Pramukh Bhushan Week 12 : The Power of a Strong Mindset

This week, I reflected on how having a strong mindset affects day-to-day and critical situations. While scrolling through Spotify, I came across the audiobook Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins, and I was mesmerized by the 40% rule he described. The rule describes how even when the body feels exhausted or tries to give up, you are only using 40% of your true potential.

 I found Goggins's story fascinating as he overcame the obstacles of being overweight, facing an abusive father, and undergoing chronic stress. Despite facing such challenges, Goggins had a successful career in the military, working in both the Air Force and the Navy  SEALS. Using the lessons he gained from working in the armed forces, he became a top endurance athlete—completing 60 ultra-marathons, triathlons, and ultra-triathlons (There Is Only One Goggins).


The idea of pushing past one's limits is incredibly potent in the realm of accomplishing one’s goals and dreams. However, small mindset changes can go a long way, such as retaining a positive mindset and having faith in your abilities. I have started implementing this mindset whenever I compete in a hockey game or take an exam by convincing myself that the task at hand is manageable and I have the skill to finish it. On the other hand, when I become nervous and believe I cannot do it, I feel fatigued in my games and suddenly forget what I practiced during test day.


Being confident and communicating to your mind that you can succeed is powerful as it taps into the unknown greatness that resides in you. Many students this year have taken on challenging classes and balanced strenuous extracurricular activities. In just three months, students have to face AP Exams, one of the most demanding tests of the year. Whether you currently feel burned out or starting to feel stressed, remember that others in the past overcame the same challenges you faced this year. Overcome your limits and remind yourself how you still have 60% energy left in you during your most challenging times.




sources:
https://davidgoggins.com/about/
https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Hurt-Me-David-Goggins-audiobook/dp/B07KKP62FW

Comments

  1. This gave me the motivation I needed to take my chemistry test today. I was busy with other school work and I only started studying the morning of, so this reminder that I had an extra 60% of energy and potential in my brain to do well on this chemistry test was useful information. Hopefully, I can remember to apply it to other situations as well!

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  2. Hey Pramukh, thank you for the book recommendation and a reminder of how important a positive mindset is. Usually when someone tells us to just be positive, it seems like a rather ineffectual way to help and we ignore it. It's easy to forget that even the simplest things hold a lot of importance and that this is backed scientifically too. When you feel confident about something, you automatically put more effort into it because you think that the effort will actually pay off. If you give up on something from the start, there's no way that you'll have the motivation to put in the required effort. This is probably the same reason that people who are good at something only get exponentially compared as compared to people who don't improve a lot at all at things they have little confidence in.

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  3. Hi Pramukh! This blog was so inspirational! It is quite surprising how we only use 40% of our true potential. I can understand it when I am doing work, but is it the same for when you are working out? In the past, at swim meets I felt like I had given my 100% (my coach would have been pretty pissed if I didn't). I agree with you in that our mindset is very powerful, we can persevere or give up, and that determines a lot in our lives.

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  4. Hey Pramukh! I absolutely loved your blog and definitely plan on reading the book because it seems to be an interesting one that's the worth the read! Hopefully when I get time over summer, I'll be on that. But, it's really interesting when you say that we only use 40% of our actual potential. Honestly, it always feels like we've gone to the very top of our potential at times but we don't realize that we have over 1/2 of our potential just sitting there because we don't realize it. This definitely gave me the boost I've needed for a while to be more focused and continue to do what I'm doing using all the potential I have without thinking I've constantly used all of it. We can all do more than we do, even if it's hard. We have the potential, thank you for helping all of us realize that.

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  5. Hi Pramukh, Goggins' mentality just shows how human potential is not grounded by physical limitations—the mind can truly do what it wants to do. The common adage—if you put your mind to it, you can do it—rings true because who knows what humans can't do? This can be applied to any obstacle that people are set out to get over. Your connection of his philosophy to our student struggles is really eye-opening.

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  6. Hello Pramukh,
    I would very much love to tap into that 60% right about, well, all the time! Personally, whenever I have a task at hand that seems difficult of mentally straining, I find that starting is the most difficult step. Taking that task one second at a time builds up my stamina or momentum to continue working on that assignment. As long as I keep focusing on my goal and the fact that I am capable of accomplishing anything that I put my mind to, I can stay productive. Then the hard part becomes convincing myself that I am capable of accomplishing anything that I put my mind to. I guess for that I should remind myself that I have 60% more of my mind power that can be put towards anything I choose.

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  7. Hi Pramukh. Reading this has given me much more encouragement and confidence in my potential. Mindset is definitely crucial in how we perceive and approach tasks. Going into tasks and setting an intention has helped me work much more efficiently in the past. I will try to reach that remaining 60% more often in the future.

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  8. Hey Pramukh! I want to thank you for your positive message and encouragement in maintaining a positive and confident mindset. I too feel the difference of a good mindset when undertaking a challenging task, as compared to a negative, nervous mindset. I personally would love to not only have a good mindset, but tap into my true remaining 60% of potential that you mention, and hopefully that would make me much better at my tasks. Thank you for spreading this important message!

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  9. Hi Pramukh, the audiobook by David Goggins sounds very impactful and transformative. When you described your mindset before a hockey game, I could see how strong and influential a person’s mind could be in getting positive results and outcomes. A negative mindset, on the other hand, could lead to negative results in real life. Like our minds can manifest what we think about. There are stories of patients with cancer who survived and lived longer than doctors told them was possible by thinking positively and visualizing good health. It’s also encouraging to know that we, as humans, can muster more of our reserved energy when and as needed. Thank you for sharing such an uplifting audiobook.

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