In our last several +1s (here, here, and here), we’ve been having fun hanging out with former Navy SEAL platoon commander and Inc. 500 fastest growing company CEO, Alden Mills.
We’ve been exploring some of his wisdom from his new book on how to create an Unstoppable Mindset.
We started by cooking some Hero Bars—celebrating you at your UNSTOPPABLE best and then using those memories as fuel to power through your current challenges.
Then we chatted about those voices in your head. We named them “The Whiner” and “The Winner” / ”The Daimon” and “The Demon”.
THEN we asked ourselves: “Is this thought HELPFUL or HURTFUL?”
Today I want to chat about Opening Your CAN of Whoop-Ass.
“Your CAN of Whoop-Ass”?
Yep.
Your CAN (notice the all-caps) C-A-N of Whoop-Ass!
(Hah.)
Let’s get to work.
Alden tells us: “Before every Navy SEAL mission, the platoon commander and his chief petty officer (the senior enlisted man) perform a platoon inspection. No two missions are the same, and because each person has different responsibilities in the platoon, it’s vital to ensure everyone has the mission critical gear needed to carry out the mission.”
He continues by saying: “The military equipment is obviously important, but there is one piece of equipment that is more important than all the others, and I would ask every one of my platoon mates every time if they had it: ‘their can.’ I learned about inspecting for their “can” from my very first chief, a senior petty officer who was an old-school SEAL. He would often pull me aside and say, ‘Sir, all these new electronic toys are distracting. I don’t want the platoon to rely on these things because they can break, and then what?’”
Then he says: “I remember looking at him quizzically and saying, ‘Ahh, okay, so what do you want them to use, Senior Chief?’ He didn’t miss a beat as he looked at me and said, ‘Sir, no mission ever goes as planned. I want to make sure every one of our boys has their can of whoop-ass with them.’”
And, finally, he tells us: “The analogy of the ‘can of whoop-ass’ from SEAL Team is something I have carried forward and modified over the past twenty-five years. It is great to be fired up and focused on what you need to do, but it’s even more helpful to direct the energy by attaching a series of thoughts and actions that will help you perform at your highest level. I call this technique ‘Opening Your CAN.’ I have made an acronym out of the word CAN: concentrate, activate, and narrow.
The process of Opening Your CAN requires you to attach to positive thoughts that have happened in your past and to those that you want to happen in your future.”
That’s from Chapter #6, appropriately called “Opening Your Can of Whoop-Ass.”
I love that story of Alden and his former Senior Chief.
Today’s +1 is simple…
The next time you’re going through a review of your life and all the “equipment” you need to fulfill YOUR next mission, make sure you have your CAN of Whoop-Ass ready to go! (Hah.)
Alden’s CAN acronym is short for “concentrate, activate, and narrow.”
Here’s the quick take…
C = “Concentrate on the Experience You Want.”
DELETE all negative thoughts from your mind. Focus on what you WANT to see come to fruition not what you’re afraid of.
A = “Activate Your Body.”
BREATHE! In through your nose, down into your belly, exhaling slightly longer than your inhale. BAM! Energized tranquility and calm confidence activated.
N = “Narrow Your Focus.”
Do not let your mind wander. Eliminate all distractions as you FOCUS on WHAT’S IMPORTANT NOW!
As Alden says: “When it’s game time, you can feel it, because your heart rate is getting elevated and your breathing increases to feed your raising pulse. You smile because you know your body is secreting extra hormone energy to help you perform at your peak. These moments are the moments you have trained for, and you’re ready to do something extra special. Let your narrowing of focus remind you that nervousness is just fuel for your body to perform at its highest level. You are now ready to Open Your CAN of performance whoop-ass!”
I repeat…
C-A-N.
Concentrate.
Activate.
Narrow.
As we get ready to dominate Today’s Missions…
Let’s make sure we’ve got our CAN Whoop-Ass ready to go!
It’s Day 1.
We’re ALL IN.
It’s time to go crush it.
With a playful smile…
TODAY!
🥫 ⛽ 🚀
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