The ATTA Method (Half 2)

This text is an installment of The On a regular basis Warrior collection, a recurring column by retired Navy SEAL, best-selling creator, and founder/CEO of ATTA, Mike Sarraille and edited by Jack Haworth, that includes recommendation, key interviews, and tricks to reside a lifetime of impression, progress, and continuous studying.

“Each step you are taking has introduced you to the place you might be in the present day. Wanting again on the place I’ve come from in the present day, and I notice that each one the little successes have added as much as all the massive ones. There isn’t any failure since you be taught from every little thing, and each step leads you and teaches you.” — Nimsdai Purja (former UK SBS Operator, creator of Past Potential: One Soldier, Fourteen Peaks—My Life within the Dying Zone)

It’s no thriller how empires and dynasties are constructed, fortunes are accrued, optimum well being is attained, or how somebody has recovered from life-altering circumstances—an entire lot of success and failure. The key to dwelling nicely is knowing that success and failure are each components of the identical course of. Each require the willingness to just accept threat, self-discipline, and the stark realization that victories and challenges rely on one another—they’re the “yin” and “yang” of progress. You be taught from each. 

Having this angle and realizing life’s achievements are attained “One Step ATTA Time”—a philosophy I name the “ATTA Method”—will fairly actually change your life. The ATTA Method mindset lets you rise above life’s on a regular basis battles and notice the non-public journey we’re all on is lengthy and requires unwavering positivity. Sustained progress can solely be achieved via steadiness.

Solely you possibly can decide what success and happiness appear to be for you. As we mentioned in “The On a regular basis Warrior Mindset: Half I,” the social media age has pinned us towards one another, highlighting a false narrative whereas not directly forcing us to match our accomplishments. However social media is commonly simply smoke and mirrors. Actual victories are achieved via incremental steps that don’t present up in your newsfeed. 

I guarantee you that I used to be not as sturdy, clever, or resilient as an excellent majority of the SEALs I served alongside. My path was lengthy, and nothing got here straightforward. But, I discovered a means into the highest two {ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} of the SEAL neighborhood by taking it one step ATTA time and at some point ATTA time.

The ATTA Method: Set an Intention, Plan, Take Motion, Mirror, Repeat

The ATTA Method is a confirmed system rooted within the foundational perception that exceptional achievements are the merchandise of small steps and constructive habits. Merely put one foot in entrance of the opposite and you’ll get there—one step ATTA time. 

The ATTA Method encourages folks to position constant give attention to three core pillars—bodily, psychological, and non secular health—to maintain steadiness, progress, and optimum efficiency. This conflicts with how most of us work towards our targets: brief, intense, and hyper-focused efforts. That flawed technique could produce early success however typically leads to long-term failures as a result of unsustainable tempo.

Placing Steadiness in On a regular basis Life

Is one hundred pc steadiness in life achievable? The reply is straightforward—hell no. 

There isn’t any such factor as being completely balanced in all areas of your life. That’s a fallacy, and don’t let any social media self-help gurus inform you in any other case. The world’s biggest enterprise leaders, record-setting athletes, and particular operations warriors have achieved exceptionally excessive efficiency ranges, however are all unbalanced in consequence. Michael Phelps, who gained 28 Olympic medals, has demonstrated brave vulnerability by drawing consideration to his obvious lack of steadiness and ensuing psychological well being struggles.

The ATTA Method exists to make sure you don’t turn out to be unbalanced—and this philosophy isn’t restricted to billionaires {and professional} athletes. It’s about common On a regular basis Warriors making an attempt to deal with life’s challenges, whereas nonetheless having sufficient left within the tank to succeed in for a little bit further. Life is one large assortment of alternative prices—to succeed or obtain steadiness in a single space of life, you have to settle for a little bit instability in different areas.

The Significance of Taking Dangers

I’m not advocating so that you can make much less bold targets or settle for much less threat, I’m really suggesting you do the alternative. Take daring, calculated dangers and don’t be afraid to dare tremendously. I merely encourage you to be extra deliberate about targets or aspirations in life. Set an intention, make a plan, take motion, replicate in your successes and failures, and repeat. It will enable you to reside a lifetime of achievement and continuous studying in a means that additionally secures longevity.

As Wealthy Diviney—a former SEAL teammate, good good friend, and creator of The Attributes—has stated, “Life isn’t about reaching peak efficiency, life is about sustaining optimum efficiency for so long as feasibly attainable.” That is the essence of the ATTA Method—it’s a stepped lifestyle that can enable you to preserve optimum efficiency, steadiness, objective, and achievement. It should guarantee your life is crammed with wonderful feats (and your fair proportion of failures) alongside the best way.

Discovering Your Tribe

The communities we encompass ourselves with—what I typically seek advice from as our tribes—are essentially the most highly effective social influences in our lives. I might like to say I got here up with the “ATTA Method” philosophy alone, however the fact is that this mindset is the product of my neighborhood. Like most of my rules, I’ve constructed the ATTA Method and On a regular basis Warrior ideas from an extended checklist of world-class mentors in particular operations and the non-public sector.

Chief amongst these mentors is my dad. He was a fierce supporter of my younger athletic endeavors. He by no means missed a sport, match, or race—despite the fact that some days I needed he did. I’m who I’m due to the mentors and wonderful friends who’ve cheered me on and helped me be taught from my shortcomings. Win or lose, succeed or stumble, his cry from the stands was all the time the identical—“ATTA Boy, Mike, ATTA Boy, Mike.”

Was he genuinely celebrating me, or was he disillusioned in my efficiency? I had no clue. On the time, I didn’t totally grasp it. However as I grew into maturity and confronted challenges alone, I began to know the overwhelming energy and positivity of what I’ve come to name the “ATTA Method.” 

After we reside by the ATTA Method rules, we don’t flaunt our victories, nor can we dwell on our defeats. Regardless, these opposing outcomes are undeniably tied to 1 one other. As one in every of my mentors as soon as stated: Whenever you be taught to have fun your victories for so long as you dwell in your failures, you’ve got come one step nearer to dwelling a balanced life.

Studying to Settle for Success Alongside With Failure

Regardless of your targets or pursuits, life is fraught with sunny days and blizzard-like storms that obscure your path ahead. Attaining victories in life takes time and an entire lot of failure alongside the best way. The ATTA Method teaches you to smile within the face of adversity and failure so that you stay resolute and self-disciplined. Put one foot in entrance of the opposite and simply hold going.

Positive, there are occasions you’ll take 4 steps ahead at some point, solely to take 5 steps again the following. Nonetheless, when you settle for that is the character of the trail itself, you possibly can start to be taught from failure and take the mandatory steps to sharpen your thoughts, strengthen your resolve, and summon the self-discipline to realize momentum towards attaining your aspirations.

How do you climb a mountain? One step ATTA time. 

How do you get stronger? One exercise ATTA time. 

How do you accumulate wealth? One greenback ATTA time. 

How do you impression others? One relationship ATTA time. 

How do you train your youngsters? One lesson ATTA time. 

How do you attain mastery in any ability? One observe ATTA time.

There isn’t any larger path to self-discipline than embracing the ability of incremental change and understanding that win or lose, you be taught from each.

The ATTA Method Pillars—The Pursuit of Optimum Efficiency Via Steadiness

The ATTA Method mindset is bolstered by these three aforementioned pillars. They assist us try for optimum efficiency via steadiness so we are able to admire the journey alongside the best way.

Setting bold targets, then taking motion to realize them is vital. However how you win is simply as vital as successful itself. When looking for steadiness, it helps to ask your self rhetorical questions: What pleasure does wealth present if you happen to’ve sacrificed your well being and relationships to achieve it? Are you able to really admire wealth if you happen to didn’t must work to realize it?

For those who arrive at your required finish state with poor psychological, non secular, and bodily well being—having ruined relationships within the course of, or worse, destroyed your character and integrity—then you definitely’ve misplaced. You’ve merely achieved what the Greeks name a “Pyrrhic victory”—one which comes at nice expense. In layman’s phrases, you’ve gained the battle solely to lose the conflict.

In my late 30s, I used to be in my peak bodily situation. I used to be coaching so arduous and was so centered on my mission in Particular Operations that I reached a harmful degree of instability in my psychological and non secular health. It was what actually ended my profession as a SEAL. I hit a wall and had nothing left within the tank to get well. 

In some ways, my SEAL profession resulted in a Pyrrhic victory whereas my friends went on to have longer careers. I had gained many battles—and I had labored arduous to construct my popularity—however I used to be solely spiritually and mentally unbalanced when it was over. It took over three years of brutally sincere self-reflection and focus to return to a semblance of well being in all three pillars of my life.

The core pillars exist that will help you preserve a disciplined lifestyle. All three embody a selected kind of “health” as a result of they’re all like muscle groups. For those who take steps to check and train your psychological and non secular health, they may develop stronger, similar to your bodily health. However if you happen to ignore and neglect these pillars, atrophy will take maintain.

Pillar One: Bodily Health

I see bodily health because the core pillar. It’s primarily based on the “Complete Man Idea” from Greek philosophy, which describes a match thoughts in a match physique. Bodily health is the muse upon which you’ll be able to layer psychological and non secular health—it’s basic to attaining steadiness.

Attaining bodily health doesn’t imply it’s a must to be a world-class athlete or a bodybuilder with seven {ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} physique fats. Neither goal is sustainable. As a substitute, you must titrate your bodily health to succeed in an optimum state of well being so that you’re ready to take care of the stresses of life. Ditch the alcohol, or a minimum of cut back your consumption. Rotate between energy coaching and cardio coaching a pair instances per week. Cease letting meals management you and begin controlling what you set into your physique.

It might be cliché to say, however your physique is actually a temple and also you solely get one. Push your physique, but in addition permit your self to completely get well. 

Merely put: Deal with your physique with love and respect.

Pillar Two: Psychological Health

High performers make time to keep up their psychological health in the identical means they preserve their bodily health. The ATTA Method offers a method to assist folks assume positively about how they really feel, assume, and act whereas managing stress, nervousness, and melancholy. Search to domesticate a sound thoughts and emotional intelligence via psychological exploration, continuous studying, and emotional steadiness.

Easy every day psychological workout routines like 5 minutes of respiration work or meditation may end up in a very totally different outlook. Establishing habits like studying or journaling 10 minutes every morning and night is without doubt one of the biggest instruments to sustaining a match thoughts.

Permitting your self to be susceptible and sincere about your psychological well being is the strongest factor a human can do. Whenever you put within the work to realize psychological stability and take motion to relaxation and reset, you’re higher ready to keep up optimum efficiency.

Pillar Three: Non secular Health

Once I say “non secular health,” folks naturally assume I’m referring to theology or faith. These frameworks may go for some, however not all—and that is coming from a Roman Catholic who wears three-finger rosaries round his neck. Regardless of my non secular religion and love, my spirituality extra typically comes from self-connection, self-reflection, gratitude, nature, private relationships, and my tribe.

Non secular health might be essentially the most ignored pillar, and that is likely to be as a result of it’s troublesome to know the best way to flex this muscle. Once I left the SEAL groups, I felt spiritually bereft and realized I wanted to search out particular person spirituality. I leaned on my tribes, and the wonderful sense of homecoming and belonging they offered me fairly actually fueled my spirit.

For a lot of On a regular basis Warriors, a wholesome non secular life contains volunteerism, social contributions, neighborhood participation, fellowship, optimism, forgiveness, and expressions of compassion. Personally, my biggest non secular rewards come from service to others—doing work with out anticipating a reward.

The ATTA Method – The Backside Line

Empires, firms, and careers are all constructed one brick ATTA time. Life is supposed to be lived in the identical means. If you’re searching for shortcuts—you’re wasting your time. Take the self-disciplined lifestyle and also you’ll discover it’s extra rewarding and significant.

Be conscious of every pillar and work to search out your individual steadiness. Not solely will you be taught extra about your self and the best way to greatest optimize your life, however you’ll construct immense satisfaction from attaining your accomplishments in a deliberate means—one step ATTA time.

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