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.

Outlines

00:00

🏃‍♂️ Meeting SEAL at a 100-Mile Race

The narrator recounts his first encounter with SEAL during a 100-mile run in San Diego, where he was part of a relay team and SEAL was running solo. The narrator was intrigued by SEAL's minimal supplies and his ability to finish the race despite severe injuries. This led to the narrator researching SEAL's background and deciding to invite him to live with his family to learn from his resilience and break out of his routine.

Keywords

💡SEAL

SEAL refers to an individual who is a part of the United States Navy SEALs, an elite special operations force known for their rigorous training and high-stress missions. In the context of the video, SEAL represents a person with extraordinary resilience and determination, as demonstrated by his ability to complete a 100-mile run despite severe physical injuries.

💡100-mile run

A 100-mile run is an ultramarathon race where participants run a distance of 100 miles, typically in a single, continuous effort. It is a test of endurance and mental fortitude, often requiring runners to push beyond their perceived physical limits. In the video, the 100-mile run serves as a backdrop for the speaker's encounter with the SEAL and the subsequent life-changing experiences.

💡unsupported run

An unsupported run is a type of race where participants must carry all their own supplies and are not provided with external support such as food, water, or medical assistance along the course. This requires runners to be self-sufficient and adds an extra layer of challenge to the event.

💡routine

A routine refers to a regular sequence of activities or tasks followed habitually by an individual. In the context of the video, the speaker was in a routine, which he describes as a rut, indicating a lack of growth or change in his daily life.

💡autopilot

Autopilot is a metaphor for a state of mind where one goes through the motions of daily activities without conscious thought or active engagement. In the video, the speaker wanted to get off autopilot to break free from the monotony and seek personal growth.

💡pull-ups

Pull-ups are a physical exercise that involves hanging from a bar and pulling oneself upwards using the body's own weight to contract the muscles in the upper body. In the video, pull-ups are used as a measure of physical capability and as a tool for pushing beyond perceived limits.

💡reserve tank

The term 'reserve tank' metaphorically refers to the hidden or untapped reserves of energy, strength, or capability that an individual has, beyond what is typically utilized or acknowledged. In the video, the SEAL's belief in the existence of a reserve tank encourages the speaker to push beyond his initial limits.

💡40 percent rule

The 40 percent rule, as mentioned by the SEAL, suggests that when one's mind feels they are done or cannot continue, they are actually only 40 percent through their true capacity. This concept encourages individuals to push past their perceived limits and access their untapped potential.

💡motto

A motto is a short phrase or saying that encapsulates a belief, philosophy, or guiding principle. In the video, the SEAL's motto 'if it doesn’t suck, we don’t do it' reflects his philosophy of constantly seeking discomfort to achieve growth and improvement.

💡mental fortitude

Mental fortitude refers to the strength of mind and resilience to endure hardship, stress, or adversity without giving up or losing focus. In the video, the SEAL's mental fortitude is evident in his ability to complete a grueling race despite significant physical injuries.

💡personal growth

Personal growth refers to the process of improving one's character, abilities, and understanding through experiences and learning. In the video, the speaker seeks personal growth by inviting the SEAL to live with him, aiming to break his routine and learn from the SEAL's extraordinary mindset and habits.

Highlights

The speaker met SEAL at a 100-mile run in San Diego, where SEAL was running solo.

SEAL had a minimalist setup with a folding chair, water, and crackers, contrasting with the speaker's relay team's extensive supplies.

Despite severe injuries, SEAL finished the race, which prompted the speaker to research his background.

The speaker was intrigued by SEAL's life story and decided to meet him, leading to an invitation to live with the speaker's family.

The speaker was in a successful professional place but felt stuck in a routine, seeking to break free from autopilot.

SEAL's arrival was marked by a challenge to do pull-ups, starting with the speaker's limit of eight.

SEAL pushed the speaker to do 100 more pull-ups with short breaks, demonstrating potential beyond perceived limits.

The 40 percent rule introduced by SEAL suggests that the mind gives up before the body truly can.

SEAL's motto 'if it doesn’t suck we don’t do it' emphasizes the importance of discomfort in personal growth.

The concept of 'hitting the wall' in marathons is discussed, with the majority of runners pushing through despite the brain's signal to stop.

The speaker highlights the power of will in overcoming the brain's limitations, as demonstrated by marathon finishers.

The idea is to apply the will that gets marathon runners to the finish line to daily life and various challenges.

The speaker's initial skepticism about achieving 100 pull-ups turned into a lesson about untapped potential.

SEAL's approach aims to redefine baselines and comfort levels, encouraging constant self-improvement.

The speaker's decision to invite SEAL to live with his family was a deliberate move to disrupt routine and improve life quality.

The story serves as an example of how extraordinary individuals can inspire and transform others' lives.

The narrative showcases the impact of mentorship and the willingness to learn from others' experiences.

Transcripts

I first met SEAL at a 100 mile run in San Diego and I was running this race as part

of a six person relay team with friends and he was running the entire race by himself.

And the run was unsupported so you have to bring your own supplies. So we had, you know,

we overdid it a little bit. We had a tent and we had masseuses and food. I mean we were

ready for like in case we had to stay there a week. And he had a folding chair, a bottle

of water and a bag of crackers. And I just thought to myself like who is this guy. I’ve

never seen anything like it. And during the race I kept an eye on him and around mile

70 he weighed probably 260 pounds which is quite large for an ultra runner. He had broken

all the small bones in both of his feet and had kidney damage and he finished the race.

So when it was done I Googled him. He had a fascinating life story and I decided literally

to cold call him. And I flew out and met with him and after sitting with him for a couple

of minutes I realized that I could learn so much from a guy like this that what makes

him tick and various buckets in my life would be so much better if a little bit of what

he had rubbed off on me. I asked him to come live with my family and I for a month. So

at the time that I invited SEAL to come live with us I had an 18-month-old son. I was married,

still am. Two more kids since. And I had sold a couple of businesses. I was in a great place

professionally in my life but I was also in a routine. And routines are great but they

can also be a rut. And I found that I just wasn’t getting better. I was doing the same

thing every day like so many of us. Wake up, go to work, come home, you know, have dinner,

repeat. And I just wanted to get off autopilot. And I thought that he would be a great way

to get in good shape but also to just mix up my routine and get better.

The first day that SEAL came to live with me he asked me to do – he said how many

pullups can you do? And I’m not great at pullups. I did about eight. Just getting over

the bar eight. And he said all right. Take 30 seconds and do it again. So 30 seconds

later I got up on the bar and I did six, struggling. And he said all right, one more time. We waited

30 seconds and I barely got three or four and I was done. I mean couldn’t move my

arms done. And he said all right. We’re not leaving here until you do 100 more. And

I thought there’s no – well we’re going to be here for quite a long time because there’s

no way that I could do 100. But I ended up doing it one at a time and he showed me, proved

to me right there that there was so much more, we’re all capable of so much more than we

think we are. And it was just a great lesson. It was actually the first thing that we did.

It was just a great lesson that we have so much more in our reserve tank than we think

we do. One of the things that SEAL said to me and it’s in the book and one thing that

people have said that really resonated with them. He would say that when your mind is

telling you you’re done, you’re really only 40 percent done. And he had a motto if

it doesn’t suck we don’t do it. And that was his way of every day forcing us to get

uncomfortable to figure out what our baseline was and what our comfort level was and just

turning it upside down. The 40 percent rule maybe it’s give or take a little but look

at a marathon. Most people hit the wall in a marathon at mile anywhere from 16 t0 20.

And, you know, 99 percent of the people in this country that run marathons finish and

they all, predominantly all of them go through this hit the wall. So where does that extra

50 or 60 percent or whatever the number is come from? I mean it’s their brain saying

I’m done, I don’t want to continue but their will saying you know what? Let me get

to the finish line. So we all have that will. It’s just a matter of how do we apply it

to not just with the once a year marathon but to our daily lives to make it apply to

a variety of things.