In this BIT: Navy SEAL Rorke Denver shares hacks to the Navy SEAL mindset of resilience and mental toughness — applied to everyday life.
Commander Rorke Denver served in the US Army for 14 years. He ran every phase of US Navy SEAL training, and special-forces missions through the world. Now, as a retired SEAL, Rorke is on a mission to help people of all walks of life – employees in companies through to his social media fans – build grit, create self-discipline, and increase collaboration. Through his books social media content, and keynote speaking, Rorke distills his personal story and demanding SEAL training into leadership skills, personal development, and hacks for a better, stronger, version of you.
Navy SEALs are the practical epitome of resilience. Their job is to protect their nation and overcome extreme adversity throughout their missions. While perhaps on a different scale, we all experience adversity. Afterall, if these hacks help Rorke overcome it, they’re worth a try in our own daily life! Below are Rorke’s top tips for building mental toughness and overcoming adversity.
Don’t run from hard tasks – when you overcome any challenge, you prove to yourself that you can do hard things. Wake up early. Make your bed. Finish the run. Lift one pound heavier. As you create evidence of the hard things you can accomplish, when an unprecedented hardship comes your way, you can lean on past proof and push through!
As Rorke puts it, “you can honestly keep a positive attitude through unbelievably horrific situations.” Rorke has seen it, he’s lived it, and he describes that he has “been with buddies that were in some of the worst environments imaginable, and did so with a cheery disposition – laughing and taking care of one another.” If nothing good is going on around you, but you can keep a good attitude, you’ll riddle your way through adversity. It starts with you.
Early on in his life, Rorke’s father taught him to trust himself, trust his instincts, and trust his mindset. Although it is easy to blame other people for mishaps or regrets, trust yourself to make the final call on important choices. Based his life and career, Rorke reflects that “most of us know the right thing to do, [but] only so many people do it.” When faced with adversity, pay attention to what you truly think and feel would solve this issue. Uncertainty is omnipresent, but when you feel right and confident about your decision, you’ll try harder, stay calmer, and will figure a way through any situation.
As a former Navy SEAL commander and inspiring motivational speaker, Rorke Denver’s interview and story is filled with tangible advice. We hope that this peek into the Navy SEAL mindset helps you feel more confident in stressful situations.
Listen to Rorke’s full episode here.
Find Rorke here:
Instagram: @rorketdenver
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