Life Lessons from a Navy SEAL by Ron White

Do you know what a Navy SEAL is? Basically, an Olympic athlete with a gun.

When I meet someone who is a Navy SEAL I am always in awe. There is absolutely no way in few paragraphs that I could convey to you what goes into being a Navy SEAL. Probably 5% of the world’s population has the physical ability to become a SEAL. I would guess that less than 2% have the mental toughness and maybe 1% have both.

When you make the effort to become a SEAL, you enter a program called BUDS. This is a multi-week program designed to get rid of the mentally weak and physically inadequate. A typical BUDS class might have 150 men and only 20 will complete the program. You might ask, ‘What happened to the other 130 men? Were they kicked out or asked to leave?’ The answer is… neither.

When you enter BUDS it is because you have prepared for this program for years. You don’t just decide one day that you are going to become a SEAL. You dream about it and plan for it for years, just to get to this point. Do you know how you leave BUDS? You walk over to a bell and ring it and when you leave it is your decision. You see, 150 men will enter a program that they have prepared for years and then in just a matter of days or weeks, they ring a bell and say to the world, ‘I am not cut out for this. I quit. I give up on my dream.’

That should be amazing to you. It should be amazing that 90% of people can have a dream they have sacrificed for years and then after just a few days or weeks give it up. However, it happens all the time in BUDS and in life.

TC Cummings is a former Navy SEAL and professional speaker. I recently watched him on DVD and he said that almost everyone in his BUDS class had the physical ability to be a SEAL. After all, they had conducted countless hours of physical training for years just to get to this point. The difference was mental toughness. Although, they had developed physical strength, they had not worked out their minds to develop the mental toughness required.

TC made it and the others could have as well if they had his mental strength. He said that CEOs, salespeople and business professionals fail because they don’t have mental toughness.

He explains that the same thing that will keep a sailor from becoming a SEAL is the exact same thing that will keep you from your goals. That is self-doubt, feelings of inadequacy or lack of confidence. At this point, I was hanging on the edge of my seat waiting for TC to tell me how to get the confidence of a Navy SEAL. Do you know what he said? He said, ‘Setting goals and accomplishing them… even if it as small as making your bed everyday builds confidence.’

So I have given myself several small goals. One is simply making my bed. The others are items like reading books, getting my private pilot’s license and exercise. Guess what? As I accomplish these goals, my confidence is building and I am becoming a better salesperson and speaker! Thanks TC!

I wish I could share with you all that I have learned from TC! Oh wait… I can. I encourage you to invest in the same DVD I watched. It is the 2004 Jim Rohn Event. Not only will you learn from TC Cummings, you will also watch Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Denis Waitley, Chris Widener and more!

—Ron White

From Ron White’s Newsletter, A great article about being tough enough for our own goals and dreams and realising them.

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