Insight from the book: Unbeatable Mind, by Mark Divine
Time to Read: 3:48
Do your goals suck?
If your goals aren’t constantly urging your forward, they suck.
I’ve come to realize that I need BIG audacious goals if I want to make significant progress. If a goal isn’t big enough, then a goal isn’t useful.
“Big challenges inspire me. I think we are all made a little like that. I believe strongly in the powerful words: ‘I took the road less travelled and that has made all the difference'” – Bear Grylls
“The point of a goal is focus. And the point of focus is to tune out all the noise” – Scott Adams
“When you try to do something BIG, you never entirely fail” – Larry Page
Here are a few of my goal requirements:
- Provides a clear, concrete vision
- Inspires action and guides my decisions
- Keeps me hungry and curious to find out what’s possible
“It’s not about the goal, it’s about the growth” – Brendon Burchard
When a goal is rational and achievable it passes the first requirement but falls woefully short on the last two. A small achievable goal may provide a sense of certainty, but it does little else. If you only do what you ‘think’ is within your current ability your doing very little to change the course of my life.
“If you get what you expected, it isn’t good enough” – Ron Carlson
“Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big.” – Unknown
Enter Mark Divine:
“You are capable of so much more than you think you are, but you have been kept in the dark about this potential your entire life. I call this potential your 20X Factor, in the that you are capable of at least twenty times what you current paradigm allows you to believe. It is not as though your family or our culture purposefully kept you in the dark about this important fact. No, they were ignorant about it as well and can’t be held to blame…Tap into the vast potential lying dormant inside of you – so that you can achieve your fullest expression of yourself, help those around you, and send positive ripples throughout the world.”
OK, that might come across a bit cheesy (motivational, self-help, infomercial-like), but consider this: Mark was a Navy Seal who later became a Navy Seal Commander. He now runs a collection multi-million dollar businesses. Oh, one more thing: he recently wrote 3 best-selling books in one year!
Mark is the embodiment of the 20X Factor.
Mark seems superhuman. How could us mere civilians hope to achieve 20X results, improve our daily experience by 20X and realize a life that 20X beyond what we currently think is possible?
Uncommon resolve
“It took me considerable resolve to write three books in one year in 2013 when I finished The Way of the SEAL, 8 Weeks to SEALFIT, and this one all in an eleven-month period. Some may call that uncommon resolve.” – Mark Divine
The recipe for 20X result is uncommon resolve, cultivated through mental toughness.
Mark started out as a CPA (certified public accountant) in corporate America. He had a good life and a promising career. But despite that he ditched the suit and become a Navy Seal…a rather uncommon resolve!
“Is a resolve a quality that can be developed? Of course it can – it is a natural corollary to forging mental toughness. You develop uncommon resolve by deepening confidence and courage, fortified with five attributes that define character and resolve.” – Mark Divine
The 20X Recipe
Here are the Five Attributes of Uncommon Resolve:
1. Desire
Cultivate desire and feel compelled to step outside of your comfort zone.
“Feed your unfettered mind with Superfood for success. This food is in the form of powerful, positive imagery as well as positive emotions directed towards your desired future states, skills, and victories.” – Mark Divine
2. Belief
Define your purpose and trust in your purpose.
“What ONE thing am I supposed to accomplish in my life, and what does that mean for me right now?” – Mark Divine
Your DNA is completely unique to you. There will never be anyone exactly like you (pending advancements in cloning…). It’s important to ask yourself: what one thing was my DNA meant to accomplish in its lifetime? Don’t wait for answers from others. Instead, look for patterns. Try things out and see what sticks. When you think you’ve found it, advance it for as long as your lifetime will allow you.
3. Attitude
Develop your ‘challenge response’.
“Witness negativity. Interdict, or stop, the negative thought with a power statement. Redirect your mind with self-talk and imagery to something positive and productive for your current goal. Maintain your new mental state with a jingle or mantra.” – Mark Divine
The Navy Seals use the word ‘Oorah!’. I like to think ‘Go Time!’ when faced with a challenge. What’s your challenge response?
4. Discipline
Commit to a daily practice.
“A virtue is a value that you have habituated until it becomes a character trait.” – Mark Divine.
As the great personal development coach Jim Rohn once said: “The most important question to ask is, what am I becoming?”
5. Determination
Seek constant and never-ending improvement.
“(Be) content with where you are while executing a simple strategy for getting to where you want to go.” – Mark Divine
This statement may seem counter-intuitive given that we are talking about finding your 20X Factor, but it actually makes perfect sense. On the long journey towards 20X you need a sense of gratitude to sustain you. Without gratitude you’ll allow fear and anxiety to take you off course, causing you to falter well before you reach your destination.
As Naval Ravikant, CEO and a co-founder of AngelList once said: “Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.”
Balance that potential unhappiness with gratitude.
Have the determination to stay grateful AND hungry.
Happiness is found in the present moment AND in the pursuit of something great.
The Take-Home Message:
“To live an uncommon life, one needs to learn uncommon disciplines.” – Mark Divine.
Your uncommon life is fueled by Desire and sustained with Belief, Attitude, Discipline and Determination.