I have been a fan of the way Jocko Willink thinks on many subjects for a number of years now. He had a big influence on how I was able to begin to silence my Inner Rival, so I wanted to share one of the lessons that I learned from him that had a massive impact on my perspective of "negative" events.
American author, podcaster, and retired US Navy Officer Jocko Willink is known for many different things, but one that has been beneficial to me is what I call the “Good Mindset.” In one of his early episodes of the Jocko Podcast, he said that every time one of his soldiers came to him with a problem, he responded “Good.” When asked by the soldier why this was always his response, Jocko replied, “When things are going bad, there’s going to be some good from it.” Here are examples of how this mindset works:
Didn’t get the promotion? Good. Now you have more time to learn and prepare.
Raining outside while you’re training? Good. You’ll learn to work through harder conditions, and you won’t get sweaty.
Tore your ACL playing sports? Good. You get more time to train your upper body and work on your mental toughness.
Your bike has a flat tire? Good. You have the opportunity to walk to work.
Lost the game? Good. You have an opportunity to learn what you did wrong and how to improve.
The “Good Mindset” isn’t meant to make things easier in life. It’s meant to help you not feel pity for yourself when things go wrong and learn to see the value in any situation. Things often don’t go according to plan. Your ability to be resilient can be determined by how you direct your focus and how you view the situation in front of you. So, next time something goes wrong, rather than get angry or frustrated, try telling yourself, “Good. It’s your opportunity to figure out how to make it a positive.”
Good luck Silencing Your Inner Rival
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