Unbeatable Mind © Copyright Mark Divine 2011-2012
Mark D. Divine Unbeatable Mind
© 2011-1012 Mark D. Divine
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,
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Unbeatable Mind © Copyright Mark Divine 2011-2012
UNBEATABLE
By Mark Divine
My Body is my Home My Home is my Temple
My Loyalty is Power
My Power grows with Loyalty
My Training is Magic My Magic grows with Training
My Breath is Life and Death
Life and Death is each Breath
My Emotions are Control My Control is over Emotion
My Senses are Awareness
My Awareness is beyond Sense
My Adaptability is Strength My Strength is Adaptable
My Friend is my Mind
My Mind is not Me
My Enemy is Carelessness Carelessness is my Weakness
My Protection is Right Action Right Action is Right Thought
My Ambition is Honor
My Strategy is one Breath at a time
My Way is Unbeatable
Unbeatable Mind © Copyright Mark Divine 2011-2012
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1 - The First Premise of Unbeatable Mind Training Chapter 2 – The Two Primary Disciplines of the Unbeatable Mind Chapter 3 – The Three Stages of Mental Toughness Chapter 4 – The Four Levels of Awareness Chapter 5 –The Five Critical Skills for Developing an Unbeatable Mind Chapter 6 – The Six Core Values of the Unbeatable Mind Chapter 7 – The Seven Secrets to Training Mental Toughness Chapter 8 – The Eight Traits of the Unbeatable Warrior Chapter 9 – Summary & Navy SEAL Ethos Epilogue – Introduction to SEALFIT Warrior Yoga
Unbeatable Mind © Copyright Mark Divine 2011-2012
The Body is the Feeler of Emotions and Sensations
The Mind is the Thinker of Thoughts
The Witness is the observer of all.
Prologue
Unbeatable Mind© Copyright Mark Divine 2011 – 2012
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Welcome to Unbeatable Mind!
What is it worth to you to live the life of an elite warrior, and to succeed
at the top 1% of society at whatever goal you choose to tackle?
This book is about becoming mentally tough. The concepts I present
may not be new – in fact some have been in use by elite warriors for
thousands of years. However, most are ignored in the fast-paced society
we live in. Only a few lucky martial artists, yoga practitioners and
spiritual seekers have found the secrets held in this book.
Welcome to the club! This information will change your life if you take
action; bold action, and begin a daily unbeatable mind practice.
This training is not for the drive-by reader looking for a secret tip that
will provide instant access to the world’s wisdom and turn you into
Bruce Lee. Forging mental toughness and a warrior’s unbeatable mind
spirit takes discipline, time and lots of hard work.
You don’t mind working hard?
Then read on.
This book will give you a sound overview of how to develop mental
toughness at the personal and team level, and a framework for
understanding how mental toughness and warrior spirit are developed
by warriors.
The Unbeatable Mind Workbook is a companion exercise book. Each
chapter is summarized and has an exercise to work on. If you work on
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the exercises, and implement the recommendations provided in the book
and supplemental workbook, you will develop an Unbeatable Mind.
I guarantee this result. If it doesn’t work, then send me the book back
and I will refund your money. But you need to send me your training
journal with it!
If you are looking to also start a workout program with SEALFIT, be sure
to look into my 8 Weeks to SEALFIT (Hard Copy or eBook), book and our 8
Weeks to SEALFIT Online Coaching program where you can get direct
support from a SEALFIT Certified Coach.
Now let’s begin the journey to building an unbeatable mind!
Hooyah!
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Chapter 1
The First Premise of Unbeatable Mind Training
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“When a man is beaten, tormented and defeated… he is ready to learn something” -- Emerson
It was pitch black and the sound of the rotor blades was deafening. The
Jumpmaster gave us the thumbs up and the light turned green, which
meant - go. I was second off the ramp. My SEAL Qualification Training
teammate Chris went first. I leapt into the dark. The static line did its job
and pulled my main chute from its rig. I counted one thousand one, one
thousand two; one thousand three then looked up to check my canopy.
A-ok. Phew looks like I’m gonna survive this jump.
Ahead in the darkness I could see the vague outline of Chris’ canopy. For
some reason he was turning. I took a closer look – yep he was turning
right toward me. The standard operating procedure for a potential mid-
air collision is for both jumpers to pull their right toggles, thereby
turning both jumpers right and away from each other. I turned right.
Chris turned left and collided with me.
Chris was slightly above me – which I still don’t know how that could
happen since he left the ramp before me. Didn’t matter now. My canopy
collapsed and turned into a wobbly sheet. I began plummeting to the
earth picking up speed. We left the Helo at 1100 feet. The collision
happened at around 800 feet. I had 8 seconds remaining in my 26 year
old life. Shit.
My mind slowed down. My breathing slowed down. Time slowed down.
Each second seemed like a minute. I went through my malfunction
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checklist. Pull on riser to try to re-inflate canopy. Nothing. I pulled my
reserve chute cord, punched the bag and ripped the reserve out and
threw it as hard as I could into the wind. The reserve shot up and
waffled a bit around the main. I was screwed. The ground was fast
approaching. I took another deep breath and shook the risers of the
main canopy again. I said my goodbyes, and prayed that I had lived a
good enough life that the next few moments would be filled with white
light instead of fire.
Suddenly the main chute caught some air, and in the very next instant I
hit the ground like a ton of bricks. The canopy had not fully inflated, but
it caught just enough air to slow me down for a survivable landing.
I waited a moment, took a deep breath to confirm I was still alive. I
scanned my body for broken bones. None. Amazingly I was unscathed.
I got up off the ground, dusted myself off, and then marched off to find
Chris so I could deck him. That was a close call. It was one of many
during my 20-year career as a SEAL. As my career unfolded, I found that
it was not an unusual circumstance for any special operator. Just
another day at the office!
What stuck with me though was how my training had kicked in and
allowed me to perform under this extremely stressful situation. My mind
took on an almost mystical feeling as it slowed down and allowed a larger
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intelligence and calmness to flow through it. Had I tried to think my way
out of the problem I would not have made it.
About 1 year earlier, I was on the training floor of my martial arts school,
Seido Karate in Manhattan. I was a CPA working on Wall Street. My
mentor, and perhaps savior, was Kaicho (Grandmaster) Tadashi
Nakamua, Seido’s founder and head teacher. I was half-way through my
first degree black belt test.
The test started out innocuously. Demonstrate all the katas and self-
defense moves from white belt through brown. No problem. Then came
the curve ball. I was asked to get my sparring gear on. I noticed a long
line of very scary looking senior black belts coming into the school. Uh
oh. This looks ominous, I thought.
An hour and a half later I was still fighting. Every black belt gets two
fights with me. It seems like the word had gone out across the city that
Mark Divine was getting his black belt, so come on in to teach him a
lesson. Everyone came to get a piece of me that day.
I recall very clearly when my mind shut off. It was when I was fighting
Sensei Leyton. Leyton was an incredible martial artist. One of many
inner city black youth who found liberation at Seido Karate, Leyton was
known as extremely competent, relentless and vicious. He immediately
exploited my weaknesses. He laid me flat on my back twice in succession
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so fast it was funny even for me. I had to get serious or I was not going
to survive.
I shouted to myself internally “NOW or NEVER” and took several deep
breaths to slow my breathing and mind down.
I opened my eyes wide and stop focusing on Leyton and instead tried to
take in the whole room. My mind went silent. I went somewhere else in
that moment. I was not sure where I went, but I started fighting with a
force and abandon that I had not shown until that moment.
Moves were flowing out of me with precision and power. Time slowed
and I was easily able to detect the kicks and blows coming at me with
enough room to counter the blow or get out of the way.
I got Leyton's attention, and the attention of Mr. Nakamura. He called a
stop to the test. It was over. That was the moment he was looking for.
That was the unbeatable mind in action. The only way he could bring it
out was to push me to the edge mentally and physically, then let me jump
over into the unknown. I had to let go of my limited, thinking mind, in
order to tap into the power of the unbeatable mind.
This experience and others like it would prove to be pivotal, allowing me
to sail through BUD/s and become honor man of my SEAL training class
170. It also saved my life several times – including when I nearly fell to
my death that dark night in SQT.
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What are the characteristics of an unbeatable mind? Can we train to
have an unbeatable mind? How can we tap into unbeatable power and
use it for good in society?
We will seek to answer these questions in this book. Open your mind,
relax your breathing, and let’s begin!
If you are reading these words, then I am assuming you are a warrior.
You have been drawn to this moment by your thoughts, which have
inspired your actions to develop your mental toughness and warrior
spirit.
You are a warrior regardless of your path in life. Some warriors are
Navy SEALs. They are the fit, aggressive and adventurous ones. Other
warriors are on a peace or education mission abroad. Others yet are
warriors in the commercial realm, upholding a code of honor severely
lacking in the business world – and are under attack daily.
Warriors differ in degree, not spirit. The battlegrounds are different, but
the motivation, values and warrior spirit are alike.
Sun Tzu said, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while
defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”.
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True warriors are unbeatable because they have conditioned their minds
to be unbeatable. They learn to control their minds and win internally
well before they enter the fight.
This is the first Premise of Unbeatable Mind training
This sounds simple but it is not easy. It takes knowledge, skills and
practice. The process looks like this:
Step 1 is to gain control of your mind, rather than allow your mind to run
amuck. The mind running amuck I call the “monkey mind.” This is the
term that Buddhists use to describe the untamed mind. Their goal, like
ours, is to train the mind to be unfettered, focused, concentrated and
pure. So you need to gain control of the monkey mind, before you can
begin to work with it. Similar to roping the horse before you train it!
Step 2 is to charge your mind with positive energy.
Step 3 is to build your unbeatable vision in the fertile soil of your
unfettered mind.
Step 4 is to nurture and strengthen your vision through repeated
internal visualization practice.
Step 5 is to take massive action.
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Of course there are many nuances and skills involved in the details of this
process. But that is essentially it.
Control the mind.
Build your vision.
Act on it.
Where do we start if our minds, like most people, are like run-away
freight trains?
Start by controlling your mind.
If you are like most folks, you have heard about the benefits of
meditation, but the one time you tried it was a disaster. You sat down in
a nice comfortable chair, and tried like hell to think about nothing. In 3
seconds you were thinking about work, your girlfriend, or balancing the
checkbook. Darn it! Back to thinking about nothing. What about
dinner? Should you do the WOD today or a yoga class? What the heck
are you doing here; you have too much work to do. Forget it, you are out
of there!
That about sums up everyone’s first few attempts at sitting alone and
trying to think of nothing. It is hard!
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Don’t fret, I am here to both sympathize with you and to help. I have
been down that road, and I can attest to the challenges and benefits of
sticking with it. It is worth it.
You must control your mind if you want to develop an unbeatable mind,
and an uncommon level of peace, happiness and success. That peace
and success is accessed through a deep internal wellspring of power and
wisdom available to us all.
There are four aspects to training the first premise of unbeatable mind.
Witness
Your witness is your “true self.” Have you ever found “yourself” in the
mental back seat “watching yourself” in a conversation or action? Your
mind is in action, but you are aware of your mind in action. Who is that
in the background? Well that is you obviously. It is your soul or super-
consciousness witnessing your mind in action – and often in disbelief at
the crazy or erratic behavior coming out of your conscious “monkey
mind.”
(Note - many different words are used to describe the soul / spirit /
witness. We will use soul or spirit inter-changeably in this book and
have no religious connotation at all with our use of the word).
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By sitting in silence and observing thoughts you will empower your
“witness” and distance yourself from your “monkey mind.” This is the
same technique used by meditation practices such as Zen or Vipassana
meditation. Witnessing is considered a first step on the road to
enlightenment.
Interdict
As awareness of witness grows stronger you will start to get back into
the driver’s seat when a negative thought pattern emerges in your
conscious mind and starts to grow like a weed. When this happens, a
strategy for interdicting these thought patterns is very helpful. With no
interdiction of the negative thought pattern it will gain power and speed
until it temporarily controls your entire mind and behavior.
Road rage is an extreme example of this negative “hostile takeover” of
your mind. The problem is that we are willing participants because
negative thinking can be quite addictive and easy to fall prey to. A
negative trigger (such “that idiot cut me off!” in the road rage example),
if left unchecked, can grow to turn you into a monster who goes on to
ruin your day, and everyone else you touch as well.
How do we interdict these negative thought patterns?
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A Power Statement such as “NO,” or “STOP,” is ok. However both of
these words are negative as well, so you are only strengthening the
underlying negative energy.
I recommend a positive statement such as “I GOT THIS!” or “Nothing to
it!” or “I’m in control!”
The point is to find a statement or two that are positive, powerful and
meaningful to you. Then practice them until they become second nature
to use when you notice a negative thought arise.
Practicing this will allow your witness to notice when your monkey mind
starts running away with a negative thought pattern sooner each time.
Use your Power Statement and your mind will immediately stop the
negative pattern and await further instructions.
Re-direct
The re-direct is the set of follow-on instructions you provide your
conscious mind after your interdiction. If you interdict a negative
thought pattern but do not have a strategy for “what’s next” then there is
a strong likelihood that your mind will slip back into the same negative
pattern again.
The strategy now must be to inject a new, substitute positive thought
pattern into your brain-housing group that best supports your goals and
gives you momentum.
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Your re-direct strategy should be appropriate for your setting. In a
workout you may shout out your power statement, and then start a new
self-talk dialogue out loud. However, during a business meeting this
would be a bit awkward wouldn’t it?
Imagine being in a meeting and suddenly shouting “I GOT THIS!” at the
top of your lungs, then pacing around doing deep breathing exercises.
Your business associates would probably lock you up. A quiet internal
dialogue is necessary in these settings, but one that is emotionally
charged and can do the job of shifting you out of your negative state.
Maintenance
Once you witness, interdict and implement your re-direct strategy, it is
important to maintain the new positive thought pattern with a
repeatable positive statement that has meaning to you.
This simple and repeatable statement is called a mantra. It is like
background music that crowds out any negative thought pattern trying
to wedge its way back into your conscious brain. The difference is that
the mantra is like a coded message – it has meaning beyond the simple
words.
A mantra like “every day, in every way, I am getting better and better” or
“feeling good, looking good, ought to be in Hollywood” can be run
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endlessly in your “background mind” without using up too much CPU
space. These mantras can be “charged with meaning” when you
create them, so that the words evoke a physiological response based on
the meaning you intend. You continue with what you were doing in
your foreground mind while the mantra runs in the background. Your
mind remains under control and avoids negative traps.
There are digital tools that can help. I have an MP3 audio file on my
iPhone that I often run in the background when I am working. It has
positive affirmations overlaid with relaxing music. It is akin to re-
programming my mind on the fly.
Our culture has many negative triggers and thought patterns flowing
through it. An hour of TV news can do a ton of damage to our fertile
minds. We must continuously prune the negative weeds out of our
mind-garden, plant new positive flowers and then nurture them with
fresh positive energy daily.
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Chapter 1 Key Insights
1. The only thing you can control in life are your thoughts and your
breath
2. A warrior’s first premise is to cultivate an unbeatable mind
BEFORE they set off for war, regardless of their battlefield.
3. Negative thought patterns are first witnessed, then interdicted,
then re-directed to positive patterns, then maintained with a
positive mantra.
--Please refer to the exercises for each chapter in the companion workbook--
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Chapter 2
The Two Primary Disciplines of the Unbeatable Mind
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I sometimes refer to acceptance of the first premise outlined in Chapter
1 as “the awakening.” This is the moment when you wake up to the fact
that you are in the driver’s seat of your life.
In our offensive mind lecture at SEALFIT Academy I start by reminding
trainees that they are the “subject” and not the “object” of their life story.
They / you must write the script as you move through your life’s play.
You determine the story and the outcomes. You do NOT let someone else
control your destiny.
I once heard a story about two brothers who were twins. Their father
was a heavy drinker and abused them both terribly. A sad, but not
uncommon, story.
What was interesting is that a reporter did a story on the huge success
of one of the brothers. He had clawed his way out of poverty and a life
that had dealt him a bad hand, to the top of the American dream. The
reporter asked him point blank, “what do you attribute your success to?”
The man said: “I had to find a way up and out. You see, my father was a
horrible alcoholic and abused my brother and me as kids. I knew that if
I did not work hard and seek a better life I would end up like him.”
Curious, the reporter tracked down his twin brother. It just so happened
that he was a bum, living on the streets. Bad luck. She asked him point
blank: “what do you attribute your bad situation to?” The brother said: “I
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had no choice. You see, my father was a horrible alcoholic and abused
my brother and me as kids. I didn’t stand a chance.”
You see it all comes down to believing you have a choice to be in control;
to be the subject and write the script, and not the object and be acted
upon by unseen forces.
You CAN and MUST take charge of your mental preparation and change
your circumstances to create the life you desire. It takes an
understanding that you have sole control over thought, and that thoughts
create reality.
Check. Got it. Now what?
What comes next is to develop two primary disciplines for cultivating
your unbeatable mind and warrior spirit. These disciplines are like
railroad tracks for your life. The tracks keep you moving in an
unwavering, purposeful direction with great forward momentum.
First let’s discuss that word “discipline.” Common definitions include:
1. Training to ensure proper behavior: the practice or methods of
teaching and learning patterns of behavior.
2. Order and control: a controlled orderly state as in a classroom or
military unit.
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3. Calm controlled behavior: the ability to behave in a controlled and
calm way even in a difficult or stressful situation.
4. Conscious control over lifestyle: mental self-control used in
directing or changing behavior, learning something, or training for
something.
Definition Number 1 is closest to what we mean in this Chapter. To be
disciplined is literally to be a “disciple” to something bigger than you.
In the case of developing an Unbeatable Mind and the warrior path, the
seeker becomes a disciple to the practices of warrior-ship. The
disciplines then become a “practice” which is part of the trainee’s daily
life. It is this which I speak of when I say there are two primary
disciplines.
First Discipline - Self-Mastery
Self-Mastery is the number one discipline of the warrior. The
Unbeatable Mind training is all about self-mastery. It goes without
saying that as we master control over and use of the mind; we must also
master other important parts of ourselves. We are inter-connected and
integral beings – you can’t train one part of you without training the
whole you.
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There are 5 primary domains, or intelligences, that we focus on in the
development of Self-Mastery, they are:
1. Physical Readiness includes development of athletic and
warrior physical skills such as strength, stamina, work capacity,
endurance and durability.
2. Mental Toughness and Clarity includes development of mental
control, access to your creative subconscious mind, and acquisition
of specific skills, knowledge and expertise valuable to your
profession and calling.
3. Emotional Depth and Control includes deepening emotional
control and sensitivity to others, developing authentic
communication and releasing negative stored energy.
4. Awareness and Intuition includes turning within and
deepening our “sixth sense” and learning to listen with our “belly”
and all our sensory organs. The higher levels of development may
include pre-cognition and other intuitive powers.
5. Kokoro – Kokoro is “heart.” This includes development of an
unbeatable, non-quitting, spirit and a heart-centered approach to
humanity.
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There are four “sub-disciplines” that are encapsulated in the primary
discipline of Self-Mastery.
Simplicity & Contentment
Develop contentment with your situation in life, while at the same time
diligently working toward a better future. This applies to your personal
development as well as your career, financial freedom and relationship.
It does not do you much good to obsess about what you don’t have, or
wish you did have. Nor does it help to beat yourself up for not being
where you want to be physically, financially or spiritually. Develop
contentment for what you do have, coupled with a plan for getting to
where you want to be.
The bottom line is that as you progress on your path of self-mastery you
will gain more of what you want, and less of what you don’t, in ALL areas
of your life.
Being content with a moderate amount of possessions is crucial to a
warrior. Travel light and leave no trace. Moderation in needs leads to
contentment with what you have and where you are. This moderation
extends to your purchases, speech and desires.
Any military man or woman who has lived with multiple deployments
will be smiling right now as they acknowledge the truth of this concept.
How little we really need to get by and be happy. Each successive
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deployment I made in the Navy, I took less junk. A friend of mine recently
sold his million-dollar home with everything in it, and rented a small
apartment. He said he has never felt so “light” and free in his life.
I recommend a monthly de-cluttering of your closet and garage. Add to
this your office and vehicle trunks if those get cluttered like mine. This
practice will help you keep you from accumulating too many
unnecessary possessions.
What can you let go of now?
Practice non-attachment. Let go of your attachment to physical objects.
It is very liberating. After all you can’t take it with you when you
graduate to the big leagues and join the warrior clan in the sky. No
baggage is allowed on that journey.
Seriousness & Dedication to practice
You must get serious about your training and practice if you seek self-
mastery. As a martial artist, I learned this early on. Training for the
Shodan rank black belt was a BIG deal. I trained 5 days a week, for a
couple hours at a time.
On top of the karate training, I ran 4 times a week and went to the gym
another 4 or 5. I raced triathlons on the weekend. I did all this
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physical training while working full time for a big 8 consulting firm,
attending NYU Stern School of Business and working toward my CPA
certificate. I tell you this not to stoke my ego but to demonstrate what a
dedication to practice can look like.
I was in my early 20’s at the time, and still had a lot to learn about
balance!
You must balance your seriousness and rigid training and with an
attitude of lightness, humor and not taking yourself too seriously. This
is a challenge for many. It was for me as a young warrior-athlete. But
as I matured and realized that the journey is more important than the
destination, I loosened up a bit.
Have you ever been around someone who is so tightly wrapped in their
own “warrior-ness” that they are about to pop? Contrast that with
warriors who have achieved self-mastery and you note the complete
opposite – a relaxed lightness and self-deprecating manner. They find
humor in everything, and have time for everyone. They make the
difficult seem easy!
Two years ago I found myself in Manhattan with my family visiting some
friends. I decided to stop by the old dojo to check it out. As we stepped
onto the training hall on 23rd Street, a flood of memories came rushing
back to me. I looked around and saw a black belt class in progress and
recognized many of the senior students, some of who had been there to
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marshal me through my shodan test 20 years before. Leading the class
was none other than Mr. Nakamura. He noticed me, and immediately
stopped the class and came to welcome his visitors. “Mark, so good to
see you!” he said to me while giving me a big hug. “Is this your beautiful
wife and handsome son?” He introduced himself to my family. Then he
turned to the class and said to them: “this is Mark Divine, number one
Navy SEAL and a very good karateka!” I practically melted. I was in the
presence of a master, and he was complimenting me! I believe this to be
an amazing display of the character that is developed by a seriousness
and dedication to a practice of self-mastery.
Introspection or Contemplation
You will learn to love silence on your path to self-mastery. Silence is
where we “go” to rejuvenate, quiet our minds and hearts. We go within
to learn about the deeper nature of things.
In contemplation you think deeply about your life, human nature and the
nature of things in general. It is here that you begin to discern truth
more clearly. Discernment of truth leads to wisdom over time. This is
the fruit of the path of self-mastery.
At SEALFIT Academy we spend an hour practicing silence each day.
We use several key skills in our silence practice – breath control,
visualization and meditation. Trainees, after 3 weeks of practice,
routinely confirm that these were the most valuable skills learned. The
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silence skills, not the physical training, are what help them get through
Kokoro camp (our 50 hour non-stop crucible is the graduation exercise
for the 3 week Academy).
Authenticity
Authenticity is both a fruit of the practice of self-mastery as well as a
practice in and of itself. Practicing integrity – a core value of the
Unbeatable Mind (see Chapter 6) is an “active” practice of authenticity.
It begins with awareness of our thoughts, then the alignment of those
thoughts with our words. Finally, we align our words with our actions.
Only when all three – thoughts, words and deeds are aligned and pure,
can we be authentic as humans. Our relationships are largely defined by
this practice. If we lack authenticity, then it is reflected in our
relationships as diminished trust. I also believe that leadership is really
about authenticity, rather than a host of tactics to get the team motivated
and bought into your vision. If you are not authentic, no matter how
talented you are you will not gain the trust of your team.
In Kokoro camp 12, I observed authenticity in action. Greg Amundson, a
CrossFit affiliate owner and warrior who teaches leadership to the
National Guard OCS students, assumed the role as class leader. This role
was freely given to him by the class as a result of Greg’s utterly selfless
approach to leading. He was clearly there to serve his teammates and to
learn from them in the process. He had nothing else to prove. He knew
the camp would be hard, but that by focusing on the needs of the team,
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and taking things one evolution, or one step even, at a time they would
prevail. Greg’s integrity was indisputable and he was an authentic leader.
The class kicked butt as a result of his presence.
In a completely different setting I observed the opposite. I was interim
CEO for a software company helping the founders try to build a business
around their remarkable software. I sought help from a professional
consultant who understood the venture capital game. We worked hard
at polishing up the business and pitch, and were successful in raising $4
million dollars. However, when the term sheet came in I quickly noted
that the consultant was to be the new CEO as a condition of accepting
the money. Interesting!
I was out of a job as the result of my success. The consultant quickly
assumed control, paid himself a very large salary and increased the burn
rate of the company from $30,000 a month to over $300,000. The
founders started calling me after a couple months worried about the
path the CEO was taking. They did not have a voice in their own
company any longer and felt that the CEO didn’t care about them. My
words fell on deaf ears as well. The software was not ready for prime
time, and within a year and a half they were out of money. The founders
lost everything. No authenticity, no leadership, no joy.
Second Discipline - Service
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The second discipline is service. This is second because if you seek to
serve without seeking self-mastery, then you are serving for selfish
reasons. Expecting a return on investment is a weak position to serve
from. Service as a discipline requires the cultivation of three primary
attitudes or beliefs. These are:
Abundance Mentality & Generosity
An abundance mentality fuels generosity. Generosity in this context is
generosity of your spirit. If you believe that there is “enough for
everyone” and that the world is not a zero sum game, then you can open
up to being generous with your time, support and love. You will allow
this abundance energy to flow out of you like a river that is constantly
replenished by the wellspring of universal energy.
This is demonstrated in the simple things – such as tipping 20%
regardless of the service level. Taking the extra time when you are late to
help someone cross the street. Not hoarding the last or biggest steak off
the BBQ! Once at a BBQ, I practically had a finger removed by a hungry
man who had his stomach set on the large juicy steak I was about to take
off the serving block. His knife landed between my middle and ring finger
and stuck into the table. “Mine,” was all he had to say. Whoa. Truly there
is enough to go around, and cultivating your abundance mentality and
abandoning any thoughts of scarcity enrich you.
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Golden rule – give to get
Certainly this belief is related to abundance. The rule is fast, and is a
hallmark of the teaching of most spiritual traditions. If you give in
selflessness, you can expect to receive at least 10 times what was given.
It may come back to you later, and from a different source, and in a
different manner, than that in which it was given. But it will come back
to you.
On the other hand, if you hoard, are stingy with your money and energy,
and don’t give, then you will wither as a dying vine over time. Your
energy will stagnate and you will become brittle and inflexible in thought
and deed. This rule goes well beyond “having money” to your health and
overall well-being.
Compassion
You can’t serve well without an authentic compassion for your fellow
man. Compassion requires respect and love of self as a starting point.
Service to others is impossible if you don’t love, respect and have
compassion for yourself first. Sounds touchy feely but it is true, and a
warrior should have no problem with this one.
Compassion extends beyond family and team. It includes strangers, and
even our enemies. It is important to remember that the warrior is last
to pick up the lance.
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No one demonstrated this better than the late Medal of Honor recipient
Navy SEAL Michael Murphy at Operation Redwing. On a recon mission
in the mountains of Afghanistan, shepherds compromised his 4-man
team. The operationally astute action would have been to capture or kill
the shepherds to avoid them relaying the information to the Taliban. Lt
Murphy was unable to capture, and unwilling to kill the men. Instead he
let them go. This act of love for his fellow man, even potential enemy, had
disastrous consequences. However it is an honorable action driven by
compassion.
The true warrior is the last to pick up the weapon and pull the trigger.
This prayer written by Shadow Walker, an Apache Scout, in 1807 says is
best -credit to Tom Brown, Tracker School:
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Forgiveness Prayer
Grandfather of all Scouts,
I am your servant.
I am your people’s servant.
I have always sought peace and laid down the lance,
But now there is no choice, for all else has failed.
Forgive me Grandfather,
For now I must pick up the lance.
Direct my mind, direct my heart
So that there is no hatred, rage or revenge.
I use the power given unto me
from the place of love for my enemies.
And if it is your will, I will lay down my life
for my enemy, my brother.
I now willingly shoulder the burden of the warrior.
Guide my hands, Guide my heart.
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Chapter 2 Key Insights
The responsibility of the warrior is a lifetime of uncommon values and
discipline, holding the warrior to a higher standard than society at large.
There are two primary disciplines that must be developed as you embark
upon the path toward developing Unbeatable Mind.
The first is the discipline of Self-Mastery. Self-Mastery is a daily
practice and training of the key lines of development critical to living a
good life, and the life of a warrior. These include the 5 Mountains of
Physical readiness, mental toughness and subconscious development,
emotional depth and control, awareness and intuition and finally, your
heart or unbeatable spirit.
Self-Mastery cultivates the sub-disciplines of simplicity, contentment,
seriousness, dedication, introspection and authenticity.
The work on Self-Mastery is life-long and the joy is to be found in the
journey, not the destination.
The second discipline is the discipline of Service. Service must be
selfless, and cultivates abundance, generosity, belief in the golden rule,
and compassion.
These disciplines and the 5 Mountains of personal development must be
worked on in tandem to ensure a balanced growth of the “whole person.”
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Chapter 3
3 Stages of Mental Toughness
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When a student shows up at BUD/s or SAS selection, they either have “it”
or they don’t. These special ops training programs, contrary to popular
belief, don’t’ “teach” mental toughness. A candidate either has it upon
arrival, picked it up through keen observation, or they forge it in the
crucible of the training.
The Navy only recently began introducing concepts of mental toughness
which they teach in the classroom. The Navy refers to “the big 4” mental
toughness tactics, and their actual presentation is offered as a bonus in
the Unbeatable Mind training program at sealfit.com.
So what is the “it” that is the holy grail of grit, of mental toughness?
Why do some have “it” when they show up at the fight and others don’t?
As you begin to control your mind, your overall field of awareness will
begin to expand. This expanding field of awareness is the foundation to
mental toughness. The awareness of how external stimuli affect the
human body and knowing how to counter these stressors and turn them
to your advantage is a three stage process.
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3 Stages of Unbeatable Mental Toughness
Stage 1: Develop the ability to perceive the adverse stressor as it arises
and begins to affect your neuro-physiology. This is witnessing, the first
premise.
Stage 2: Transmute the natural response to the stress using breath
control and concentration.
Stage 3: Maintain positive performance while under extreme pressure,
demonstrating traits such as confidence, clarity, focus, resilience and
cogent decision-making.
Understanding the Stress Response
It was 49 hours and 45 minutes into Kokoro camp when the instructors
descended on “Bob” who had held something back all weekend. We were
not happy that he had skated through some of the training while
everyone else took dead seriously. He did not skate because he was
stronger or fitter than others. Quite the opposite. He was weaker, but
he hid behind his teammates. He didn’t quit, but neither did he try very
hard. Kokoro is a voluntary camp, so we don’t drop non-performers like
the SEALs do.
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We were on the verge of securing the class when some unspoken urge
struck us to press for a breakthrough. The chaos and stress level
ratcheted up to the highest level of the camp. The class was put under
extreme physical and mental stress.
Bob quit with 15 minutes remaining in the 50-hour camp. He could not
handle the stress and it froze him in his tracks. He couldn’t think. He just
stopped working and stepped aside, sat down and said he was done.
Stress is neither good nor bad. It just is. It gets a bad rap. Most folks
think that if they could just eliminate or avoid all stress in their lives
everything would be ok. This is impossible for all but the itinerant monk
– and even the monk will stress over a single errant thought!
Stress should simply be viewed as an external stimulus. How we deal
with that external stimulus internally is the key to the stages of mental
toughness. Stress that we do not process well internally – due to any
variety of factors such as fatigue, lack of preparation, etc., is considered
“dis-stress.”
When stress leads to distress, our bodies and minds are weakened.
Often this leads to poor performance, debilitation and long-term health
issues if left unchecked.
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Stress is processed through what is referred to as our “fight or flight”
faculty. The fight or flight faculty is our primitive hormonal auto-
response to perceived danger.
The hormonal response is driven by the hypothalamic, pituitary and
Adrenal glands. These glands churn out valuable hormones such as
adrenaline, which cause the heart to race, breathing rate to increase,
pupils to dilate, and blood vessels to constrict in parts of your body.
All these symptoms have a purpose – to focus your body and mind for
the inevitable action to come in response to the threat.
Research has found that there are some key factors that help with
awareness and control of the stress response.
Repetition through training, and familiarization with the stressors
expected in the line of duty (ie: realism in training) has a positive impact
on stress response.
There is a reason SEALs use the “crawl, walk, run” principle in training.
The intent is to layer the training so that the basics become an
“unconscious competence” of the trainee. Each time a training evolution
is repeated, the trainees start back at the basics, mastering them again
before moving on to more advanced tactics.
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This repetition layers the skills and knowledge so that the conscious
mind does not have to be involved in thinking about the solution to the
challenge. Combined with realistic training that closely mirrors the
expected actual event, this repetition leads to a strong familiarization of
the situation when it happens in real life. SEALs practice shooting as if
they were in a real firefight. You should train as if your life depended on
it – because it may.
Control of the breath and concentration are additional tools that can
allow one to process stress effectively and use it to enhance performance
rather than allow it to inhibit performance.
Breath control has been a practice of eastern warrior traditions since the
beginning of time. Zen meditation is a seated breathing practice. The
intent is to “practice” in a seated, silent manner so that the breath can be
controlled and the mind stilled. As this skill was developed in a seated,
quiet room, it was then transferred to the arena.
The goal is to maintain that quiet, still mind during a high-intensity
combat situation. It is one thing to be peaceful and focused when all is
quiet, but an altogether different challenge to remain calm, focused and
deliberate when the shit hits the fan.
The Apache Scout considered the latter to be the highest form of
meditation. They call it “sacred silence.” The sacred silence is
meditation in action. Being fully present and aware, acting from a place
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of complete stillness and connection with universal intelligence and
spirit. This is our objective with Unbeatable Mind as well. We want to
have this mind while we tackle a SEALFIT Operator WOD, perform in a
sporting event, or are in combat.
Breath control not only transmutes our arousal response to external
stress, it is also a concentration practice that has several benefits:
First, it calms the stress response by slowing the heart rate and relaxing
the nervous system, allowing you to get control of your stress response
and turn it to your advantage.
Next, it forces us to focus our mind on the breath, thereby closing out the
potential for the mind to focus on (and obsess about) the negative
energy around you – such as the chaos, danger, and the debilitating
language of fear.
Finally, it ensures that our body is receiving an ample supply of
oxygenated blood when it needs it the most – in a fight or flight situation.
Shallow, upper lung breathing, which is the norm for most people, leads
to sluggishness and toxic build-up, diminishing performance. Deep,
rhythmic controlled breathing ensures an ample supply of oxygen and
the detoxification of the stale, spent air with each breath.
As a former competitive swimmer, breath control came naturally to me.
I understand from our Academies that this is not the case with most
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people, unless you were a swimmer or water polo player and had to learn
to deal with an interrupted air supply. During drown-proof training at
BUD/s, I noticed guys having such a difficult time controlling their
arousal response to the stress of the evolution. Their breathing was out
of control, and when they went in the water with hands and feet tied
together they totally lost control. I suppose I had an unfair advantage,
but I actually looked forward to this evolution and found it very
enjoyable. It is quite simple to relax into it and porpoise your way down
the pool.
Breath control is the center post of SEALFIT mental toughness and
awareness development. Just this ability of the breath to transmute the
stress response to a performance response means we should start
developing a deeper awareness of how the use the breath.
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Key Insights Chapter 3
Mental Toughness is defined by three primary underlying stages, which
determine our response to a stressful situation.
1. The skill to perceive the stressor, and activate your stress response
for performance using breath control and concentration.
2. The ability to transmute the stress response into performance
versus allow it to be a disability (eu-stress vs. distress).
3. The competence to implement strategies of good leadership and
decision-making once you learn to control and direct the stress
response toward performance.
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Chapter 4
The 4 Levels of Awareness
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Wolves, Sheep and Sheepdogs
Over the last two years I have noticed many more 30 – 60 year old
professionals seeking information and training about developing the
warrior mind-set. There is a sense that the world is dangerous and may
get a whole lot worse before it gets better.
My guess is that the world has always been like that – with periods of
calm interrupted by chaos, disorder and extreme challenges. In the
times of chaos and disorder, we need more “ordinary folks” to step up
and become what we, in the warrior profession, call “sheepdogs.”
Readers with a military background will have heard of Dr. Grossman’s
work On Killing. This book is required reading for military, but also a
must read for all warriors.
The Dr. describes a world largely populated with sheep (presumably
grazing on consumerism and a diet of junk food and junk information!)
Preying on these sheep is a small % of the population who are wolves,
drawn to violence without conscience. The wolves pick away at the
weakest sheep, and society pays scant attention.
When you are the sheep who enters into the cross-hairs of a wolf, your
world will change from ignorant bliss to terror in the time it takes you to
read these words. Should you survive, you will be changed forever.
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In those moments, the sheep scream out for help. Who hears them? It
is you, the sheepdog.
The sheepdog is typically the law enforcement officer, first responder or
soldier. These servants have taken a vow to protect the sheep.
Increasingly it is also the warrior – professionals who step up and take a
stand. You must be that person, the sheepdog, if you are living the
warrior’s path.
Interestingly, when all is quiet, the sheep want little to do with the
sheepdogs. Out of sight, out of mind. The sheepdog makes the sheep
nervous because they sense that the sheepdog is also prone to violence,
and has dangerous skills.
My neighbor Steve is convinced that I am off in foreign lands rolling up
the bad guys if he doesn’t see me for a couple days. He loves having me
as a neighbor, but doesn’t know how to have a normal conversation with
me. He is nervous I will decide I don’t like him in mid-conversation and
take his head off. Funny guy. Sheepdogs, though trained for violence,
are really nice people!
Anyhow, back to the story. The sheepdog’s violence is very different
than the wolf’s violence. The sheepdog is bound by an actual contract or
code of conduct to serve, balanced with a set of values that are life
supporting and socially acceptable. Further, he or she is trained to
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control the application of violence like a faucet would meter water.
This takes many hours of training to hone and is essential to the
warrior’s honor.
How do you train to harness the power of violence in a controlled
manner? It comes back to mastery, in this case mastery of “offensive
mind.”
In our Academy we teach that the psyche has a “binary switch” of
violence which you can train to turn on and off at will. This is the
foundation to offensive mind development.
The “bamboo party” is an example from my martial arts training used to
train this binary switch. Four black belts would place large bamboo poles
over the ankles, hips, chest and finally throat of the brown belt.
Within seconds all lights are out, and about a nano-second later the
student has broken free, shattered the bamboo, sent the black belts
rolling and is standing on his feet. He has no idea whatsoever how he got
there. That is offensive mind training.
A professional “sheepdog” can also benefit greatly by developing this
offensive mind by mastering awareness skills. Awareness is 99% of the
battle when it comes to avoiding the wolves. The other 1% is violence of
action, bounded by a strong ethical foundation.
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The 4 levels of Awareness
Now that we have discussed the role of the sheepdog in protecting the
sheep, we can turn to the levels of awareness that will dictate your
response to a violent encounter.
I first learned the alert color system at SEAL Team THREE in 1991 and
have used it since to teach offensive mind set and awareness. The
colors relate to our mental readiness for a threat.
White is not-alert
Ignorance is bliss right? Wrong! Ignorance and non-alertness can get
you killed.
Most of our society, the sheep, operates from a threat level of white – eg:
no threat, everything is ok. It is easy to verify this at the local grocery
store. Stand in the middle of an aisle and see how many people run their
carts into you while focused on the food prices. White is a dangerous
place to be and you should endeavor to stay out of this territory.
Yellow is passive scanning
Yellow is the awareness state that we want to be in most of the time.
Consider your awareness mechanism (your senses and intuition) to be
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like a radar beacon scanning the horizon. It is passively scanning when
it is “plugged in.” It scans the horizon for threats, but doesn’t signal a
threat unless one pops up on the radar screen. You go about your
business while your awareness radar passively scans the environment
for you.
Orange is active alert
When you receive an alert signal to your conscious or sub-conscious
mind from your scanning radar, then you move from yellow, passive
scanning, to orange, active alert. It is possible that the threat level of the
target is still unknown, but nonetheless it is a target and you must
prepare for action.
At this point your posture shifts from passive alert to active alert. You
sit up and pay attention, steady your mind, and establish an attack plan.
You narrow your focus (put your book, phone, iPad down and toggle
your offensive mind-set binary switch to “stand by” mode. If the threat
materializes such as to require a positive action, then you escalate to the
final stage.
Red is action
Red is the final threat awareness level. The threat has escalated to a
point requiring action, thus you strike first to maintain control over the
situation. As mentioned earlier, you must be the subject, not the object,
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of a violent encounter. This means that you write the script with
yourself as the victor, owning the situation. You must be in a red state,
and have the training to control your violence and meter it out for the
proper effect.
The consequences of not being able to control and meter your violent
response can be devastating in our society. Our Combat Defense
Certification course is geared toward teaching this offensive mind set
and controlled but explosive response.
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Key Insights of Chapter 4
Most in our society are sheep. The wolves prey on the sheep. It is up to
us, the sheepdog warriors, to serve the sheep and keep them safe.
Sheep operate in threat condition “white.” Sheepdogs operate in
“yellow” and are prepared at a moment’s notice to escalate to “orange”
or “red.”
Though the warrior trains for violence, and can withstand the
psychological impact of violence, he or she abhors violence.
The largest part of the unbeatable warrior’s training is in identifying
threats, and diffusing them. Only when all else fails, will the warrior
engage in a violent event to end the threat. When this happens, he or
she does so with an offensive mind that terrifies their opponent.
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Chapter 5 5 Skills of an Unbeatable Mind
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Over the years, I have found that there are five primary exercises for
forging an unbeatable mind that must be mastered. These are simple to
understand but not easy to implement. The key is to start by practicing
the skills daily. The daily practice is called a practice because we never
stop working on the skills – we are always practicing them.
UM skill # 1: Develop mental models
One sure way to develop this unbeatable mind trait is to force you to
make decisions under pressure and be willing to fail. Risk failure, and in
failing you will learn.
Ultimately there is no such thing as failure. There are just decisions;
some good and some not so good. The unbeatable mind trains to
discern truth more clearly, to use mental models to aid in decision
making, to shed light on a situation and make better decisions as a result.
Mental models support good decision-making by creating a mental
“Standard Operating Procedure,” or SOP, for that decision process. Let’s
look at two of these mental models.
The OODA loop was developed by Air Force LTCOL Boyd to simplify the
rapid-fire life and death decisions made during aerial combat. It is a
simple mental model that has us constantly evaluating our relationship to
the “enemy” (marketplace, competitor).
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First we Observe our situation closely. What is our relative position to
the enemy, and how is their behavior going to impact us?
Second we Orient ourselves to the reality of our observation. Do we
need to move left, right, up or down? Do we need to adjust our pricing,
or move into the marketplace faster?
Next we Decide on a course of action. Depending on the complexity and
stakes involved, this can be a simple choice or a complex decision after
analyzing multiple courses of action.
Finally we Act! Nothing happens in life until we ACT!
After our action, we immediately observe the impact of our action,
orient to it, and the cycle continues. Our goal is to decrease the time it
takes for us to perform this analytical loop, while increasing or
destroying our enemy’s cycle.
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LTCOL Boyd’s OODA Loop
Another mental model to master is the SMEAC mission planning process.
This is a simple rapid planning model that can be used for any initiative –
whether a special ops mission or a business joint venture.
Situation – the situation is a study of the background circumstances
leading to the current requirement to act. In the Teams we called it
“situational awareness” and it’s critical to get everyone on the same
page with regard to the why of the mission or project. This element can
be correlated with a “vision” for a project or business.
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Mission – the mission is a specific statement of what you intend to
accomplish. Just as a goal must be written in “SMART” language, so
must a mission statement. It must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Realistic and Time-bound to be an effective mission statement.
Execution – how do you intend to accomplish the mission or project?
Who is involved, how are you going to act, what resources do you intend
to use, and what is the plan when the original plan falls flat on its face.
Administration – the administrative and logistical details that must be
coordinated prior to and during execution of the mission or project.
Command and control – who is in charge? Who do you report to?
When do you report and in what format? So many missions and projects
have failed due to poor communication and accountability.
The SMEAC and OODA loop are simple and effective at providing you a
SOP to quickly analyze large volumes of information and make wise
decisions.
Other mental models I recommend you investigate include Ken Wilber’s
Integral AQAL model, Game Theory, especially prisoner’s dilemma, and
Charlie Munger’s writings.
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UM skill # 2: Become a good goal setter
Goal setting, when done well, helps propel us with momentum in the
direction and toward the vision that we have for the actualization of our
purpose.
Goals not grounded in a vision (direction) are fantasies.
A vision with no goals gets us no-where.
Goals can be achievement goals, or process goals. Said another way,
goals help us “do” things, or “be” someone. Both are important.
Generally “being goals” are long-term goals. Often many “doing goals”
are embedded in a “being goal.” For instance, if I have a goal of being a
warrior, then embedded in that goal are physical training goals, mental
toughness development goals, and warrior spirit development goals.
Perhaps attending a SEALFIT Academy is part of your goal set, and you
have shorter goals in preparing yourself for the academy. You get the
picture…they build on each other, all grounded in your vision for your
future.
Similar to the mission statement in “SMEAC,” well-stated goals are
precise and positively written down. They are measurable and have a
time frame associated with them. Too short and either they are not
meaty enough, or you are setting yourself up for failure. Too long and
you lose the urgency and they fall off the radar.
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Your goals must also be achievable, in that you have the latent potential
to accomplish them with the skills and resources available, or attainable.
Your goals must also be realistic. Even if achievable, are they realistic for
you and your life situation? An amputee may have the goal to climb
Mount Everest, and though achievable they must seriously look at the
realism involved. These attributes – Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Realistic and Time-bound form the acronym SMART.
After listening to my friend Greg Amundson in a goal-setting talk, I
realized that I had a fantasy and not a goal to do 20 perfect double-
unders (a jump rope exercise where you pass the rope under your feet
twice each jump. It is pretty challenging and an excellent a metabolic
conditioning exercise). I had tricked myself to think it was a goal, but I
had not written it down! A goal not written is a fantasy. I returned home
and wrote the goal down using the tools I outline here. I achieved it 3
months later, no problem. Had I not written it down and taken action I
would still be wishing!
Another key point is to develop a strategy for following through and
revising your goals as you drive forward to accomplishing them. A goal
without a strategy is like a destination without a plan on how to get
there. Do you walk, drive or take the bus? How do you navigate and fuel
your journey?
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So many details go into the simplest of plans for lofty goals. Just start by
writing them down in a simple list format, then set dates and sub-tasks
that need to be accomplished on the journey.
When things get really hard, then goals need to get shorter and more
focused on achievement versus process. In Hell Week, we were not
setting our sights on “being a Navy SEAL” or even “getting that trident.”
You will require a different set of goals to make it through the most
arduous part of that training program or any extreme challenge.
Collapsing your goal horizon to the very near term is a great way to keep
your mind focused on the immediate task, and not letting the long-term
goal erode your enthusiasm.
I call these “micro-goals.” The great thing about micro-goals is that they
lead to “micro-victories.” You stack up enough micro-victories and soon
you have achieved success.
The hidden secret with micro-goal setting is that it forces our mind to
focus on what is happening right now, rather than what may happen in
the future where it wishes to be. Focus on the next meal, the next event,
or even the next footstep. These short and achievable goals help to
enlist our mind to be an ally versus enemy in our fight.
In Hell Week my goal was to see the sun rise each morning. The nights
were long, cold and demoralizing. Most guys quit a couple hours before
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sunset on the first through third evenings. But an amazing thing
happened at sunrise. The sun was an inspiration to see rising in the
East. It started to warm our bodies and spirits. And guess what? The
night shift ended and we got to go have breakfast! Amazing how all
these simple, mundane things, made the difference between success and
failure.
Why does Goal Setting work?
First, a properly set goal directs our attention to important elements of a
skill or process. We may have a strong desire to achieve a skill or
advance our knowledge, but there are many forces vying for our
precious time and attention. Without a SMART goal to keep us focused,
we are easily distracted and our energy easily diffused. Properly crafted,
written down and with a strong strategy for implementation, a goal can
remove fantasy and replace it with reality.
Next, a proper goal mobilizes our efforts forward in a positive direction.
We gain a direction, sense of purpose, and momentum. If you ever feel
like you are wandering or stumbling along, then re-focus and re-commit
to some SMART goals and note new purpose, energy and direction in
life.
A proper goal enhances and prolongs our persistent effort toward
achievement. We don’t lose our focus or intent. Often we have a
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SMART goal, but our strategy is weak or we forget to revisit it daily.
Eventually you lose sight of it, or lose interest.
Finally, a proper goal fosters development of new strategies for learning
and developing yourself. If your strategy states that you will review and
check in with your goals daily before you go to sleep, there is a much
higher likelihood that you will keep at it until you achieve victory.
Keeping at it will likely require modifications to the original plan and
new strategies.
Pitfalls to Goal Setting:
If a goal is “fuzzy” and not specific enough, then it will go unmet. You
will not have the focus to pull it off.
If you create too many goals at one time, then your focus will be diffused,
you will lose your willpower, and the goals will go unmet.
If your goals are tied to an unrealistic time frame, then you will fail. A
daily review of your goals will help keep them realistic.
If your goals are inflexible – meaning you are not willing to mold them to
new realities as they arise, then they will not be met. “Semper Gumby”
is the term we used in the SEALs – it means “always flexible.”
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If you don’t have a daily check-in plan, with no follow-up or evaluation of
your progress on your goals, then they will not be met. Goals require a
constant “check up from the neck up” and measurement of progress to
keep the momentum going, and in the right direction. Hold yourself
accountable!
If your goals are all achievement goals (doing goals) and you lack process
(becoming) goals you will become absorbed in achievement versus
improvement. It is best to have a balance between doing and becoming
– through becoming a better person, many of your doing goals may
change.
A good example of that in my life was an achievement goal. I had to get a
PhD in Leadership. I made it through most of the coursework before
being mobilized to active duty in Iraq in 2004. While there I had a lot of
time to work on my becoming goal – daily yoga practice in a combat
zone is a very interesting personal development program.
What evolved was that my PhD goal (which would have qualified me to
teach leadership in a sterile campus setting) became less important to me
than actually teaching leadership to warriors who risk everything.
When I returned from Iraq, I left USD and planted the seeds for SEALFIT.
UM skills #3: Master control of the breath
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We touched on this topic in Chapter 3 in the discussion about arousal
control and transmuting the stress response to performance. However,
the concept of breath control goes much deeper than that. Breath
Control is placing conscious thought on the duration and quality of our
breathing. Through this awareness of our breath we “re-learn” how to
breathe again.
Proper breathing using a full diaphragmatic and cyclical breathing
pattern promotes optimal health in 4 primary ways.
First, it detoxifies the lungs through the proper exhalation of all stale,
spent air on each breath cycle.
Next, it fully oxygenizes the blood on each breath, ensuring that you
have the fuel to work at optimal levels. For most activities that are
somewhat strenuous, but not of high-intensity, your body will utilize
oxygen as the primary fuel source. As a result, the energy pathway used
by the body for endurance work is called the oxidative pathway.
Estimates are that most people use only a small % of total lung capacity.
Thus they are leaving a lot of energy on the table that would be helpful
for performance and overall health and well-being.
Third, it strengthens the abdominal region. Having a strong core and
“belly awareness” are important martial arts principles. The belly is a
source of energy as well as our intuition. The Japanese have an art they
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call the “belly art” or Haragai. This is the strengthening and ‘tuning in”
to the belly so that it can be utilized fully as the intuition’s method of
communicating with the conscious mind. The saying “listen to your
gut” or “what does your gut say” comes from this practice, though most
westerners are unaware of the practice or its immense value.
Finally, breath control calms and centers the mind. By focusing on our
breath, we are collapsing our attention to a powerful and positive body
function. This helps us keep our minds from wandering and getting
attracted to or attached to some negative thought pattern or external
influence.
Beyond calming and centering the body and concentrating the mind,
breath control practices can also be used in a few other non-traditional
and powerful ways.
Breath can be used to develop intense physical and psychic energy.
One method we use in our own Warrior Yoga practice is the “Archer
Pose” coupled with the “ubuke” breath. The ubuke breath is done by
forcing a full exhale through a very small opening caused by the
constriction of your tongue against your upper palette. The sound is a
high-pitched hiss.
Another way to do it is to constrict your upper throat tightly and only
allow a small amount of air through. Either is effective. The result,
when done properly, is an intense heat and mental energy build-up.
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Over time, this develops your powers of concentration and the ability to
quickly harness and project internal energy.
Breath can also be used to project power. Power lifters and Olympic
lifters know that a properly executed breath can add 30% more power
to the lift. Same with a martial arts strike. The “Kia” noise that attends
a strike in karate is a forceful exhale coupled with a powerful sound that
adds a punch to the punch. The Navy SEAL “Hooyah” is used in the same
manner to generate more power. I used to enjoy practicing a hooyah
and ring a bell with the sound. Obviously I am easy to amuse!
Breath can also be used to heat and cool the body. This is especially
effective when coupled with visualization. If you happen to be sitting in
the surf zone for an unusually long time (not sure why that would
happen…unless…) deep, forceful breathing while you visualize yourself
sweating in a sauna will warm you up and ward off hypothermia for a
long time.
Tom Brown’s (Trackerschool.com) mentor, the Apache Scout Stalking
Wolf, would routinely trek through Canada into the Arctic region and
back. He did this wearing simple clothes and described to Tom how he
would visualize heat and breathe heat into his body by concentrating
deeply. He would routinely be sweating in the middle of zero degree
weather. This man had amazing control over his mind and body.
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The technique to use to calm and center your mind and body when
working I call the “Relaxation Breath.”
The Relaxation Breath is a simple practice. It involves a deep, slow and
controlled breath in to a count of four (minimum), and a controlled
exhale to a count of four.
This breath leads to a tremendous stress release and is used in a situation
where your breath is “out of control.” If our breath is out of control, then
our minds are out of control.
Clearly our objective is to get back into control, so we can think clearly
and make good decisions.
# 4 – Learn to visualize powerfully
Visualization is a very powerful technique that enhances our mental
acuity and ability to accomplish challenging tasks. All great creators and
athletes use visualization, to create the outcomes they seek in their mind
first, before acting on the creation.
Visualization is the creation or re-creation of an external experience in
the “mind’s eye.” Sports psychologists and top coaches began using
visualization to enhance performance in the 90’s, some pioneers were
earlier. There are two major forms of visualization practice.
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The first form of visualization is the Mental Projection. This is where
you will concentrate on and visualize a personal victory. With the
visualized image you create a desired future experience in your mind
before you experience it “for real.”
I call this a “Future me” visualization.
An example of a “future me” visualization is earning the SEAL trident.
Another would be achieving a major milestone with a new business
venture.
In either case you would create the event in your mind well before it
happens. The visualized event is charged with emotions, color, sounds,
smell and tastes as vividly as possible. We reinforce this visual image
through repeated internal visits. This practice plants a powerful seed in
our subconscious mind. The subconscious mind then goes to work to
recruit the resources necessary to nurture the event to fruition through
proper thought and action.
The second form of visualization is the Mental Rehearsal. This is
practicing an event, such as a skill or sport event, in your mind’s eye.
An example of this is the SEAL “dirt dive” whereby the SEAL operator
will walk through a dive profile on dry land while visualizing all the
details. In this manner, he does the dive before ever hitting the water.
At SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE this was an important part of the
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mission. The dive profiles of a typical SDV mini-sub are 6 to 10 hours
long. The dive must be implanted in the mind of the pilot and navigator
on land, or the fatigue of the mission could trip them up.
The rehearsal would implant in our conscious and subconscious, the
route, provide a muscle memory aide and identify any potential
challenges before hitting the reality of the deep.
The practice or projection visualization can be an internal image - from
our own vantage point, or an external image - a view of you from the
perspective of another. Either method is effective but we typically start
out with the external visualization then move to the internal as our skill
improves.
The benefits for visualization practice are many.
Improved Concentration. The act of visualization is a concentration
practice in itself. It takes much effort to construct and maintain a
powerful visualization. When you first start this practice it can be
frustrating if you cannot hold the image for long. Many people are
kinesthetic in nature, and don’t see with their mind’s eye at all. If you are
like this, I encourage you to stick with it and the mind will slowly develop
the skills. It will be like a puzzle coming together until eventually you
will be able to see with the same vividness as a visual person.
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Enhanced Confidence is another benefit. When you visualize an event
or process in your mind, then you are practicing it to some degree.
The experience is not as visceral as a physical practice – throwing the
ball will always be more powerful than visualizing throwing the ball –
however each visualization stimulates your nervous and muscular
systems such that they “count” that as a practice.
Emotional Control is another powerful benefit. By visualizing
something that you fear, you are neutralizing that fear response when
you perform the event “live.” Thus visualizing yourself giving the speech
over and over to an adoring audience can alter the experience to where
you may, possibly, enjoy giving that speech.
Working on a highly technical skill? Start visualizing yourself extremely
competent in that skill. You will enhance your competence. One of the
ways this works is to stimulate your subconscious mind to support your
efforts. Albert Einstein did most of his mental work at the subconscious
level. He was so adept at visualizing and contemplating the large
problems he was trying to solve, that the answers would come to him
when he wasn’t actually trying to think about them at all. How nice!
This works also if you are seeking to develop or hone a new strategy, as
well as coping with pain, injury or cold. Why does visualization work?
Visualized events mentally rehearsed, if vivid and empowered with
emotion, will stimulate and program your nervous and muscular
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systems as if you were actually practicing the event physically. If
visualization is done persistently and with intensity, when you perform
the event in “real time” it is felt as not the first time, but one of many
times that your mind has performed the event (perfectly I might add) in
the past.
Visualization also improves your ability to concentrate, which helps with
confidence and stress management.
A properly visualized event brings all of your senses into the mix. You
see yourself performing, you sense your movement, you feel your
emotions, you hear the sounds of success, feel the actual air, water,
handshake, etc. and you smell your environment.
The goal is to create the internal experience as close to the actual
experience as possible but manipulating the images for perfect results.
You will want to inject positive thoughts and emotions and “burn” the
image into your subconscious.
Tom Brown tells us that the envisioned image must be so intense, it is as
if you are sitting here reading these words, but in reality you are
somewhere else visualizing yourself sitting here reading these words. It
is intensely real when done right!
Estimates are that up to 90% of Olympic Athletes use visualization and
97% of them claim it helped their performance. 94% of Olympic
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Coaches use visualization for training, and 100% claim is enhances
performance. Many warriors visualize victory when jocking up for
combat.
UM skill #5: the art of Positivity
The wandering mind is the devil’s playground. The nature of the outer,
conscious mind is to dwell on the negative and obsess about it. Often
that which is the obsession becomes the reality. Once you begin to focus
on the present, the requirement is to keep your mind in a Positive State.
Your internal dialogue and beliefs (such as family history, biases,
prejudices, stereotypes, etc.) affect your thought patterns, which impact
your performance.
Our minds are energized with either courage and its positive derivatives
or fear and its negative derivatives. Both energies manifest their
influence in our lives in different ways. Our basic emotional “feeling”
states can be generalized into these two broad categories.
Positive attitudes and states strengthen our bodies and minds and are
essential for development of higher states of consciousness – essentially
what spiritual growth is all about.
Clearly this is where we want our energy to be centered. Often a person
is “stuck” at a level or stage of consciousness or energy state through life
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circumstances. However, through disciplined awareness practices using
the principles outlined in this book, it is quite possible to leap several
stages. The stages of positivity are as follows (shown in progression
from lower energy to higher energy bottom to top):
Peace - Bliss
Serenity - Joy
Reverence - Love
Understanding
Forgiveness - Acceptance
Optimism
Trust
Courage
Negative attitudes, on the other hand, weaken our minds and bodies and
lead to performance degradation. Fear is the dominant energy in most
because the outer mind is generally negative in nature. The outer mind
is constantly filled with negative programming from numerous sources –
friends, family, news, TV, and our own self-talk.
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The stages of negativity are as follows:
Pride – Scorn
Anger – Hate
Desire – Craving
Anxiety
Grief – Regret
Apathy – Despair
Guilt – Blame
Shame - Humiliation
Copyright Dr. Hawkins, Power vs. Force.
By paying attention to the energy of your thoughts you will start to notice the patterns. Our goal is to learn to notice, then maintain a positive attitude and self-talk.
As discussed in Chapter 1 – you can learn to witness the rising of your
thoughts and thus analyze the quality of the thought – is it positive? Is it
negative?
Finding space between the arising of the thought (or emotion, which is a
thought stored as energy in the body) and when it runs away with your
brain, is the benefit of the concentration practices outlined in this book.
We want to notice, interdict, cancel out negative thought patterns, and
direct the mind to positive patterns.
Events trigger our beliefs, which trigger our unconscious dialogue, which
trigger an emotional or physiological response, which then hampers
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performance toward our goals. Change the belief and the dialogue to
change the performance!
We discussed power-statements as pattern interrupts in Chapter 1.
These are used for the purpose of interdicting negative thoughts.
Power statements I use include “Hooyah,” “I got this,” and Easy Day!”
Once the negative thought pattern has successfully been interdicted, I
believe that a simple recurring statement (a mantra is the term used by
Eastern traditions) is the best tool to help you stay positively focused.
A mantra is simply a short statement that has positive meaning to you.
When I was in BUD/s, on long runs I would recite over and over “feeling
good, looking good, ought to be in Hollywood.” This statement had the
effect of keeping me feeling positive and motivated. I have since learned
to use other mantras to help me grow in areas beyond physical
performance. On long runs, I still revert to this old fallback and it works
like a charm to keep me positive and clear headed.
When using a power statement our bodies must also get in the game.
A power posture reinforces the power statement. Saying “I got this”
while slouched in a defeated position is self-defeating. Your
subconscious mind will feel the weak position and over-ride the
powerful statement. You need to stack the deck in your favor by
combining a power statement and mantra with a powerful body
position.
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Often in the middle of a grueling workout I, or one of my coaches, will
shout power statement, coupled with powerful gestures, when we notice
the fear dog nipping at the trainees. Everyone’s mental attitude and
bodies respond immediately as if jolted by a bolt of positively charged
electricity. It is great to watch and be part of. Soon we are all laughing
and cranking away at the workout, having left the worst behind us. We
have learned to allow positive self-talk, powerful body postures and
humor, to condition our minds for positive outcomes.
Implementation
You may wonder when to utilize these 5 mental toughness practices?
If we are approaching an event, such as a sporting event or an important
presentation, then we will use Positivity, Goal Setting and Visualization
to propel us to the event with the right mindset.
We will use Breath Control to control our arousal response during
training and to assist with pre-event stomach jitters.
During an event we will certainly rely on Positive Self-talk and Breath
Control to keep us centered and powerful. Short term Goal setting will
also come in handy.
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After the event, then self-talk in the form of re-framing the experience,
as well as revising your goals and establishing new goals will be
important.
Mental models are important to provide a framework for good decision
making while on your journey.
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Chapter 5 Key Insights
There are 5 primary skills that you must master to develop Unbeatable
Mind mental toughness. These are:
Mental models can be very effective to streamline and for power
decision-making. Models such as Boyd’s OODA loop, the SMEAC mission
planning process and the Integral AQAL model are all part of the
Unbeatable training at SEALFIT Academy.
Goal setting has many nuances and is essential for developing
momentum and direction toward personal and professional objectives.
Proper goal setting is an important skill to nurture.
Breath control is a practice that has powerful benefits in many areas.
Practicing box breathing in a quiet setting is a concentration practice
that will spill over to more naturally use the relaxation controlled
breathing during strenuous exercise or any event that is stressful.
Visualization and positivity are important compliments to the first three
skills. Combined as a “suite of mental toughness skills” the 5 skills are
comprehensive and complete.
Positive self-talk, and eradicating negative feedback loops, is essential for
charging your mind and energy with power and to attract the right
people and circumstances into your life.
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Chapter 6
The 6 Core Values of the Unbeatable Mind
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When I was at SEAL Team Three, we had a smart guy in my platoon that
had been in the Teams for about 6 years. He was well respected and had
a lot of talent.
One day we had a ship-boarding training mission. “Q” was in a key
position, and this was a high-risk mission - even for a training op. At the
critical juncture Q lost his “bubble.” What I mean by that is he lost his
presence of mind. The outcome of his lack of awareness and mental
control led to the Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO) getting stuck in
about 50 feet of water, pinned down by a heavy load, with no air supply.
I was just surfacing and getting a head count when I noted the missing
man. Something had gone terribly wrong.
Four minutes and many frantic but hopeless dives to the bottom later,
Rob, the LCPO, casually came to the surface. He had used his skills and
presence of mind in a near-death crisis to calmly assess his situation
methodically work a solution.
In that moment, I witnessed an amazing display of mental toughness,
while simultaneously observing a massive personal failure. I learned
that values are a perishable skill. They must be honed daily or they will
wither on the vine of good intentions.
Later after debriefing the mission, we ascertained that Q had fallen off
the warrior path, was drinking heavily and taking some other substances
to alter his reality. He allowed a deteriorating situation on the home
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front to adversely affect his work. Q had lost his moral bearings, so to
speak. His values were compromised.
What values did he actually compromise, and what values could a
warrior and Unbeatable Mind trainee look to for guidance?
Before I dig into the actual values let me discuss values in general. Like
much of the English language the word has multiple meanings, and the
way we use the word may convey a unique meaning.
The term value is used to depict a quality or trait of something we hold
valuable. We are not thinking about monetary value, or something
having more value relative to some other valuable thing.
The term, as we define it, means a deeply held belief that a specific
behavior is worthy. A value is both a noun and a verb. We value a
behavior and demonstrate that value through our actions. We seek to be
more valuable to society and our families by practicing a powerful set of
values.
Values that are not practiced daily, and eventually turned into habits, are
just words on a piece of paper. A habituated value becomes a virtue.
We define virtuous behavior as behavior that flows from a set of higher
order values without wavering, day in and day out.
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Let’s get back to the specific values that could be powerful to adopt for
the Unbeatable Mind program. These are the values of SEALFIT,
influenced by the powerful Navy SEAL Ethos (the real SEAL Ethos is
included at the end of this book for reference).
Loyalty
Loyalty is to our family and our team. Loyalty is the glue that holds a
team together. It is built upon trust, accountability and love of your
teammates and family. Loyalty is displayed through our supportive
natures, always being ready to put the team’s interests in front of yours.
We don’t expect anything in return. The relationship is transformational
not transactional.
Loyalty is a two way street – it is both earned and entrusted. Loyal
teammates don’t stand for negative back-stabbing talk about any other
teammates and don’t engage in it themselves. You are there for your
team, 100%. This value includes tough love, such as what was metered
out to Q after his fall from grace. We were loyal to him, and ensured that
he got the help he needed. However, he lost the privilege to be on our
team as a result of his breach of trust.
Honor and integrity
There is a lot of talk about integrity in the world but not much action.
One common definition of integrity is doing the right thing in public as
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well as in private. Do the right thing when no one is looking! I enjoyed a
conversation with Joe S. after he completed the 3 week Academy and
Kokoro Camp. Joe is 54 years old and had trained for the experience for
over a year. He observed that during a particularly long and arduous
evolution in Kokoro camp he found himself running alone, approaching
the turn-around point. He thought to himself “who would know if I
turned around early?”
Joe quickly stuffed that negative thought, and said internally “I would
know!” Joe displayed honor and integrity in that moment. Of course, he
would know. No one else would know. But he is the most important
person in his world, so why would he cheat that most important person?
There is a valuable lesson here. When your thoughts, words and actions
are all in alignment, then you are “in integrity.” If Joe had taken that
shortcut, but presented to me that he completed the evolution as
prescribed, he would have known, in his heart, that he lacked integrity.
Lack of integrity, even in the minor things, is a terrible burden to carry
and a dagger through the heart of the warrior.
Leadership and follower-ship
During Kokoro camp we assign a class leader. He or she may not be the
strongest in the class. They may not even be good leaders. It doesn’t
matter. We simply want to challenge them to step up.
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There is another reason we don’t often choose “the best” leader for this
role. It is because we know that in a good team, everyone is a leader,
regardless of who is filling the “top job.” Positional stature is different
than authentic leadership. These two can overlap and often do, but we
must be aware that leadership and follower-ship (being a good team
player) are two sides to the same coin.
We must be good at both and you must be ready and willing to step up
at the snap of a finger if the situation calls for your expertise, your
strength or your presence of mind.
Responsibility
Responsibility is the willingness to lean into handling important tasks
and duties, and the willingness to be held Accountable for the outcome.
Often we need to take responsibility for not just our own actions, but
those of our teammates as well.
The mission is your responsibility, thus the team and tasks related to the
mission are also your responsibility. This does not mean that you have
to do all the work. Rather it means that you are on top, as are your
teammates, for ensuring everyone stays focused, on track and working
toward mission accomplishment.
Discipline
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Discipline is a “practice” as discussed in Chapter 2 (recall that the two
essential disciplines are Self-Mastery and Service). Discipline is also a
value. Good definitions include:
Calm controlled behavior: the ability to behave in a controlled and
calm way even in a difficult or stressful situation.
Conscious control over lifestyle: mental self-control used in
directing or changing behavior, learning something, or training for
something.
These two definitions are apt for describing the value of discipline. We
seek a disciplined mind in a tough situation, and we seek a disciplined
approach to gaining new skills, knowledge and experience. This value is
one of the more important values – as hard work and strong discipline
can overcome many other weaknesses along your journey.
The only easy day was yesterday
When you enter the Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training
compound on Coronado Island, there is a large sign above the instructor
podium in the grinder that states this value. It is both a motivational
saying and a value. Another common Navy SEAL value stated in a
familiar saying is “failure is not an option.” This motivates us to keep
going and states the value of not-quitting.
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The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday means to stay present, hit it hard
again right now, and don’t rest on yesterday’s accomplishments.
Yesterday is over. Tomorrow hasn’t happened. All you have is today,
right now! So get busy and give it your all.
Innovation
One of the hallmarks of SEAL operations is the flexibility, adaptability and
downright creative approaches that SEALs use to solve complex special
operations problems.
During the first gulf war – Desert Storm, there was a diversion mission
the SEALs ran that was hugely successful in tricking Saddam’s Army into
thinking the Marines were coming ashore. They weren’t – it was just a
platoon of SEALs up to their tricks.
When planning for the mission the SEALs struggled with how they could
get the huge amount of C-4 haversacks to shore on a swimming mission.
They didn’t want to risk bringing the demo in by boat because they
would be seen and the mission compromised. They couldn’t swim it all
in without taking many trips. The sharks and temperature of the water
made that a less-than-desirable option.
One young SEAL, from Southern California no doubt, suggested that they
get a bunch of boogie boards and float it in. The Officer in Charge
thought that was a pretty good idea. They sent the request back to
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Coronado for a bunch of blacked-out boogie boards to be sent to the gulf
ASAP.
You can only imagine the looks on the faces of the desk-bound former
combat vets who received the request. What the bleep, we thought we
were fighting a war and these guys want to boogie board!
Once the operational nature of the request was fully understood the
boards were sent, and the mission was a huge success. Innovation is
key. Never rest on your laurels, and never say something can’t be done.
It can be done. You just need to get creative and figure out how. Adapt,
improvise and overcome.
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Key Insights Chapter 6
Values must be powerful, meaningful to you, and they must be practiced
daily to become habit.
Values are displayed in action. The SEALFIT values are drawn from the
Navy SEAL ethos, and include:
Loyalty
Honor and Integrity
Responsibility and Accountability
Leadership and Teamwork (follower-ship)
Discipline
Hard work every day (the only easy day was yesterday)
Innovation
Values guide our actions and keep us from veering off track. They are a
perishable skill. If we lose sight of a value, or stop practicing it and it
wanes, then we can easily go off course and do some damage to our
reputations, or worse.
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Chapter 7
7 Secrets to Training Mental Toughness in Others
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At this point you are wondering how you, as a warrior and leader, can
train your team to be unbeatable. Let’s look at how we do it at SEALFIT.
Hard Physical Training
The easiest way to train for mental toughness is to do things that are
mentally tough. You don’t have to pay me for that juicy tidbit – you could
have probably figured it out by yourself. However, I have astutely
noticed that hard work for one individual or team is different than the
hard work of another. If you grow up pitching bales of hay for 8 hours a
day on a farm, then surviving the rigors of Special Forces training come
naturally to you.
If you grow up playing video games, and decide you want to be a SEAL
after rising to the top of your league in the SOCOM Navy SEALs online
multi-player game, then you are likely in for a reality check.
For us at SEALFIT, hard work is defined as long, intense, gut-wrenching
work. Work like 50 plus hours of non-stop physical and mental training
during our Kokoro Camp. Three weeks of non-stop dawn to dusk
training in the SEALFIT Academy will also do it. This is the type of hard
work that forges mental toughness and a warrior mindset. This training
allows our SEAL candidate trainees to tell us that Hell Week was “easy”
after doing Kokoro.
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We have an extremely high success rate getting our Academy and local
trainees through their special ops selection programs. Why? Because
hard work works!
Bottom line – train harder if you want to get mentally tough. Let’s look at
our other tactics and you can decide if they work for you, or for your
team.
Mind Games
Now that I have told you that you must work harder, now I get to tell you
to work smarter. That’s right – you must structure your training to
challenge your mind, not just your body. I had a trainee tell me during a
work capacity training session recently “I forgot that these workouts
were about training mental toughness – holy cow that was a mind f#$k!”
Yep.
We play tricks on the mind to condition it for the tricks and games that
nature and the enemy, or instructor cadre will play on you. Here are
some examples of the mind games we like to play:
False summits – we are at the end of a grueling 6-mile run at a fast pace.
The finish line is just ahead. You can see the training center. You are
almost there, just a few more seconds. Uh oh…why aren’t they
stopping? You get the picture.
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Chaos – move faster! Drop down! Get up! Who’s in charge of this goat
rope anyhow? Chaos is very disorienting and to some the out-of-control
feeling is terrifying. We create chaos to induce fear and an out-of-
control feeling in the trainee. This helps them to learn to control the
emotions and mind in the midst of really crappy situations.
Tip – this tactic should only be used with the buy-in of the trainee or you
will likely get sued. Use at your own risk!
You want me to do what? Our monthly SEALFIT Challenge is a good
example of this type of exercise. The challenge is meant to be a mental
training exercise that requires serious physical output. You should
prepare for these and expect some down time afterwards to recover.
A note about injuries – listen to your body during a Challenge event – if
you feel like you are going to injure yourself at any time, then back off
and come at the challenge another day. There is no reason to put
yourself at risk of injury to prove something to yourself. Some example
challenges include:
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1,000 push-ups for time
1,000 sit-ups for time
1,000 pull-ups for time
100 rope ascents for time
1,000 8-count body builders for time
1,000 burpees for time
1 mile walking lunge wearing a 20# weight vest for time
These challenges may be unrealistic for many, but if you train hard you
build. When you are ready, try the first one and you will understand how
shattering that paradigm builds extreme confidence in your ability to
push through self-imposed limits and meet your 20x factor.
Safety note: the challenges listed here are for trained athletes only. Do
not attempt them if you have not trained your body well. You can use the
baseline test provided at SEALFIT.com to see if you are ready for the
challenge, or you can contact me directly. Train smart.
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Setting yourself up for Failure
Sometimes we actually set up the training so that the trainees will fail.
This is how we get the point across that there really is no such thing as
failure, rather a series of lessons on the way to mastering something.
The more painful the lesson, the more valuable the skill or personal
attribute you seek to master. We don’t want our trainees to be afraid of
failure, but to embrace it as a critical component of the trial and error
growth process.
Team Training
If you have been on a great team – such as a winning sports team, or an
elite special ops team, then you understand this implicitly. Team
training is fun, complex, chaotic and multi-dimensional.
A well-designed team workout has all the juice to teach teamwork,
leadership, and mental toughness. It will also be a better physical
training session due to the accountability and motivation that the
trainees have to hold themselves to a higher standard. It is easy to just
grind through a workout when you are alone. But with a team, with all
eyes on you, the tendency is to put out 100% effort every time.
Realism in Training
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The closer you can build your workouts to being like the real deal, the
more mentally prepared you will be. You will have the “been there, done
that” attitude because, well, you have been there and done that.
Training techniques must be functional in design (ie: SEALFIT and
CrossFit versus P90X), cover the core competencies required for your
priority of focus (such as Strength, Stamina, Work Capacity, Endurance,
Durability and Mental Toughness), and must prepare you for both the
known & unknown. Train like you fight!
KISS
In the teams we had a saying “Keep it simple, stupid.” Simple is not easy.
In fact, it is easier to write a 10-page paper than a 1-page paper that gets
the same point across. The same principle applies to a training session.
I recommend using training tools and methods that most of your team
has a decent level of competency with. Otherwise, you will spend a ton
of time teaching new skills and not working out. New skills should be
presented in a workshop setting, not the training session. Complicated
workouts with complicated exercises can injure trainees as well. Keep
it simple in terms of tools, workout protocol, instructions, organization
and measuring success.
This will build team confidence, and enhance the mental fortitude of the
trainees by keeping the clutter to a minimum.
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Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)
SOP’s are another great tool for developing mental toughness. The
checklist a fighter pilot uses as he enters aerial combat is a mental aid
that frees up her mind for “higher order” thinking. The cognitive mind
occupies roughly 12% of our brainpower. The other 88% is the iceberg
beneath the surface – the subconscious mind.
By using checklists and standardized procedures for a large percentage of
routine tasks, then we can free up our brainpower for the creative
problem solving that can make the difference between success and
failure. One of our SOP’s is to brief every workout prior to starting.
That ensures that all teammates understand the flow and movements.
Another SOP is to perform a “baseline” workout as our warm-up. This is
different than everyone stretching and preparing on their own getting
ready for the “start.” We start by doing the baseline workout to get
everyone on the same physical and mental playing field. It clears the
body and mind of the day or night prior to the workout. Everyone
performs better on the main training sections after these baseline
workouts.
As with all good teams, everyone is accountable for the teams gear first,
then their teammates gear, and lastly their personal gear. This assures
that there is no-one standing around waiting for the rest of the team to
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get ready for the WOD, or waiting for the team to clean and stow their
gear after the session.
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Key Insights Chapter 7
Mental Toughness can be developed through circumstances in life that
create the conditions of hardship and deep introspection.
Special Ops programs don’t teach mental toughness, but they create
trying experiences which are excellent crucibles for forging mental
toughness.
The good news is that mental toughness can be trained without having
to get cancer, grow up on a hard labor farm or by joining the SEALs.
Mental toughness training involves the simulation of hard experiences,
not unlike SOF training, using tools such as:
• Very hard physical training
• Mental games and challenges
• Realistic training that allows for failure
• Team training that teaches accountability, reliability and elevated
work levels
• Tactics that de-clutter the battlefield- SOP’s and proper planning
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Chapter 8
The 8 Traits of an Unbeatable Mind
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Once you begin to master the skills of the Unbeatable Mind, you will want
to model specific behavior to achieve the extraordinary results available
to you by operating at this level.
It is time to take a look at the specific thought patterns and behaviors
you need to develop on your path to building your own unbeatable mind.
You will recognize many of the traits of an unbeatable mind depicted in
classic hero movies figures:
It is the Duke in a gunfight in the old western.
It is William Wallace leading his clansmen in Braveheart.
It is King Leonidas leading his 300 Spartans at the battle of Thermopile.
These men are unflappable, unfazed and dead certain in the midst of the
most intense, chaotic and grim of circumstances. They are larger than
life. You may have a few real life examples of unbeatable warriors in
your life. We learn from and are motivated by their example.
Tadashi Nakamura, founder of Seido Karate, was one of mine. I continue
to be influenced by Mr. Nakamura’s example of stoic strength, beginner’s
mind, and disciplined approach to his personal life and business.
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There are many more unknown warriors who possess these same traits.
They are the quiet professionals who have stepped up to the plate to live
the warrior’s life and lead by example.
We aspire to understand and develop the traits these great men and
women possess in this program. Let’s take a look at these character
traits.
8 Traits of an Unbeatable Mind
Single Point Focus
Uncommon Resolve
Positive Attitude
Discernment
Unflappable
High Pain Tolerance
Other Focused
Humble Acceptance
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Single Point Focus
The “main thing” that King Leonidas focused on at Thermopile was a
victory of his country over the Persians. He was willing to fight to the
death alongside 300 of his most disciplined warriors not for the military
victory, but rather for the symbolic victory of the bravery, warrior ethos
and unity of all Greeks. Leonidas knew that the example of his 300
would inspire and unite all of Greece to rise up against the invaders.
Yes he must simultaneously focus on the battle at hand, and at leading his
men in the most challenging battle of their lives. He does not let the
tactical decisions distract him from communicating and telegraphing his
single point focus and definition of strategic victory.
Uncommon Resolve
Unbeatable warriors such as Leonidas are willing to fight to the death for
an important cause. This is a hallmark of a true warrior. Courage
comes not from bravado, or being the Rambo, rather a deep-seated
understanding of honor and its role in the warriors life…
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Honor is displayed in our every action.
A life without honor is a life without purpose.
A life without purpose is not worth living.
Any purpose worth living for is also worth dying for.
A warrior is spiritual aligned and willing to live and die for a
worthy cause.
Hiker Aaron Ralston chopped his arm off to escape from certain death
after being trapped by a rock for 5 days in the desert sun. He had
Uncommon Resolve as a result of a burning desire to live a life of
meaning, which he had as yet, begun to unfold. Uncommon Resolve
drives us forward relentlessly toward our goals. No setbacks or
challenges can take the resolute off task.
Navy SEAL Marcus Littrell fought off over100 Taliban after being
compromised in Afghanistan and watching his three teammates die in
the firefight. Marcus has uncommon resolve to live and tell the story of
his team, which he did in the best selling book Lone Survivor.
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Positive Attitude
The unbeatable warrior-mind is positive no matter how shitty things get.
He sees the silver lining in everything. The unbeatable mind finds
victory where it is at - right here and right now! No excuses or
negativity allowed.
Remember that things can only get worse with a bad attitude. A positive
attitude – one that seeks a positive solution to everything rather than
pointing the finger at the err-doer, is a hallmark of the unbeatable mind.
The re-direct and maintenance tools provided in Chapter 1 are essential
for developing this trait.
Discernment
The ability to discern truth from falsehood, good people from bad, the
right action from the wrong action is a trait that is cultivated over time.
It is developed through trial and error, and as the result of deepening
your awareness through the practice of the silent skills such as breath
control, contemplation and meditation.
One of the more unique traits of an unbeatable mind is an uncanny sense
of awareness. In the SEALs we call this “situational awareness” and it
extends to awareness of:
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One’s own thoughts and emotions
Your teammate’s thoughts and emotions
Your enemy’s thoughts and emotions
The environment around you
Natural laws and principles guiding human behavior
At SEAL Team THREE I was privileged to do three back-to-back platoons
in the same platoon. Some of the men I worked with for over 3 years.
This is more common with Special Forces A Teams than in the SEALs.
What happened was very enlightening. I developed an uncanny 6th sense
of what my key leaders were thinking during long missions.
These missions required long durations of silence, communicating with
hand signals, and the nod of a head or a certain look. Images would flash
in my head of a route or something that they were thinking. Or I would
just “know” what they were going to do. It was very cool. I also noticed
that this skill dissolved when I went back to an “office” environment. It
was a perishable skill. It must be practiced, and is an outcome of the
silence practices outlined in this book. In the field it develops naturally as
a human capacity that had lain dormant in modern warriors through lack
of use.
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My friend and SCARS hand-to-hand combat instructor was a guy named
Mike Jaco. Mike is 100% authentic warrior. After 23 years in the SEALs
he found himself as a contractor in Iraq during the most dangerous
period after the 2004 killing of the 4 American Blackwater employees in
Fallujah.
Mike was a dedicated meditation practitioner and had developed many of
the subtle intuition skills that are so valuable to a warrior. On multiple
occasions he received overpowering images and feelings of an
impending ambush or IED attack. He listened to these “pre-cognition”
signals and directed his team to take different routes on those occasions.
Later investigation proved that he was correct in almost every instance.
I highly recommend his excellent book “Intuitive Warrior” as additional
reading about Mike and his experiences.
Discernment, intuition and heightened awareness are cultivated through
many hours training and by studying human behavior. Some of you may
be skeptical of these skills, but this is only because you have not been
fortunate enough to be able to train to develop these skills. Laying the
foundation for cultivating these skills is one of our objectives during the
3 week SEALFIT academy.
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Unflappability
One of the more overt traits of the Unbeatable Mind is that it is calm and
unflappable while under extreme pressure. It is this quality that
observers will be drawn to when they seek leadership in a complex,
chaotic situation.
How does the warrior maintain an unflappable attitude and mind while
under stress? Perhaps the most valuable skill is breath control. Breath
control was discussed at length in Chapter 5. Through deep, controlled
and rhythmic breathing, one is able to slow the brain’s conscious activity
and regulate the heart rate and other body functions. The stress
response is brought under control as well, and the stress hormones
become a source of strength versus weakness. Remember – still water
runs deep!
High Pain Tolerance
The unbeatable mind suffers in silence and “embraces the suck.” This is
a trained quality that comes through a deliberate internalization of any
expression of pain and discomfort.
Nobody wants to participate in someone else’s pity party, especially if
that person is a leader. It undermines leadership and trust. It projects
weakness.
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Start by putting a smile on your face in the middle of challenging
workouts. You will find this difficult, but the action will give you
strength and train your pain tolerance. Say to yourself “pain is
weakness leaving the body!” and you will begin to grow tolerant of pain,
then even embrace it.
Other Focused
The unbeatable warrior focuses on the team and not himself. A key
insight, some would even say paradigm or consciousness shift, occurs
during trying circumstances, such as the SEALFIT Kokoro camp, when
the realization sets in that they cannot make it alone. This shift will not
happen until the moment of “physical rock bottom.”
Former NFL running back Derek Price had this experience during
Kokoro Camp 17. I will let his own words describe the paradigm shift
from “me” to “we” that he experienced during the camp:
“I just wanted to take a minute, now that I can think clearly and walk
almost normal, and say thank you for all the lessons you taught me over
the weekend. The program you guys put forth was above and beyond my
expectations. When I signed up for SEALFIT a year ago it was about
having a personal goal to see if "I" could complete the program, it was for
"me" to see where my limits were and to find out if "I" was mentally tough
enough to stick it out.
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Well, I walk away from last weekend with a totally different experience
than I had planned on. It wasn’t about me at all. There was no I, there
was no me and I loved that. To work with a group of like-minded guys
and overcome tough stuff together with encouragement along the way is
truly awesome.
I took so much more from this camp than I gave. I have been in some kind
of a search for the past 10 years after I left Football. I’ve been looking for
personal challenges and knocking them down. Even after my Iron man
races and Open Water distance races I would not feel satisfied. I couldn’t
put my finger on it. That all has changed since Kokoro. It’s not about
"me," it’s not about what can "I" do. It’s what can my Team do, how can I
help someone else get there. That’s what Kokoro did for me. It opened my
eyes, opened a new door in my life. It showed me the very piece I’ve been
looking for. It opened me to the bigger picture and that’s my new fuel. I
will take from Kokoro the joy in Teamwork, the power of one group
working together to accomplish hard things together.”
The body, left to the direction of the monkey mind control, simply cannot
handle extreme loads. By taking your eyes, and hence your minds, off of
yourself and placing them upon your teammates, you release the ego
driven mind and open up to the selfless, expansive mind.
The opening that this release creates allows an influx of energy to drive
you forward. Add to this the energy of your teammates as they focus on
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helping you out, and you see at least a 10x in energy return. This is
what Mr. Price experienced, and what all of you must strive for.
Humble Acceptance
The unbeatable mind operates with grace and humility even when the
situation seems out of control. The term “suffers in silence” is a trained
attitude that comes from letting go of control.
Accept that you cannot control the situation, or your teammates, or your
enemy. In fact you can’t control anything but your mind’s reaction to
external stimuli. Recall the first premise.
Humility starts with the humble acceptance that some things are out of
your control, and that pain is temporary, but regret is forever.
These are the traits of the Unbeatable Mind.
Effortless Perfection
The Japanese have a word for effortless perfection: shibumi. Though an
elusive goal, ultimate mastery of awareness and the unbeatable mind is
total presence, all the time. As mentioned earlier the Native Apache’s
called this “Sacred Silence.” Elkhart Tolle calls it the “Now,” as in “The
Power of Now.”
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I don’t believe we should focus on nor expect this state to arrive easily.
Rather, our mission is to discipline ourselves for a daily practice.
Practice and the results will come. Don’t sweat the details of when it will
come or why isn’t it coming faster. The results come when you are ready,
no sooner.
The goal of Unbeatable Mind training is to ground your practice in the
quiet moments; gain competence in the quiet moments. Then take it to
the “arena” and practice it there. When we can move with shibumi in
the arena – such as a SEALFIT WOD or a firefight, we have achieved
mastery.
The beauty and joy lies in the journey, not the destination.
Along the way, we will experience more and longer “peak experiences”
extended periods of Total Presence. These are your mile-markers on the
road to mastery.
Effortless Perfection is a concept that most spiritual traditions reference
in some form or another:
• Enlightenment (Buddhism)
• Satori (Zen)
• Atman (Hindu)
• Union / Bliss (Yoga)
• Christ Consciousness (Christianity)
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In closing…
Developing an Unbeatable Mind is a lifetime process. Mental toughness
is a perishable skill. If you don’t constantly challenge yourself, push
yourself to new limits, and test your “grit” then you will backslide and
get mushy. It is important for you to stay in the arena of hard work and
adventure. By setting challenging goals for yourself every year, and
working to knock them down, you will continue to grow your unbeatable
mind and warrior spirit.
Don’t let your guard down.
Don’t be common. Common is boring.
Be special. Be Unbeatable!
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Chapter 8 Key Insights
Warriors display a common set of 8 character traits of an unbeatable
mind. These 8 traits are trained to be habits in the warrior.
Single Point Focus
Uncommon Resolve
Positive Attitude
Discernment
Unflappable
High Pain Tolerance
Other Focused
Humble Acceptance
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Epilogue
Introduction to Warrior Yoga
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Warrior Yoga Introduction There are too many benefits to Warrior Yoga to list and describe in this chapter. The benefits to the warrior athlete include: Body Awareness & Control – bringing deep awareness to how your body moves and works. Senses are turned inward in an effort to “listen and feel” with refined skills. This practice deepens our intuition. The awareness spills over to our SEALFIT fitness training as we move with more purpose, sensitivity to the quality of movement, and virtuosity.
Core Development – the core in yoga is built at a very deep “root” level. This strength is what leads to the seemingly magical powers to do arm balances and poses whereby you see a trainee hovering a foot off the floor balancing on their palms. This core strength supplements the core development that occurs through functional strength training. Concentration Development – a primary benefit and focus of the practice is to deepen your concentration. Warrior Yoga is a “moving concentration practice” and also includes seated concentration linked with breath control and visualization. Balance – balance starts with a calm mind, and then extends to our core grounding itself with the earth. Balance in yoga is much subtler than typical athletic balance, and can lead us to be much more graceful in our physical endeavors. Flow - The movements flow from one to another such that the practice has qualities like a dance, or martial arts kata. This flow cultivates internal energy and concentration. Energy Movement – moving your internal energy (prana, ki, force) intentionally is the focus of the breathing practices, and occurs as part of the flow of the yoga practice. This has many health benefits as well as allowing us to muster this internal energy and project it forcefully.
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Cleansing & Detoxifying – the heat, twisting and bending all serve to mash our internal organs like a washing machine leading to a great detoxification and cleansing. Moving Meditation – as we move in concentration we will also find moments of total release. This release is similar to the flow state where there is “no mind” present, rather you are moving from the witness. Finding this state while moving helps us to transfer it to the arena and find this state in the chaos of a workout, or life in general.
Integrative “whole person” practice – SEALFIT warrior yoga encompasses all 5 mountains of SEALFIT training. It is truly an integrative practice. In fact, one definition of “yoga” is integration. Clearly there is a lot going on here! Due to the comprehensive nature of warrior yoga I recommend this practice as a core component to your training plan. This introduction is merely a glimpse of the training. The companion video that comes with the Unbeatable Mind product will take you through one version of the practice. Note: see sealfit.com for details of the Unbeatable Mind product if you purchased the book as a stand-alone item. The product has 5 powerful bonus training tools that you will need to utilize on your journey. There are many different pose types utilized in warrior yoga. These poses are sequenced based upon the objectives of the training session. The session may be a recovery or a hard session. The primary pose types include: Balancing poses are predominantly standing poses and develop balance in our minds and bodies.
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Strengthening poses are mostly core focuses or rely on arm balances. These poses are typically the most challenging. Lengthening and Extending poses are most commonly associated with yoga, and have been used in athletic training as stretching exercises for years. Restoring and Contracting poses help to lengthen our spinal columns and are closely related to lengthening poses. For every lengthening pose there is a contracting pose. Cleansing poses typically show up as twists. The twists compress and “wring out” the internal organs. Inversion poses include plow, headstand, handstand, shoulder stand, and variations on all these. Getting the blood to flow in the opposite direction and to allow the organs to “hang” upside down are both very healthy. Resting poses are used as finishing poses. The most obvious example of this is the “shavasana” or dead man’s pose that ends every practice. I will be releasing a warrior yoga sequence in the unbeatable mind online academy. The following is an example sequence.
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Warrior Yoga Flow
Preparation stage:
Prepare space for your practice (mat, water, timer, quiet)
Sit in Zen posture, and set intentions for session
Visualization exercise 3 – 5 minutes Childs Pose – Box Breathing – minimum 10 cycles
Press to Down Dog, then come to Mountain Pose
Standing Sequence (Centering breath, 5 count hold):
3 x Sun Salutation 1 (Mountain to forward bend, vinyasa up/down dog, to forward bend, to mountain. Hold down dog 5 breaths)
3 x Sun Salutation 2 (same as 1, but add warrior 1 each side w/vinyasa between. Hold last down dog 5 breaths)
Warrior Sequence – done on each side w/ vinyasa between: Warrior 1, 2, 3 Humble Warrior Reverse Warrior 1 Forward Bend (toes, hands) Archer (Spirit Breath)
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Side Angle Balancing Side Angle Triangle & Reverse Triangle Head to Knee Twisting Triangle Sampson to side twist to pigeon Wide Leg Forward bends (arms back, hands at feet) Standing Bow Eagle Standing head to knee series Crane – vinyasa to mountain pose
Transition Breathing Exercises:
Windmill Squat Breath Scooping water from the stream Kria Vinyasa to seated position
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Add Optional workout module here (see next section on Optional modules)
Seated Postures (Vinyasa between postures. Centering Breath – 5 count hold)
Forward Bend Upside down plank One – legged bend (hurdler) Knee to shoulder Thread the needle Happy Baby Lizard – hand release Bow Side Bow Camel Rabbit Butterfly Wide angle forward bend & touch behind head Boat to Handstand
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Supine head to knee – side Seated hands to toes and head to knees Table Top back bend Wheel Back Bend (3 – 6x) Forward bend head to knees Shoulder stand Toes over head Head Stand Knee hug twist Matsi twist Forward bend head to knees Vinyasa to knees Cleansing Breath Balancing Breath Dead Man’s pose w/ Resting breath
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Optional Modules
If you intend to use the Warrior Yoga session as your WOD and need additional work, then consider adding either of these three modules between the standing and seated poses:
Body Weight Intensity:
o 10 rounds of 20 push-ups, 20 air-squats (or equivalent) o “Grinder” PT with various body weight exercises o Any bodyweight intervals that work for you. Keep this to
between 10 and 20 minutes maximum
KB or DB Intensity: Using a single KB or DB, do a WOD such as:
o 10 rounds of 5 Swings, 10 Thrusters o 5 rounds of 10 1-arm snatch (ea side), 20 Swings o Any variation that works for you. Keep to 10-20 minutes
Combat Conditioning: If you have experience with martial arts, kickboxing, or the like, then a martial movement module also works very well here:
o Any sequence of punches, kicks, squats (ducks) and burpees
growing in complexity as you move through WOD. Again keep to between 10 and 20 minutes.
Hybrid: combine any or all of the above
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Navy SEAL ETHOS
In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready
to answer our Nation’s call. A common man with an uncommon desire
to succeed. Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America’s finest
special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and
protect their way of life.
I am that man.
My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the
heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn
to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my
chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every
day.
My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a
guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are
unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work,
nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent
hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others
before my own.
I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my
emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from
other men. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and
honor are steadfast. My word is my bond.
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We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders I will take charge,
lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all
situations.
I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects
me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If
knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every
remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish
our mission. I am never out of the fight.
We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates
and the success of our mission depend on me - my technical skill, tactical
proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete.
We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum
of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals
established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and
violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to
defend.
Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared
reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the
legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every
deed.
I will not fail.
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Unbeatable Mind© Copyright Mark Divine 2011 – 2012
125
About the Author
Mark Divine is Founder and CEO of US Tactical, which operates SEALFIT,
NavySEALs.com and USCrossFit. He started his athletic career as a
swimmer and rower in college then became a competitive triathlete and
martial artist before joining the Navy in 1990 as a SEAL officer.
He graduated as honor-man of his SEAL training class 170 and served on
active duty for nine years. Mark retired as a Commander from the Navy
Reserve in 2011.
At SEALFIT, CDR Divine has trained and mentored thousands of Navy
SEAL and other special-ops candidates to succeed in the most
demanding military training programs in the world. His success rate
with SEALFIT in preparing candidates is unrivaled.
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About SEALFIT
SEALFIT has grown out of my own 20-year career as a Navy SEAL
officer, 25 as a martial artist in various traditions and over 15 practicing
Yoga. Additionally, my passion for leadership and teambuilding has
spanned another 20 years. I have been a student of physical training,
mental toughness, leadership and teambuilding since I was 21. Added to
this is a vast experience in training and mentoring SEAL and SOF
candidates through NavySEALs.com and on contract with the U.S. Navy.
SEALFIT has trained many hundreds of candidates for the most
demanding Special Operations schools in the world – most have
succeeded.
SEALFIT is not Navy SEAL training, nor does the Navy endorse it.
However, we have an excellent reputation amongst BUD/s instructors
and our program is used at the Naval Academy to prepare for the Marine
and SEAL challenge.
We teach things the Navy does not teach due to their risk aversion.
Many SEALs and SOCOM Special Operators, as well as military warriors
from all the services and service academies, routinely use SEALFIT as
their primary training regimen, or to supplement their regimens. We
also have many SWAT teams and Federal agency teams who use SEALFIT
as their training regimen.
SEALFIT is designed for anyone willing to work hard for the important
things in life. It is for warriors of all walks of life. SEALFIT is about
training you in advanced, but time-tested, methods to develop you as a
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whole person along a warrior-athlete path. So, if you are just looking to
get ripped abs, or a cool experience, then this is not for you. You will
not last. SEALFIT takes a level of discipline and commitment that is
uncommon in our society today.
SEALFIT is a way of life for us who train daily. We are a dojo of sorts for
developing elite functional fitness, mental toughness and a warrior spirit.
As a member of our growing team we encourage you to set SMART goals
for your training. One long-term goal could be to attend the Kokoro
Camp, or the weeklong Warrior Athlete Certification, or the three-
week Warrior Leader Academy. You will never look at life the same
way again!
Check our web site www.sealfit.com for details. Support is only a phone
call or email away.
Contact us at (760) 634-1833 or [email protected] if you have a serious
question about this program or your next steps with SEALFIT.
Train hard, stay safe and have fun!
Unbeatable Mind© Copyright Mark Divine 2011 – 2012
128
8 Weeks to SEALFIT Online Coaching
The 8 Weeks to SEALFIT Online Coaching program is a scalable,
functional online training program that meets the needs of beginner to
intermediate trainees. This program is designed for those who do not
have access to a functional training gym or coach and plan to go it alone.
Online Coaching:
• Dramatically increase your overall athletic performance
• Build lean muscle mass and an athletic body
• Enhance endurance, strength, stamina, work capacity, durability
and mental toughness
• Provide you exclusive training methods used by elite military
athletes and top CrossFit, SEALFIT and adventure athletes
• Introduce you to a foundation of strength and high intensity,
functional interval training regimen not found in traditional gyms
or with personal trainers
• Prepare you for the known and the unknown, making you fit
across a broad spectrum of skills
• Reduce injuries
Included in the coaching:
• A structured and progressive workout training plan
• Weekly email access with your SEALFIT coach
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• Access to our Online Training Platform and Journal
• 8 week Body-weight only Pre-Training program daily workouts
• 12 week Basic Training program daily workouts
• Ongoing WODs once you complete the Basic Training
• Warm up and Recovery sessions
• Videos describing techniques and proper form for all lifts and
movements
• Specific information on equipment for each workout
• Access to a members-only SEALFIT forum to communicate with
coaching staff and other SEALFIT trainees
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Testimonials for SEALFIT
Mark,
As you probably know, you’re running a world-class program – and by
far the Best in Brand! I’ve seen what else is out there – there is nothing
comparable or close to what you have. Every time I stop by there it gets
better. Thanks for the opportunity to speak with your class last week –
and looking forward to getting out there again. Most of the guys you’re
mentoring there are doing well here in training”.
–Paul Tharp, Command Master Chief, SEAL Basic Underwater
Demolition/ SEAL training
_______________________________________________________________________________
Mark,
I am sitting at my desk working on some reports, but all I can think
about is the amazing weekend that just took place. WOW! That was
truly (in your words) EPIC. You and your team of instructors pulled off
an incredible task. The amount of logistical work and preparation that
goes into Kokoro must be immense. I really appreciate all of your
support and encouragement leading up to the event and during the
final stages when I was definitely starting to physically hurt.
I knew you were heavily involved in the martial arts, but I never
realized the extent of the depth of your study and knowledge until this
weekend. My training in the martial arts and CrossFit, up to this point
in my life, has been mainly physical. I am now starting to become much
more interested in the spiritual path that all warriors must eventually
walk. I thought your lectures on Yoga, the Warrior Spirit and
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Leadership were outstanding. I would really like to learn more on those
topics from you when I am in a slightly more “alert” state of mind!
Greg Amundson, CrossFit HQ and Amundson CrossFit
_______________________________________________________________________________
At first I thought that SEALFIT was all about getting into great shape.
As we got into your specific training methods it became clear that the
mental toughness skills you teach are the crown jewels in your system.
That was critical for me because as one of the older warriors (54) you
showed me that with specific breathing techniques, thought control
process and emotional awareness age is a state of mind. Of course the
result of the ongoing training is I'm in my best condition physically but
more importantly my mental toughness is at it's peak and dare I say my
spiritual awareness is expanding through the mediation practices you
teach.
Mark, SEALFIT is the complete warrior way to full wellbeing. Thank
you for your mentoring.
- Joe Stumpf
_______________________________________________________________________________
Mark,
Thank you for the amazing experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire
weekend. The sleep deprivation completely wrecked me, but it was
worth the insight and awareness I gained about myself and my
abilities. I’ve been involved in team sports my entire life and nothing
comes close to what was achieved over that weekend. I’ve never seen a
group come together so quickly and never seen so many people step up
to a challenge in order to help their teammates. I hope the others
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gained as much from it as I have. I am a better person, father, husband,
athlete and businessman because of it. Thank you,
Tommy Hackenbruck, Rogue Fitness Athlete / UTE CrossFit
_______________________________________________________________________________
We are in a transitional time in our country where many of the
institutions, ideas and ideals no longer provide us the security they once
promised. It's during these challenging times that developing mental
toughness is most necessary. We need to learn to find our center,
expand our minds, open our hearts and once again create the
conditions for our own flourishing. Commander Mark Divine (U.S. Navy
SEAL)'s new book "Unbeatable Mind" shows us the way. Do you have
to be a Navy SEAL or want to be in the Special Operations community
to benefit from his warrior training program? No. All you have to be is
a human being who wants to develop the capacity to thrive in the world.
Michael D. Ostrolenk
_____________________________________________________________________________
Hi Mark,
I want to thank you for the experience of SEALFIT a few weeks ago. I
learned a lot about myself, my abilities, and my pre-conceived
limitations. As time is rolling by, I’m finding value and lessons in the
details. Thanks again for providing a testing ground for elite athletes.
Because of SEALFIT I am considering entering a half marathon
....Imagine that…a competitive strongman running 13 miles. Who would
have thought?
Rob Orlando, Hybrid Athletics, CrossFit Strongman Certification
_____________________________________________________________________________
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First off I’d like to thank Coach Mark and all other contributors to the
SEALFIT program for dedicating your time and energy to helping
people find, revive or create a part of them once never known, or lost.
Personally, I am finding a power inside of myself I had no idea was
there and had I not started this program, I still would not know I
possess. Before this program, I was a 19 year old high school graduate
completely lost in what he wanted to do with his life and going nowhere
fast. As the time came to make a decision on what I want to accomplish
in life, the idea of the military came up. My father spent 20 years in the
Navy, so I thought I would follow in his footsteps and do the same. Little
did I know that my heart would lead me in the direction of Special
Forces. Once I was in DEP and figured out that this was real, I looked
myself in the mirror and had a hard time telling myself that I had what
it takes. Then one day, one SEALfitter came into the gym I work at and
turned me onto the program, and from then on I have not looked back.
Thanks to SEALFIT, I have gone from having hardly any confidence in
myself, to knowing that there is not one challenge I can be faced with
that, pass or fail, I won’t give everything I have to complete. Everyday I
bring myself to higher levels of mental strength that I did not know I
had, doing things I thought only professionals were capable of. My mind
tells me to quit, and my mind tells me I’m not good enough, yet my
heart and soul persevere through and prove it wrong. Had I always
possessed this trait? Yes. However, I had no idea that I did and that I
was capable of retrieving it until I started this program.
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Now I am in the DEP for the Navy and have a ticket to BUD/s, and
thanks to Coach Mark and all other coaches and my “teammates” I
have it set in my mind that it will be a one-way ticket and for that I
cannot thank you enough! - Don Dirkin
_______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Mark,
I wanted to drop you a line and tell you how glad I am to see you guys
at SEALFIT using that kind of exercise prescription for your clients. I’m
glad to see the military community is slowly but surely catching on to
the science of physical training. I’m one of the Strength & Conditioning
coaches at the Naval Special Warfare Prep Course in Great Lakes, as
well as a CrossFit Instructor, and a former U.S. Marine, so I’m always
glad to see programs like yours doing well! - Confidential Source
_______________________________________________________________________________
I wanted to send a big thank you to all the trainers working on the
programming at SEALFIT. Last week I attended “Phase II,” an
assessment for officers, and future officers, interested in the Special
Tactics career field. This was a physically and mentally demanding
week, however, I felt as prepared as I could have been for it thanks to
SEALFIT. Your programming served as the base to my training (I
tapered ~2 weeks out and began focusing on more running, swimming,
and water confidence 3 months out). I was able to make it through each
evolution strong and put out when others were just getting by. I was
selected at the end of the week and will continue using SEALFIT as a
base for my physical training. –JA
_______________________________________________________________________________
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Mark,
My daughter is an Academy grad and currently stationed in Norfolk but
getting ready for a Germany tour. She has spoken with some of her
chiefs and they endorse your operation very highly and even mentioned
that some of your candidates fare better in their training after having
been to one of your camps. That is certainly an excellent
recommendation and thought that you would like to know that your
program and its reputation have spread all the way to the east coast.
— Linda, SEAL Candidate Mom
_______________________________________________________________________________
Hello Coach,
I just wanted to drop line that is straight from the heart. Thanks to you
I’ve invented a whole new way to do my work. The work I do is very
physically demanding, so through your teaching on meditation,
breathing, and mental toughness - I'm working at an elite level.
My boss says, “I wish I had 5 more like you.” And I think to myself,
thanks coach, thanks for your emails, thanks for your truth, thanks for
your leadership, thanks for SEALFIT, and most of all thank you for the
sacrifice you made. Thank you straight from the heart! -Jerry Baird __________________________________________________________________________
Without getting into great detail I just wanted to say thank you. The
training was such an awesome experience. It has been a tremendous
catalyst for personal growth and change like no other in my life. What
I learned and practiced at the camp has engrained itself in my mind,
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body and spirit. Yet, it has enabled me to continue to grow and change
and it seems that I am growing on a very deep level at an exponential
rate. This does not mean there have not been difficulties, valleys and
summits or even false summits, but that I understand those and can
handle them with grace and understanding. You have given me the
fires in which forge my life and for that I thank you.
--Brian Rosol
_______________________________________________________________________________
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