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Leave the Thinking to the Horses
They Have Much Bigger Heads than You
Johan Tonsbeek
The SBS/SAS and Navy SEAL Special Forces Training courses
are designed to physically and mentally test the Trainee and
how he thinks to the absolute limit.
So much so, that your initial reasons for wanting to become
an SBS Combat Swimmer/Frogman, Navy SEAL or SAS operator all
but would have dissipated like snow in the sun if it was not
for your ability to access the power of the mind.
Once that subtle barrier to the mind has been passed, the
Trainees are able to take control of their thoughts. Feelings
of fear, anxiety, stress, exhaustion or any other aspect that
would hold them back are now being controlled by the power
of their sub-conscious mind. They are able to will their bodies
to continue indefinitely under any circumstances, while undergoing
physical conditions and mental demands that would otherwise
be humanly impossible to achieve. This is also known as the
power of the sub-conscious mind over the conscious mind or
Will-power.
Once a Trainee reaches this Phase in the training, usually
nothing will stop him, and he would be able to continue under
these circumstances almost indefinitely unless he becomes
injured, which sadly does happen from time to time. This Phase
in the training sets the stage for a total identity change
and a tremendous boost in self confidence. The concept of
something being impossible is broken forever. This is why
the SBS/SAS and Navy SEAL Special Forces are able to undertake
operations and endure physical and mental conditions that
for others are all but impossible.
The trainees have reached the stage in their mind that turns
all negativity into positive objectivity with the trained,
inbuilt desire to always find a solution that will turn any
negative experience or set back into an immediate or long
term possible, positive outcome.
Leave the thinking to the horses; they have much bigger heads
than you. That was the reply from one of the SBS instructors
in response to a trainee’s desperate cry in my 1967 SBS training
class when he THOUGHT his legs couldn’t move anymore due to
sheer exhaustion when doing a forced run through the sand
dunes while carrying an inflatable boat or Zodiac with his
team mates. It is a common trait in most of us and it is a
typical human behaviour to hide and suppress the real issues
that are troubling us in the back of our mind until it is
too late.
It is a typical trait in most of us to hide behind our follies
and blame our weaknesses when the going gets tough and if
that doesn’t work to then blame everything and everybody else
except ourselves.
We get the conscious mind to temporarily override the sub-conscious
even though we desperately want to find a solution to our
problems or suffering. So the easiest way is to put the blame
with somebody or something else for our inability to continue
with the task and for our bad luck in life. Luck, however,
is the residue of design and this is very much emphasized
in the SBS Special Forces training.
In the SBS/SEAL training your true self is fully exposed for
everybody to see as you are methodically "hammered"
physically as well as emotionally and mentally week after
week. You can't hide your emotions anymore and there is no
shame in that, because we all have become equal in the eyes
of our Instructors no matter what rank we hold, or how big
and tough we considered ourselves to be at the beginning of
the course.
Teamwork then is another factor strongly emphasized in the
Special Forces training of the SBS and SEALS. The needs of
the many are greater than the needs of a few and failure of
one individual can bring the unwanted attention of the instructors
to the whole group.
One thing is for sure. You will never win a self softening
up contest in the SBS/SEAL training courses and the same principle
applies in life. In the end you will always be the loser.
Making somebody else responsible for the inevitable fall out
of your own decisions because of your inhibited thinking process
and your refusal to learn the lessons, which the SBS/Seal
training course is trying to teach you will only make you
a victim in the long run and life is no different.
In the end, you can only blame yourself for failing the course
or letting Victory (achieving your full potential) slip through
your fingers on the battlefield of life.
Special Forces soldiers are not born, they are created; they
create themselves with the help of their instructors, their
role models, their buddies and with a lot of self sacrifice.
They create themselves to do a Special job that only very
few of us can do. That is why they call them Special Forces
soldiers. They are special in every way.
You too are special. Which ever way you look at yourself,
there is no other like you in the universe. Only you can bring
about the changes you so desperately seek in your life. Perhaps
it is weight loss, a daily exercise program, a better education
or improved health; or perhaps an improvement in your confidence
and self esteem levels; ultimately you are the person in control
of your life.
I believe that the only way you can do this is to go back
to the drawing board of your life; to delve deep into the
recesses of your own sub-conscious mind. Like the instructors
in the SAS, SBS and Navy SEAL training courses do; they take
you down to places in your own mind where you have never been
before to unearth the ultimate commitment and belief in yourself.
I believe that you should learn and acquaint yourself with
some of the short burst energy psychology techniques of EFT
(Emotional Freedom Technique) and regularly apply these during
the course of days and perhaps even weeks to clear the accumulation
of negative emotional habits and thought patterns gathered
over a life time of experiences.
I also believe that you should make short burst aerobic and
weight resistance exercise a standard approach to living your
daily life, so you can assist the mental and emotional recovery
process using EFT.
The main difference between life and the SBS/SEAL Training
is that the latter is of a limited duration and if you believe
in yourself, have the right mental and emotional attitude
and physical ability and don't get injured along the way,
you know you can achieve your goal and that is to pass the
course.
The length of Life's Training Course is an unknown (thank
goodness), which makes it so much more difficult, especially
for those of us who have found themselves locked into a negative
mindset at an early stage in our lives. This is often because
of incorrect emotional interpretations of life experiences
in childhood and adolescence.
We then lack the ability to overcome our problems and setbacks
along the way; the emotional habit of self sabotage takes
over and we get stuck in the mud of life forever.
Horses may have bigger heads than you, but you have the ability
to make choices while horses function mainly by instinct.
Choose to think only positive thoughts; banish the negative
ones and life will become a whole lot easier to manage.
© Copyright 2006 - Johan Tonsbeek
Johan Tonsbeek 58, Ex Dutch Royal Marines SBS Combat
Frogman (Navy SEAL), qualified fitness instructor and Mind-Body
Coach. The inventor of a "short burst" university
tested exercise regime, the Boomerang GYM. Learn and apply
his short burst mind body techniques for overcoming self sabotage
and his unique, university tested exercise program for weight
loss, improved balance and coordination. Get his Special Forces
traits, Emotional Freedom E-book at http://www.boomeranggym.com.
Article Source: www.ArticlesBase.com
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