Ron White the memory guy shares lessons from his friend and former US Navy SEAL TC Cummings :
I’d like to start by telling you an example T.C. gave me for understanding the direction of your motivation. After Navy SEALs graduate from BUDS training (26 months of intense training where 85% of those entering the program drop out) they still have another 26 months of training to become a bona fide Navy SEAL. During the next phase, instructors drag you out very early with your full gear and you are told to get into a boat. Now, mind you troops had been doing field exercises and swimming until late into the evening and their clothes were still wet from the night before, so they were cold and uncomfortable to begin with.
The point of this exercise is to go out two miles from shore and swim back, with a buddy, beating your best record for time. In the early morning you might encounter fog, in addition to waves and sea creatures. You keep your eyes only about 2-3 inches above the surface as you try to navigate your way to shore. It is not hard to become disoriented, so you have to look for some sort of reference point you can hone in on to keep you going in the right direction. In addition, SEAL instructors are timing you against your own personal best time. If you get off course your time goes down, and you don’t want to face the consequences of coming in later than your best time, so every 4-6 strokes you look-up to reassess if you are on-track or not so you can readjust.
In life we need to set our direction and make sure we continue to reassess periodically. We need to reassess whether we are continuing to head in the right direction or have drifted off course. How often do you stop and check your direction.
I like to use the expression: ‘Is your ladder leaning against the right building?’ You may get to the top of the ladder, but is it leaning against the right building. Sit down and consciously look at the area of life where you want to gain momentum, are you on the right track? Take stock of your momentum and if it’s the right thing for you, or do you have to change course?
Harness the momentum you have going in one area of your life and find the most similarities (chunk up) to bring it to other areas. Momentum usually moves in one direction, but sometimes it takes a turn or branches out. What can you do to transfer your momentum in business to your health and fitness area, for example? Where are you consistently in area A that you can bring to area B? Perhaps you can draw up a graph as to where you are, where you have been, and where you want to be.
For more information on how you too can think like a Navy Seal, check out our “Mind of a Seal†CD Package, or enroll in our “Think Like A U.S. Navy Seal†workshops.
Sources:
“Mind of a U.S. Navy SEAL†workshop
Merriam Webster Dictionary – Consistency: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consistency
Empowering Messages.com – The Power of Momentum, by Doug Kelley: http://empoweringmessages.com/articles/1085502071_The_Power_of_Momentum_by_Doug_Kelley.shtml