What separates survivors from quitters in extreme challenges? When you look at the tactics used by successful SEALs, athletes and survivors of natural disasters, they are surprisingly similar.
In the case of BUD/s selection, the option to quit means that you get ring the bell. However you must then deal with the long-term pain of regret. In the event of a firefight, accident or disaster, the stakes are much higher.
Quitting is simply not an option there.
So how can you learn to treat every worthy obstacle with the same intensity throughout our life or career?
How can we train ourselves to make both minor and serious decisions with the same clarity and strength as when we are strong, but in our weakest moments?
A single bad decision, made in a moment of weakness, can have disastrous consequences.
Here are some of what we advocate to stay motivated, clear-headed and in control of our decisions, so we can stay in the fight when it gets really shitty.
Never give up on yourself. Quitting is simply NOT an option
Pain is temporary, quitting is forever.
Whether it is the pain of seeing a long, complex project til its end, or the pain of getting through hellweek, simply removing the quit option is the first step to ensuring victory.
I strongly encourage enduring through your darkest moments and not making serious decisions at night, when things are at their most difficult in ant scenarios. Wait until the rays of sunlight appear!
Never giving up means that you remove "quit" from your dictionary -FOR GOOD!, and do what is morally necessary to survive or accomplish a really difficult task.
20X Factor: you are capable of 20 times more than you think you are
During Hell Week when I was still training during my National Service; I heard this quote from an instructor. It stuck, and sure enough, by Thursday of Hell Week I was actually getting stronger and having fun.(Though most of the time, we were all in Zombie mode)
What was going on? Once the mind accepted the new circumstances, it adapted and started to work with it.
I found myself enjoying the humor of the crazy instructor staff, and I was astounded how my body, despite 100 + hours of no sleep and non-stop training, was getting stronger (though I admit there were moments of delirium as my mind struggled to deal with the lack of sleep).
Bottom line, this is the same experience ultra-runners and those who do extreme events have - a break down, then building back up as the body and mind adapt to the new, harsh reality of the circumstances.
Through this you learn that you are truly capable of at least 20 times more than you previously thought. You undergo a psychological and physiological paradigm shift.
After this experience, anything less than Hell Week looked easy.
Don't accept your self-imposed limitations. Dare to discover what you can truly accomplish!
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