Boost Your Mental Toughness…

This week I am departing from my usual business updates to spend time instead thinking about the coming new year. Starting in November, I begin to work on my business plan for the months ahead, and by this time in December I am deep into planning my strategies to first improve myself, and then to improve the services I provide others. The following Navy SEAL tips are ones I intend to keep in mind as I complete my plan for 2016. I hope some of these tips spark your thinking and provide steps to increase your productivity and pleasure in the coming year!

4 Navy SEAL tips to boost mental toughness

The Navy SEALs (Sea, Air and Land Teams) are the principal special operations force of the United States Navy. These elite warriors are famed for pushing their physical limits—from dropping out of helicopters to underwater demolitions. Yet SEALs believe mental strength is far more important than physical ability. It’s mind over body—you can do anything you set your mind to. Here’s the SEAL path to mental toughness.

Focus on yourself. To build an “unbeatable mind,” SEALs start with self-awareness. This helps you avoid making the same mistakes over and over, and sets up your progress. To gain self-awareness, use a journal. Each day, take 10 minutes in a quiet place uninterrupted. Center yourself with some deep breathing, and reflect on who and where you are in life.

Discover your purpose. As you become self-aware, think about where you’re going. Ask these questions to see if you’re on the right path:

• What have I been conditioned to think I should do with my life?
• What do I really think—and feel—I should do with my life?
• Is there a tiny voice within that keeps nudging me ahead, with the sense I’m on the right road?
• Or, is there a tiny voice of doubt within that keeps suggesting I’m on the wrong road?
• What’s the ONE thing I think I’m here for?
• What’s the ONE thing I’d focus on if nothing held me back?
• What would I do if I only had a year left to live?

The answers to these questions can uncover some powerful realizations.

Find your path. Choose the path in life that feels right to you, not something others think is best. To develop the discipline, dedication, and capacity for high-performance needed to succeed, you must be tuned in to your true self.

Commit to a healthy lifestyle. Finding your purpose and path energizes your spirit and mind, but don’t forget your body. Commit to a fitness program and a healthy, energizing diet. If this is a tough area for you, find a group of other like-minded people to support you. Navy SEALs always work as a team.

Here's to our combined success in 2016—and to building the mental toughness we all need to achieve our best year ever…

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!