How to Increase Mental Toughness: 4 Secrets of Navy SEALs and Olympians

By Eric Barker | 08/27/15 
http://observer.com/



Know what’s really interesting? Learning how Navy SEALs build mental toughness to handle deadly situations. 

Know what else is really interesting? Learning how Olympic athletes deal with the pressure of competition when the entire world is watching. 

Know what’s the most interesting of all? When you find out they do a lot of the same things. 

“Mental Links To Excellence” is a research study of what Olympians do to prepare for their big day. And so much of it lines up with what I learned researching SEAL training and talking to former Navy SEAL Platoon Commander James Waters. 

The best part is you and I can use these methods to perform better at work and in our personal lives. 

Let’s find out how… 

1) Talk Positively to Yourself 

Your brain is always going. It’s estimated you say 300 to 1000 words to yourself per minute. Olympic athletes and SEALs agree: those words need to be positive. 

One of the Olympians said: 

Immediately before the race I was thinking about trying to stay on that edge, just letting myself relax, and doing a lot of positive self-talk about what I was going to do. I just felt like we couldn’t do anything wrong. It was just up to us. I said, “There’s nothing that’s affecting us in a negative way, the only thing now is to do it, and we can do it…I just have to do my best.” 

SEALs use the same method—and they do it in a far more terrifying scenario. How terrifying? 

You’re underwater with SCUBA gear. An instructor suddenly swims up behind you. He yanks the regulator out of your mouth. You can’t breathe. Then he ties your oxygen lines in a knot. 

Your brain starts screaming, “YOU ARE GOING TO DIE.” But you have to keep cool, stay underwater and follow procedure to get your gear back in working order so you can breathe again. 

And this happens over and over—for 20 minutes. Welcome to the dreaded “pool comp” section of SEAL qualification. 

You get 4 attempts. 

Why? Because you need them. 

Only one in five guys can do it the first time out. 

Read the rest of the article by clicking on the link below:

http://observer.com/2015/08/how-to-increase-mental-toughness-4-secrets-of-navy-seals-and-olympians/