The subject of mental control is abstract. Our society likes to stay distracted, always chasing the next shiny object. We train to keep our minds busy, and our minds are great students. Soon we have no choice: we are slaves to our anxious, darting minds and the constant stream of useless mental chit-chat. During the first week of SEALFIT Academy the students quickly realize how little control they have over their own thoughts. They, like all but a very small percentage of humanity, have made a habit out of letting their minds run amok rather than controlling and directing their minds with laser-like precision.
It is common to mistake endless negative mental chatter as thinking. It is not thinking. Thinking requires creating something new. Mental chatter is a neur- ological reaction to a stimulus, either external or internal. Unfortunately very few of us are exposed to training on how to control and direct thoughts to creatively solve problems, in the process cultivating a rich, positive and powerful inner life.
Mental control is about taming the “chatter box” and directing the mind to- ward positive, powerful actions that support your goals.
The development of mental control is the foundation for building an unbeat- able mind that will not fail at any worthy goal or task, including a Spartan Race. We are not talking about developing special psychic powers like read- ing/bending someone else’s mind. Rather, we are talking about learning to settle your own “monkey mind” so you can then train your “whole mind” to operate at an elite level, whatever your goals may be. Your monkey mind refers primarily to your rational, analytical “left brain” mind, especially if it is untrained through higher education and deep concentration. It is estimated that this part of our brains accounts for roughly 12% of our total thinking power. The other 88% lies in our creative subconscious, our “right brain,” and is typically poorly engaged by the majority of people.
The first step for developing mental control is silencing yourself enough so you can witness what is going on in your head. As you witness, you gain awareness of the external and internal influences that cause the chatter. The silence is the first layer of training for the mind. Gaining the space to witness our thoughts tames those thoughts in the process. We begin to bring our mind back under our control, allowing ourselves to focus for longer periods of time. Then, we have the possibility of removing negative distractions and en- suring that our psychology supports our physiology.
Aligning our psychology and physiology optimally is a key aspect of devel- oping what I call our “Performance Zone.” As we gain mental control, we can then begin to develop the full capacity of our mental capabilities.2 Whole Mind Training
As discussed above, the first step to mental control training is some form of silent practice. We do this in a variety of ways at Unbeatable Mind. The first is a guided concentration practice called “Still Water Runs Deep” that has us settle our minds and watch our thoughts through a 20-minute guided medita- tion. There are many forms of concentration and meditation practice that will work for this purpose, including the moving meditation of yoga. Find the practice that suits you best, and make it a discipline.
Once you gain control of your monkey mind, we need to start rooting out un- supportive negative programming lurking in the subconscious mind and emo- tional body.3
Finally, as we gain control of the mind and excavate the subconscious, we plant new programming to supercharge our performance. The metaphor I like to use is that we must first weed the garden by silencing our mind and pulling out the negative programming. Then with this fertile ground we plant new seeds of thought that will grow to nourish us for the rest of our lives. These new seeds are planted through visualization, imagery, affirmations, and con- stant vigilance against negative influences in our lives. This whole mind
approach takes as much commitment to training as does your physical preparation.
Mental Toughness
Does mental control relate to forging mental toughness? The answer is an emphatic yes! However there is more to mental toughness than controlling the mind. My experience is that the term mental toughness does not ad- equately describe what distinguishes winners who consistently meet their goals from the rest of the masses. Certainly mental control training as out- lined above is part of the puzzle, but we can easily fall victim to the notion that there is a secret pill for mental toughness. We imagine that if we put in more and harder training sessions, more mental control bench-press sessions, if we gut through that 100-mile run…we are certain to be mentally tough. Not necessarily so!
A look at those who survive SEAL training is informative. Body builders and all-star athletes, who seem tough and, in their domains, are, often fail miser- ably. Yet the kid who grew up in the inner city, and had no back door, noth- ing to lose—the one who simply won’t quit—is standing there saluting the Admiral on the last training day.
Why is this? I believe that there is a strong spiritual aspect to winning and surviving great challenges. Cultivating an unbeatable mind refers to the whole person approach to winning and surviving. It goes beyond the mental and into the very core of your being. Let’s dig into this whole person ap- proach a little further.