1.“My strength didn’t come from lifting weights. My strength came from lifting myself up every time I was knocked down.”
2.“You need to train harder and longer than your enemies to survive. It’s not luck that makes Navy SEALS the most elite combat unit in the world – It’s hard work on a daily basis.”
3.Mental toughness in this situation means consciously noticing the things that you are able to do well and honoring your efforts with positive thoughts.
4.The guys that start BUDS thinking that they won’t make it… DON’T MAKE IT! Those who begin BUDS with an “I will die before I quit” mentality are the guys who are standing tall on graduation day!
5.In the SEAL culture, winning and accomplishing the mission at hand is to be done at all costs.
6.“You’ve only got three choices in life: Give up, give in, or give it all you’ve got.”
7.“If you work together as a team and put out as hard as you can for a short period of time, you’ll get to rest while everyone else pays for not working so hard.”
8.Addictions: People lacking confidence often resort to destructive behavior such as overeating, abuse of alcohol, or drugs in order to cope with their feelings of inadequacy.
9.Most planning experts agree that the majority of people, organizations, etc., that fail to reach their goals do so because they did not apply an adequate form of measurement to keep track of their progress.
10.The common denominator among these men was the fact that they all had a very strong competitive personality, and they really enjoyed competing against challenges most others found too difficult or even impossible to overcome.
11.I saw many people quit at BUDS who had all the necessary attributes and traits required to serve as a SEAL, except one — the ability to remain mentally focused when faced with continuous and very stressful challenges or situations.
12.Instead of thinking about the entire six-month course, the week’s training schedule or even the daily schedule, many trainees focus on literally getting by one small event at a time, be it getting dressed, eating breakfast, running to the obstacle course, completing the obstacle course within standards, etc. — the focus is one successive micro-evolutions or time frames.
13.Toughness involves having control over your thoughts. In a situation where your fitness level is not where you want it to be, and your negative thoughts are getting the best of you, you have a choice. You can let the negative thoughts take over and drain you of energy, or you can consciously choose positive thoughts that empower you and push you to press on.