Do the Opposite - Mental Toughness, Resourcefulness, Simple Workout, Sober Bars
Hello friends,
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On Mental Toughness
I've just finished a book I mentioned in the previous issue of the Do the Opposite newsletter - "Can't Hurt Me" by David Goggins - which I highly recommend. Usually it takes me a bit longer to complete a book, but this one only took about a week because I became obsessed with it :)
There is so much to unpack in this book! David shares his life story of constantly overcoming struggles and challenging circumstances - it's a very raw book. Again, be warned that there is a lot of swear words in the book. It doesn't bother me but might bother some - always great to know in advance!
David's life was not easy at any point in time. His childhood was marked by abuse by his father, he had developed a stutter of all that stress, and he didn't perform well in school. David wanted to join the military (Pararesccue) but he couldn't get through the swimming requirements needed for the program. David then started working as a Pest Exterminator for restaurants and gained a lot of weight. Then, "by chance" he caught a TV program about Navy SEAL training and the famous Hell Week they go through.
Shortly after that moment, David has started changing his life. He went through 3 Hell Weeks, was the best at Ranger School, ran ultra-marathons, held a record for most pushups in 24 hours (4030!!!), and much more. The story he tells in the book is way more personal and raw than I describe here, and it holds you on the edge of your seat as you read it.
David shares a lot of practical strategies, one of them is the "Cookie Jar" - keeping a list of your accomplishments (both written and mental) and drawing upon those experiences whenever you need to perform a hard, boring, long or uncomfortable task. Thinking to yourself: "I've done this before, and that, and also that - surely I can pull this current task off as well!".
I do that sometimes whenever I need to make myself do something difficult - I remember the days when I thought I'd become a professional solo-violinist, and I was training for 9 hours a day. I would practice from 8 to 1pm (5 hours) then have lunch and head to music school to play for 4 more hours. Now, whenever I doubt my ability to do something hard consistently (like code for a personal project for 3 hours a day etc.) I come back to the 'cookie jar' that has the violin practice experience and draw upon that. If once I was able to follow that more demanding schedule, I can definitely take on the current one.
There is a lot more great advice on mental toughness in the book, and it's definitely refreshing to read something where the author doesn't sugar-coat anything and doesn't try to make the reader feel better, but rather helps them to see their life, habits, accomplishments and results closely and honestly. That helps the reader understand where their weaknesses lie and they can start addressing them.
After reading the book, I've also been inspired to start running again. I used to run a lot in the University back home and in Japan, but after that I was never consistent with it. I'm starting to change that now. Yesterday I had my first run after a while and I am scheduling a couple 5K races in the end of the summer that I publicly commit to running (making the commitment public right here in the newsletter :)
If you are going to get this book, try to get the audio-book - because it features more than just the text of the book, but also bits and pieces of Podcasts with David, which increases the power of the material.
On Resourcefulness
"Message to Garcia" is an essay by Elbert Hubbard. It's just a couple pages but its message is very powerful and I often come back and reread it. The idea is that there are not many people in this world that are willing to go the extra mile, to find out the information they need on their own, to seek out the necessary materials & knowledge. Our brains want to take the path of least resistance all the time.
We don't want to do the nitty-gritty work, don't want to get our hands dirty, don't want to spend too much effort. Our brains are wired that way - the less energy we use and the more we conserve, they think, the better. All the achievements, learning and dreams we have, however, require us to go against the grain of comfort.
Message to Garcia is about becoming a person that can find an answer to any question or any problem, no matter how vague or complex it is. We must teach ourselves to not be afraid of the unknown and to give the search of a solution to the problem our full attention.
Articles:
1) "A Navy SEAL’s Recommended Reading List: Books That Helped Make Me Who I Am" by Chris Sajnog
Here's what I recently wrote about this article in the Do the Opposite Telegram channel (join us!):
This is an absolutely amazing list of book recommendations by Chris Sajnog, a retired Navy SEAL. There are some books on the list that I've read and they are among the ones I consider to be the best I've read so I trust this list and will be putting some of them on my reading list.
From the ones I would also recommend are:
- "The 4-Hour Work-week" By Timothy Ferriss
- "A Message From Garcia" (not really a book, more like an essay, but powerful)
- "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage"
- "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Some of the books I am putting on my list:
- "As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Escape from a Siberian Labor Camp and His 3-Year Trek to Freedom" — interested in endurance part of it
- "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" — there's been a movie based on this book recently, but book probably has more details and little stories from the life of
- "10% Happier" by Dan Harris — I am very interested in meditation & this book has also been recommended to me by my mentor (in fact, I've already purchased it)
- "The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi — a classic on strategy and warrior ethos
- "We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance" by David Howarth
2) "Minimalist Fitness: How to Get In Lean Shape With Little or No Equipment" by Leo Babauta
I've been exploring ways to get more fit, especially the cultivation of an exercise (fitness) habit. I've been searching for information on simple, good workouts for beginners online, and a lot of the advice I see is way more complicated than it needs to be.
In this article, Leo shares a simple workout that consists of bodyweight exercises - meaning, the exercises for which you don't need to own or use any equipment - instead, you are using your own body weight. Some examples of such exercises are push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, and more. There are even links to little videos showing how to do each of the exercises in the workout plan correctly.
3) "People are sick of drinking. Investors are betting on the 'sober curious'" by Sara Ashley O'Brien
Lots of us love the laid-back and relaxing atmosphere of a bar, but that doesn't mean we all enjoy drinking. There are now "sober bars" where you can hang out without the necessity of drinking alcohol. As more and more people switch to healthier lifestyles, places like these "sober bars" will continue to pop up. I think it's a great idea!
Tweet that resonated with me:
Ethos:
Quotes:
"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."
― Joseph Campbell
"What do you despise? By this are you truly known."
― Frank Herbert, Dune
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Keep doing the opposite,
Alexander Kallaway
Website: dotheoppo.site
Twitter: twitter.com/ka11away