Joseph
This article is part of daily warrior Series, a frequent column by retirees Navy SEAL and bestselling author Mike Sarrell, featuring tips, key interviews, and tips for living a life full of impact, growth and continuous learning.
While we all strive to live a life of purpose and achievement, circumstances can often get in the way of this noble endeavour. When times get tough, it’s easy to lose focus and forget about the bigger goal. You must remember during these moments: life should not be seen as something to gain, but as something to strive to live well.
this concept-Everyday warrior mentalityIt is a practical mindset that does not give up and will help you overcome life’s challenges and come out with more physical and mental health, more knowledge and flexibility. It’s about living a fulfilling life, no matter where you start or where you are, focusing on what you can control, ignoring what you can’t, and positively influencing those around you.
Adopting a few of the mindsets and guidelines below will put you on the path to living a good life, starting now.
Get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable: These are often the first words you hear from special operations instructors on the first day of training. They are not trying to intimidate students, but rather prepare them to adopt the mindset they will need not only through training, but more importantly, through life. There is no way to cover it with sugar: life is hard, so smile!
Every morning I get up, I immediately sit on the edge of the bed and utter the words, Today is going to be tougher, but that’s why I’m here. Then I go into my 10-minute morning routine and go to my garage gym, The Small Minds Repair Shop, to go through a challenging workout and get my mind fit for the day.
Nothing worth achieving comes easy, but many people are looking for the easy way. Today’s advertising and marketing bombard us with shortcuts or hacks to easily achieve our goals (“Take this pill and lose 25 pounds” or “Make seven figures in three months with your e-commerce site”). These are the lies of marketers trying to manipulate your feelings. I assure you, the shortcuts do not exist.
The pain and discomfort is what makes achieving difficult goals so rewarding, while fostering positive habits at the same time. Real growth and learning occurs when we are pushed outside our perceived mental and physical limits. While pushing yourself will undoubtedly lead to failure, you have to view this as a necessary part of the process. Nobody says you have to like it – quite frankly, you don’t have to. Most people fear failure, but it can be your greatest teacher if you learn to accept it. Remember, we learn more from our failures than from success.
On the other hand, if you choose to stay in your comfort zone, you accept complacency as a way of life – and complacency kills on the battlefield and in life. But those who constantly put themselves in uncomfortable situations will continue to develop as the Everyday Warriors who strive to live lives of purpose and impact while achieving those things they set out to achieve.
ONE DAY ATTA
There is no such thing as an overnight success. The journey of living a life full of influence is a long, arduous, and sometimes lonely one. Every day is his battle full of hardships and tests. It doesn’t last 60 days from now. Simply Take Life “One Day of ATTA Time” Prepare yourself for LongFulfillment and success.
Focus on demanding today and accomplishing what is necessary to get there for tomorrow. Unfortunately, the house won’t run every day – but that’s okay. As long as you learn and make the necessary changes to improve, you will grow. Do this on a daily basis and eventually these small accomplishments will gradually bring you closer to your bigger goals. Stay in now. The journey is more rewarding than the results.
The power of positive habits
Having served with some of the world’s most high-performing leaders, I’ve found that they all have one thing in common: the power of habits. As we all set the desired outcomes or goals we aim to reach—whether they be financial, health, or relationships—instilling the power of positive habits, self-discipline, and self-accountability is where we find the true value of those endeavors.
All successful people, whether in business or war, fought a series of intense battles to get their results. The journey will be long, it will be difficult, and honestly, it will never end. If you stop or give up, you will accept complacency and become stagnant. No matter how difficult your current circumstances or battle may be, positive habits will ensure you always carry on, especially during times of stress.
Take ownership of your life
There is a dangerous trend of entitlement in today’s society. When people don’t receive what they think they are entitled to, they point fingers and blame those who have more. When you blame others for your shortcomings and your situation in life, you are effectively putting yourself in the category of the victim.
Let me assure you, that the only person responsible for your success and failure in life is yourself. Once you accept and understand this concept, you will take control of your life and adopt a more positive outlook. If it succeeds, it is because I prepared, planned, and remained self-disciplined to do what was necessary to secure the desired outcome. If I fail, no one can blame but myself.
Don’t compare yourself to others
In the age of social media, depression and anxiety are on the rise as people constantly compare themselves to others. However, most social influencers display their content and only reveal what they want you to see. Don’t let this interface fool you. Everyone has their own struggles and pain – and not even millions of likes can isolate you from the realities of life.
Being a daily warrior means embracing your journey and focusing on making the best version of yourself. While learning from other people is always valuable, don’t let anyone dictate or diminish your dreams. Your goals are about you.
Fitness is an excellent example. People often look at fitness influencers and say, “I want my body to look like theirs.” But their genes are different from yours, because your genes are different from yours. If your goal is fitness, set a realistic and measurable goal such as going from 25 percent body fat to 15 percent body fat, or losing 50 pounds within the next 12 months.
At the end of the day, it’s your journey and no one else’s. Start where you are, do what you can, and let’s get better from there.
Self-discipline begins with accountability
Dr. John Norcross, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Scranton, determined that less than 10 percent of New Year’s resolutions are achieved. looks familiar? How often do we set goals like losing 25 pounds or saving $50,000 this year? Unfortunately, most of these goals are doomed to fail for two simple reasons. First, people don’t come up with a comprehensive plan with realistic milestones along the way. Second, they lack the self-discipline needed to actually measure their progress and stay on track.
There is no trait more impressive or important than self-discipline. One’s ability to follow through and be accountable is the main difference between success and failure. Self-discipline is a skill that can be shaped and honed throughout a lifetime, but it requires accountability, commitment, and the discomfort of keeping your promises.
The first step to accountability is to start measuring everything you do when it comes to achieving your goal. Everything can be measured – and what gets measured gets done. If you don’t know where to start, start by measuring everything, then identify the variables that really matter and lead to success, and then improve your list as you go.
Take time to rest and think for yourself
Make no mistake, periods of rest and hard work should be followed by periods of rest and reflection. The human body can only take so much and I’ve seen this first-hand with Special Agents who have worked hard over 10-30 years and have been deployed to fight over 10 times. Unless you want to learn the hard lessons of tiredness and fatigue, you need to find time to rest. Don’t let today’s social media influencers, who often lack empirical credibility, tell you that you have to do your best every day.
High performance comes at a significant cost if left out of balance. While we need to push ourselves to our physical and mental limits to grow, we cannot maintain this high-level performance without strategic breaks to rest, think, learn and recalibrate. Taking a day or two off from the gym or just sleeping in from time to time can provide invaluable nourishment to the body, mind, and spirit. Remember that it is better to maintain a steady pace to achieve victory, than to get tired of a quick sprint.
In addition to rest, everyone needs time to think. Another common denominator among the high-performing people I’ve worked with is that they always write – brutally critical of themselves for their performance. The best special operations soldiers I knew had accounts of their written musings. They will acknowledge their strengths, but also focus on their weaknesses and identify steps for improvement. It was their personal mechanism of growth in all areas of their lives.
We are all “WIPs” – business in progress – until the day we die. No matter where you are, there is always room for improvement. And the second time you lose focus or think you’ve got it all figured out, you’ve put yourself on a losing track.
In Part Two, we’ll cover the three core pillars every day warriors need to focus on: physical, mental, and spiritual fitness. All are necessary to maintain performance, achieve personal goals, and find balance in life.
Follow Mike’s podcast, Truth + Tribe, Exploration in the Journey of a Daily Warrior, at Apple Podcast or Spotify.
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