmodelsto

helpthemframebetterinvestmentdecisionsandavoidthetrickstheir

mindsplayonthemwhichcanleadtopoorchoicesandflaweddecisions.

Researchoverthelastdecadehaspeeledbackthecurtainonhow

thisbrainzoooperates.UsingMRIandsensitivebrainwave

measurementequipment,scientistshavebeenabletoseewhathappens

chemicallyandelectricallyinyourbrainwhenyouperformcertain

actions.Differentareasofthebrainlightupwithchemicalandelectrical

activitywhenyoudrive,havesex,orreacttostress.Thebrainhasbeen

mappedbaseduponfunctionandcomparedtothebrainsofother

species.Thisinformationistobetakenwithsomeskepticismbecauseof

thecomplexityofthehumanbrainasanorganandtheinabilitytotruly

understandtheworkingsofthemindasconsciousness.

Generallyspeakingtherearethreemini‐brainsthathaveevolved

overtime,eachbuildingontopoftheothertoformthebrainwehave

today.Thesemini‐brainsdevelopedalongourhumanchronological

timelineandhavedifferentroles.Myzoometaphorcomesfromthefact

thatscientistsfavorlabelsrepresentingwhattheybelievetobeour

animalisticpast.Itookthelibertytocontinuethetrendsoastonotfeel

leftout.

TheReptilianBrainisformedfromthebrainstemandcerebellum

andisouroldestbrain.Itisalmostidenticaltoareptile'sbrain,henceits

name.Thereptilianbrainregulatesbasiclifefunctionslikebreathing,

heartrate,andrespiration(fromthebrainstem)andbalance,posture,

andmovementcoordination(fromthecerebellum).Itisalsoresponsible

forhardwiringbehaviorsfrommemories—sothisiswheredeeply

rootedtraininginformationisstoredandretrieved.Itmayalsobesafeto

assumethatthisbrainisacomponentofthesubconsciousmind.

TheMammalianBrainevolvedsome300millionyearsago,soyou

probablydon'trememberithappening.Itiscalledthemammalianbrain

becauseitissimilartothemostevolvedpartofallmammals'brains.The

prominentbehaviorsitregulatesarethefight,flight,orfreezeresponse

andourneedtofeedandreproduce.Itisalsoresponsibleforemotional

behaviorandregulatingchemicalandhormonalactivity.Whenyouget

depressed,youcanblamethemammalianbrain.Butyoucanthenthank

itforregulatingyourbodytemperature,bloodsugarlevels,digestion,

hormonalbalance,andotherimportantthings.Themammalianbrain

housesthepituitarygland,whichisthemasterhormonegland,andthe

pinealgland,whichregulatessleep.Italsoincludesthehippocampus,

whichisyourmemorysortingandstoringtool,andtheamygdala,which

siftsandfiltersincominginformationforthreatsandopportunities.This

sub‐brainislargelyresponsibleforthenegativitybiassoprominentin

thehumancondition.Thefearwolfspendsmostofhistimelurkinghere

andsendingfearsignalstothethirdsub‐brain.

TheMonkeyBrainisthemostrecentadditiontothezooandisthe

seatofawareness,cognition,problemsolving,andcreativity.Itiscalled

theneocortexandisthe"commandcenter,"wherewereason,plan,

intellectualize,analyze,verbalize,andlearn.Itallowsustointerpret

eventsandreacttothemaccordingly.Thisnewbrainofoursisso

complexthatitwoulddoitaninjusticetotrytosummarizeithere.When

someonesaysyouareoperatingoutof"rightbrain"or"leftbrain"

thinking,theyarereferringtothehemispheresoftheneocortex.This

partofourbraindifferentiatesusfromothermammalsandisoneofthe

reasonswehavesuchenormouspotential.Thefrontallobeofthe

neocortexisyour"executiveoffice,"whereintent,focus,andwillpower

conspiretobringyougreatnessormisery.Inyourteensthisareaisnot

fullydeveloped,whichexplainswhyyoumayhavemadepoordecisions

fueledbyyouremotionalmammalianbrain.

Now,itmakessensethatthesemanyanimalsinyourheadneeda

zookeepertokeeptheminline,butwhodoesthatjob?Ihavean

idea…howaboutourwitness?Let'sconsiderthatminditselfexists

independentoftheorganofthebrain.Manyscientistsliketoreducethe

mindandconsciousnesstocorrelatesofchemicalreleasesandelectrical

firingsinthebrain.Don'tbelievethemforaminute.Thosearesimply

by‐productsofthemindperformingtheprocessesofthinking,sensing,

perceiving,dreaming,andfeeling.Yourexperienceofaconsciousmind

certainlyhaschemicalandelectricalcorrelates,butitisamistaketo

conflateconsciousnesswithmerebrainelectrochemicalsignaling.

Studiesofnear‐deathexperiencesandout‐of‐bodyexperiencessupport

thisidea.TheyogisandotherEasternspiritualtraditionsbelievethatthe

mindexistsoutsideofthebrainandevenincludestheheart,belly,and

spinalcolumn,aswellasaconnectiontoauniversalintelligenceofsome

form.Ibelievethatconsciousnesstranscendsyetincludesthematterand

functionsofthebrainitself,thoughitrequiresthebraintofunctionin

ourhumanform.

Toconnectwiththismind,whatIhavecalledthewitness,youmust

trainyourneocortextoacknowledgeandcomplywithit.Onlythencan

yourwitnessbecomethezookeeperanddirecttheactivitiesofthe

animalisticbrain.Theproblemisthatwehavelargelydeniedthewitness

inourculture,insteadidentifyingalmostexclusivelywiththoughtsinour

brainasbeingthemainthing.Theneocortexdoesn'twanttogiveupthe

powerwehaveanointeditwith.Moreover,theneocortexislikeawild

monkey—itispowerfulandfullofpotential,butitisalsodangerousand

notveryproductiveuntilitistrained.Itisconstantlyrunningfrompain

andfeedingonpleasureandgreatlyresistsanyattempttosettleitdown

fortraining!

Wediscussedearlierhowmartialartists,yogis,andmonkslearned

longagothattheycouldtrainthemonkeymindthroughsacredsilence

andmeditation.Whentheydidthis,theyachievedamergingofthe

witness/soulwiththethinkingmind/ego.Thentheycouldoperatefrom

theirwitnesswhilefocusingtheirthinkingmindswithprecisiononthe

selectedsubjectorobjectofattention.Lestyouthinkthisistooesoteric,

thismergingIspeakofisnotunliketheexperienceyouhaveina

momentofflowwhenyouarehighlyskilledinaspecificdomain,suchas

aSEAL,firstresponder,oreliteathlete.Inthemomentofintensity(the

playorcrisis)themindmergeswiththewitness,suchthattime

collapsestojust"now,"andyouarethrustintowhatyoufeelasastateof

flow.Inthesemomentsthefrontallobeoftheneocortexissofocusedon

theobjectofattentionthatanythoughtsareforcedout,allowingthe

directperceptionofthewitnesstooffertherightresponse.Timeand

spaceloosentheirholdandslowdownorwarp.Inthismannerthe

frontallobebecomesyour"flowactivator"toallowthemerge,dissolving

pastandfutureintothemoment.Trainingsothatyoucanactivatethe

flowstateatwilldoestaketime.Thewitnessprocessandsacredsilence

practicesarethebestwaythatIknowoftoactivatethistraining.As

soonasyoubegin,youwillnotethattheanimalsrunningamokinyour

mindtakenoticeandlineuptosupportyouinsteadoffightyou.

Asifthedistractingchatteroftheuntrainedmonkeymindisn't

enoughtomakeyouanxious,thewaytheneocortexinteractswiththe

mammalianandreptilianbrainsisalsoacauseforconcern.In2011

economistandNobelPrizewinnerDanielKahnemanwrotean

intriguingbookabouthowthemindworksindecisionmaking.The

book,Thinking,FastandSlow,providesgreatinsightintothetricksour

animalbrainsplayonus.Kahnemanwonderedhowmuchcontrolthe

neocortexreallyhadoverourthoughtsandactionsorwhethertheolder

brainshadasay.HisworkbasicallyprovesthatourBOOhasabig

impactonourthinkingprocesses.Hiscentralthemeisthattherearetwo

primarymodesofthought;hecalledthemSystem1andSystem2.The

first(System1)isthefast,instinctual,andemotionalthoughtprocess

drivenbyyourmammalianandreptilianbrains.Thesecond(System2)

isthedeliberate,rational,andlogicalcognitiondrivenbytheneocortex.

KahnemannotedthatSystem1isconstantlymonitoringthe

environmentaswellasourinnerspacetoformdown‐and‐dirty

impressionsofthings.Itprobesforinformationimportanttosurvival

andreproductionandwillcalmlytakecareofroutinebusiness—untilit

detectsathreatoropportunityrelatedtoboth.Thenitperksupand

mobilizestheexecutiveofficesintheneocortextostepupandfigure

thingsoutwithmoredetail.

Thechallengearisesinthisinterplaybetweenthetwosystems.

Duetothemassiveamountofinformationflowinginfromexternaland

internalsources,System1mustmakeassumptionsandtakeshortcuts.

AddtothistheinherentlazinessofSystem1(afterall,itmustsave

energyfortheinevitablecrisis),andyouendupwiththeknee‐jerk

reactionsandhair‐triggerresponsesweallmakethatturnoutdead

wrong.Theshortcutsandguessesmadesenseintheolddaysofdetecting

anddefendingagainstthetiger,orcapturingtheheartofthecavegirl

nextdoor,butnowadaysitcangetintheway.Oneinterestingwaythis

playsoutiscalledtheprimingeffect—whereinthebrainwillassociate

newinformationtotheclosestotheridea,whichthenprimesyour

answer.Theprimingeffectiswhatleadstooneofthemorecommon

errorsofperceptioncalledconfirmationbias,madefamousbyMalcolm

GladwellinhisbookBlink(moreonhiminabit).Thisprocessgoes

mostlyundetected,butitseffectsareobviouswhenyoustopandlook.An

exampleKahnemanprovidesisifyouhaverecentlyseenorheardthe

wordeat,youaremorelikelytocompletethewordfragmentso_pas

soup.However,ifyoujustgotoutofthebath,youwouldbeprimedto

readthewordfragmentassoap.

Kahnemandescribesanexperimentinacompanykitchenwithan

honestyboxtopayforcoffee.Theyputapictureofaflowerpotinthe

roomandthenlaterapicturewitheyes.Theemployeescontributed

almostthreetimesasmuchwhentheeyeswerewatchingduetothe

primingeffect!

Considerthissentence:Annapproachedthebank.Ifyouareacity

dweller,youconjuredupanimageofAnnwalkingtowardanATM,butif

youareariverguideyouwouldbeprimedtoseeAnnglideuptothe

riverbankinherkayak.WhenyoubuyaredMazda,isn'titamazinghow

yourmindconfirmsthatpracticallyeveryoneelsesuddenlyownsared

carandtherearenowtwiceasmanyMazdasontheroad?Howcanwe

trustourmindswhenthistypeofgrossmisinterpretationisgoingonall

thetime?

Let'slookatourproclivitytojumptoconclusionswithbias.

System1worksonlywiththeinformationthatithasreadyaccessto.

Whenevaluatingpeople,System1isinclinedtostereotypebecauseifno

otherinformationisavailable,thatistheonlywaywehavetodevelopa

quickimpression.Thisgaveusanedgeinthepast,butthathasclearly

diminishedinvalue.Inonestudy,psychologistSolomonAschasked

subjectstosaywhattheythoughtoftwohypotheticalcharacters:Alan

andBen.Herearethedescriptionsofthetwo:"Alan:intelligent,

industrious,impulsive,critical,stubborn,envious;Ben:envious,

stubborn,critical,impulsive,industrious,intelligent."Asyouhopefully

noticed,thedescriptorsareidenticalbutfortheirorderofdelivery.

SubjectsconsistentlyratedAlanmorefavorablythanBenbecausethe

initialtraitsinthelistimpactedthefirstimpressionmeaningofthetraits

thatappearlater.Thehaloeffect,whereyoutransferatraitsuchasgood

looksontocharacterwhenthereisnootherevidence,isanother

manifestationoftheprimingeffectofSystem1.

Salesprofessionalsarefamiliarwithanothertrickcalledthe

framingeffect.Howinformationisframedaffectshowitisprocessed.My

friendOrenKlaff,best‐sellingauthorofPitchAnything,usestheframing

effecttodominatepitchesforfinancingwithgreatsuccess.Hehas

demonstratedhowpeopleunconsciouslyframeinnegotiationsandhow

youcanbreakyourframesandestablishanewframewhereyouhave

theedge,albeittemporarily.

AfinalexampleofhowSystem1distortsSystem2thinkingiswith

lossaversion.TheSystem1mammalianbrainwillseelossesasathreat

andcauseustoavoidthemattheexpenseofgains.Afterall,threatsare

moreurgentthanopportunities.Considerthefollowingexample:"You

areofferedagambleonthetossofacoin.Ifthecoinshowstails,youlose

$100.Ifthecoinshowsheads,youwin$150.Isthisgambleattractive?

Wouldyouacceptit?Rationallyitisgoodgamblebecausetheexpected

valueispositive.Butmostpeoplerejectthisgamblebecausethefearof

losing$100ismoreintensethanthehopeofgaining$150.Thisloss

aversioncomesintoplayinallformsofnegotiations.Sincelossesarefelt

morekeenlythangains,thesidethatstandstolosewillfightharder

againstitthantheothersidefightsforit.Itisalsoprevalentwhenit

comestocuttinginvestmentlosses,whichiswhywetendtoholdontoa

losingstock.Sellingalosingstockactualizesaloss,whilesellinga

winningstockactualizesagain.System1thinkingwillfavorthelatter

overtheformer.Nowthatwehavebeatthathorseintosubmission,let's

moveontohowtotrainthezookeeperofyourmindsoyoucanavoid

thesetrapsandshortcuttheten‐thousand‐hour"GladwellEffect."

ShortcuttheGladwellEffect

NowthatIhavedumpedliberallyonthehumanbrainforits

shortcomings,Iwonderhowwecanshoreitupforbetterdecision

making.MalcolmGladwell,inhisbookBlink:ThePowerofThinking

withoutThinking,introducesustotheconceptofmentalintuition,which

isgainedthroughdeepexpertiseinanareaoneispassionateaboutand

spendsatonoftimein.Gladwelltellsusthatthosewhomasteraskill,

whetheritbechess,basketball,orfirefighting,areabletorespond

intuitivelytoasituationataglance(perhapsheislookingatthesame

conceptofmergingthewitnesswiththeneocortexIintroduced

earlier?).Thechessorbasketballmovesflowspontaneouslyandare

almostalwaysstrongandcreative.Thefirefighter,whohasasudden

urgetoescapeaburninghousejustbeforeitcollapses,feelsthedanger

intuitivelywithoutknowinghow.

Gladwellpositsthatexpertiseatthislevelisformedfromthe

intersectionofdeepknowledge,expertskill,andpresence.Sobased

uponwhatwehavelearnedaboutthebrainsofar,wecanassertthat

thisexpertiseisdevelopedinthemammalianbrain,whichunconsciously

picksupnuancedcuesinanactivityorenvironmentonehasgreat

masteryover.Themammalianbrain(System1)presentsthesecuesto

theneocortex(System2)atopportunemomentsforadvantage,which

showupasgeniusorcreativebrilliance.Sincethemammalianbrainhas

beenprimedforcountlesshourstolookfornuances,thosearenow

availabletothethinkingpartofyourbrainandshowupasinsights.The

neocortex,whentrainedornaturallyinapresentstateofawareness,will

beabletointerpretthesemessageseasily.

Now,accordingtoGladwell,thecapacityforthistypeof

unconsciousintuitivebehaviortakesyearstohone—atleastten

thousandhours.Buthereisthecatch:Gladwell'sassertionsarebasedon

a"common"untrainedmind.Yes,intuitioncanariseduetodeep

concentrationonanarrowsetofskillsoveralongperiodoftime,butI

believeitcanbeacceleratedgreatlywhenwetrainourmindsasIofferin

thisbook.Scientistsbelievethatwecurrentlyutilizeonly10to20

percentofourtotalbrainpower.Whatifwetrainedourselvestoaccess

more,suchaswithourFiveMountaintraining?Mypremiseisthatwhen

weactivelytrainthemind,thenweareabletoaccessthesameintuitive

geniusthatGladwellspeaksofinmuchshorterperiodsoftime.My

experienceintheSEALsandwithmytraineeshasproventomethatthis

ispossible,thoughIhaveyettoputittoascientificstudyforexternal

validation.

Awordofcaution:Thoughintuitivegeniusisaworthygoal,you

muststilluseatwo‐prongedapproachtotraining.WhatImeanisthatas

youtrainyourmind,youmustalsoexamineyourBOO,orthatintuitive

inspirationyoureceivemaybeprimedwithflawedbeliefs.Thatiswhy

theworkofthelastchapteriscrucialasyoudevelopyourUnbeatable

Mind:BOOexaminationandmentaldevelopmentworkhandinhand.

Thispresentsanawkwardparadox:Doyoutrustyourgutimplicitlyor

useitasaguidewhileseekingexternalvalidation?Perhapsthesituation

willdictate:inanexistentialcrisisyouwillneedtotrustyourgut,butin

amultimillion‐dollarbusinessdeal,itisagoodideatotrust…thenverify.

Thepointisthatevenexpertsremainatriskofmentaltrapscausedby

improperlyinterpretedintuitivemoments.LikeWarrenandCharlie,

SEALsalsoprotectagainstthisbyusingmentalmodelstobetterframe

andbackuptheirdecisions.Mentalmodelsprovideaninsurancepolicy

againstthezoo‐brain'stricksandtraps.

UseMentalModels

It is clear now that erroneous thinking is common and leads to

botched communications andmission failure all the time. The mental

challengesdescribedaboveproducefourproductivitykillers:

1. Procrastination:delayingactionduetoimperfectinformation

2. Perfectionism:delayingactionduetoanimperfectplan

3. Analysis paralysis: delaying action by trying to analyze toomuch

information

4. Groupthink: taking the most tepid action poisoned by the

confirmationbiasofthegroup

Using mental models will speed things up and diminish or

eliminatetheimpactofthesefourkillers.Mentalmodelsframeaproblem

withgoodquestionsandcreatea templatestandard forhowtomakea

decision or create the plan. In the SEALswe used a number of these,

includingtheOODAloop,theMilitaryDecision‐MakingProcess(MDMP),

theCARVERtargetevaluationprocess,andtheSMEACmissionplanning

process. We will discuss two of these and include SMART‐FITS goal

setting as a third. To kick off the discussion, let's review the primary

principleunderlyingallofthesementalmodels:KISS!

KISSPlanning

WhenIplannedmyfirstmissionintheSEALs, Iusedaflipchart

andtheancientartofflowcharting.Thechartwasfilledwithboxesand

arrowsdepictingtheentiremission,fromplanningstagetopost‐mission

debrief.Thebig chunks that required lotsof coordinationwere further

brokenoutintoseparateflowchartswithcontingenciesbuiltin.Itwasa

cumbersomeprocess,tosaytheleast.Butwhenitcamedowntobriefing

theguys,theKISSruleprevailed.Thechartwastossed,andtheoperators

simply asked questions and talked their way through the mission. As

theytalkedweallvisualizedeverythingthatwouldgorightandanything

thatcouldgowrong.Thenwesteppedoutside,boardedthehelo,andjust

did it.Theonlythingthathaschangedsincethosedays isthetoolswe

use. The flip chart has been replaced by a suite of mission planning

software,aprojector,andabevyoflaptops,buttheKISSrulestillapplies.

Atitsmostbasiclevel,itmeansthatwemustfocusonthemostradically

simplemeans to execute a plan. Complexity can lead to confusion and

gridlockinacrisis.

Let'slookatKISSinthecontextofplanning.Keepingthingssimple

meansthatyouwillrelyonagoodenoughplantoavoidthefourkillers

of performance detailed above. A good enough plan aims for an 80

percentsolution.Assoonasyoubegintoexecute,youwillgetfeedback,

andthenyouwillthenimmediatelytweakyourplanwithanothergood‐

enoughsolution.Thusbeginsthesuccesscycle:

KISSplan(SMART‐FITS,SMEAC,PROP)–>F3rapidexecution–>

feedbackloop(OODALoop)–>newKISSplan–>execute–>feedback

TheKISSPlanhas fourcomponents.The first is toselecta target

that FITS the mission. The second is to develop a SMART mission

statement (goal) toattack the target.Third is todefineeitheradetailed

SMEACplanorahastyPROPplantoexecute.Finally,usetheOODALoop

process to continually refine your execution in F3 (fail forward fast)

mode.

With an aggressive fail forward fast orientation, the team will

execute on a good‐enough plan and achieve micro‐victories with

increasingvelocity.TheKISSplanning solutionshunsgroupthink, stops

procrastination in its tracks, and leaves perfectionists wondering how

yousucceededsoquickly.Let'stakeacloserlookatthetoolsinthisKISS

planningprocess.

SMART‐FITSGoalSetting

It is no news flash that properly selected goals, tied to yourOne

Thing and executed with a KISS good‐enough plan, will propel you

towardmissionaccomplishment.Goalsnottetheredtoyourpurposeare

wildgoosechases,andapurposewithoutSMART‐FITSgoalsisafantasy

awaitingregret.Thefunnythingis,though,thatnobodyteachesthisat

anearlyenoughagetoallowformassivesuccess.Wearelefttofigureit

outourselvesbecausetheacademiccommunitydoesn'tknowhowtodo

iteither.ThisskillissoimportantthatitholdsaplaceintheBigFourof

MentalToughnesstaughttotheSEALs.

Let's start by looking at the FITS part of themodel for ensuring

that your goals/targets fit you in terms of skill, timing, and purpose. I

cameupwithFITStohelpselectthepropertargetsforourmissionand

the proper goals for our targets. The process is easy to remember—

essentiallyyouwilluseittoensurethatyourtargetfitsthemissionand

goalfitsthetarget.Itisimportanttonotethatgoalscanbeeither"being"

goalsor "doing"goals. Inotherwords,goalshelpus "do" thingsor "be"

someone. Both are important, and it is good to know which you are

lookingatasyoudecidewhetheritfitsyounow.Beinggoalsaretypically

long‐term goals around becoming a certain type of person or gaining

certain qualities, such as being a good leader. Doing goals are often a

subset of a being goal and include gaining a specific skill ormilestone

requiredformissionaccomplishment.For instance, ifyouhaveabeing

goaltobeawarrior,thenadoinggoalwouldbetoearntheSEALtrident.

IfattendingKokoroCampisamongyourdoinggoals, thenshorterskill

goals,suchastoperformthephysicalskillstostandard,willbewhatyou

workonasyoushootforthebiggoalofKokoroCamp.Thefirstorderof

business when selecting targets or goals is to consider whether it is

tetheredtoandalignedwithyourOneThingandpurpose.Goalsthatare

alignedwith your purpose, and setwith SMART‐FITS rules, back each

other up like building blocks—they set the foundation for your future.

HereistheFITSprocess:

Fit:Doesyourgoal fityouandyour team in termsofyourskills,

resources,time,andpersonality?Isitreasonableoralongshot?Willthe

returnonyourinvestmentintime,resources,andenergybeworthitfor

thisgoal,orshouldyoubelookingatadifferentgoalwithhigherROI?

Importance: Is this goal strategically important to achieve your

mission or purpose?Will your mission fail if you do not achieve this

goal?Isthereanother,moreimportantgoalyoushouldbefocusingyour

preciousenergyon?

Timing: Is this the right time for this goal?What has to happen

firstforthisgoaltobecomearealisticachievement?Istheresomeother

goalortargetwhosetimingtrumpsthisone?

Simplicity:IsthisaKISSgoal?Canyoubreakthegoalintosmaller

micro‐goals to increase the simplicity and your chances of succeeding

andgainingmomentumtowardyourvision?

Onceyouarecertainthatyourtargetorgoalfits,thenyouwillmoveto

step two and state it in SMART terms to maximize your chances of

success. SMART‐FITS goals are precisely and positively stated and

possess attributes for effective execution. First, they are specific and

detailedratherthanvague.Partofthedetailisthattheyaremeasurable

anditiseasytodetermineyourprogress.Inaddition,theyareassessed

asachievable,whichisfirstassessedwhenyoudeterminedthatthegoal

fityou.Achievabilityspeaks toyourskillsandavailableresources.Next

the goal must be realistic, such that you can achieve it within the

timeline proposed without causing a debilitating failure in another

mission or follow‐onmission. Finally, as stated already, the goal must

haveatimeforachievementboundary.Agoaltimeframethatistooshort

ortoolongcansetbeasetupforfailure.

MyfriendKyleMaynardsetagoaltoclimbMountKilimanjaro.The

hitchwasthatKyledoesn'thaveanyarmsorlegs.Manywouldthinkthat

this goal was not realistic or achievable for him. And itmay not have

beenwere itnot forhis incredibledetermination, soheset it asa20X

challenge goal and planned for a long time to achieve it. He ultimately

bearcrawleduptheentiremountain,achievingsuccessbecauseheused

aSMART‐FITSgoalprocess.

TwoyearsagoIsetagoaltoimproveaphysicalskillIneededfor

theCrossFitGames. Ideclaredthat Iwould learntododouble‐unders in

threemonths(tworevolutionsofajumpropeinasinglejumpiscalleda

double‐under).TwomonthslaterIhadn'tgottenevenclose,andIrealized

that I had violatedmy goal settingmethod. I askedmyself,Mark,why

takeonanygoalunlessyouintendtotakeitseriously?TheanswerwasI

shouldn't.Norshouldyou.SoIrevisedmygoaltothis:toperformtwenty

perfect, consecutive double‐unders by March 30. The goal was

specificallystated,measurable(twenty),achievable(atthetimeIcoulddo

aboutfiveinarow),realistic(Ihadplentyoftime,ownedajumprope,

andcouldeasilypracticetheskillthreetofourtimesaweek),anditwas

timebound(Igavemyselfthreemonthsandadeadline).Iwrotethegoal

downandcheckedinwithitweekly.DoyouthinkIhitit?Yes,easyday!

But if I hadn't restated it in SMART‐FITS terms and given it proper

energy,I'dstillbewishingIcoulddoit.

Wearenotdone justyet; it'salso important todevelopastrategy

forexecutingyourSMART‐FITSgoals.Agoalwithoutastrategyislikea

destinationwithoutaplan toget there.Doyouwalk,drive,or take the

busandhowdoyounavigateorgetfuelforthejourney?Manydetailsare

involvedinplanningtoaccomplishaloftygoal.Beginwritingthemdown

in a list, and then establish dates for knocking them down. Use the

SMEAC or PROP method to plan your mission. Then review your

progress on a schedule that is suitable for you. I like to do it daily and

recommendyoudoitweeklyataminimum.

Imentioned earlier that goal settingwas one of the Big Four of

MentalToughness.Thebigfourare:

I. Properlysetgoals

II. Arousalcontrolthroughdeepwarriorbreathing(four‐countinhale

andexhale)

III. Attentioncontrolthroughpositiveself‐talk

IV. Visualization

Buthowdoesgoalsettingimpactmentaltoughness?Well,when

timesgetchallenging,youwillwanttochoosegoalsthatarelaser

focusedongettingyouthroughthehardestpartsofthechallenge.These

goalsareveryshort‐termandpreciseachievement/doinggoals.Those

momentsarenotthetimetoworryaboutbecomingaleaderorvisionary

entrepreneur…no,thosemomentsarethetimetojustsurvivethe

challengeandthengetbackontrackwiththeloftierthings.DuringSEAL

HellWeekIdidn'tsetmysightsonbecomingaNavySEALorgettingthe

trident.Rather,Isetmysightsongettingthroughthenextfewhours.At

nightmygoalwastoseethesunrise.Thenightswerelong,cold,and

demoralizing.Mostpeoplequitinthedeadofthenight,buttherising

sunwassuchaninspiration,anditliterallywarmedourbodiesand

spirits.Suchasimplerule,"neverquitatnight,"wouldhavesavedmany

BUD/Sdropoutsfromthemselves.DuringthedayImadeitagoaltoget

tothenextmeal.Theniftheshitreallyhitthefan,itwastojustget

throughthatevolutionsoIcouldrecover.Ilearnedthatthisprocess

allowedmetoeatanelephantonebiteatatime!

I call this tool the micro‐goal process, whereby your goals

collapsed to very short‐time‐frame achievable goals, allowing you to

createaseriesofshort‐termvictories.Micro‐goalskeepyoufocusedand

present,whileallowingyoutodevelopconfidenceandmomentum.Your

enthusiasmremainsintactbecauseyouarenotfocusedonagoalthatis

toofarouttoseeorfeel.AsImentioned,thesemicro‐goalsleadtomicro‐

victories,whichaccelerateyoutomacrolevelsuccess.Micro‐goalsetting

forces your mind to focus on what's happening right here and now,

ratherthanonwhatmayhappeninthefuture.Focusonthenextmeal,

thenextevent,oreventhenextfootstep,andyouwillmakeithappen.

LetmedigdeeperintowhySMART‐FITSgoalsworksowell.First

off,properlyselectedtargetsensureyouarefocusedontherightthings,

and smartly articulated goals ensure that you are employing the KISS

principlewith focuseddetermination to achieve them.Without refined

targets connected to ourOneThing andpurpose, andwell‐set goals to

keep us focused, we are easily distracted, and our energy becomes

diffused. Properly crafted goals with a strong implementation plan

replacefantasywithrealityandmobilizeyoureffortswithanuncommon

level of commitment. No more wandering or stumbling around in the

darkwithyourpersonalandprofessionallife.

A final note: Effective goal setting facilitates new strategies for

learning and development. If your strategy includes a daily goal review

during your morning ritual and a progress recapitulation during your

evening ritual, there's a high degree of likelihood that you'll remain

focused and persistent until you achieve it. The daily review process

allowsformodificationandshiftingfireastherealitiesofthedailydrive

impactthetimingandrealismofthegoal.Ratherthanacceptingfailure

forsomethingoutofyourcontrol,yousimplyadjustthegoalelementsto

thenewrealityanddriveon.

SMEACandPROP

The SMEAC mission planning process is a simple but detailed

planning model that can be used for any initiative, whether a SEAL

missionorajointbusinessventure.Itisbestsuitedforcomplex,longer

projectsandservesasasortofconceptorbusinessplan.

Situation: The situation is the background study that helps the

teamtounderstandthereasonsbehindthecurrentrequirementtoact.

The SEAL teams call this background "situational awareness" and

believe it iscritical foreveryone tobeon thesamepageregarding the

whyofthemission.

Mission:Themissionisaspecificstatementofwhatyouintendto

accomplish, where, when, and the measure of success. The mission

statementwithanendstategoalshouldbewritteninSMARTlanguage).

Execution: The execution part defines how the mission will be

accomplished. The execution also specifies the involvement of others,

yourcourseofaction,yourintendedresources,andyourPlanB.

Administration: the administration section of the plan defines the

administrativeandlogisticaldetailsthatmustbecoordinatedpriortoand

duringtheexecutionofthemissionorproject.

Commandandcontrol:thecommandandcontrolspecifywho'sin

charge, who reports to whom, and when they report as well as the

format for reporting. So many missions and projects fail due to poor

communicationandaccountability.TheSMEACprocessmakesaterrific

one‐pageprojectorbusinessplanningtool.BoththisandtheOODALoop

mental models are simple and effective tools that provide a standard

operatingproceduretoquicklyanalyzelargevolumesofinformationand

makewisedecisions.

Whenyouneedtoexecutefast,andthemissionissimpletodefine,

but you need to quickly determine the best course of action, then the

PROPtoolisyouranswer.Withthistoolyouwillevaluateaquickcourse

ofactionbaseduponfoursimplecriteria:

Priorities: what are the key priorities that are driving your

mission?

Realities:what are the ground truth realities you are facing, and

whatimpactdotheyhaveonyouroptions?

Options: list themost compelling options for away forward that

youandyourteamhavecomeupwith.

Plan:whatistheplanyoudecidedon?

PROPservesasanexcellentrapidplanningandopportunityanalysistool.

WhencombinedwithSMART‐FITStargetselection,youhaveahandy

toolkitforsolvingmission‐criticalchallengesasyourapidlymove

towardmissionsuccess.

OODALoop

Onceyoujumpoutthedooronamission,theplanningstagesare

over,andnowyouareintorapidexecutionF3stage.Inthisstageofyour

success cycle, you will use the OODA Loop, developed by the late Air

ForceLieutenantColonelJohnBoyd.Thisbrilliantmanwasafighterpilot

who ended up designing aircraft for the Pentagon. He distilled his

instinctualexpertiseintoafour‐stepprocesstosimplifytheteachingof

rapid‐fire, life‐and‐death decision making of aerial combat. OODA is a

KISStoolofthemostelegantform.OODAhasusconstantlyevaluateour

relational position to the enemy (or competition) and make decisions

thatkeepusonestepaheadofthem.Thisishowitworks:

Observe thesituationclosely.What isyourrelativepositiontothe

enemyandhowistheirbehaviorgoingtoimpactyou?

Orient to the reality of your observation. Should you move left,

right, up, or down? Should you adjust pricing or move into the

marketplacefaster?

Decide on a course of action. Depending on the complexity and

stakes involved,thiscanbeasimplechoiceoramorecomplexdecision

afteranalyzingmultiplecoursesofaction.

Act—nothing happens in life until we takemassive action. After

you take that action, youwill immediately observe the impact of your

action. Orient to the results, make another decision, and the cycle

continues. Your goal is to master this loop, seeking to minimize your

team'sperformancetime.Incombat,oranyhighlycompetitivesituation,

a good strategy is to confuse or surprise your opponent into slowing

theirOODAloopprocessingtime.Thusyouaremovingfasterwhileyour

competitor has slowed down, giving your team a great competitive

advantage.Thisrapidplanningtoolisgreatforon‐the‐flyadjustmentsto

yourplanninganddecisionmaking.WhencombinedwithPROP, it is a

powerful tool for optimizing your decisions and shortening your

planning cycles. If you have more time andmust parse throughmore

data,thenfallingbackonthemoredeliberateSMEACprocessmaymake

moresense.

VisualizeSuccess

Youlearnedinthischapterhowyourmindcantrickyou,andthen

youlearnedafewmentalmodelsasaninsurancepolicyagainstthis.The

finalskillofmentallytoughleadersistochangethecontentandenergy

of your mind through structured visualization. Visualization is an

incredibly powerful technique thatwill enhance yourmental strength,

allow you to tap into more of your mind power, and allow you to

accomplishmore challenging tasks. It is the law of "win in yourmind

first," and it is no surprise that great inventors, entrepreneurs, and

athletes all use some form of visualization to create their desired

outcomesintheirmindswhiletheyactpowerfullyintheworld.Itistime

wemadethisaroutineskill.

Visualization is the creation or re‐creation of an external

experience in your mind. Early pioneers of this skill include my own

swimcoachatColgateUniversity.CoachBensonhadmeswimthetwo‐

hundred‐meterbreaststrokeinmymindwithastopwatchbeforebedat

night. Other sports psychologists and top coaches began using

visualization toenhanceperformance in the ‘90'sandmostOlympians

reportusingitwithgreatbenefitintheirtraining.Therearetwomajor

formsofthepracticeofvisualization.

Mentalprojection isvisualizingapersonal futurestateorvictory.

Visualized images create energy around a desired future experience

before you experience it "for real." I call this type of visualization a

Future Me visualization because you are envisioning a future "ideal"

versionofyourself.EarningtheSEALtrident isanexampleofa"future

me" visualization. Achieving a major milestone with a new business

ventureisanotherexample. Ineithercaseyoucreatetheevent inyour

mindwellbeforeithappens.Thevisualizedeventisthenchargedwith

emotions and vivid colors, sounds, smell, and tastes. Youwill reinforce

those visual images through repeated practice sessions. This process

plants a powerful seed in your subconscious mind of the potential

energyfortheevent.Thenasyouworkonthegoal,yoursubconscious

mind goes about supporting you with the resources necessary to

nurture the event to its fruition. In a sense you could say that

visualizationrewirestheSystem1braintoalignwithyourgoals.

The second form of visualization is aMentalRehearsal,whereby

youpracticeaskillorprepareforaneventinyourmind.ASEALplatoon

will "dirt dive" amission to set the patterns for winning in themind

priortoexecutingitforreal.TheSEALoperatorwillwalkthroughadive

profile on dry land while visualizing every detail. In this manner he

performsallthemajorelementsofthedivebeforeevergettingwet.This

wasanimportantpartofmymissionprepwhenIwasatSEALDelivery

Vehicle Team 1. The mini‐sub dives were often six to ten hours in

duration replete with complicated navigation patterns. Dirt diving the

missionspriortolaunchprovedcrucialduringthemissionwhenfatigue

andMurphy'sLawreared theirheads.Themental rehearsal implanted

the route in both conscious and subconscious minds and provided a

memory aid aswell as subtlephysiological cues.Additionally, it helped

identifypotentialchallengesbeforethemissionhittherealityofthedeep

face‐to‐face.

Bothformsofvisualizationcanbeperformedfromthefirstperson

or third person perspective.What I mean by this is that they can be

imagedfromyoursubjectiveframeasifyouhadahelmetcameraon,or

imaged from your objective frame as if watching yourself in amovie.

Eithermethodiseffective;however,mostpeoplestartwiththeobjective

frameandthenmigratetothesubjectiveframeastheygainexperience.

Let'sreviewwhyyouwillwant toaddthispowerful tool toyour

mental tool kit. First, it leads to improved concentration in that the

practice of visualization requires you to develop greater powers of

concentrationdue to the effort required to construct andmaintain the

visual imagery. In the early stages, the training can be frustrating,

especially ifyouhavedifficultyholdingan image inyourmindfor long.

Youmaybemorekinestheticorauditoryinnature;thusdevelopingthe

capacity to visualize will take patience. Second, you will experience

enhancedconfidenceas theresultof thetraining.Whenyoucanclearly

visualizeanevent skill inadvance, yourmentalpractice isacceptedas

real by your body. Though not as visceral as the physical doing of the

event, the visual practice is still felt internally and leads to more

confidenceevery timeyoudo it.For instance, researchhasproventhat

effortlesslythrowingabasketballintoahoopvisuallyleadstothesame

performancegainsasdoingitforreal.Thistranslatestomoreconfidence

as actual improvements in the skill accrue. Next, closely related to

confidence is the greater emotional control youwill experience. If you

fear performing to some degree,whichwe all do (especially for scary

thingssuchaspublicspeaking),visualizingtheperformancerepeatedly

willdampenthatfearresponsewhenyouperformtheeventlive.Afinal

note on visualization:When donewell, a visualized event involves the

sensationsoffeelings,emotions,andsoundstosupporttheimagery.The

objectiveistocreateasrealisticamentalrepresentationaspossible,asif

youarereallyexperiencingit.Thatiswhyitisreallyimportanttoensure

thatyourimageispositive,powerful,andasneartoperfectaspossible.

BeaMoraleOfficer

Thefinaloftheskillsformentaltoughnessispositivity.Youlearned

inchapter three thatyourmind ischarged through lifeexperiences to

be either positive and courageous or negative and fearful. Internal

dialogue and beliefs affect your thought patterns and impact

performance. Further, you learned earlier that the nature of the

mammalianmindistoconstantlyscanforthreatsandbepoisedtoreact

to them. Is it any wonder that our minds feel a constant pull toward

negativity?

Itisimperativethatyoutrainyourmindtobea"moraleofficer"

whoisinchargeofyourownmoraleandthemoraleoftheteam.You

achievethisbyremainingpositive.Positivityalignswiththeuniversal

lawofattraction.Apositivestateofmindattractspositivesupportand

teammatestohelpyouaccomplishyourgoals.Positivityisalso

imperativeasyoustrivetodevelophigherstatesofconsciousnessand

spiritualgrowth(seechapternine).Itiseasytogetstuckinnegativity

duetohowourbrainsworkandbecausewecaninternalizenegative

associationsfromcircumstancesthatimpactusdeeply,suchasadeath

oratrauma.Bymaintainingavigilantwitnessinourmindsand

constantlyfeedingthecouragewolf,negativitywillatrophy,and

positivitywillpropelyoutohigherstatesofconsciousness.

I found theworkof the lateDr.DavidHawkins tobeparticularly

valuable in this area of research. In his book Power versus Force, Dr.

Hawkins parses consciousness energy into levels of negativity and

positivity. He goes into great depth about the feelings and associated

behaviors of each level. Note that when one acts below the level of

courage, he or she is in negative territory. Your goal is to condition

yourself to feed the couragewolf to remain at the level of courage or,

better, above, in optimism, forgiveness, acceptance, and love. The

positivity stages that strengthen performance and develop your

consciousness, shown in progression from high to highest positive

energy,are:

1. Courage

2. Trust

3. Optimism

4. Forgiveness

5. Acceptance,Understanding

6. Reverence,Love

7. Joy,Serenity

8. Peace,Bliss

Negative attitudes attract like energy and weaken the mind and

body,degradingperformanceandlifeingeneral.Furthermore,ifallowed

to dominate by feeding the fear wolf, these energies will interrupt

growth and lead to stagnation at lower levels of consciousness. The

constant drumbeat of negativity fromnetwork news, negative self‐talk,

or gossip exacerbates this problem. The negativity stages thatweaken

performanceanddegradeconsciousness,showninprogressionfromlow

tolowestenergy,are:

1. Pride,Scorn

2. Anger,Hate

3. Desire,Craving

4. Anxiety

5. Grief,Regret

6. Apathy,Despair

7. Guilt,Blame

8. Shame,Humiliation

Changing the negative belief and dialogue to a positive one will

dramatically impact performance—personally and with your team.

Usingthewitnessprocess,younowhaveapowerfultoolformaintaining

positivity. Identify the space between a thought or emotion and the

reaction. As you witness negativity, interdict it (cancel out negative

thoughtpatterns),andthenredirectthemindtowardoneofthepositive

patternsnotedabove. Interdiction isdonewithapowerstatement that

will interrupt the negative thoughts and energy. Once the negative

thoughtpatternhasbeensuccessfully interdicted, it ismaintainedwith

your jingle/mantra, such as "looking good, feeling good, oughta be in

Hollywood!"

Incidentally,Ididnotmentionthisinchapterthree,butourbodies

must get into this game aswell. A power statement can be supported

with a power posture. Saying, "I got this"while slouched in a defeated

position is self‐defeating. Your subconscious mind will feel the weak

position and override the power statement. Better to stack the deck in

yourfavorbycombiningapowerstatementandmantrawithapowerful

bodyposition.AteamexampleofthisoccurswhenIsensethefeardog

nippingatSEALFITtraineesduringagruelingworkout.Iwillshoutouta

powerstatementandthrowmyarmintotheairinapowerposturesign

of strength. The attitudes and body language of the athletes change

immediatelywhentheyjoinin,asifjoltedbyaboltofpositiveelectricity.

Soon they are smiling, and theworst of the suffering is behind them.

Sprinkling in a dose of humorputs the finish on your role as amorale

officer.

TheSEALshaveaclasstitled“TheBigFourofMentalToughness.”

The four skills that they coverwe have now discussed in detail. I will

quicklyreviewthem,andincludeagraphicforreference:

1. ArousalControl:usingdeepbreathingtomanagestressandthe

arousalresponse(fight,flightorfreeze).

2. AttentionControl:learningtocontrolyourmindandmaintaina

positiveattitudethroughpositiveself‐dialogue.

3. Visualization: using mental imagery to ensure that your

emotional andmental “picture” ismission focused and aimed

towardvictory.

4. Goal Setting: learning to setpropergoals, and scaling them to

micro‐goalswhenthegoinggetstough.

Nowthatweunderstandtheintricaciesofourmindsandhavenew

skills formentally tough leadershipandkick‐assperformance, let's turn

our attention to developing powerful values thatwill lead to character

excellence. After all,what you show to theworld through your actions

defineswho you are to them. Aswe said in the SEALS, "one 'oh shit'

wipes out a thousand 'attaboys.'" First impressions are lasting, so you

hadbettermakeitagoodone.

ChapterSix:SixPowerVirtuesforCharacterExcellence

One'scharacterultimatelybecomesthemost importantaspectof

successor failure, allelsebeingequal.Youcanbehighly skilled, super‐

smart,good‐looking,charismatic,andhardworking.Withthesetraitsyou

willattainsomelevelofsuccess.Butifyoulackcharacter,ultimatelyyou

will fail. At a minimum you will be left wondering why you have not

achievedtruepeaceandhappinessalongwithyourmaterialsuccess.

What is character? It is holding an impeccable quality in your

thoughtsandactions.This impeccabilitymustbepracticed—itdoesnot

simply accrue automatically. Character's quality of thought has many

forms; the ones we recognize most are the virtues of honororable

integrity, truthfulness, trustworthiness,andhumility. In thischapterwe

will lookatsixcharacter traits thatyouwillwant topracticeuntil they

becomeinalienablepartsofyourcharacter.

"Q"wasatalentedandrespectedSEAL.Ontheoutsideheappeared

to have strong character; to be a SEAL, one had to exhibit unusual

character tobeginwith.However,hisactionsproved tomehowmuch

charactermust be trained, refined, and then constantly watched. On a

dangerous shipboardingmission,Qheldakeypositionwithmy team.

Halfwaythroughtheop,whilewewereunderthehulloftheship,things

spiraledoutofcontrol.Iwasnotawareofwhatwasgoingonbecauseit

wassodarkanddisorienting.Inthosecriticalmoments,thefocusofeach

teammatemustbeatitspeak.Qwasstrugglingandwasnotabletofulfill

his task,whichcausedacascading failure to rippledown theswimmer

line.Myplatoonchief,bigRobLaskey,waspulled to thebottomof the

oceanwithouthisdiverig.FortunatelyRobwasasanexceptionaldiver

andverycoolinacrisis.Heworkedhiswaytothesurfaceandsurvived

to deal with Q face‐to‐face. What led to the breakdown was not the

technicalmess‐upbuta failureofcharacter inQ.Heputhimselfabove

his team when he decided to use a recreational drug while off duty,

rationalizingthatwhathedidonhisowntimewashisownbusinessand

whatwedidn't knowcouldn't hurtus.But the job and commitment to

theteamrequired100percentfocusandmentalclarity.Anythingshort

ofthatwouldputeveryoneatriskintheintenseandconfusingplaceswe

operated.Inthehigh‐riskenvironmentsweoperatedin,characterflaws

wereexposedveryfast.Butinbusinessorotherdomainsinlife,itmay

take longer fora flaw tohave its inevitablenegativeblowback.Youmay

get by for a period of time, long enough to see some success, but to

succeedatthehighestlevelsasaleader,youmusthabituatethevaluesof

awarriorintoyourcharacter.Thentheyensureyourdestiny.

The word value depicts a quality or trait of something that we

uphold as valuable. Value is defined in the dictionary as a deeply held

beliefworthyofaspecificbehavior.Wevaluecertainbehaviorsandseek

tolivethosevaluesthroughouractions.Wealsoseektobemorevaluable

to society and our families. Values are justwords unlesswe choose to

practice them and make them a habit, whether in private or public.

Acting in alignmentwith a value inpublicbutdoing something else in

privateisacting;itisnotthesameasupholdingthevalue.Thispointis

often missed by public figures. Greek philosophers were so adamant

about character that they believed it defined one's value as a citizen.

Heraclitus said that "character is destiny," andAristotle toldus that "to

enjoy the things we ought to enjoy…has the greatest bearing on

excellence of character" and "no onewhodesires to become goodwill

become good unless he does good things." More recently RalphWaldo

Emerson advised that "character is higher than intellect," and Albert

Schweitzersaidthat"exampleisnotthemainthinginlife…itistheonly

thing!"Thesephilosophersareinagreementthatwhatyouractionsare,

whether inpublicorprivate, speaktoyourcharacter. It isn'twhatyou

thinkorsaythatismostimportant;itistheactionsyoutake,especially

when no one is looking. So the question is: Do you act with warrior

valuesinpublicandwhennooneislooking?Ifsothenyoudon'tneedto

finishthischapter.MyhunchisthatbothyouandIcanalwaysworkon

thisaspectofourselves,soIhopeyoureadon!

Withouranalysisitshouldbeclearthatvaluesareskillsthatmust

becarefully selectedand thenhabituated.Now it is time tomove from

thinking and talking about what we value—for instance, trust—to

learning how to behave in a trustworthy manner at all times. Which

warriorvaluesholdthemostcharacterpower?Thisishighlysubjective,

butIwillofferyoumytopsix.Thesewillprovidefodderforalifetimeof

workonyourpathtoself‐mastery.

TrustworthinessandLoyalty

ThefirstvaluethatQcompromisedthatgrimdayunderthewater

wastrustworthiness.Trustworthinessisthegluethatholdsrelationships

andteamstogether.Itisevidencedwhenanindividualdisplaysqualities

inactiondeemeddependablebyothers,suchas:

I. Theyarealignedinthought,word,anddeedandthusdisplay

integrityintheiractions.

II. Theyfollowthroughonallcommitments.

III. Theyarecourageousanddon'tshirkfromresponsibilitiesor

challengingassignments.

IV. Theydon'trunorhideduringacrisisbutratherstepuptoleadand

helpout.

V. Theyarecompetentenoughtogetthejobdonewelloratleast

havetheinsighttoasktherightquestions!

VI. Theyarehumbleanddon'tneedtotakeallthecredit.

VII. Theyaresupportiveoftheteamanddelegateandtrustthem.

StephenM.R.Covey,inhis2009bookTheSpeedofTrust,offersa

simpleformulaforhowtrustacceleratestransactionsbetween

individualsandorganizations:

IncreasedTrust=IncreasedSpeedandDecreasedCost

DecreasedTrust=DecreasedSpeedandIncreasedCost

Considerlifepre‐9/11andthecreationofthewonderful

bureaucracy,theTSA(TransportationSecurityAdministration).Before

9/11wehadahighleveloftrustinairtravelasasociety.Duetothe

severeandshockingbreachoftruston9/11,thespeedofairtravelasa

wholehasdecreasedbyroughlyanhourdomesticallyandoftenmore

thantwohoursinternationally.Yourtimeandout‐of‐pocketcostshave

goneupsignificantly.Youcanapplythisformulatoanyinteraction

betweenindividuals,teams,organizations,andmarketsandfindthatitis

true.

Sotrustworthinessisacharactertraitthathasreal‐world

transactionalimplicationsbeyondone'sreputation.InQ'scasethetrust

hebreachedduetohisuntrustworthybehavioralmostkilledsomeone

andjeopardizedthemission.Inabusinesscase,abreachoftrustcan

causeatransactiontofail,degradeone'sreputation,andincreasecosts.

Personalandteamtrustworthinessmustbeplacedonthehighest

prioritylist,measured,andpracticed.Buthow?Herearefivesimple

steps:

1. Alwaysmeetyourcommitments.

2. Domorethanisexpectedofyou.

3. Dothingsfasterthanexpected.

4. Achievebetterresultsthanexpected.

5. Doalloftheabovewithintegrityandwithlittlefanfare.

Let'slookatafewcommonmythsabouttrustandthendispelthem.

I. Trustworthinessisasoftskillonly.Wrong.Trustisacombination

ofsoftandhardskills.

II. Trustworthinessisdevelopedslowly,overtime.Wrong.Itcanbe

createdanddestroyedquickly.Thekeyistodevelopthehabitof

maintainingtrustworthinessatalltimes,whichtakesdiscipline.

III. Trustworthinessisjustaboutintegrity.Wrong.Thoughintegrityis

criticalfortrusttodevelopbetweenparties,itgoesbeyond

integrityandspeakstoone'swholecharacter.

IV. Oncelost,trustworthinessisgoneforever.Wrong.Youcanmake

amends,sayyouaresorry,andthenrebuildtrust.

V. Inbusiness,itissimplytooriskytotrust.Wrong.Trustand

trustworthinessaretwosidesofthesamecoin.Ifyouare

trustworthyandmustdealwithapartyyouknowtobe

untrustworthy,thentrustwillnotexist,period.Simplytransact

businessandverifyresults.Realprogress,however,ismadewhen

bothpartieshaveahighleveloftrustworthiness.

VI. Trustworthinessisonlyrelevanttoindividualsandteams.Wrong.

Organizationshaveareputationbaseduponthecollective

trustworthinessofeachpersoninit.Theirtrustworthinessis

displayedinhowtheircustomers,peers,andsocietytreatthem.

Whenitcomestodevelopingtrustworthiness,whatbehaviorscan

youworkontoturntrustworthinessintoawarriorvirtue?Hereare

someideas:

I. Talkstraight—avoidspins,lies,doubletalk,andflattery.

II. Demonstraterespect—takeyoureyesoffyourself,andputthemon

yourteammates.Showthatyoucare.

III. Createtransparency—avoidwithholdinginformationandkeeping

secretsunlessabsolutelynecessarytoprotectintellectualproperty

ortopreventsomeonegettinghurt.

IV. Rightwrongsquickly—weallscrewup,soadmitit,andrepair

thingsasfastaspossible.

V. Showloyalty—don'ttakeallthecreditorsellothersout.Don't

gossip!

VI. Deliverresults!

VII. Getbettereveryday!

VIII. Clarifyexpectations—ensurethattheexplicitandimplicittasksof

yourmissionandthosethatyoudelegatearecrystalclear.

IX. Practiceaccountability—startwithyourself,andthendemanditof

yourteamandorganization.Butthebuckalwaysstopswithyou.

X. Listenfirst—practiceauthenticlistening.

XI. Keepcommunicatingwithbrutalhonesty—usethebriefand

debriefprocesstokeepcommunicatingatalllevelssoyoucan

alwaysbelearningandhelpingotherslearn.

XII. Learntotrustothersbydelegatingandgivingmoreresponsibility

andthenprovidingsupportwhentheinevitablefailuresoccur.

Openupthedialogueabouttrustworthinesswithyourteam,andbe

willingtoexposeyourselftovulnerabilityanddirect,honestfeedback.

Youmaybesurprisedatwhatyoulearn,andthediscussionalonewill

increasetrust.Let'scommittobuildingtrustbyforgingourown

trustworthinessandleadingbyexample.Indoingso,yourqualityof

loyaltywillalsorisewiththetide.

Loyalty is built upon trust and helps to glue families, teams, and

tribes together, sometimes to a fault. Loyalty requires respect,

accountability, and love. Loyalty can be displayed by supporting a

teammatewhomesses up or by placing your team'swell‐being before

your own, like Lieutenant Murphy did in Operation Redwing. Loyalty

transformsrelationshipsbyforgingabondofbrotherhoodorsisterhood,

evenwhenthereisnofamilialbond.Therelationshipofthoseinaloyal

bondistransformationalversustransactional.Liketrust,itisatwo‐way

street in that loyalty isearned throughmutualaction.Loyal teammates

don't toleratenegativity,backstabbing,oractivities thatharmthe team.

Loyaltyrequiresthatyouexamineandshoreupyourweaknessessothat

you can carry your own load to support the team.Q's actions showed

thathisloyaltywasmoretohimselfthanhisteam,soheletthemdown.

Trust and loyalty, when accompanied by honor and integrity, lead to

high‐performingteams.

HonorableIntegrity

Thewordintegrityshowsuponthevaluelistsofmostindividuals

and organizations. But that is where things stop. The problem is that

integrity is relative unlessmeasured and framedwith a positive ethos.

Otherwiseitcanbeabignegative.Youwouldbehard‐pressedtoargue

thatHitlerdidn'texhibitgreat integrity in thought,word,anddeed.His

integritywasframedwithnegativeegoandethnocentricity.Thehorrific

result was xenophobia, deep suspicion, war, and ethnic cleansing.

Integrityframedwithpositivehonorwillbuildtrustandloyaltyandlead

togoodresults.Ihaveoftheardthephrase"leadershipisdoingtheright

thing,whilemanagementisdoingthingsright."Ithinkpeoplearereally

talkingabouthonorableintegrityinthatstatement.

And just how does one determinewhat is the right thing to do?

Knowingwhatisrightcomesfrompracticinghonorableintegrityinthe

search for truth. Aligning thoughts, words, and deeds in a truthful and

honorable manner takes serious work, especially after learning how

messed up our thinking can be. It requires courage and discipline

because the decisionswe are required tomake are going to be tough.

Recall President Clinton's behavior when in office. He was a smart,

pleasant,andremarkablyeffectivepolitician.Yethestillcouldn'ttakethe

"hardrightaction"even thoughheknewwhat theconsequencescould

be.Hedisplayeda lackofhonorable integritybybreaching the trustof

his office and lying about it. These gaping characterdefects are a sure

sign that authentic leadership was absent. Though one may aspire to,

andevenattain,greatpowerpositions,authenticleadershipwillremain

beyondone'sgraspwithoutthevirtueofhonorableintegrity.

One of my Kokoro students did an about‐face 10 feet before the

turnaround point on a run. He thought he was alone in the dark, but

thereweretwosoulswatching.Oneof themwasaSEALFITcoach,and

theotherwashimself.Hewasheldphysicallyaccountablebythecoach,

but itwas his own consciousness that caused him to feel regret for a

long time. Cheating, especially on the small things that seem

inconsequential,neverpays.Theshort‐termgainisovershadowedbythe

regretorshamethataccompaniestheinevitableexposureofthelie.Itis

alsoveryeasytositbehindakeyboardandpretendtobesomethingyou

are not. I have helped expose a college professor, several successful

businessmen,andevenastatesenatorwhoallfalselyclaimedtobeNavy

SEALs.Iamstillstunnedatthelackofhonorableintegritytheydisplayed

to develop a phony public persona and then to attack those who

challengedthemonit.

Aligningthoughts,words,andactionshonorablydoesn'tmeanyou

havetoalwaystellthetruthorturninafriendwhoslipsup.Thereare

manysituationswherewisdomwoulddictateasensitiveresponseovera

blanket policy. I can think of scenarioswhere saying nothing is better

thantellingthetruth.IwasoncecontactedbyaSEAL'sdaughterlooking

forinformationaboutherdad'sheroicexploitsinVietnam.Theproblem

wasthathewasnotaSEAL.Thenewsputmeinadilemma:Wasitmy

job toexpose thisperson's fraudandprotect the integrityof theSEAL

name?Howwouldthegirl's lifechangewhenshe foundouther father

had been lying to her for her entire life? Was it my job to be the

executioner in this case? I decided the answer was no; I would not

exposetheman'sfraudtoher,leavingittohimtolivewithhisdishonor.

Thepracticeofauthenticcommunicationisagreattooltodevelop

this value. Seek to speakonly ifwhatyouhave to say is true, it is also

helpful(wise),anditcomesfromaplaceofpositivity(love).Thenfollow

upyourwordswithaction to fulfillyourpromises.With thisguideline,

much can be left unspoken, and what is spoken has power. Then the

actions that followareanchored in truth,wisdom,and loveaswell.My

guessistheworldwouldalsobebetterforthesilencethatwouldresult!

FollowtoLead

When I was a newlyminted ensign in the SEALs, I knew I was

supposed to lead.Butwhenrecruited intomy firstplatoon, Ididn't set

out to actively lead themenbut rather to follow and learn from them,

seekingtoearntheirtrust.TheyknewIoutrankedthemandthatIwould

beheldaccountable if anythingwentwrong.But theunstated rulewas

that they would protect me in that event. This experience was a

powerful lesson: to lead youmust first learn to follow. Following and

leadingare twosides to thesamecoin;youcan'thaveonewithout the

other.Thosewhoseektoleadwithoutbeingwillingtofollowmaywinin

theshortrun,buttheytypicallyfailinthelonggame.Thisisnotatrick

or tactic of leadership but rather another character trait thatmust be

developedthroughexperienceand intent.Takingyoureyesoffyourself

andservingyourteammatesrequiresthatyoufollowandsupportthem

mostofthetime.Whenthetimeorcircumstancesareappropriate,you

getoutfrontandleadthembyexampleandwithinspiration.

Thus,Ifeelthebestwaytocultivateauthenticleadershipisnotto

jumpinand"earnyourstripes"(unlessyouhavenochoice)buttowatch

carefullyandbehelpfulasa follower.Agoodruleof thumb is to try to

maketheleader'sjobeasierthroughyouractions.Youwillgainthetrust

and respect of the team, andwhen needed youwill be called upon to

lead.Your timewill comesoonwith thisattitude. Ifyou force the issue,

youcanputyourselfandtheteamatrisk.Considerthatinastrongteam,

every teammate has the capacity and character to lead. Everyone is

simplyawaitingtheopportunitytoserveinaleadingrole.

ResponsibilityandAccountability

Anothervaluecoupletthatrequiresconstantvigilanceandpractice

tohabituateisresponsibilityandaccountability.Responsibilityhasmany

levelsandpresentsitselfinmanydifferentforms.Warriorsandspiritual

leaderstakeonthehighestformofresponsibility:forthelivesofothers

and thewell‐being of the human race. Corporate leaders aremeant to

accept responsibility for their organizations and teams, andweare all

individuallyresponsibleforourthoughtsandactions.Anorganization's

transactionwitha customer conveyswith it the responsibility to fulfill

their end of the bargain. You can see howbeing responsible has a big

impact for the development of trustworthiness and loyalty. Ignoring or

abdicatingresponsibilitybreachestrustanderasesloyaltyquickly.

Accountability is the flip side of responsibility.When responsible

for something or someone, you are held accountable for the

consequences if thingsgowrong.Notice that there isnoaccountability

when thingsgo right; that is expected.When thingsgowrong iswhen

yourcharactergoesondisplay.Weobserveafailureofcourageinleaders

whentheydon'tacceptfullaccountabilitywhenthingsgosouth,suchas

withPresidentClinton.Imagesofpoliticalandbusinessleadersdenying

involvement in scandals and pointing the finger far exceed reports of

leadersacceptingaccountability.IamalsoremindedoftheCEOofBritish

Petroleum,TonyHayward,andhishandlingoftheDeepwaterHorizonoil

spill in 2010. Hayward was cavalier and downplayed the risk, even

denying fullaccountabilityofhis firm.Ultimatelyhiswordsandactions

diminishedtrustamongshareholdersandtheboard,andhisjobcameto

adisgracedend.

Accountabilityextendstoyourteammatesaswell.OneoftheSEAL

ethosstatementsisto"takeresponsibilityforyourownactionsandthe

actionsofyourteammates."This isaburdengladlyacceptedwhenyou

workwiththoseyoumusttrustwithyourlife.However,whentheriskis

lower,as inmostprofessions,that levelofaccountabilityisrare.Ifeach

member of the team could make the mission and the team his

responsibility,andbeheldaccountabletothatstandard,youwouldhavea

powerfulmultipliereffect.

TheOnlyEasyDayWasYesterday

WhenIfirstsetfootontothefabledBUD/Straining"grinder,"Isaw

thesaying"TheOnlyEasyDayWasYesterday"(TOEDWY)writteningold

on blue above the asphalt. It is a simple yet profound statement that

becameadailycompanionasmycharacterwasgrounddownandrebuilt

overninelongmonths.Didthesayingmeanthatyesterdaywaseasy,or

that todaywas going to be harder than yesterday?Nope; none of that

mattered.WhatitmeantwasthatIhadtodeliverresultswithallIhad—

right here and right now. Itmeant I had to showup and put out 100

percentandthendoitagaintomorrow.Thememoryofyesterdayiseasy

because it is over, and tomorrow hasn't happened yet, so don'tworry

aboutit.Justfocusonnow.

Thatsayingwasspeakingtotheneedtodevelopdiscipline.Likeall

of our values, discipline requires practice. The dictionary defines

disciplineastheabilitytobehaveinacontrolledandcalmmanner—even

during difficult or stressful situations. It alsomeans to have conscious

self‐control in directing or changing your behavior when you learn a

betterway.ThusTOEDWYencouragedustodisciplineourmindstostay

focused 100 percent everymoment sowe could learn new skills, gain

new knowledge, and perform under duress. Those who accomplished

thishadtheprivilegeofservingalongsideAmerica'sfinestwarriors.

The lastof theSEALethosstatements is "Earnyour tridentevery

day."ThisandTOEDWYarecloselyrelated,butearningyourtridentevery

dayisareminderthatthedestinationisneverthegoal.Onceyoubecome

aSEAL,itisthenincumbentuponyoutomastertheskillsofwarriorship

andtobecomeagreatteammate.Thetrainingisendlessandrelentless.

Youarenever"there"andcanneverrestonyourpastaccomplishments.

Thisvirtueisanotherpowerfulguidingprincipleforyourlife.Theworld

changessofastnowthatyoucan'taffordtothrottlebackortakethings

for granted. If you do, you will soon find yourself on the sidelines,

wonderingwhathappened.Manycompaniesandindividualsinthepast

decademadethismistakeandfaceddemiseorlossofacareerbecauseof

it.Warriorsdiscipline themselvesbyembracing the "theonlyeasyday

wasyesterday"principle,astheystrivetoearntheirtridentanewevery

day.Ultimatelytheyfindgreatinspirationintheacceleratedlearningthat

resultsfromthislevelofcommitmenttotheirworkandtraining.

FailureIsNotanOption

DuringDesertStormaSEALbuddyofmine,LieutenantDietz,rana

highlysuccessfuldiversionmissionthattrickedSaddamHussein'sforces

intobelievingtheUSMarineswerestormingtheirbeach.Itwasaclassic

SEAL operation, but during the planning they struggled with how to

movehuge amounts of explosive to shore. Bringing theC‐4 in by boat

would risk being spotted. Swimming it in was problematic because it

wouldrequiretoomanytripsandexposetheteamtosharksortobeing

spotted. A younger SEAL suggested floating the C‐4 haversacks in on

boogie boards. After a fewmoments of disbelief, Tomdecided he liked

the idea and sent a request for blacked‐out boogie boards to the

headquartersinCoronado.Thedesk‐boundcombatvetwhoreceivedthe

request said "'What the hell? I thought we were fighting a war over

there!'"Oncetheoperationalnatureoftherequestwasunderstood,the

boards were sent, and the mission was a success. There are a couple

pointstothisstory:First,SEALswill"findawayormakeone."Second,

theywill never giveup.Theybelieve that failure isnotanoption. This

doesn't mean that they can't fail; rather it means that the concept of

failure is not an option. You don't fail; you find away,make away, or

learnagainhownot todo something. Learningwhatdoesn'twork and

creating a new way is a success. With this approach to learning and

executingmissions,youcan'tfailinthetraditionalsenseoftheword.You

simply keep trying until you succeed, learning through trial and error

alongtheway.

To become as innovative and persistent as a SEAL requires a

higherdegreeofrisktoleranceandcommitmenttothetask.Itmuststart

withyourself‐dialogue.AsYodaimplores,"doordonot;thereisnotry!"

Never say something can't bedone, and if youdecide todo something,

then commit to seeing it through. Learn to adapt, improvise, and

overcomeanyobstaclesasyoufindawayormakeone.Forthisprinciple

toberealistic,youmustensureyourgoalsareSMART‐FITStargets.Add

theseadditionalselectioncriteria,andyouwillfindthatfailureisnotan

option:

I. Beoptimistic,andexpecttowin.

II. Makesurethatthegoalisverymotivatingtoyouandyourteam.

III. Seriouslydesiretowinorachievethegoal.Askyourselfhowbadly

youwantthevictorybeforeyoudecidetoact.

IV. Understand the delta (difference) between your skills and

knowledge now and what will be required to succeed at a high

level. If the delta is toomuch to overcome in the time frame you

have,thenyoushouldwaveoffandchooseanothermission.

V. Ensurethatyouhavethementalandphysicalcapitaltopullitoff

inawaythatdoesnotimpactothermission‐criticalgoals.

VI. Onceyoucommit,thenburnyourboats,pressforward,andnever,

everquit!

Asyouembarkonestablishingyourownpersonalethos,itwillbe

inspiringtoreadtheNavySEALethos.Theethos(andshortercode)isa

greatsetofvaluestomodelinyourownlife.TheSEALtakegreatpains

tohabituate thesevalues throughrigorousdaily trainingaswellas the

exampleofthewarriorsthrougheachsuccessivegeneration.Hereitis:

TheNavySEALEthos

Intimesofwaroruncertaintythereisaspecialbreedofwarrior

readytoanswerourNation'scall.Acommonmanwithanuncommon

desiretosucceed.Forgedbyadversity,hestandsalongsideAmerica's

finestspecialoperationsforcestoservehiscountry,theAmerican

people,andprotecttheirwayoflife.Iamthatman.

MyTridentisasymbolofhonorandheritage.Bestoweduponme

bytheheroesthathavegonebefore,itembodiesthetrustofthoseIhave

sworn toprotect.Bywearing theTrident I accept the responsibility of

mychosenprofessionandwayof life. It isaprivilege that Imustearn

everyday.

My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly

serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans, always ready to defend

thosewhoareunabletodefendthemselves.Idonotadvertisethenature

ofmyworknorseekrecognitionformyactions.Ivoluntarilyacceptthe

inherent hazards ofmy profession, placing thewelfare and security of

othersbeforemyown.

Iservewithhonoronandoffthebattlefield.Theabilitytocontrol

myemotionsandmyactions,regardlessofcircumstance,setsmeapart

fromothermen.Uncompromisingintegrityismystandard.Mycharacter

andhonoraresteadfast.Mywordismybond.

Weexpect to leadandbe led. In theabsenceoforders, Iwill take

charge, lead my teammates, and accomplish the mission. I lead by

exampleinallsituations.

Iwill never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity.MyNation

expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my

enemies.Ifknockeddown,Iwillgetbackup,everytime.Iwilldrawon

every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to

accomplishourmission.Iamneveroutofthefight.

We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my

teammatesandthesuccessofourmissiondependonme—mytechnical

skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never

complete.

We train forwarand fight towin. I stand ready tobring the full

spectrumofcombatpowertobear inordertoachievemymissionand

thegoalsestablishedbymycountry.Theexecutionofmydutieswillbe

swiftandviolentwhenrequired,yetguidedbytheveryprinciplesthatI

servetodefend.

Bravemenhavefoughtanddiedbuildingtheproudtraditionand

fearedreputationthatIamboundtouphold.Intheworstofconditions,

the legacyofmyteammatessteadiesmyresolveandsilentlyguidesmy

everydeed.Iwillnotfail!

TheSEALCode(ShortVersionoftheEthos)

Loyaltytocountry,team,andteammate

Servewithhonorandintegrityonandoffthebattlefield

Bereadytolead,readytofollow,andneverquit!

Takeresponsibilityforyouractionsandtheactionsofyour

teammates

Excelaswarriorsthroughdisciplineandinnovation

Trainforwar,fighttowin,anddefeatournation'senemies

EarnyourTridenteveryday

ChapterSeven:Seven"ToughTeam"Tools

Uptothispoint,wehavefocusedondevelopingpersonalmastery

andanUnbeatableMind.ButhopefullynoneofyouisaRambooperating

solo, avoiding human contact. No, I imagine you operate as part of

several teams, which include your family, work teams, and an "inner

circleoffriends"team(orsportteam).OnethingInoticedwhenIwasin

the SEAL Teams was how much a powerful team elevated me as an

individual.Conversely,crappyteamsbroughtmedownandcausedmeto

belesseffectiveandpowerful.Thispointisanunderappreciatedaspect

ofteams:Theteamaffectstheindividual justasmuchastheindividual

affecttheteam.Onebadapplewillspoilthebunch.Thisprincipleisvery

importantandshould impacthowyou recruit, select, acculturate, train,

andmaintainpeakperformancewithyourteam.

Myrecommendation is thatyouelevate teamperformance to the

samelevelaspersonalperformancebecausetheyareintimately linked.

Strive to bring your teams into the Unbeatable Mind philosophy and

trainingframework.Thepurposeofthischapteristoopenadialogueof

howtodojustthat.Teamtrainingcantakemanyforms,andthedesign

depends upon howmuch time you can afford to commit, your budget,

and thenatureofyour job.Whetheryouplanbrownbag luncheswith

roleplay,monthlyin‐housetrainingusingcasestudiesormockmissions,

orfieldtripsforaropescourse,Irecommendyougetseriousaboutteam

training. When I was in the SEALs, the units that took training more

seriously than others far outperformed. Team training should not be

seenasarandomoccurrenceoranuisancebytheleadership.Forthose

teams that rely on physical work (the warrior, first responder, and

industrialathlete)thereisnobettermethodofteamtraining(asidefrom

skilltraining)thanawell‐designedworkoutprogramsuchasSEALFIT.A

teamworkoutwillrampupcamaraderie,accountability,andrespecton

theteam.Performanceaccelerateswhenateamworksouttogether.

Here are ten guidelines for team training to set the stage for

success:

I. Participationshouldbemandatory—sharingriskandexperienceis

akeyfactorinateam'sdevelopment.

II. Checkegosat thedoor—participation, teamwork,andbesteffort

faroutweighimpressiveperformanceinatrainingevent.

III. If it is a physical challenge, ensure youhavemethods for scaling

things for those lessphysically capable.Thepoint is toprovidea

vehicleforgrowth,nottohurtorembarrassanyone.

IV. Someone must lead. The leader should plan the session, brief it,

debriefit…andparticipate.

V. Change leadership roles often during training to give others a

chance to experience the role and share the wealth and

responsibility.

VI. Insist on accuracy before intensity—make sure proper form is

followed before intensity or weight loads are ramped up (for

physical training). When consistent accuracy is evidenced in

action,thenitisOKtodialitup.Anoteonaccuracy:thisappliesto

countingrepetitionsandfullrangeofmotion.Nothingwilldestroy

trust quicker than a teammate cheating on rep count or

shortcutting range of motion on a movement. No one wants to

watchateammatedohalftheworkinhalfthetimeandthentake

creditforcominginfirst!

VII. Engageexpertstotaketheteamtoahigher level:hireacoachor

subjectmatterexperttocomespendsometimewiththeteam.

VIII. Haveeveryoneparticipateintheplanning,organization,setup,and

cleanupofthetrainingevents.

IX. Safetytrumpshard—developanawarenessofriskfactors,planto

mitigate the risk, and ensure that safety of the team is more

importantthanpoundingyourwayontothebench.

X. Havefun!Trainingshouldbesuper‐funandrewarding.Ifitisnot,

thentakeahardlookatwhy.

Are there other tools and tactics to train a tough team to drive

towardteammastery,wheretheteammatesserveeachother,don'tquit,

andachievevictorytimeaftertime?Let'sfindout.

FunctionalTeamTraining

Ifyoucanperformphysical fitness trainingwithyour team, then

doit. It ishighlyrewarding.Thetrainingshouldbefunctionalanddone

together as a team (as opposed to just offering an open gym

environment).It ismuchmorefunandrewardingtotrainwithateam,

anditdevelopsleadershipandteamcohesion.Functionaltrainingmeans

thatyouaretrainingthebodyoftheindividualsandthecollectiveteam

to move naturally. For instance, in a typical globo‐gym, you have

complicated machines that isolate the body so you can work a single

muscle group. But howoftendo you isolate your body so you can just

moveyourarmtothrowsomethingoryourlegtoclimbatree?Itseems

prettysillywhenyoustopto thinkabout it.Wedon'tmove in isolation

naturally, sowho had the genius idea thatwe should train our bodies

thatway?

Anotherdefiningattributeoffunctionalfitnesstrainingisthatitis,

well,hard.WehaveasayingatSEALFIT:wedotodaywhatotherswon'tso

we cando tomorrowwhatothers can't.The point is that hardwork is

goodforyouandshouldn'tbeavoided.Ourpopcultureandgovernment

have vilified anything hard as "bad." This is a shame because humans

grow through hard work and atrophy when things are too easy. The

culture of "easy" is perpetuated by the media and conglomerate

corporationsthatpandertothenaturaltendencytomovetowardshort‐

termpleasureattheexpenseofwhatisgoodforyouinthelongrun.At

SEALFIT, hard work is defined as intense and gut‐wrenching work,

whichhappenstoalsobeasintenselyrewarding.Oftenitislong,suchas

the fifty hours of nonstop training in Kokoro Camp or the three‐week

special ops academy's dawn‐to‐dusk training. This type of functional

hardwork forgesmental toughness and a non‐quitting spirit. Training

this way develops a "new normal" for what hard means. Many of our

SEALFITathleteswhowentontobeSEALstellmethattheactualSEAL

HellWeekwaseasyforthemafterdoingKokoroCamp.Hardfunctional

team training builds grit and makes you more useful to your

organizations,families,andcommunities.

MindGamesandChallenges

Working harder is just part of the solution; structuring team

training to develop the awareness of the team turns it from a one‐

dimensionaltoamulti‐dimensionaltrainingtool.Expandingyourteam's

senseofwhatispossibleallowsthemtoperformbeyondpreviouslimits

onothertasksaswell.Iofteninjectmindgamesintotrainingtorequire

traineestotapintotheBigFourMentalToughnessSkillsofmicro‐goals,

breathing,positivity,andvisualization.Herearesomeexamplesofmind

gamesIuse:

False summits:We're at the end of a grueling, fast‐paced six‐mile

run. The finish line looms ahead, you see the training center, and you

begintoanticipatetheendtoyouragony.You'realmostthere…justafew

more seconds…wait! Uh oh…why aren't they stopping? Suddenly your

worldisrockedasyouadjusttothenewreality.Somedropoutbecause

theycan'trecoverfromtheletdown.Iamsureyoucanunderstandhow

valuable this training is to buildmental and emotional resiliency. How

ofteninlifedothingschangerightwhenyouthoughtyouhadit,thatyou

were there! Can you shift on a dime to refocus your efforts with

enthusiasm?The falsesummit training teachesyou to forgetabout the

letdownimmediatelyandpositivelyleanintothenewreality.

Chaos: move faster…drop down…on your feet…drop down…just

who is in charge of this goat rope anyhow? Chaos can be extremely

disorienting and the feeling of being out of control very demotivating.

Thesimulationofchaoscaninducefearandanout‐of‐controlfeelingthat

mustbeovercometosolvethechallenge.Thismayelicithowlsofprotest

at first, but educate the team that the point is not to harass but to

inoculatethemagainstfailurewhenchaosandrapidchangesetin.Itwill

happen, so imagine how valuable it would be to know you are all

preparedwhen itarrives.The teamwilldevelopemotionalcontroland

maintaincalminthecenterofanystorm.Thisisoneofmanytacticsthat

weuseatKokoroCampthathasgreateffect.Butitishardto"get"from

thesidelines…itmustbeexperiencedpersonally.Whendoneinphysical

training,itmustbeexpertlydelivered.OneofthereasonsKokoroCamp

has a worldwide reputation for its authenticity and ability to generate

real breakthroughs is ourwillingness to perform this level of training

andthecarethatwetakeindeliveringit.

Youwantmetodowhat?Gotothechallengebeforeitcomestothe

team.WhatImeanisthatyouwillbechallengedinyourlife—evenwith

life or death challenges. You and the team will be better prepared to

handle them with resiliency if you deliberately challenge the team

beyondthenorminadvance.InUnbeatableMindAdvancedTraining,we

haveamonthlychallengethatisaphysicalandmentalexerciserequiring

serious commitment. Many of them seem unreasonable at first, but

when you complete them, confidence and internal strength are

dramaticallyenhanced.

Challenges don't have to be physical, though I have found that if

youcanfindorcreateachallengethathasaFiveMountainnature,your

growth will be greater. That is why Kokoro Camp is so effective—it

workson thetraineephysically,mentally,emotionally, intuitionally,and

spiritually.However,challengeswithoutthephysicalcomponentcanstill

beveryeffective,suchaschallengingyourselftomasteranewlanguage

or a musical instrument, or an extended period of service in a third‐

world village. A spiritual challenge, such as a ten‐day silent retreat, a

thirty‐day yoga immersion, or a vision quest, is amazing as well. The

pointistochooseachallengeandgotoit!

Challengescanbemajor,likethosecitedabove,butevenasmaller

monthlychallengewillgoa longway tokeepingyouonyouredgeand

acceleratingyourgrowth.Belowisalistofmonthlyphysicalandmental

challenges you can take on. Be sure to thoroughly prepare for each

exercise,scaleasnecessary,andblockoutsomepost‐challengerecovery

time.

Safetytip#1:Makesureyoulistentoyourbodyduringachallenge

event.Ifapotentialinjuryislooming,don'ttrytogutyourwaythrough

it.Backoff,andtrythechallengeanotherday.There'snoreasontorisk

injury to prove something. Doing the following challenges with your

teamwillbegreatfun.

20Xchallenges—scaletotwo‐thirdsforintermediateandone‐thirdfor

beginners

1,000push‐ups

1,000sit‐ups

1,000pull‐ups

100ropeascents

1,000eight‐countbodybuilders

1,000burpees

3,000KBswingsinthirtydays

One‐milewalkinglungewearingatwenty‐poundvest

When ready, try the first one to understand how shattering a

paradigmbuildsextremeconfidenceinyourabilitytopushthroughself‐

imposedlimitsandmeetyournew20xfactor.

Safety tip#2: Ifyouora teammate isuntrained,don'tattempt to

execute these exercises. Visit SEALFIT.com to check out the online

training,orattendaSEALFITLevel1Academy.Trainhard,butbesmart.

PromoteFailureandRiskTaking

Frankly,itshouldnotbeasurprisetoreadthatifyousitonyour

laurelsanddonottakerisks,youwillnotgrow.Thesameappliestoyour

team,whichwillbetimidandunsureunlesschallenged.Yourteammust

beopentofailinginordertolearn.Thereforeyoumusttakerisks.Failure

andriskaregoodthingswhenplannedandmanagedproperly.Another

example from SEALFIT Academy will help illustrate the point. I will

sometimesdesignatrainingeventsothatitcannotbeaccomplished.The

trainees get a sense that not everything can ever go as planned. They

mustlearntoadaptonthefly.Thefailuremomentisavividteambuilding

opportunity as they communicate under pressure to come up with

another solution.Whatwentwrong?Whatwouldwork better?Where

should we go from here? In the team debrief, you can give them

feedback,suchasaskingwhattheylearnedaboutthemselves,whattheir

reactionwas to themindgame,andhowtheycanrespondbetternext

time.Asyourteamdevelopsafailforwardfastmentality,youcanelevate

the levelof risk—crawl, thenwalk, thenrun.Themorechallenging the

event,themorevaluablethelessonsandthedeeperthemastery.

ThereIsNoIinTeam

If you've ever had the privilege to be on a great team, such as a

winning sports team or an elite special ops team, you'll implicitly

understand the saying "there is no I in team." Aside from the obvious

point that a team is a group of Is coming together to accomplish a

mission,therealityisthatoncetheteamisformed,theIyieldstotheWe.

So teammatesmust come to the team and then take their eyes off of

themselves,puttingthemontheirteammatesandthemission.

Somemaythinkthatyouloseyourselfwiththisapproachwithall

that focus on others and not enough on yourself. That is false. What

actuallyhappensisthatyounowhaveanentireteamlookingafteryour

interests.Yourinterestsalignwiththeteam'sinterests.Thatisoneofthe

reasons why you will grow stronger on a strong team versus a weak

team.Thebottomlineisthatteamtrainingmakesfortoughteamsfullof

tough individuals. The individuals are tougher than they would be if

operating as sole practitioners. Elevate the team above the individual,

and hold the team accountable to that standard. Watch your team

performance and attitude improve dramatically, which will positively

impactperformanceinallotherareas.

GetReal

SEALs pride themselves on training more realistically than any

otherspecialopsforce.Whenthecallcomestogetinthefight,itisjust

anotherday.Infact,IwasponderingthiswhenIsawthemovieCaptain

Phillips,aboutthemerchantskippertakenhostagebySomalipirates.A

fewoftheSEALsniperswhoendedthatscenariowerebuddiesofmine,

and they said it was "just another op," in spite of the media frenzy

around their remarkable sniper skills. They had trained so long and

realisticallyforthattypeofmissionthatwhenthecallcame,itwasn'ta

big deal. In fact, the movie does a great job of portraying their

nonchalanceastheysaunteroffaftertheop.Theywerenothigh‐fiving

and lining up for the cameras.What great behavior to model: Just do

yourjobwellwithoutanyexpectationoffameoffortunefordoingitwell.

BettertobelikeaSEALandsimplyvanishintothebackgroundtoawait

yournextassignment.

Let's look at this concept for your team's training. Whatever

trainingisrightforyou,makeitasrealaspossible.Seethegym,range,

orcasestudyasanartificialenvironmentusedto trainwhenyoucan't

get out into the real world. Then try to get into the field for realistic

trainingasoftenaspossible.Dothingsthatreplicatetheactualjobofthe

team. For SEALFIT that means we do exercises that look like what a

specialoperatormayfaceinthefield,suchasropeclimbs,weightedbox

steps,andfarmercarries.

The more your training is like the real deal, the more mentally

prepared your teamwill be. Theywill have a "been there, done that"

state of mind because of the simulated environment. Seek to prepare

them for the known as well as the unknown through the realistic

training.TheSEALethossays,"Wetrainforwar,fighttowin,anddefeat

ournation'senemies."Welearnedthatthemoreonetrainsinpeacetime,

thelesstheywillbleedinwartime.Traintowin!

UseStandardOperatingProcedures

Standardoperatingprocedures(SOPs)arestandardizedprocesses

for routine tasks that carry great risk if not done the sameway every

time.Anexample is theSOP foraSEALassault teamenteringahouse.

Imagine the chaos if they did it a different way every time or if one

memberoftheteamdecidedhehadabetterwayofdoingit.Itwouldbea

mess. Imagine a pilot and copilotwinging the takeoff procedures for a

747.Notgood.Whenitcomestotrainingteams,SOPscanbeagreattool

fordevelopingtoughteamsbecausetheygeteveryoneperformingtothe

samestandardandingrainingthatroutineintheirSystem1minds.This

frees up the individual's higher order, System 2 mind for creative

solutions to other complex challenges that inevitably arise. Recall that

the System 2mind represents anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of our

accessedbrainpower.Theother80percentorsoisaccessedbygetting

out of your thinking mind and into your non‐thinking mind (aka

subconsciousmind).SOPshelpusdothatatateamlevel.

What routine tasks can be built into SOPs for training?Here are

someideastoconsider:

I. ThestructureofatrainingplanitselfcanbeanSOP.Theperiodicity,

duration, and event layout can be done in a similar format and

sequenceeverytime.

II. The pre‐training preparation can be an SOP. This includes the

equipmentprep,individualprep,thebrief,andthewarm‐up.

III. The flow of the training can be an SOP. How the teammates

interact to support each other and keep the training sessions

movingalongbetweenelementscanbestructured.

IV. Thedebriefandpost‐trainingfeedbackloopcanbeanSOP.

V. ThecommunicationprotocolscanbeanSOP.

Great teams strive to standardize routine tasks like those above

(and that list applies to any type of training, not just physical skill

training) so that time is notwasted reinventing thewheel every time

someonenewcomesontheteam.NewideasandimprovementstoSOPs

areencouraged,butnotonthefly.Thepost‐trainingdebriefistheplace

todiscusschanges,whichcanbeimplementedinfuturetraining.

KeepItSimple,Again

ThisKISSprincipleisbackbecauseitappliestoteamtrainingalso.

Iwillkeepthisshortbecausewehaveaddressedthisprincipleindetail

already.Thebestteamtrainingissimplebutnoteasy.Icantrainateam

betterwithabunchofheavyrocksthanallthefancyequipmentinGold's

Gym. Simple tools and methods lead to more creative solutions and a

morefunctionallyeffectiveresult.Youmayhavewastedalotoftimeon

fancycomputersimulationsorcomplicatedmonitoringequipmentthat

had little impact on teameffectiveness.KISS applies to the equipment,

methods,andmovementsselected.InphysicaltrainingIshyfromoverly

complexexercises.Forteamtrainingagoodlog,alargespacewithapull‐

upbar,andabunchofdumbbellscandothetrick.Getcreative,andbuild

yourownstuff.

Complicatedtrainingandworkoutswithcomplicatedexercisescan

confuse or even injure your team. Keep it simple in terms of tools,

workoutprotocol,instructions,andorganization.Keepthementalclutter

to a minimum. Measure success with benchmarks to build team

confidenceandenhance team fortitude.Asyour teamgets tougher,you

willgettougher,andyouwillprogresstowardmasteryasanindividual

andleader.

In the next chapter,wewill examine somemore character traits

you should expect to naturally cultivate on your path to mastery. The

virtues inchaptersixare foundational to livinganexceptional life.The

traitsinthischapterarethoseofmastery.Asyouwatchforthesetraitsin

yourself and others, they will serve as signposts that you aremaking

progress.Youwillalsoknowwhenyouareinthepresenceoftheright

individualstosupportyourjourney.

ChapterEight:EightTraitsofMastery

William Wallace leading his clansmen in the movie Braveheart,

King Leonidas leading his Spartans into battle in the movie 300, King

Arthur, Spartacus, The Last Samurai, and now the modern‐day SEAL

MarcusLuttrellofLoneSurvivor fame.Thereare countlessexamplesof

thewarrior‐leaderarchetype inourmediaculture,somerealandsome

contrived. The reason they show up again and again is that these

individualsareso inspiring.Theircharacter isdifferent,andtheyseem

todrawpowerfromamysticalplace.Theyarelargerthanlifeanddisplay

traitsofmastery,suchasbeingunflappablewhenchallengedtothedeath,

intensely certain in the midst of the most grim circumstances, and

embracingthesuck.Youmayknowareal‐lifemasteryourself,likeIdo.

My first mentor, Tadashi Nakamura, displays all of the traits of

mastery introduced in this chapter. Earlier I provided insight into Mr.

Nakamura'sstoicstrength,beginner'smind,anddisciplinedapproachto

his life.Hischaracterandexamplecontinueto influencemetothisday.

Manyothers,inallwalksoflife,arequietprofessionalsstrivingtoliveup

tothestandardsthat thetraitsrepresent.Sooneror later thewarrior is

calledtostepintothebreachandserveinawaythatappearsbeyondthe

call of duty. My friend and SEALFIT Coach Glen Doherty is one such

warrior. Glen stepped into a shit storm in Benghazi, Libya, to rescue

Americansinharm'sway.Heandhisteammatesdidnotwaitaroundto

betoldwhattodobutstrodeforthwithcourageandconvictioninspite

of the risk. They exhibited single‐point focus, uncommon resolve, a

positive mind‐set, discernment, a high pain tolerance, unflappability, a

heightened awareness, focus on the welfare of others, and a humble

acceptance of their responsibility. Their actions were directly

responsibleforsavingmanyAmericanlives,butledtotheirowndemise

ontherooftopoftheirsafe‐houseduringthefight.Asyouembarkupon

yourownUnbeatableMind journey, let thesacrificesof thesemenand

theirtraitsofmasteryserveasaninspirationtostaythecourse!

Single‐PointFocus

King Leonidas was so focused on defeating the Persians at

Thermopylae that hewaswilling to fight to the death to prove it. His

examplewas so inspirational to thosehe led that threehundredofhis

most disciplined warriors followed him to the last moment. What

Leonidas understoodwas that this victorywas not about his personal

valorbut about the survival of theentireGreekwayof life. Itwasn't a

militaryvictoryhesoughtbutamoral,symbolicvictoryofthebrave,free

Spartanover theenslaved, fear‐ledPersians.Sowithsingle‐point focus,

Leonidas led his men in the most challenging battle of their lives. He

didn'tletdiscomfortorminorchallengesdistracthimfromhisvisionand

mission.Thoughheandhismen lost thebattle, theywon thewar, and

Greecewenton to inspireourWesternwayof life.Were it not forhis

single‐pointfocus,wemayallbespeakingPersian.

A similar example could be made of Winston Churchill and his

unwavering focus on defeating Nazi Germany. The Brits could be

speaking German now had he not held his course. These warriors

steppedintothebreachtosaveentirecultures,nottheirownskins.That

selflessdeterminationisthewarriors'way.

At amorepractical level, single‐point focusallowsyou tonarrow

your attention to only the most important things that impact success

rightnow.Allelseisignored,shuntedtoalaterdate,orsubordinatedto

anotherperson(delegatedinbusiness).Whentherisksarehigh,suchas

on a parachute jump, it is this focus that ensures survival when an

accident occurs. If a physical altercation occurs unexpectedly, it is this

focus that allows one to dominate the opponent. It is alsowhat allows

serial entrepreneurs to succeed time and again with new business

ventures.

UncommonResolve

Ittookmeconsiderableresolvetowritethreebooksinoneyearin

2013whenIfinishedTheWayoftheSEAL,8WeekstoSEALFIT,andthis

one all in an eleven‐month period. Some may call that uncommon

resolve.Thesamekindofresolveisrequiredforanygoalorprojectthat

has an unreasonable level of challenge. Getting through SEAL training

requiresuncommon resolve.ABUD/S class is finishingHellWeek as I

write this.Theystartedwith175studentsandnowhave27remaining

afteronlyfourweeksoftraining.Thatmeans148ofthetraineeseither

gotinjuredorlackedtheresolvetogothedistance.

Isresolveaqualitythatcanbedeveloped?Ofcourseitcan—itisa

natural corollary to forgingmental toughness. You develop uncommon

resolve by deepening confidence and courage, fortified with five

attributesthatdefinethecharacteroftheresolved.Theyare:

I. Desire:youmustdesiretheoutcomeasifyourhairwereonfire.

II. Belief: you must believe in your purpose, your mission, and

yourself.

III. Attitude: you must have a positive attitude, drive, and be able to

mobilizeateamwithit.

IV. Discipline:youmustbewillingtogiveupunnecessaryattachments

and commitments and put in the right amount of daily effort

towardyourgoal.

V. Determination: you must have an unwavering commitment to

finishthejob,staythecourse,andnever,everquit.

Ifyourresolverequiressteppingintothebreachatriskof lifeor

limb, as Glen Doherty did in Benghazi and Michael Murphy did in

Afghanistan, then you will require each of these attributes in full

measure—adesiretoserve,deepbeliefinyourskillsandtherightnessof

theaction,anattitudeof"willdo"versus"I'lltry,"thedisciplinetopullit

off, and the determination to go the distance…regardless of the

consequences. Imagine how powerful your actions would be if you

appliedtheseattributeswiththatsamelevelofcommitmenttoanygoal

inlife?Idareyoutotryandfindout!

PositivelyOffensiveAttitude

Nomatterhowshittythingsget,youneedtofindthesilverlining,

letgoofanyattachmenttothemisfortune,andthenmoveon.

Maintainingapositivemind‐setisthefirstpartofthistrait.Then

extendingthatpositivityintoanoffensive,all‐the‐timeattitudewilltake

itfromapassivequalitytoonewithexplosivepower.Themainoutcome

isthatyouwillneverletcircumstancesoranotherindividual,team,or

organizationcontrolyouractions.Youwillbeonestepahead,dictating

thenextmove.Thisdoesnotsitwellwithhard‐coreanalyticaltypeswho

wanttoknoweverystepofaplan.Ratheritrequiresgreatflexibilityof

thoughtandactionandawillingnesstoshiftonadimewhenthe

circumstancesdictate.

WhenIsetoutonanewventureorproject,Iexpecttofindvictory

"whereitiseveryday"andtohavefunonthejourney.WhatImeanby

thisstatementisthatIexpectsetbacks,soIprepareforthemmentally

andwithcontingencyplans.Thedaywillbringitsownsetofunexpected

challengesandIseektoturnthemintoopportunities,orataminimum,

mitigatethenegativeandthenlearnfromthesetback.Oftenwithinafew

monthsoflaunch,aprojecthastakenonatotallynewformbasedonthe

lessonslearnedandnewdirectionstaken.Rigiditygetsyoukilledona

SEALopandwillgetyoumetaphoricallykilledinbusinessorinyourjob.

Holdavisionoftheoutcomeyoudesire,andthenallowforspontaneity

andsetbackstoinformtheactualdirectiononaday‐to‐daybasis.

Remember,noplansurvivescontactwiththeenemy,andwithouta

positivelyoffensiveattitudeyoucangetblownbythewindsofchangeor

manipulatedbyotherswhooutmaneuveryou.Findvictoryrighthere

andrightnowwiththecardsyouaredealt.Excuses,finger‐pointing,or

othernegativitywillslowyoudownanddestroytheopportunityfora

creativeresponse.Whenthingsgowrong,themasterdoesn'tblameand

wallowinself‐pity;ratherheorsheimmediatelyseeksthepositive

lessonandthenactsonitwithanoffensiveattitude.

Discerning

When I reflect on the traits ofmasters, I notehow rarelywe see

these qualities in folks who crave the public spotlight, includingmost

politiciansandentertainers.Masteryeludestheseindividualsbecauseit

requires nonattachment to wealth and fame. The disciplines of self‐

masteryandservicearecultivated throughmanyyearsof trainingand

sacrifice.Iffameorfortunecomesastheresultoftheservice,thenitis

not used for egotistic or hedonistic pleasures but rather to serve even

more.Thereisanoldsayingthat"theroadtoenlightenment is littered

with fallen seekers."You can't take the fameand fortunewith you, but

youcansuredietrying!Themasterisverydiscerningabouthowheor

shespendstimeandmentalenergy.Theegoistemperedwithpatience

and humility, allowing for the attention of good works to be directed

outward in service while the intention is directed inward toward

spiritualdevelopment.

Discernmentisdefinedasbeingkeenlyselectiveinjudgment.This

isnoteasytoachieve.Wesawhowcomplicatedourzoo‐likemindisin

chapter three. The mastery trait of discernment is cultivated by first

developingadistrust for theuntrainedmind.Thismeans thatyoustart

withanexpectationthatyourthinkingwillbeflawedandthenstriveto

cultivate right thinking through training, education,mentalmodels, and

trialanderror.Therearefiveprimarywaysthemind"thinks":

I. Directperception: the inductionof data and information into the

mammalian brain and directly perceiving it in a present mind

state

II. Accessingmemory:yourneocortextappingthemammalianbrain

forstoredinformation

III. Analysis: deductive reasoning using the neocortex via the frontal

lobe,predominantlywiththelefthemisphere

IV. Creating:nondeductivecreationusingtheneocortexviathefrontal

lobe,predominantlytherighthemisphere.Increatingyouwillalso

accessstoredmemoryandpossiblyexternalsourcesofpreviously

unknownknowledge

V. Dreaming: I don't think scientistswill ever really figure this one

out

The trait of discernment requires that all five of thesemodes of

thinking are understood and improved through training. Enhancing

direct perception is done through concentration and meditation

exercises.Intelligencefromintuitionandanexpandedawarenessisthe

fruit of this labor. Accessing stored memory better is achieved by

practicinganddrillingmemory,suchastheKeepinMemorygame,drills

such as those provided at Lumosity.com, and practicing to remember

names. Memory can be improved by tying visual images to the

information, making memory a right/left hemisphere and

neocortex/mammalian brain process. Strengthening your analytical

skillscancomethroughthefocuseduseofthemindinproblemsolving

orpracticingmathematics, statistics, logic, andengineering.Theuseof

mentalmodelssuchasOODAloop,PROP,andSMEACwillalsoaidinthis

process.

This is a good place to mention the science of creative problem

solving. For years creativity was assumed to be found in the

subconscious and unlocked through silence or deep immersion in a

problem.ThinkofAlbertEinstein losinghimself inaproblemsodeeply

thathewouldwanderaroundinhisunderwearandforgettodress(Iam

makingthatup,butitprobablyhappened!).Theninthe1940saRussian

namedAltshullerbecamefascinatedwithwhathepositedasatheoryof

invention. After studying 300,000 patents, he noted that they boiled

down to solving about 1,500 types of problems and that there were

roughly fortymethods that were used by the inventors to solve all of

thoseproblems.Hepresentedhis findingstoStalin,whopromptlysent

him to theGulag for twenty‐five years as a "patent spy." (Safety tip:be

carefulwhatyou sharewithparanoidmaniacaldictators in the future.)

Fast‐forward toa fewyearsafterStalinmovedon tomeethis fate,and

AltshullerhadcodifiedthetheoryintowhatisnowknownasTRIZ.The

process is in use by NASA and a growing number of scientifically

orientedfirmstoaccelerateproblemsolving.Idon'thavetimetogointo

allfortysolutionshere,butIwillbrieflymentionafewsoyoucangetthe

idea. These can be applied to any type of problem, though they were

conceivedprimarilytosolvescientificissues:

1. Look at your specific problem, and then state it as a general

problem.Thenfindasolutiontothegeneralproblem,andapplyit

toyourspecificissue.

2. Lookatyourproblembyreversingitorturningitupsidedown.

3. Look at your problem from another perspective or another

dimensionaltogether.

4. Seeifyoucansolveyourproblemwithadifferentelement(water,

air,etc.)

5. Ifyourproblemisfixed,makeitmoveable,orviceversa.

If you are interested in this line of thinking and learning more

aboutthistool,IrecommendthebookDaVinciandtheFortyAnswersby

MarkFox.

Inspiteofallthetrainingtoimproveyourdiscernment,theability

to discern truth from falsehood, good people from bad, and right from

wrongisstillcultivatedthroughlifeexperiencesoftrialanderror.Much

ofitcomesslowlyasyoudeepenyourawarenesswiththeinnerskillsof

Unbeatable Mind, such as contemplation, Box Breathing, and sacred

silence.

ExcelinChaos

Oneofthemoreusefultraitsofmasteryforleaderstodevelopisto

remain perfectly calm and controlled in even the most chaotic

circumstances. A master is unflappable while under extreme pressure,

abletomakegooddecisionsandleadhisteamtovictory.Infactitisthis

quality that is most attractive to followers in high‐stress, high‐risk

environments. Seeing a leader take control of a bad situation is a huge

relief for most people, and those who can do it well are considered

naturalleaders.PictureRudolphGiulianiduringthe9/11disaster.Itisa

skill you can develop, and the most valuable tool to do so is Box

Breathing.

Wehavecovereditalready,butthroughdeep,rhythmicbreathing

you are able to control your mind's conscious activity, regulate your

heart rate, anddiminish symptomsof the stress response. This allows

you,theleader,tomaintainbettersituationalawarenessandmakebetter

decisionsinacrisis.

Let'slookatsituationalawarenessabitmoreasitisanimportant

aspectofexcelling inchaos.Awarenessof thesituationallaroundyou,

nearandfar,internalandexternal,includes:

Personalthoughtsandemotions

Thoughtsandemotionsofyourteam

Thoughtsofyourenemy

Awarenessofyoursurroundingenvironment

Awareness of and alignment with the natural laws that govern

humanbehavior

When Iwas at SEALTeam3 as a young junior officer, I had the

privilegeofbeinginthesameplatoonforthreerotations—atotalofclose

to fouryears.A fewof thepeople I startedwithwerewithme for that

duration. During that time I developed an uncanny sense of what my

teammates were thinking and feeling during long missions. The

situationalawarenesswasuncanny.Extendeddurationsofsilence,hand

signal communications, and intuitive on‐the‐fly decisions became

routine.Oftenthethoughtsmyteammateswerehavingflashedthrough

my mind, or I would just "know" what they were going to do. I also

noticedthatthissituationalawarenessdiminishedwhenIwasn'tinthe

fieldworkingwithallmy senses. Ibelieve thatpracticing the skillwill

leadtobetterdecisionmakingunderstressfulsituations.

Mike Jaco was one of my hand‐to‐hand combat instructors in a

thirty‐daycoursecalledSCARSIattendedwhileintheSEALs.Yearslater

hefoundhimselfasacontractsecurityoperativeinIraqattheheightof

thewar.MikehaddevelopedthesubtleintuitionskillsIalludedtoearlier

tosuchadegreethathefoundthemtobealifesaverinthecombatzone.

On multiple occasions he was able to sense or see images of an

impendingdangerzone,suchasanambushorIEDattack.Hestartedto

paycloseattentiontotheseprecognitionsignalsafterhelearnedthathe

was right most of the time. Often he would direct his team to take

different routes to avoid a perceived threat. He chronicled his

experiencesinthebookIntuitiveWarrior.

EmbracetheSuck

When they lean hard into any workout, project, ormission that

hasrealvalue,mastershitawallofchallenge, just likeyouandI.They

experience pain and discomfort at a physical, mental, emotional, and

even spiritual level. However, what separates mastery from common

performance is that masters embrace the suck and up their

performanceinthesemoments.Thekeyisthatwhenyouhitthepoint

where the pain is almost intolerable,where you feel you can't stand it

anylonger,youactivateanembrace‐the‐suckattitudeanddoubledownto

experience the presence and aliveness of the moment. You note how

utterlyindomitableyourspiritactuallyisthroughthesemoments,when

youswallowtheurgetowinceinpain,whimper,orprojectweakness.In

thesemomentswhenyouhavenochoicebuttosufferorquit,youlearn

tosufferinsilence,embracethesuck,andgetthroughitwithgrace,like

amasterdoes.

Embracing the suck is developed by leaning hard into challenges

anddeliberately internalizinganyexpressionofpainordiscomfort.Do

not throw a pity party. Staging a defeatist attitude will undermine

confidence in you and your leadership. Projecting weakness creates

weakness because your body will follow your weakening mind. I

recommendthatyoufindthemeanstoputasmileonyourfaceduring

challengingtrainingandevents.Althoughthismaybedifficultatfirst,it

will get easier with time and practice. By doing this you are not just

pretendingtobepositivebutareactually forcingyourself intoahappy

place. Studies have shown that a smile brings the same level of

stimulationaseatingabunchofchocolatebars(soifyouareusingthat

tactic to brighten your day, then smiling instead will have the added

benefit of weight loss!). Smiling releases endorphins, serotonin, and

natural painkillers. In fact, people with serious depression have been

completely cured with daily twenty‐minute sessions during which the

patientjustsitsandsmiles.Intriguingly,recentresearchonhappinessby

David Lykken and Auke Tellegen, from the University of Washington,

suggests that over half of what makes a person happy is within our

sphere of influence to change. They cite faith, family, community and

work as places to find that happiness. I don’t know for sure if being

happymakesonesmilemoreorifsmilingmoremakesonehappy,butit

would be hard to dispute that the two are linked. Making a habit of

smilingisagoodideabecauseitcan:

Inducethephysiologyofhappiness

Lowerbloodpressure

Boostimmunity

Reducestress

Curedepression

Create a positive feedback loop as you are more appealing to

otherswhenyousmile

Itisamazinghowsomethingassimpleassmilingcanhavesucha

profound effect. During our fifty‐hour Kokoro Camp at SEALFIT, Iwill

launchintoalaughingyogasessiontwenty‐fourhoursintothetraining.It

is incredible to see trainees—who have not slept for thirty hours—

laughing hysterically. The positive impact on the rest of their day is

palpable.Smilingand laughingwillgiveyoustrengthandenhanceyour

pain tolerance. Adding amantra such as "pain isweakness leavingmy

body"will add an element of determination to your embrace‐the‐suck

moments.

Theotherwaytodeveloptheembrace‐the‐suckattitudeistotake

youreyesoffyourownsufferingandputthemonothers.Ifinthesame

boatasyou,theywillbesufferingasmuchasyouare.Helpingthemout

comforts themand leaves you in apositive state. It is impossible tobe

negativewhenearnestlyhelpinganotherinneed.Also,yourteammates

willwanttofollowapersonwhoisembracingthesuckandservingher

teammates. Soput a smileon your face, support your teammates, and

repeat thephrase "I am themasterofmy fate/I am the captainofmy

soul" (fromWilliamHenley'spoem"Invictus"), andyouwillnotice the

pain begin to dissipate and be transmuted into strength. As you grow

more tolerant to pain from challenges, you will develop deep inner

strength and control over your response.Youare thenonyourway to

mastery!

Humility

Whenever I am in the presence of a realmaster, I am struck by

howhumbleheorsheis.Infacthumilityhasbecomemyprimarylitmus

test todeterminewhethersomeone isamasterorcharlatan.Thereare

many brilliantminds in theworld todaymasquerading asmasters. Yet

theyareincompleteinthattheyhavenotintegratedtheirpersonalFive

Mountains and they continue to act from ego. They lack humility yet

oftendisplayamockshowofcaringforotherswhenactingoutofself‐

interest. I see this in the corporate realm in the form of feel‐good

philanthropy,whereitisgoodbusinesstoembracegiving,butitisoften

done to lookgood, to receive a taxbenefit, orbecause everyoneelse is

doing it. This type of philanthropy is out of the self‐interests of the

leadersanddoesnottrulycomefromaplaceofhumility(Iamnotsaying

that this type of philanthropy is all bad, rather that it lacks the

characteristic of humility). The same holds true for individual action

whenthatactionistransactionalinnature.

Truehumility is thekind thatNelsonMandeladisplayedwhenhe

returned to the prisonwhere hewas held for a large part of his adult

life…toforgivetheprisonguardsandthankthemforbeinghisteachers.

WhenIseeKaichoNakamurateachingkaratetoblindteenagersanda

marinegravelyriskinghislifetorescueayoungchildcaughtintheline

offire,Iamwitnessinghumility.

However,humilityshouldnotrequireamomentofextremecrisis

orfiftyyearsoftrainingtodevelop.Youcanchoosetodevelopitnowby

seeking grace in your everyday actions, especially when they are

inconvenientornotinyourpersonalinterestsatthatmoment.Youhave

learned in these pages that you can't really control anything but your

mental and physical reactions to events. Humility requires that you

surrenderyourneedtocontrolanythingbutyourresponses.Acceptthat

youcannotcontroleverydetailofasituationorperson.Thebestyoucan

do is to try to stay one step ahead of things and focus on giving in

positivity rather than taking. Your personal humility is deepened by

releasing attachment todesires andoutcomes in your life. If you let go

andletthingsflow,youwillallowthepresentmomenttounfold,andyour

heart can guide you. Be OK with what is, and try to merge with the

energyaroundyouratherthanfightagainstit.Thehumblepersonflows

withthecurrent,whiletheegoseekstoswimagainstitorreshapethe

river.

KokoroSpirit

HumilityisacousintoKokoro,whichmeanstomergeyourheart

withyourmind inyouractions.Asyouareaware, it isnotnatural for

mosttoputtheneedsofothersbeforeselfinaheart‐centeredapproach

tolife.Thatiswhythoseindividualsstandoutsomuchtousandwehold

themupasspecial. Ibelievethat ifweweretodevelopthisonetrait in

everyman,woman,andchild,wewouldsoonsolveallthenastyproblems

intheworld.

IsuggestthatblendingthebestofEasternandWesterndisciplines

in an integrated approach to personal development is how you will

developKokoro,thefifthmountainofUnbeatableMind.WithKokoro,you

will frame your challenges intellectually but solve them with a heart‐

centeredapproach that includes the interestsof allparties, inall three

spheres of I‐Self, We‐Team, and It‐Organization. Cultivating Kokoro

requires you remain focused on your larger responsibility of fulfilling

your purpose in service of others, the environment, and your global

family. In the final chapter,wewill examine the scenery from the five

plateaus, or levels, of consciousness that you may experience and

integrateonyourjourneytodevelopyourownKokorospirit.

ChapterNine:Integration

IntegralTheory

OneoftheforemostmodernAmericanphilosophersisKenWilber,

who developed a metaphilosophy he calls Integral Theory. Wilber

proposes that human experience can be mapped and that one's

consciousness can grow and deepen through a variety of methods to

higher stages that transcend the limitationsof earlier and less complex

stages.Additionally,Wilbersaysthatconsciousnessisexpressedinfour

quadrantsofI,We,It,andIts,whichcanbecollapsedtothethreespheres

ofI,We,andIt,asweintroducedinchapterfour.Toquicklyreview,theI

sphereishowanindividualexperiencestheworldfromwithinherself.It

is about her own subjectivity, includingworldview,morality, self‐sense,

intelligences, etc. TheWe sphere is culture, how a particular group of

individuals make meaning of the world. Finally, the It is the objective

worldthatismeasureable.TheItsphereisactuallytwoinoneforthese

purposesbecauseitrepresentsbothindividualsandsystemsintermsof

objectivemarkers and behaviors.Wilber's Integral Theory is a useful

map that we use for Unbeatable Mind, in the form of an integrated

warrior‐leaderdevelopmentmodel,tohelpunderstandtheworldwelive

in and co‐create. It helps reduce the likelihood of mental categorical

errors and reductionist thinking. I particularly find it useful because it

complements our Five Mountain developmental philosophy nicely and

providesaframeworktounderstandvastareasofhumanknowledge.In

this final section, I will introduce you to the Five Plateaus as they are

expressed through the evolutionof consciousness andprovide youmy

interpretative experience of each.Wewill then discuss the concept of

integrationasyouworktowardyourpersonalmastery.

TheFivePlateausofConsciousness

The stages of development that all humans have the potential to

experiencehavebeenmappedbyexperts,includingthosefromthefields

of psychology and humanperformance in theWest (includingWilber)

andthegreatspiritualtraditionsintheEast,suchasyogaandBuddhism.

Even the esoteric writings of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity contain

representations of the higher stages of the human consciousness

evolution. I call these stages "plateaus" because as you climb the Five

Mountainsofdevelopment,yourconsciousnesswillplateauatalevel,and

then youwill break free and travel to the next. At each new stage or

plateau, the view from your conscious self gets more expansive. The

world one inhabits in one's internal space expands andbecomesmore

inclusive.

Aproblemarisesinyourpersonaldevelopmentifyougetstuckata

plateauanddonotpossesstheknowledge,desire,orenergytoclimbto

the next. The FiveMountains and Five Plateaus can guide you as they

representdomainsofdevelopmentaswell as stagesofdevelopment—a

map for how youmay experience conscious life itself. As you develop

alongyourpersonalFiveMountain journey, your consciousnessattains

greaterheightsanddepthsaseachplateauisreachedandintegratedinto

yourbeing.

LetmetrytoemployKISSthinkinghere:haveyoueverwondered

whythelikesofMotherTheresaaresomorallydevelopedandspiritual,

yetthebullydownthestreet(insertcorporatefraudsterordictator)sits

on the opposite end of the spectrum? Human development is not just

aboutcognitiveintelligence,contrarytopopularbelief.MotherTheresa

wasintelligent,yetshealsoappearedtooperateoutofahigherspiritual

stage of moral development. The bully may also be intelligent, yet he

appears to operate out of amore ego‐centric or socio‐centric stage of

moral development. Unlike Mother Theresa, his world, in the moral

sense, does not include many others but is limited to himself and his

particular in‐group. For the bully, the center of gravity of his

consciousness (where he spends themajority of his conscious time in

the moral sense) has plateaued at a less complex stage, and thus he

experiencestheworldinradicallydifferentwaysthanaMotherTheresa.

Ontheotherhand,MotherTheresa'sconsciousnesshasrisentoamuch

higher plateau, expressed with a world‐centeredness (beyond ego‐

centric and socio‐centric), and she exhibits compassion for the entire

human race. The bully hasn't progressed much beyond his physical‐

instinctualself(sex,fighting,andfeeding)andheisnotmuchconcerned

foranyoneelsebuthisin‐group(tribe,gang,clan).

Itisamysterytomewhysome,likeMotherTheresa,risetosuch

heightswhileothersdwellatthelowerlevels.InmyChristianbelief,the

Gospels convey a more esoteric truth, a truth that Jesus told through

parablesthatexpressedaworldofhugepotentialforallhumanbeings.

The truth he told also aligned with the greatest of Eastern spiritual

traditions—specificallyas ithas todowithpersonaldevelopment, such

as deepening one's compassion and care for fellow human beings and

perhaps life in general, karma, and living a moral life. Specifically, I

believe that our souls are embodied in this life to burn off negative

karmainordertoadvancespiritually.Ideally,wewillalsoservehumanity

in some unique way. Those advanced souls likeMother Theresa don't

havemuchnegative karma toburn, so they are able to lockonto their

higher‐orderpurposequickly in life.However, thebully spendshis life

mostly creating new negative karma, so rarely can he radar lock on a

higherpurposeandgrowhisconsciousness.

The most important point is that some folks get stuck in a

consciousness rut at less mature levels while others break free and

progress to higher stages of consciousness evolution. It helps to

understandhowtheFiveMountainsareexpressedinaself‐sense(I),and

abehavior(It)andaworldview(We)manner,aswellastonotewhere

yourcenterofgravityisnowalongtheFivePlateaus.Thenyoucanwork

tounlockyourpotentialandintegratemasterythroughyourtraining.

In chapter five I introduced thework of another greatAmerican

philosopher,Dr.DavidHawkins.Hisresearchshowedthatmosthumans

experience only a five percent growth in consciousness during their

entire lifetime. That is becausemost peoplearen't trying togrow! But

clearlyyouare,andwiththeintegratedwarriorleadertrainingmodelof

the UnbeatableMindAcademy, I believe you can reach the levels of an

integrated self (fifth plateau) in your lifetime (if you are not there

already). It is important to note that each plateau is necessary as a

buildingblock for thenext level that proceeds.As youdevelop youwill

integrate each level so that youwill have an all‐level appreciation and

acceptance.Whatfollowsisadescriptionofwhatlifelooksandfeelslike

ateachoftheFivePlateausofConsciousness:

First Plateau: The Physical‐Instinctual Person.At this plateau, the

earliest one developmentally, we operate out of our lowest instinctual,

animalisticself.Weseektohaveimmediatephysicalneedsmet,suchas

eating,sleeping,defecating,and,ifageappropriate,messingaround.Itis

atthisstagewhereoursexualityandsexualenergyplayimportantroles.

The healthy expression of this stage would lead to healthy sexual

development,interestinfunctionallydevelopingone'sphysicalskills,and

fueling one's body properly. It would also manifest with an individual

being in touchwithhisorherprimalnatureandneeds.Theunhealthy

expression of this stage would lead to using the body for mere

gratification of immediate physical needs and desireswithout care for

long‐termcostsandeffects to self andothers.Of course,manystruggle

with all of this, which causes imbalances in the body and can later

negativelyaffectthehealthydevelopmentoffuturestages.

One of the aims of development in the physical mountain is to

overcome the imbalances and to get fit and healthy at this plateau. A

healthybodybenefits and supports future growthanddevelopment.At

thepsychological level, thosestuckat thisplateaucanbeviolentpeople

whose primary focus is on themselves at the expense of others. They

have a tendency to be closed‐mindedwith a victimmentality. For them

life is meaningless, and they will join a gang or end up in jail as

interpretive proof of their empty philosophy. This plateau is a natural

startingpointforyoungchildren,andthankfullyonlyasmallpercentage

ofadultsgetstuckatthisstage.

Second Plateau: The Emotionally Driven Person. At this plateau

individuals operate out of their emotional selves. In less healthy

expressions of this level, they are often malcontent and difficult to

communicatewithduetowildemotionalswings.Theyuseemotionsas

tools to get what they want, as opposed to using force (the first or

physicalplateau)orlogicalargument(thethirdormentalplateau).They

must have it their way, or theywill throw a tantrum or use emotion‐

basedmanipulativetactics.Childrenandtheirfutureadultselvescanget

stuckhereduetovariousdeeplychallenginglifeconditions.Thenegative

psychologicalmanifestationpresentsthatofanabsolutistwhoisableto

functionwithinsocietybutremainsconvincedthathisorherwayisthe

onlyway, thathisorher tribe (family, football team, country) isworth

fighting to the death over. The healthy expression of this particular

plateauwouldbean individualwho is in touchwithhisorher feelings

andusesthemtoconnectwithothers.

Third Plateau: The Mental Achiever Person. This level of

consciousness will find well‐adjusted, success‐oriented members of

society busy achieving important stuff. Moral and emotional

development is typically stabilized and healthily expressed in one's

abilitytorelatewelltoothers.Atthislevel,one'sIQandrationalthinking

mindplay key roles. Personal growth is important but often limited to

the rationalmental self. Self‐centeredness is possible—balancedwith a

concernforothers—butoftenshort‐termthinkingcomesattheexpense

ofothersortheenvironment.Becausetheyhavedevelopedtheirrational

minds, those on this plateau can better manage their instinctual and

emotional selves. The unhealthy expression of this could be seen in a

Type A person, who is so driven that he or she loses sight of other

important values, such as health, connection to family, and spirituality.

Lifeisgoodforthemaslongastheirneedsaremet:"I'vegotmine;I'm

good to go, so don't bother me" can be the prevailing attitude. This

plateau represents by far the largest in our Western society, where

capitalismplaystotheirstrengths.Theself‐determinationfeltatthislevel

isanenticingandpowerfulview,but itcancreateproblemsbecause it

doesn'tacknowledgetheinterconnectednatureofallthings.

Fourth Plateau: The Sensitive Self Person. Those at this level of

consciousnessevolutiontranscendachievingforthesakeofpersonalor

material earnings and instead seek to achievewith goodness directed

toward others and theworld. They are driven by their hearts and less

limited by rational thought, which is both a strength and a possible

problem down the road. It is common to find those on this plateau

focused on areas that are outside of selfish physical, emotional, and

achievement‐oriented realms, such as sustainable community

transformationandhealthindisadvantagedregions.Thebody,emotions,

andinstinctsarewellmanagedandexpressedinnewanduniqueways.

Themindisdirectedtowardhigher‐orderpurpose,andself‐actualization

can play an important role. Intuition is not shunned, and feelings of

connection grow as they see the world as an interconnected whole.

Though this plateau of consciousness is an exciting step toward a

spiritually oriented life, it has a shadow side (as do all stages). The

shadow lies in attachment to one's newfound identity, expressed in

spiritual egotism and exclusivity toward others. What I mean is that

thereisatendencytofeelspecialanduniqueatthisplateau,leadingtoa

superiority complex and impeding further growth. Spiritual egotism is

seeninthenewagemovement,wherethereisatranslationofspiritual

and religious experience into enlightenment language without a

corresponding transformation of consciousness to more enlightened

levels (integral and beyond). This stage can tend to ignore or even

demonize "less evolved" individualsor groupsofpeople.Animosity can

developbetweenmental achieversandsensitivedo‐good typesbecause

bothfinditdifficulttodealwitheachotherrespectfullyortofindwin‐

winsolutionstogether.

FifthPlateau:TheIntegratedPerson.Inthisfifthandfinalplateau

ofdevelopment(thatwewilldiscusshere),theheart,mind,andintuition

begin to integrate in the individual, creating a world‐centric, service‐

oriented sense of self. Truth, wisdom, and love are felt and expressed

universally.Individualstranscendthelimitsoftribalandnationalidentity.

The earlier plateaus are integrated, and the shadows of each begin to

clear up. A major difference between Plateau 4 and 5 is that those

operating at Plateau 5 can meet others at their respective levels—

meaning that they transcendyet include theotherplateaus.Theydon't

demonize them or treat them as a class that needs pity or a handout.

ThosewhooperatewithaFifthPlateauconsciousnesstendtobegreat

reconcilers and communicators. They are also aware of the possible

dysfunctionsateachpreviousplateauandholdthemintheirmind/heart

inacompassionateway.Unfortunately,notverymanypeopleareatthis

plateau,butitismybeliefthatweareeachpropelledtoreachitoncewe

commit to self‐mastery. If you truly desire and expect to grow to

enlightenedliving,andtakedisciplinedactioneveryday, itwillhappen.

Myvisionisthatasignificantpercentageofthehumanracewillfindits

center of gravity here in this century,making theworld amuchbetter

place.

Sothequestionremains:whatplateaudoyoumostidentifywithas

yourcenterofgravity,whereyouspendmostofyourtime?Youmayfind

that,atyourfinest,youidentifywithIntegralPlateauFive,butthenyou

get drawn into a negative situation and pulled back to hyper‐mental

achiever or emotionalmalcontent. Keep inmind that your upbringing

highly influences your development through these plateaus and your

abilitytooperateconsistentlyathigherlevels.Ratherthanjudgeyourself

for your particular plateau of development, view them as broad

generalizationsthatcanhelpinformyourowngrowthanddevelopment.

ThelateStephenM.R.Coveywiselysaid,"seekfirsttounderstand

and then to be understood." It takes courage to see truth clearly,

especially when it comes to your own beliefs and worldviews. If you

realize that you operatemostly from a Third Plateaumental achiever

consciousness yet dip into Second Plateau emotionally driven and/or

FirstPlateauphysicalgratification–basedbehaviorwhenunderstressor

unfocused,thegoodnewsisthatyouarenotstuckthereandcanchange.

Youcandeveloptothehigheststagesofconsciousnessthroughfocused

intentionand,mosteffectively,throughtraining.

What developmental practices will help you to penetrate and

integrate the next plateau? We developed the online Unbeatable Mind

Academy to guide you on this journey, and as a supporter you can

receive special pricing by visiting this link:

www.unbeatablemind.com/promo.

One final comment: I mentioned earlier that theoretically only

those at the Fifth Plateau of consciousness can consciously transcend

andincludeallotherlevels.Whenyoubreakthroughtothisstage,evenif

inatemporary,non‐ordinarystate,youwillhavea"newconsciousness

benchmark"thatwillserveasasignpostforyourcontinuedwork.These

temporarypeakexperienceshelpyoutrek,overtime,tothatnewterrain

asapermanentcenterofgravity.

Letmeprovidearealworldexampleofatemporarynon‐ordinary

stateandhowitsupporteddevelopmentinatrainee.Iwillprefaceitby

saying that I designed the Kokoro Camp to break paradigms and shift

trainees to a temporary Fifth Plateau experience. This occurs through

the eventual realization that they cannot complete the work required

alone.TheyareforcedfromaThirdorFourthPlateaucenterofgravityto

aFifthPlateaupeakexperience.IwatchedthishappenwithformerNFL

runningbackDerekPriceduringKokoroCamp17.Hiswordsdescribe

hisshiftfromThreetoFive:

WhenIsignedupforSEALFIT'sKokoroCampI

was about having a personal goal to see if I

couldcompletetheprogram.Iwantedtotestmy

limits and find out if I was mentally tough

enough.Ihadbeensearchingfortenyearsafter

leaving the NFL for that "'next level." I've been

tackling business and personal challenges and

knocking them down one at a time, trying to

prove how smart and tough I still was. Even

afterseveralIronmanandOpenWaterdistance

racesIwasnotfeelingsatisfied,yetcouldn'tput

my finger on it. Then Kokoro Camp shattered

my paradigm and solved the puzzle for me.

There, I finally experienced emotionally and

spirituallythatit'snotabout"me,"it'snotabout

whatcan"I"do.Ilearnedthatwhatisimportant

is what my Team can do and how I can help

others achieve success and significance. That's

what the Kokoro experience did for me. It

openedanewdoorinmylifeandpresentedthe

verypuzzlepieceI'dbeenlookingfor.Itopened

metothebiggerpictureandhelpedmeconnect

withmyheart‐mind.

By takinghiseyesandmindawayfromhisownnarrowneedsand

placing them on his teammates, Derek released his Third Plateau

achieverselfandsteppedintotheuniversallyconnectedFifthPlateauof

heart‐centered consciousness. There he was witness to his heart

merging with his mind while tending to his teammates' needs. He

starved fearand fed courage inothersand in sodoingopenedup toa

moreselflessandexpansivestateofconsciousness.Theshiftallowedan

influx of energy and a transcendent experience, which he could later

referenceduringhispersonaljourneytowardself‐mastery.

Afterword

OneDay,OneLife

A fewmonthsaftergraduating fromBUD/S training, Iwasatmy

future wife's home showing her a book that Kaicho Nakamura had

written.ThetitlewasOneDay,OneLifetime,anditwasacollectionofthe

Zen meditation lectures I had experienced the prior four years. I told

SandythatsomedayIwouldteachmartialarts.LittledidIknowIwould

teach it in away that looked very little likewhat I had experienced at

Seido.Thatsaying, "oneday,one lifetime,"hasstayedwithmeall these

yearsandservesasareminderthateverydayisimportantandcouldbe

my last. I learned to liveeachmoment fullyaliveandpresent,notasa

dressrehearsal.

Self‐masterywillbeachievedasyoudevelopyourFiveMountains

and integrate your Five Plateaus. Ultimately you will experience this

integration as a union of your rational mind, your heart, and your

witnessingself.Withthisintegrationyouwillbegintoexperiencemore

presenceandwilluseyourwholemindforcreativeandholisticthinking.

Youractionswillbepowerfulandpositive.Apresencewillbeenjoyed,

whether sitting in silence or performing a workout or important

project—orevenifyoufindyourselfinafightforyourlife.Thesignposts

thatindicateyouaremakingprogressonthisincrediblejourneyinclude:

Experiencingincreasingmomentsofpeace

Sensinganexpandingfieldofawareness

Being able to perceive truth better—cutting through

thenonsenseoftheworld

Feelingmore love for your fellowhumans and for all

sentientbeings

Feeling a sense of urgency to become a steward for

Earth

Finding you can accomplish anyworthy task you set

yourmindto

Tappingintoyourintuitionandgutfeelingsfrequently

andusingthisskilltomakewisedecisions

Findingbeautyandgraceeven inmundaneordismal

situations

Experiencingtrueselflessness

Lifeatthisrarefiedlevelisnotreservedforthepious,wealthy,or

thoseofexaltedbirth.Warriors throughouthistoryhaveusedmanyof

theprinciplesinthisbooktodevelopmasteryofthisnature.Forgingan

Unbeatable Mind is both a lifestyle and a lifetime pursuit. Physical

strength, mental toughness, emotional control, intuitional insight, and

the spirit of a warrior are your goals. Training must be constant and

relentless.Pushyourselftonew20XFactorlimits,andtestyourgritdaily,

weekly, monthly, and yearly. Stay in the arena, and never shy from

challenge. Set audacious goals for yourself, and knock them down one

smallstepatatime.PushyourdevelopmenttotheFifthPlateau,andyou

willstandoutinallyoudo…youwillbeuncommon.Liveeachdayasifit

werealifetime.It'syourtimenow,sostepupandbeUnbeatable!

TenSecretstoSuccess

I. Liveanexaminedlife,andembracesacredsilence.

II. KnowyourOneThing,yourpurpose,passion,andprinciples.

III. Connectallyoursmallactionstothese.

IV. Developmentalandemotionalcontrol:mastertheBigFourof

MentalToughnessandemotionalresiliency.

V. Challengeyourselftofindyour20X,andimprovedaily.

VI. Turntoothersinservice,anddevelopawinningteam.

VII. AligntowininallthreespheresofI,We,andIt.

VIII. SelectSMART‐FITStargets.

IX. EmployKISS"good‐enough"planning.

X. Takemassiveaction,andthenfailforwardfast.

XI. Never,everquit.

Seeyouintraining!

MarkDivine

MarkDivineisfromUpstateNewYorkwithadegreeineconomics

fromColgateUniversityandanMBAinfinancefromNewYorkUniversity

SternSchoolofBusiness.Mark'sfirstcareerwaswithCoopers&

Lybrand(nowPriceWaterhouseCoopers)asaCertifiedPublic

Accountant.ClientsincludedesteemedfinancialfirmssuchasSolomon

BrothersandPaineWeber.FouryearsafterjoiningCoopers,Markleft

behindthecorporateworldtopursuehisvisiontobecomeaneliteNavy

SEALofficer.Attwenty‐sixhegraduatedasHonorMan(#1‐ranked

trainee)ofhisSEALBUD/Sclassnumber170.Markservedfornine

yearstotalonactivedutyandelevenasaReserveSEAL,retiringas

Commanderin2011.

Markembarkedonhisthirdcareerasanentrepreneurin1996by

co‐foundingthesuccessfulCoronadoBrewingCompany(CBC)and

foundingthewebe‐commercesitewww.NavySEALs.com.Helatersold

hisinterestinCBCbutcontinuestorunNavySEALs.comastheleading

websiteforSEALgearandinformation.In2006helaunchedUSTactical,

agovernmentcontractingbusiness,wherehegainedcontractswith

NavalSpecialWarfareGroupONEfortrainingsupportandwiththe

NavyRecruitingCommandforanationwidementoringprogramfor

SEALtrainees.Thislatterprogramwascreditedwithincreasingthe

qualityofNavySEALcandidatesandreducingtheattritionrateatBUD/S

byuptofivepercentandwastheinspirationforSEALFIT.

MarkwasanadjunctprofessorofleadershipattheUniversityof

SanDiego,whereheleftaPHDprogramduetotheIraqWarReservecall‐

up.InBaghdadwiththeSEALsagainin2004,heconductedaspecial

studyfortheDepartmentofDefenseontheroleoftheUSMarineCorps

inthespecialoperationscommunity.Uponreturnhomehedecidedto

focusfullyonhisbusinessandfamily.

MarkisanaccomplishedmartialartistwithblackbeltsinSeido

andGojuRyuKarate,amilitaryhand‐to‐handcombatcertificationin

SCARS,andseniorrankinginSaitoNinjitsu.HeisatrainedAshtanga

YogateacherandcreatedtheinnovativeUnbeatableWarriorYoga

programtaughttohisstudents.

Afterworkingwiththousandsofspecialopscandidatesand

professionalsdevelopingmentaltoughness,Markself‐publishedhisfirst

book,UnbeatableMind,in2011andlaunchedtheat‐homestudy

programwww.unbeatablemind.com.HeisalsotheauthorofTheWayof

theSEAL,publishedbyReader'sDigest,and8Weeksto

SEALFIT,publishedbySt.Martin'sPress.

Markisahighlysought‐afterspeakerforcorporations,wherehis

UnbeatableMindprogramishelpingtoforgementaltoughnessamong

businessleaders.HelivesinEncinitas,California,severalblocksfromthe

SEALFITTrainingCenter,the20,000‐square‐footfacilitywherehe

enjoystrainingwithhisfamilyandteam.

Certifications,Experience,Honors

Author,WayoftheSEAL,8WeekstoSEALFIT,UnbeatableMind

CPA,NewYorkState SEALBUD/SClass170HonorMan SEALTEAM3PlatoonCDR CommandingOfficerNRSEAL

TEAM1 Commander,USNavy Colonel,KentuckyOrderof

Colonels Ambassador,NavySEAL

Foundation TrainedAshtangaYogaInstructor S.C.A.R.S.MilitaryH2Hinstructor

SeidoKarate:blackbelt GojuRyuKarate:blackbelt SaitoNinjitsu:brownbelt SpecialAdvisortoWomen's

OlympicCyclingTeam UnbeatableYogacreator Advisor,SpartanRace BoardMember,CSSP,Performance

Psychology USArmyMasterFitnessCourse Variousspecialoperations

courses—AdvancedFreeFall,SDVOperator

Testimonials

This book is a life changer; itlays out the blueprint and brings to

theforefrontunconsciouspatternsandwithdedicationanddiligence

provides a path to freedom. Freedom from the prisons created and

reinforced through our own behaviors. WOS is written in a user‐

friendly format providingkey tools and exercise to allow oneto

captaintheirownship.Thisbookisessentialreadingfortheperson

whowantstoholdtheirheadhighandtheirlifetoastandardtheycan

be proud of. It is for the person whois ready to lead and succeed

butdoesn't exactly know how to implement that plan. I continue to

readandrereadthisbookasitkeepsmyheadinthegame,butithas

allowedme togrow fromaplaceof fear tonowact fromaplaceof

passionasIpursuemydreamsasaphysician.

—Dr.GabrielleYoung,onWayoftheSEAL

Asyouprobablyknow,you'rerunningaworld‐classprogram—andby

far the Best I've seen of what else is out there—there is nothing

comparableorclosetowhatyouhave."

—Paul Tharp, CommandMaster Chief, SEALBasicUnderwater

Demolition/SEALTraining

Iamsittingatmydeskworkingonsomereports,butall Icanthink

about is theamazingweekendthat just tookplace.WOW!Thatwas

truly(inyourwords)EPIC.Youandyourteamofinstructorspulledoff

anincredibletask.Iamnowstartingtobecomemuchmoreinterested

inthespiritualpaththatallwarriorsmusteventuallywalk.Ithought

your lectures on Yoga, the Warrior Spirit and Leadership were

outstanding.Iwouldreallyliketolearnmoreonthosetopicsfromyou

whenIaminaslightlymore"alert"stateofmind!

—Greg Amundson, CrossFit HQ and Amundson CrossFit, on

attendingKokoro

Thankyoufortheamazinginsightandawareness.I'vebeeninvolved

inteamsportsmyentirelife,andnothingcomesclosetowhatIhave

achieved with Unbeatable Mind and Kokoro Camp. I am a better

person, father, husband, athlete, and businessman because of it.

Thankyou,

—TommyHackenbruck,RogueFitnessAthlete/UTECrossFit

IwantedtodropyoualineandtellyouhowgladIamtoseeyouguys

atSEALFITusing thatkindof exerciseprescription foryour clients.

I'mglad to see themilitarycommunity is slowlybut surelycatching

on to the science of physical training. I'm one of the Strength &

Conditioning coaches at the Naval Special Warfare Prep Course in

GreatLakes,aswellasaCrossFitInstructor,andaformerU.S.Marine,

soI'malwaysgladtoseeprogramslikeyoursdoingwell!

—SEALInstructor

Mydaughter is anAcademygradand currently stationed inNorfolk

but getting ready for aGermany tour. Shehas spokenwith someof

her chiefs and they endorse your operation very highly and even

mentionedthatsomeofyourcandidatesfarebetter intheirtraining

afterhavingbeentooneofyourcamps.Thatiscertainlyanexcellent

recommendationandthoughtthatyouwouldliketoknowthatyour

programanditsreputationhavespreadallthewaytotheeastcoast.

—Linda

Ijustwantedtodropalinethatisstraightfromtheheart.Thanksto

youI'veinventedawholenewwaytodomywork.TheworkIdois

veryphysicallydemanding,butthroughyourteachingonmeditation,

breathing,andmental toughness—I'mworkingatanelite level.My

boss says, "Iwish Ihad fivemore likeyou."Thanks coach foryour

UnbeatableMindtrainingandyourleadership.

—JerryB

Coach Divine, Your book UnbeatableMind is one of the greatest I

have ever read and I reference it daily, but the significance forme

hasbeenmorepersonal.Constantrevisitingofyourconceptsiswhat

keptme from coming apart on the darkest days ofmy separation.

ThatIcouldsurvivetheheartacheofthisIcansurviveanythingelse

emotionally thrownmyway.Andasyousayemotional andmental

aretiedtophysical.Iwanttothankyousoverymuchforallyoudo.

—ChadM.