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Ron White, two-time USA Memory Champion, would like to share with you the value of keeping the pressure on yourself, as part of discipline training taught through the “Mind of a U.S. Navy SEAL” workshops.

When things are going well in your life how often do you lean back in your chair, thread your fingers behind your head and smile? You are happy to bask in your success and achievement, but does it stop there? Now that you’re riding on that crest of success wave are you going to let the tide just roll in, or are you going to catch the next wave?

When things are going well, that’s the time we have to put PROACTIVE pressure on ourselves. You need to create pressure on yourself to keep the momentum going. If you just sit back and gloat that things are going well, and don’t do anything more to keep it going, it will soon topple and start to decline. Keep the momentum and pressure constant and you will continue to go up.

A client in one of T.C. Cummings and my Mind of a U.S. Navy SEAL” workshops explained how he kept the pressure on himself to keep building his successful business. Each morning he would get up and write down six points he wanted to accomplish that day. That drove him to work to get those things done, and his discipline applied proactive pressure to achieve his goals. He was keeping his momentum going.

Putting proactive pressure on yourself doesn’t mean you have to push your blood pressure up, it means you have to discipline yourself to keep the momentum going. It is not a chore, but a daily renewal of your goals – what you want to accomplish, and what steps you are taking to get you there.

My friend T.C. Cummings was a U.S. Navy SEAL for eight years. He told a story in our Mind of a U.S. Navy SEAL” workshops about how he and several of his SEAL buddies found themselves in Kuwait City living for a time. It became apparent there was not a lot of work for them to do, and there were not a lot of demands or deadlines for the men. Conditions were not ideal however, and it was no vacation. There was no nutritional food. Since they had not been informed as to where they were going when they go shipped out, and had not experienced Kuwait in the winter (having only been there in the mild 110 degree summers), they did not have adequate clothing for the climate. There were training facilities available to them for them to work out, and in addition, “We didn’t have communication with our loved ones, nor know when we would be back.” It definitely was not inside their comfort zone, even for a Navy SEAL.

For normal people this would be a struggle. For a Navy SEAL it was a challenge, and we all know how a SEALs loves a challenge. “We put pressure on ourselves,” said T.C. “We created some structure, we created training facilities, we created obstacles out of an outdated resort, and did what we had to in order to have some consistency in our training. Otherwise our morale would have been rock bottom, and we would have been useless.” Since SEALs thrive on being in top physical and mental shape they took the proactive pressure approach and pushed themselves to continue their discipline and training. To them, this was their comfort zone.  “You can’t win if you walk around hunched over and felt sorry or depressed,” T.C. said. “As a result our morale was excellent. We found ways to be ready, physically and mentally, to do jobs that were requested of us.”

How often do you lack personal pressure? If you put pressure on yourself you will always be prepared, and you will never be caught off-guard if the situation should take you out of your comfort zone.

You will find the lesson discipline and proactive pressure among many available on the training CDs “Mind of a Navy SEAL,” and in our training “Think Like A U.S. Navy SEAL” workshops.

 

 

 

Sources:

“Mind of a U.S. Navy SEAL” workshop

Wikipedia – Comfort Zone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_zone

Elements of Motivation – Analyze Your Comfort Zone: http://www.motivation-tools.com/elements/comfort_zone.htm