Mark Divine's Blog, page 58

Weekly Monster Mash – 10/15/2016

Baseline: Pre-SOP and box breathing, ROM drills then, 400m run, 3 rounds of Cindy.

Work Capacity: 1 Hour AMRAP:

5x Rope Climb
10x Man maker (40/30)
200m Farmer Carry (55/35)

Durability: Warrior yoga or Active Stretch. Hydrate and fuel within 30 minutes. Journal post training session SOP.

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Weekly Monster Mash – 10/8/2016

Baseline:  Pre-SOP and box breathing, ROM drills.

Work Capacity: “Bernie’s Trifecta” Complete for time:

1.5 Mile Swim
42,165m Row (If necessary Scale to 21,097m)
13.1 Mile Run.

Durability: Warrior yoga or Active Stretch. Hydrate and fuel within 30 minutes. Journal post training session SOP.

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The Mark Divine BLOG-Power Up!

Power Up!

I have been thinking a lot about the notion of power lately. The word often has a negative connotation when used by the media – as in power projection, or abuse of power. However, what they really mean is force. Force is a push or pull, a physical action or movement meant to compel or coerce another object, person, entity or nation to respond. Power, however, is the ability to act a certain way, a way that can direct or influence, but not compel, a certain response.

So with that said, we can see that power and force are related but distinct. Force cannot exist without power, but it can have either a negative or positive effect. Power exists independent of force and relies on a skill or innate attribute to accomplish an aim, as opposed to a physical push or pull.

So let’s say that even though force can achieve a temporary objective, good or bad, power is required to achieve sustainable and worthy goals. Without true power, we would need to rely solely on force, like the bully, or on hope, like a dreamer. Since we don’t aspire to be bullies and don’t rely on dreaming of getting things done, that means we want to develop personal power.

But how?

The formula I offer is a five-part formula based on the integrated development model I teach through SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind. I call it “Power Up!” because it will power you up the five mountains of physical, mental, emotional, intuitional and spiritual growth. Here is a snapshot of the five power up moves.

Wake Up: This move is to awaken to your story and begin to live life on your own terms, not the terms that were programmed or dictated by others. This awakening is often a deeply moving experience, where a deep connection to nature and spirit is felt, leaving you changed and on a thirsty quest for insight and wisdom – uncoupled from the chains of previous limited thinking and behavior.

Grow Up: This move is the essence of the physical and mental mountains. We first grow biologically and psychologically, then, rather than allowing that growth to stall after we leave formal education years, we re-ignite it through integrated training to tap into our fullest potential as a human. That potential can then be translated into power in the last step.

Clean Up: This move is the most challenging for most because it involves slogging up the third mountain of deep emotional work. This will be the subject of a webinar I will be doing soon titled “Emotional Power”. The clean up move is working on our past emotional baggage, those patterns and emotional blocks that are hampering our performance and limiting our power now. Most often these patterns and blockages are hidden from our view, but can be obvious to others. That is why I call them your “BOO” or “Background of Obviousness.” This work of cleaning up is essential to compliment our growth work. Without it, we will limit ourselves and often torpedo our success.

Open Up: This move is an inward one, where you open up to the innate wisdom of your intuitive self. You learn to trust your gut, connect with your Kokoro Heart-mind, and see insights clearly. You make decisions from the “higher Self” and are in control of your body-mind-system to an uncommon degree. This move must come after the first three, as stunted development can prevent inward movement, making it very difficult to open up to intuitive and spiritual intelligence.

Show up: This move is where power is projected. The first four moves develop deep potential. When projected on a worthy target, with front sight focus, that potential will deliver extraordinary power. Showing up is seen as massive action fueled by your full potential, inspired by your purpose and guided by winning principles. Showing up after waking up, growing up, cleaning up and opening up will ensure that the game, battle or mission is won every time.

I look forward to sharing these thoughts more in the future, but now I need to get back to business. Keep an eye out for information about the emotional power webinar. Until then, get busy with your training to power yourself up. Hooyah!

–Mark

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Weekly Monster Mash – 10/1/2016

Baseline: 3 Rounds: 200m run, 25m walking lunge, 20x back extensions.  

Work Capacity: For time:

1 Mile Sled drag (.75 bodyweight)

*Every time you stop or break = 10 Burpees on the spot.

Durability: 1 mile run @ easy pace, Kokoro Yoga or Active stretch, hydrate and fuel within 30 minutes. Journal post training session SOP.

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Weekly Monster Mash – 9/24/2016

Baseline: Pre-SOP and box breathing, ROM drills then, 500m row, 3 Rounds:

10x Wall Ball, 10x Burpees, 10x Ring Row.

Work Capacity: With a Partner: Complete 5 Rounds for time and rounds:

Partner A) 1 Mile Run

Partner B) Max Rounds of:

10x Pull up
15x Push up
20x Air Squats

*Switch when Partner gets back from run – Each round is completed after both partners have run.

Durability: Kokoro Yoga or Active stretch, hydrate and fuel within 30 minutes. Journal post training session SOP

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Weekly Monster Mash – 9/17/2016

Baseline:

Work Capacity: Complete For time:

“Murph”

1 Mile run
100x Pull up
200x Push up
300x Air Squat
1 Mile Run

“Glen”

30x Clean & Jerk (135/95)
1 mile run
10x Rope Climb
1 mile run
100 Burpees

*No rest between workouts.

Durability: Kokoro Yoga or Active stretch, hydrate and fuel within 30 minutes. Journal post training session SOP

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The Mark Divine BLOG-Warriors Into the Breach

Warriors Into the Breach

When I reflect upon the fifteen years since September 11, 2001, a couple different perspectives come to mind. First, the terror attack against America that day was the opening of a new front in a seriously long clash of civilizations. This new front opened as the result of new technologies that led to rapid globalization, starting with international air travel, Sea-Land container ships and ubiquitous television broadcast by satellite. None of these technologies were available in mass form until the late 1960’s. In 30 years (roughly one generation), the geographic boundaries forced after WWII between the fragmented Ottoman Empire, Persian and Arab world, and Europe and it’s allies, was suddenly irrelevant. The Jihadist’s were not constrained by geography any longer. The entire world was now their playground, and America was the prized target. It was almost inevitable that a 9/11 style event would happen, as there was no serious effort to ensure that our own technologies, and the openness of our own society, wouldn’t be turned against us.



As has been the case since the dawn of modern man, when crisis comes to the home front, the warriors of that society willingly step into the breach. They do this to protect the tribe and bring stability and peace back into order. This brings me to my second perspective – that many, many warriors stepped into the breach on that day 9/11. Many of you reading this did. And you were not all military warriors, but also countless first responders and citizen warriors who stepped up to serve on that dismal day, and many days since. In our parlance at SEALFIT, we call this warrior attitude a “sheepdog mentality.” The sheepdog watches over the flock and is willing to risk his or her own life to protect it. Many did not know they had a sheepdog mentality until they watched TV in stunned silence on 9/11, and felt a burning rage and utter need to do something. That was the sheepdog coming alive, the warrior spirit activated, and something needing to be done.

My message today is that more needs to be done, and we need more to step into their sheepdog mentality. Though the fifteen years since 9/11 have seen many heroic fights won and lost by warriors trying to stem the tide, what has been termed “the long war” continues. This clash of civilizations has been going on for centuries and with this new front open, we will see our technologies and freedom being used against us in even more insidious ways. Further, because we have been so insensitive to our environment, resources are getting more scarce. This scarcity will lead to further unrest, and instability in much of the world, leading to anti-globalist movement, warlords and more violence. If all this sounds grim, I agree. At the same time, I am an optimist and believe that we can come out of the other side in much better shape. But to do this…we need more warriors now.

It is time for us to honor those who gave their lives on 9/11, and the warriors who have fought and died since, by re-engaging our sheepdog mentality and coming together to face the common enemy. Just because we can’t see them massing tanks and armor doesn’t mean they aren’t there. We must begin to pay closer attention, to train ourselves to be more aware and to defend ourselves. We must stop fighting over petty politics, against helpless immigrants or railing against a police force struggling to stem violence created by our own welfare state. Rather we need to pull our shit together and, like warriors from all ages, step into the breach and fight for our way of life. If we don’t stand for something, we will fall for anything, and this great nation will fall with us. Together we can do this. As citizen-sheepdog Todd Beamer said on 9/11, ”Let’s roll.”

–Mark

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The Mark Divine BLOG: Emit Excellence

Emit Excellence

In these blog posts, I have advocated striving for excellence in aspects of our lives that we can see, feel and sense will bring us greater health, peace of mind (aka happiness) and evolve our consciousness and character. Thus we spend a lot of time discussing excellence habits around nutrition, sleep and physical training for our body, along with meditation and visualization for our mental fortitude, as well as things like contemplation and service for our spiritual well-being. These things are all under our control, meaning that we decide to do them, learn the technique, do them, and benefit. That approach works and is a crucial means of mastering the self in our service to humanity.

But the challenge is that TIME seems to work against us! We race against the clock, are pulled in different directions at the same time, are required to multi-task and diffuse attention until we literally can’t focus for longer than a few moments on the important things – even if we had the time to do so! We are left feeling distracted, frayed and grumpy, saying, “I want control over my time, my schedule, my life!” Been there, done that.

In this post, I propose we flip our relationship to time. From now on time is in our control and is only a linear concept when we choose. The other times it is a rhythmic pattern your mind emits when you emit excellence (notice the cute inversion of the word time and emit?). Consider your body-mind system to be an energetic field which will contract or expand depending upon the mind’s state. When thinking is in a negative, rutted state, or working on someone else’s timeline, then the body-mind contracts it into a state that perceives time in a linear fashion, with events lined up on the clock, tick tock.

But when the mind is in a positive, relaxed and euphoric state, where your higher Self is the boss, it expands and perceives time as spiraling out from an intentional focus. In this state, you can speed time up, slow it down, go backward or forward at will. Though I present this concept metaphorically, my personal experience, in my “highest and best moments”, is that reality is close to this. Let’s discuss a few strategies that will help emit excellence, and control time.

 

Control the Start and Stop

If your daylight hours are on a timer, why allow someone else to push the start button? What if you decided to plug into linear time at a point of your choosing? This is where you sync up with other people’s perception of time. Until that point, when you push the start button, you are emitting excellence and experiencing time separate from the masses. But I don’t have control over my work hours, you say. Well, many still work for eight linear hours because their employers require it. But the question is: how much intentional productivity is delivered during those eight linear hours? Probably not much because you are so distracted by all the other bullshit going on. As an employer, I can say with certainty that I would much rather have an employee maintain serious focus and productivity for shorter blocks, and specific hours for meetings and stand-up problem solving, than someone dodging and weaving through tasks for eight hours.

My start button for linear time is pressed at 10am during normal business days, and it ends around 3pm. That means I adhere to linear time for a maximum of 5 hours a day whereby I am available for meetings, phone calls, podcasts, check in with my team and do some focus work. What do I do the rest of the cycle of daylight? That is reserved for thinking, planning, writing, training and engaging with my family. My perception of time during those blocks is experienced as rhythmic, natural and not pressured. In other words, it is not linear and stressful. I run several businesses, am writing a book, and am launching a foundation, yet below you can see that my calendar for next week is surprisingly uncluttered. When I took a look I was actually pretty surprised how well my aversion to meetings has paid off! (but to dispel any illusions that I am perfect, you should see my calendar during a podcast week).

 

Control the Center

Controlling the center means to maintain an ever-present awareness of where the center of attention is focused. If my objective is to write this blog post, then my center is focused on the blog and I don’t waiver until it is completed. No email, no phone, no distractions…time is not relevant and no clock is allowed. If engaged in a conversation, the center is focused on the higher self so that I don’t get pulled into a mental-emotional pattern, or what I call an egoic rut. When training, the center is on the intention and virtuosity of the training method. When you identify the center, radar lock your attention onto it and don’t waiver. This will keep your mind in a focused, non-distracted state with expanded perception. You fastidiously avoid collapsing back into linear reality. Controlling the center requires controlling the breath, which will allow you to direct attention like a laser beam– in the SEALs, this is called “attention control.”

Your mission: Identify the center for the most important tasks you engage in during the day. Before you press the start button on said tasks, perform four box breaths (four count in, four count hold, four count out, four count hold, repeat four times) while reciting: I am connecting to my higher-Self, I will control my center, and I offer this act in service to XX (add your concept of higher power here). I am confident this drill will deliver powerful results.

Control the Out

Know when to say no, so you don’t get sucked into linear time-sucking misadventures. Always be on the lookout for “the out” if and when you do get sucked get in. I have discussed Essentialism, KISS and Deep Work in past writing and my podcast, and each of those principles ties into this concept. It is all about controlling your creative energy by controlling what you opt into. In order to know what to opt into, you must opt out of 90% of what comes your way. That means you must learn to say “no” in honor of the bigger “yes’s” in your life. Keep things simple by eliminating commitments, conversations, meetings, and people that pull you back into linear time, and suck your “emitting excellence” energy. I admit this is a challenge for most of us, myself included. That is why I offer it as a practice, not an absolute. Practice daily – knowing that we won’t be perfect, yet we will slowly learn our way to greater simplicity and control over our lives.

Your mission: Make a list of all the tasks, projects, business deals, people and ideas that you have said yes to that, now in retrospect, you wish you had steered clear of because they sucked your time, money and life force. Now, identify where you are re-playing that same script and make a list of the crucial conversations to have in order to de-clutter your battleground. Finally, make a short list of the critical “yes things” and a much longer list of the “no things”. Post that list where you typically make decisions and review it daily. Practice saying no in service to the bigger yes.

Well, enough time on this subject of time. Until next time, have a good time training and practicing your Unbeatable Mind skills. Hooyah!

 

–Mark Divine

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Weekly Monster Mash – 9/3/2016

Baseline: Pre-SOP and box breathing, ROM drills then 5 minute easy row, then, 20-15-10:

jumping Squat, Plyo Push up.

Monster Mash: 4 Rounds For time:

100m Overhead walking lunge (45/35lbs)
100m Bear Crawl
1 mile run

Durability: Kokoro Yoga or Active stretch, hydrate and fuel within 30 minutes. Journal post training session SOP

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SOFWOD – Friday 9/2/2016

Baseline: Pre SOP, Box Breathing, ROM Drills, 3 Rounds of Cindy

Work Capacity: SEALFIT PST Journal Results.

Durability: Kokoro Yoga, Hydrate, Fuel, Per Post SOP

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