Navy SEAL has a '40 Percent Rule' and it's the key to overcoming mental barriers | Big Think

Summary

The speaker recounts an inspiring encounter with a SEAL at a 100-mile run, highlighting the SEAL's remarkable resilience and minimal gear. Despite severe injuries, the SEAL completed the race, demonstrating immense inner strength. This experience led the speaker to invite the SEAL to live with his family to disrupt his routine and learn from the SEAL's extraordinary mindset. The SEAL's philosophy of pushing beyond perceived limits, encapsulated in his 40 percent rule and motto 'if it doesn't suck, we don't do it,' profoundly impacted the speaker, teaching him about the untapped potential that lies within everyone.

Takeaways

• 🏃‍♂️ The speaker met SEAL at a 100-mile run in San Diego, where SEAL ran solo against a six-person relay team.
• 🤔 The contrast in preparation between the speaker's team and SEAL was striking, with SEAL carrying minimal supplies.
• 💪 SEAL's resilience was evident as he completed the race despite severe injuries.
• 🔍 The speaker was so impressed by SEAL's story that they decided to reach out and learn from him.
• 🏡 An invitation was extended to SEAL to live with the speaker's family to gain insights into his mindset and habits.
• 👨‍👩‍👦 The speaker was in a good place professionally and personally but felt stuck in a routine.
• 🚀 The speaker sought to break free from autopilot and improve various aspects of life by learning from SEAL.
• 🤸‍♂️ SEAL's first challenge to the speaker was to do pull-ups beyond their perceived limit, demonstrating potential for more.
• 💡 The '40 percent rule' suggests that when the mind says 'done', there's still a significant reserve left to tap into.
• 😣 SEAL's motto 'if it doesn’t suck we don’t do it' emphasizes the importance of discomfort in growth.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The concept of 'hitting the wall' in marathons is compared to the limits we perceive in daily life, suggesting we can push beyond them.
• 🎯 The speaker highlights the power of will in overcoming mental barriers and achieving our goals.

Q & A

Where did the speaker first meet SEAL?

The speaker first met SEAL at a 100-mile run in San Diego.

What was unique about SEAL's participation in the race?

SEAL was running the entire race by himself, carrying minimal supplies compared to the speaker's relay team.

What condition did SEAL endure during the race?

SEAL had broken all the small bones in both of his feet and had kidney damage during the race.

What did the speaker do after the race?

The speaker Googled SEAL and decided to cold call him, eventually inviting him to live with his family for a month.

Why did the speaker invite SEAL to live with him?

The speaker was in a routine and wanted to get off autopilot, believing SEAL could help him improve and break his routine.

What was the first challenge SEAL gave the speaker?

The first challenge was to do 100 more pull-ups after already struggling to do a few.

What lesson did the speaker learn from the pull-up challenge?

The speaker learned that he had more in his reserve tank than he initially thought, showing that we are all capable of more than we believe.

What is the 40 percent rule SEAL mentioned?

The 40 percent rule suggests that when your mind tells you you're done, you're really only 40 percent done, indicating a significant reserve of untapped potential.

How did SEAL's motto apply to the speaker's life?

SEAL's motto, 'if it doesn’t suck we don’t do it,' encouraged the speaker to embrace discomfort and challenge his baseline and comfort level daily.

What is the significance of the marathon example in relation to the 40 percent rule?

The marathon example illustrates that most people can find the will to push through the 'hit the wall' point, showing that we all have the ability to go beyond our perceived limits.

How does the speaker suggest applying the 40 percent rule in daily life?

The speaker suggests using the 40 percent rule to not only tackle once-a-year events like marathons but to apply it to various aspects of daily life to continuously improve and grow.