An Unbreakable Mindset: What Navy Seals Do

We’re going to make mistakes.

It’s part of the process of growth.

When we do, patience will help us:

• overcome it

• learn from it

• continue on

Our teammates are human.

They will also make mistakes.

Getting frustrated with a teammate doesn’t help them or you.

If you want to be a great teammate, start by being patient.

Everything is a process.

We can’t achieve a goal on the first step.

We can’t master a new skill on Day 1 of practising it.

Being patient with the process helps us be consistent.

Relentless consistency over time wins.

We can apply patience every day in countless ways.

Start with yourself. What are you working towards?

Give yourself permission to be patient.

Then start being more patient with others.

“Be present” is the second pillar of mindset.

SEAL training is notoriously difficult.

But SEALs often say the same thing: There’s no single element that’s extraordinarily difficult.

Almost everyone can complete each one.

It’s the totality of it that breaks people.

When do you think most people quit in SEAL training?

Hell Week? No.

Most people quit in one of the *easiest* evolutions.

It’s a 1-mile beach run.

No time requirement.

You just have to look like you’re running.

The catch: you don’t know when it will end.

Run until the instructors tell you to stop.

So why do so many quit when all they need to do is lightly jog?

Simple: they fail to stay present.

Instead of thinking about the next step, they wonder when it will end.

They tell themselves they can’t do this for hours longer.

They become mentally broken.

Focus on what you’re doing right now.

Not later today, not tomorrow, not next week.

Practice training your mind to be in THIS moment.

You’ll fail - it’s okay. Just bring yourself back.

Practice this consistently, and you’ll quickly develop the muscle.

“Be deliberate” is the third pillar or mindset.

Being deliberate means exercising self-control.

We must be deliberate in 2 ways:

• with our actions

• with our speech

For SEALs, this is obvious. Every physical action can mean life or death in combat.

Thankfully for most of us, that’s not the case.

But our actions still matter. They keep us safe, healthy and productive.

The spoken word is powerful.

Most SEALs waste few words.

They're extremely intentional in what they say.

This has been trained into them. When things get hard, the power of our speech is amplified.

Our tongue is our rudder.

Pay attention to what you do.

• What do you eat?

• How do you recharge?

• How do you manage your time?

Pay attention to your words.

• Do they serve you or others?

• Do they supply energy vs. drain it?

• Are they effective?

Be intentional.

So, that’s how Navy SEALs teach mindset.

1. Be patient

2. Be present

3. Be deliberate

It's simple, not easy.

But if it works in the most high-risk environments on earth, it will work for you.