My name is Ron White. I am a two-time USA Memory Champion, memory training expert, and memory keynote speaker. I want to take this opportunity to tell you how proud I am of our Navy Seals, and our country, in light of the recent mission to find and eliminate Osama Bin Ladin’s reign of terrorism.
As a nation, and around the world, people are in awe of the discipline, focus and heroism of this elite group of men who were able to accomplish something that has been elusive for almost ten years.
U.S. Navy Seals are among the best-trained and skilled soldiers in the world. Only a handful of men are able to withstand the rigorous physical and mental training required to become a member of this squad. It is their mental training that helps them overcome the physical obstacles that allows them to complete the missions they set out to do.
For years I have been talking about how to “Think Like A US Navy Seal.†I have even designed a workshop around this mindset because I have been lucky enough to see firsthand what the proper memory training can do in my life, and can do in yours.
I entered the U.S. Memory Championship three times. After I lost the first time I hired a friend and former Navy Seal, T.C. Cummings to help train me to think Like A US Navy Seal. T.C.’s guidance helped me to win the next two U.S. Memory Championships, and I would like to pass this expertise along to you.
1. Focus!!! Create a goal and keep working toward it. Lack of focus leads to lost opportunities, stress, physical decline, a feeling of frustration and of being overwhelmed. It causes you to stop working toward your dream and quit. Navy Seals fail all the time, but they don’t quit. They keep practicing until their moves and mindset comes as easily as breathing.
2. Make a Plan. How are you going to achieve your goal, what do you need to set it in motion? In business that starts with a good business plan. Setting your goals and direction in writing creates a blueprint on what you want, and what you will need, in order to accomplish your goal. Without a plan to work with you will not be able to maintain your focus, and eventually lose sight of your goal.
3. Look at your goals with “Hard Eyes and Soft Eyes.†Navy Seals use these terms to describe the overall picture (Soft Eyes) and the details (Hard Eyes). You need to take in the big picture as well as the details, constantly moving back and forth from soft eyes to hard eyes, yet always keeping your focus on the target (goal). Both aspects are equally important in order to succeed.
4. Don’t lose track of your objective. Don’t allow yourself to be derailed by distractions. Decide if the distraction is going to take your attention away from your goal, or if you can use it to achieve your target. Life happens, and distractions will always come up. If you can’t dismiss the smaller distractions, or delegate them to someone else, they may become larger distractions that will totally derail you. If you can use the distraction to help you achieve your goal – like networking or attending a seminar, then do so, keeping in mind your overall focus.
“Objectives are not fate; they are direction. They are not commands; they are commitments. They do not determine the future; they are means to mobilize the resources and energies of the business for the making of the future.” – Peter F. Drucker, American Educator and Writer (b. 1909)
5. Be prepared! Just like Murphy’s Law, what can go wrong, will go wrong. Be prepared for any contingency. That is accomplished by planning ahead, looking at the big picture as well as the details, and practice. Surround yourself with a team of people who will have your back, and you will have theirs. Bounce ideas off them, and listen to what they have to say. Work with them as a team, communicating with them constantly and openly.
6. Step back sometimes to clear your head. When you find yourself getting too bogged down with problems, and having trouble seeing solutions, take a break and clear your head. Take a walk, listen to music, read a book or work with your hands – find something you are passionate about to take your mind away from your problems for a little while so that when you are ready you can go back with a new perspective.
On May 1, 2011 one Navy Seal unit was able to complete the mission they had been trained to do. By using the tools they had learned (above) – Focus on the mission (finding and restraining Osama Bin Laden), make a plan, look at the overall picture as well as the details, prepare for any contingency (like a helicopter failure) and not letting that become a distraction from their goal – our Seals were able to complete their mission without any harm to any of their team. They can proudly say “Mission Accomplished.â€
For more information on “Thinking Like A U.S. Navy Seal,†check out our CDs and seminars.