It was a Monday that I would never forget. I was 10 years old; I played football for the Pancake Panthers. Our coaches were not happy about our loss on Saturday and decided that there would be a lesson learned on this day.

None of us knew what was in store for us. We had finished a hard practice highlighted with whistles blowing, pads popping and coaches yelling (but mostly with coaches yelling). As I looked over to say something to my buddy Chris, the coaches turned and walked towards “THE HILL.” I stopped what I was saying mid-sentence and began jogging toward the monster.

THE HILL was no ordinary hill. To our 10-year-old legs it was more like Mount Everest with knee-high briars and thorns. At the end of each and every practice the entire team would march down the long path in full pads and run up one time. Let me repeat that – we ran up ONE TIME. This day was different. I was the first one up and cheered on my teammates as they pushed with all their might. Then our coach, (who I swear was either 8 months pregnant or just really fat in one spot,) shouts, “Another ONE!!!”

Little did I know that we would run FIVE HILLS that day!

There was a point where my muscles could no longer contract, yet by not wanting to let my teammates down I kept pushing and grew stronger. Something changed, but it was not my muscles – it was my mind. After that practice, I became enthralled with the workings of the human body and mental intellect. This triggered me into action. I soon made it my mission to learn all that I could to master my mind and achieve massive success in all areas of my life.

Today I have the great fortune of working with and learning from some of the most powerful minds on the planet. It is 1:36 p.m. and I have trained a three-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, a Super Bowl Champion, and Sylvia Ferrero, a cover model and 2-time World Champion Women’s Tri-Fitness competitor. All of these people have influenced and inspired me to another level. They possess what I call an “UNBREAKABLE” mindset.

This is a mindset where no one or no thing can faze you. In this state of mind a flat tire becomes a minor inconvenience. Harsh words and negativity from others are like throwing pebbles at a rhinoceros. You become bulletproof, impenetrable to outside forces.

3 POWERFUL STEPS to MASTER YOUR MIND and Become UNBREAKABLE

1. DECIDE exactly what you want

Abraham Maslow, a legendary psychologist, introduced the six basic human needs. One of those human needs is the need and desire to grow and achieve. Most of the world’s population squander their time on meaningless activities like television, surfing the Internet or gossiping about others. If you want to live greatly then you must define what you want. For example, I train a fashion designer who came to me and threw an explosion of words my way, “Billy, I want to lose this (holding his gut)! I want to see my chest. I want it to be muscular. I never had a chest. I used to be an athlete – I want to look like that again…” He went on and on and he still does before each session. He knows exactly what he wants and he holds a clear picture of his future self in his mind. This is a trait of a super achiever.

What you visualize in your mind and what you continually focus on is what you become.

2. VISUALIZE with intense desire

This intense desire must border on complete obsession. Obsession is a word that many people regard as a bad thing, as negative. I do not agree and you must do the same if you are to become UNBREAKABLE. In order to achieve any type of great change including physical change, it is imperative that you create and hold a constant vision of what you desire. You must see it and feel it.

When I was going into my senior year in high school, I was not the most talented athlete and had only started one game my entire varsity career. I wanted to be great and would stop at nothing to get what I wanted. I read a book on sports psychology and followed the instructions without fail. I set five goals for the upcoming season.

1. To be named captain of the team.
2. To beat our cross-town rivals who we had not beaten in over a decade.
3. To make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
4. To be awarded First Team All-Conference.
5. To arouse interest from college coaches and play football at the collegiate level.

In addition to my extremely intense conditioning program and rigid eating strategy, I implanted a mental conditioning protocol where I visualized myself as having already achieved my goals. So vivid were the “movies in my mind” that I really believed that I was actually living it. I would feel my heart rate increase and a warm, burning sensation course through my veins.

To take this a step further I studied films of our opponents, breaking down each formation and looking for tendencies. Then I found an old cassette recorder. With this device, I recorded my own voice as if I was the announcer of the game. Of course, we always won and I always played my “perfect game”. Each night before I went to sleep I would put on my headphones and listen to the recording. These tapes served as a valuable visualization tool. By the time, the game arrived I felt as if we had already won and it was only a matter of showing up. As you may have guessed, I achieved all of my goals. It was not by accident. This was by design. I had always wanted to excel in sports, yet it wasn’t until I trained my mind and my body together that I was able to do so.

3. UNLEASH HELL on your goals.

This step is where most people fall short. I have known hundreds of people who wrote out there goals in their fancy leather planners, and are always on the go yet they are in the same place. Albert Einstein once said, “Never mistake motion with action.” A lot people are busy. Yet being busy is not the goal.

You must take specific actions towards the goal.

I am not going to elaborate here just for the sake of taking up space. This is the point of doom for many. There are hundreds, if not thousands of books and programs on how to overcome procrastination. Those books and programs are for losers. Maybe that is harsh but let’s think about it. Here is someone who is putting their life on hold. So the solution is to do what? Read a book about it? No, the answer is to ATTACK!

Decide what you want. Then see and feel what it will look like once you have it. Do this and really feel it! Then do whatever it takes to get it. Take Action! Unleash Hell! Be RelentlessÂ…never, never, never quit!

Daily Mental Conditioning Rituals

1. 10 Minute Visioning Exercise

Each and every day spend a minimum of 10 minutes thinking about how great you will look and feel and how your life will be improved now that you have achieved your all-time best body. The three best times to experience the Visioning exercise is during a morning walk, as you warm-up in preparation for your workout and before sleep. The more often you complete this exercise the greater your level of determination becomes.

2. Read

The average American watches six hours of television per day. In the land of “obesity” and “not enough time” there is no reason to sit on your arse and watch reality shows for hours on end. If you want to decrease your I.Q. then bang your head off the wall for ten minutes straight or until you become unconscious.

I suggest taking the time to read inspiring books. Begin by committing to read 10 minutes every day. If you do this you will literally astound yourself. Don’t take my word for it, find out for yourself.

3. Surround Yourself with Positive People

Every encounter with another human being results in a transfer of energy. When you are in the company of positive people you feel much different than when you are surrounded by negative people. “Neggies”, what I call people in a negative state of mind; can often rain on your day. Their incessant complaining, criticizing and general bitchiness (is that a word?) can be like Kryptonite to Superman.

So how do we defend ourselves against the “Neggies”? I am not advocating that you completely remove “Neggies” from your life for one reason. There are a lot of them and sometimes they may be related to you or they may be your boss.

Rather than removing the “Neggies” I suggest you spend most of your time communicating with positive, supportive people and forging your own unbreakable mindset.

The only thing you can really control in life is your reaction to the world around you. Master this and you will live a spectacular life. Let others attitudes rule you and live the rest of your life as a slave.

4. Breathe Deeply

The world moves fast. Sometimes so fast that you may feel frustrated, angry, depressed or anxious. When these disempowering emotions rear their ugly head your body feels the effects. You become tired and hungry and the urge to watch TV and binge on fatty foods, sugar and alcohol often arises!

One way to combat this is to posture up and breathe deeply. Research has shown that deep breathing techniques alter brain chemistry and improve emotional state. Managing your emotions is a life changing skill. Right now try this:

1. Inhale through your belly so that it sticks out
2. Exhale through your stomach as if you were sucking in your gut
3. Now repeat this with the following ratio
4. Inhale through your nose for 4 full seconds
5. Exhale through your mouth for 4 full seconds

Repeat until you feel a sense of control and are centered once again.

I strongly recommend that you begin each day with 10 Deep Breaths and then complete the 10 minute Visioning exercise.

It’s the simple, consistent rituals that create lasting change. Decide to take action.

 

UNBREAKABLE MINDSET In Action: Running 50 Miles (and almost dying)