Observe highly effective individuals to understand that discipline, manifested through habits like arriving early, maintaining gear, and consistent effort, leads to improved performance and ultimately grants greater freedom in all aspects of life.
In tactical situations, be willing to abandon a failing plan or path. However, never give up on your overarching strategic goal, continuously adapting your approach until it is achieved.
When team members make excuses, take ownership of their stated problems (e.g., lack of funding, resources, or personnel) as your own fault. This disarming approach encourages them to eventually take ownership themselves.
Apply decentralized command principles to leading your family: communicate the goal, then allow family members to contribute to forming the plan. This fosters commitment and respect, unlike barking orders.
Acknowledge that people are fundamentally who they are and can only truly change themselves. As a leader, you can influence and offer course correction, but you cannot impose transformation.
When your children make mistakes, take ownership yourself by framing their failure as your own inability to impress upon them the importance of the task. This disarms them and encourages them to take ownership too.
Reflecting on concepts like free will can foster greater understanding and empathy for individuals who do not share your work ethic or values, helping to dissolve resentment towards differing approaches.
Avoid the mindset that things are easier for others because they are ‘different’ or ‘superhuman.’ Recognize that everyone faces challenges and this perspective can be a self-limiting belief.
Sleep is crucial for cognitive function; lack of it can significantly impair decision-making. Therefore, prioritize getting as much sleep as your body needs to maintain optimal performance.
Recognize that individuals may have different sleep requirements, as evidenced by varied sleep patterns observed even within a single family.
To consistently wake up early, set your alarm and, when it goes off, immediately get out of bed without hesitation.
For an optimal power nap, elevate your feet above your heart and set an alarm for precisely eight minutes (10-12 minutes can lead to grogginess). This short nap can make you feel fully rested.
Utilize a bed cooling system, such as a ChiliPad, to mitigate night sweats and potentially reduce the occurrence of vivid nightmares, leading to more comfortable sleep.
Jocko typically goes to bed at 11 PM and wakes up at 4:30 AM, setting an alarm to avoid anxiety, though he often wakes naturally between 4 and 4:30 AM.
Jocko’s pre-sleep routine involves returning from Jiu Jitsu around 7:30-8 PM, eating his biggest meal after that, doing some work, spending time with kids, then more work, and brushing his teeth around 10:30-10:40 PM before bed.
Jocko typically eats between zero and two meals a day, often skipping breakfast and focusing on lunch and/or dinner.
Jocko practices intermittent fasting by skipping a full day of eating once or twice a week, and also undertakes a 72-hour fast once every quarter.
Consider aiming for at least a three-day fast, as this duration is suggested to be a ‘real tipping point’ for significant benefits, particularly in terms of glycogen release.
Undertaking a fast, even if challenging, is an empowering experience that connects you to ancestral capabilities, proving your resilience and capacity to achieve difficult feats.
Approach fasting with a ’no factor’ mindset, reminding yourself that humans are capable of going extended periods without food. This perspective helps overcome mental barriers for shorter fasts, such as 24 or 36 hours.
To improve sleep quality during fasting, consider using supplements like Kirk Parsley’s and phosphatidylserine, which can help achieve deeper and more restful sleep.
Create or find healthier alternatives to your favorite unhealthy indulgences. Jocko replaced mint chocolate chip milkshakes with a custom supplement, eliminating the desire for the less healthy option.
When indulging in dark chocolate, aim for a higher percentage (e.g., 80-85%) where it tastes good but leaves you satisfied after a few squares, rather than lower percentages (e.g., 72%) that can lead to overconsumption.
Consider using allulose as a sweetener, as it offers a similar taste and mouthfeel to sugar but is minimally absorbed and excreted by the kidneys. It also has the unique property of potentially lowering blood sugar.
Jocko decided to stop drinking alcohol after retiring from the Navy, noting that it was a natural shift when his social environment changed, and he now maintains a policy of not drinking at all.
Before adopting new technology, critically ask what specific problem it solves. This helps determine if it provides a genuine advantage or is merely a drawback in certain applications.
To instill important values in children, create or use resources that present clear, simple, and timeless lessons, making them easy for kids to understand and internalize.
When teaching values, avoid imposing them too forcefully. Instead, allow children to discover principles and truths for themselves to foster genuine understanding and commitment.
Be good at acknowledging and apologizing for your mistakes to your children. This models humility and helps them understand that everyone, including parents, makes errors.
Don’t hide your mistakes; instead, acknowledge them, even with humor, and show that you have no ego when it comes to admitting errors.
Incorporate a diverse range of exercises into your workouts, including bodyweight movements like push-ups, pull-ups, and burpees, as well as weight training with deadlifts, kettlebells, and various squats, plus cardio like sprinting, rowing, and air cycling.
If you cannot remove underperforming team members, focus on maximizing the value they can add. Take ownership of their excuses and work to fix the underlying issues, rather than simply dismissing them.
When facing larger, less mobile competitors, avoid wars of attrition. Instead, focus on being more maneuverable and identifying their weaknesses to attack them strategically.
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When facing the urge to quit in a moment of weakness, anticipate the future regret you will feel for giving up, using this foresight to push through the challenge.
Embrace gratitude for challenging experiences and the people you encounter, as these can be profoundly humbling and transformative, making you a better person by witnessing real sacrifice and dedication.