In Uncertain Times

Learning to live in uncertainty

It's fair to say that we are currently living in uncertain times with no clear end in sight. Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, where you live, or where you are financially, very little appears to be solid enough to lean on. It doesn't matter what your feed looks like; it is hard not to see the headlines of an unstable political future, a volatile market, rising inflation, and increasing conflicts around the world. I didn't even mention the border, Gaza, the Supreme Court, abortion, gender, or the Second Amendment. We're on shaky ground - aren't we?

"The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably live with."

— Tony Robbins

One of the most impactful statements I heard while working with Tony was this. And it is so simple and yet so true: How we live our lives directly relates to how willing we are to exist outside our comfort zones. Daily engagement in physical activities, mental challenges, or difficult situations all help to build resilience and expand our comfort zones. So, what's the approach to being able to accept more uncertainty?

The answer is to have a thorough understanding and systematic approach to building resiliency in your daily life. Every athlete and warrior does this, and the ones who do it willingly and consistently are typically the ones who are great. There are five critical areas of focus that every elite military unit and championship team embraces.

Physical and Mental

Often, the physical and mental elements of stress go hand in hand. As our physical bodies are pushed further, the mental hurdles become more difficult and more frequent. And as mental stress and anxiety begin to heighten, it starts to take an actual toll on our physical bodies. This is the reasoning behind recreating physical and mental challenges within controlled tactical and athletic environments. You don't want the first time you experience what it's like to have a casualty to be when you're already in country. You wouldn't want to discover what it's like to lose a starter during game time, either.

Athletes and warriors deliberately put themselves in these situations to experience what it's like to operate under challenging and uncomfortable conditions. Casualty scenarios, 2-minute drills, fighting from the bottom, and countless more are all examples of creating adversity through training. The more you push your physical body beyond its capabilities, the more you will benefit both physically and mentally. The more you practice mindfulness, the clearer your mind becomes, and the less your physical body will endure.

Pushing yourself that extra mile when everything in you is screaming to stop, getting in the ice bath first thing in the morning, no matter what you try to tell yourself, and routinely challenging yourself through manufactured hardships are the keys to building a strong mindset in uncertain times. I am unsure of what lies ahead, but I do know a time will come when things will get uncomfortable.   

Get Uncomfortable

The adage "Get comfortable being uncomfortable" can be found on the walls of CrossFit gyms, team rooms, locker rooms, dojos, T-shirts, and more. Why? Because it's true. If you want to improve your performance and increase the size of your comfort zone, you must place yourself in uncomfortable positions. The only drawback is that many view this only as a form of pushing ourselves into extreme physical activities.

We often view this through the lens of cold plunges, marathons, skydiving, endurance athletes, and mixed martial artists—moments where someone must dig deep, tune out the mental noise, and push themselves into the unknown. While true, these are the most extreme and only a fraction of the daily opportunities to deliberately step out of our comfort zones and increase our resiliency.

Stepping up to lead a project for the first time, learning a new skill, public speaking, or even just joining a new team can all push you outside your comfort zone. A large portion of developing a growth mindset is the ability to not only place yourself in uncomfortable settings but to seek it continuously. Find the path less traveled by yourself and seek the things that make you better, even if you hate them. Doing so builds character; it's what builds discipline.

"Discipline is doing what you hate to do but doing it like you love it."

— Mike Tyson

Control the Controllables

"Control the controllables" is probably one of the most common phrases in tactical and athletic environments. It simply means that you must place your focus on things that are within your control. Where focus goes, energy flows. And in those environments, wasted energy, especially mental energy and focus, can have severe consequences. Your battlefield plan may be perfect, but remember that the enemy gets a vote.

No different in the athletic world, coaches and athletes face many factors entirely outside their control—weather, injuries, rule changes, and, of course, officials. Adopting a mindset that only places energy on things you can influence allows for a more focused performance regardless of conditions. That same mindset provides for rapid recovery from unaccepted setbacks since energy is used to adapt to the change rather than to dispute its reasoning or existence.

Athletes who allow mental and physical energy to be spent on a horrible call from an official still won't change the outcome. Now, there may be some exceptions for coaches and particular sports. Still, typically, the majority of energy expended on a blown call or unjust penalty results in zero difference in outcomes. They are simply outside control. More often than not, when energy is placed on things outside of our control, they are emotionally driven as well. Anger, fear, frustration, and envy are all typical emotions that can accompany external focus.

What's The Meaning

One of the most critical areas where mental energy and, thus, physical energy can be spared is through emotional intelligence. Our emotions are derived from the meanings we place on things. How we view a situation, the intentions we perceive in others, and our beliefs about particular items all drive our emotions. To be more accurate, they drive our emotional energy, which ultimately drives our actions.

Take that blown call by the official, for example. It's an obvious and reasonable cause for an athlete's anger and frustration. However, most of those emotions are driven by the meaning we place on the blown call, not the call itself. It's common to feel that the call was made to maliciously improve the opposing team based on bias and conspiracy or gross incompetence, either of which will ultimately change the entire outcome of the game.

This may all be true, but it's merely the meaning we've placed on it. It very well could be an individual doing their very best that had a lapse in judgment, maybe even one they wish they could get a second chance at. One that we know is never the only deciding factor in the outcome of a game. With that meaning, does the emotional attachment to it change? Is the ability to refocus and move on to the "Next play!" increased? We are in control of the meanings we place on things; we have power over our emotions and can take complete control of our actions.

In the Moment

The common theme among these practices is reducing cognitive fatigue while increasing mental performance. A critical element of a mindful practice is the ability to be present—to be in the moment. By being fully immersed in the moment, with all outside noise silenced, you can be physically in tune with your environment and hyper-focused.

Warriors must remain mission-focused when operating on the battlefield. Issues back home, an argument with a teammate earlier that day, or frustrating command decisions all take a back seat while operational. Athletes perform similarly in their mental approach to game day and overall performance. The phrase "Next play! Next Play!" is often heard in reference to moving on from whatever just happened and putting all energy and focus into the next play.

Off the field, we can take our presence to another level. A majority of pain and depression come from the past, and fear and anxiety only lie in thoughts of the future. With the ability to remain present in the moments of our lives, we can reduce these harmful emotions to a minimal existence. With a higher level of consciousness, we can reframe our overall outlook on time itself.

In Uncertain Times

As we navigate the apparent uncertain times ahead, we must remain devoted to the warrior spirit. Continue to train through adversity, consistently pushing yourself mentally and physically. Stay consistent in your refusal to remain comfortable. Focusing on what you can control is crucial to your emotional balance, especially in today's climate. We must understand that the emotions we do feel are primarily due to the meanings we place on the coming events.

It will be easy to get sucked into the political pitfalls and 24-hour news cycles over the next few months. But we must remember that the only thing we truly control is our decision in November - so worry about it then. Find the balance between being informed and being overly fixated. We have a power over our emotions. We have that control. We have the ability to be present and in the moment — to create certainty in uncertainty.