We’re capable of much more than we think. The 40% rule by a Navy SEAL on overcoming mental barriers suggests we all have more strength & determination inside than we assume.
What is the key to overcoming mental barriers?
The great majority of people who start a marathon in the United States finish it (one commonly quoted figure is about 99 percent). That’s a high number considering the pain and turmoil marathon runners face. Many runners hit a wall where their mental resources feel exhausted. At this point, sheer will can maintain their strength — and this is the will that everyone has, but we seldom know how to tap into it.
The idea behind the 40% rule, as it is commonly described, is that when your mind says you are finished, you may still have most of your capacity left.
One man decided to break through his own mental barriers by inviting a Navy SEAL to live with him and his family for a month. The first item on the agenda? Doing over 100 pull-ups. The lesson wasn’t about physical fitness, but about mental fitness and the idea that we may each have an unused reservoir of strength and determination inside of us.
