Mark here. Here’s what we have in store for this week…
WHAT I’M WRITING ABOUT
Find Your Route – Obstacles Are Not Always the Way
In leadership, there are moments when pushing through an obstacle isn’t the only solution. Take the BUDS obstacle course, for example. During one run, I found myself stuck behind a fellow student struggling. The clock was ticking, and frustration was rising. At that moment, I had a choice—wait it out or find another way. I chose to go around and headed for another part of the course. To my surprise, the class proctor approached me afterward, offering a compliment instead of a reprimand. “Nice move,” he said. “I would have done the same.” At that moment, I realized two important lessons: First, sometimes you must break the rules in the right context to achieve your goals. Second, the path others take to overcome an obstacle might not be the best one for you.
Action Step: Next time you face a roadblock, ask yourself: Is there a different, more effective way around this obstacle? Don’t be afraid to chart your own course.
NEW EPISODE – THE MARK DIVINE SHOW
Mental Training
Episode #502 – Mark & Catherine Divine
Mark Divine, Ph.D., your host of The Mark Divine Show, is a Navy SEAL veteran and leadership expert. Mark holds a Ph.D. in Global Leadership and Change and has practiced Zen meditation and breathwork for over 30 years.
Catherine Divine is a leadership coach, author, and yoga instructor with over 20 years of experience helping leaders unlock their full potential. She holds a Master’s in Transformative Leadership from CIIS and is pursuing a PhD in East-West Psychology. As a Master Unbeatable Mind Coach, she has trained C-suite executives, Special Ops candidates, and high-performance leaders, guiding them to integrate mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and resilience.
Podcast Highlights:
This week, Catherine and Mark explore the second of the five mountains: the ‘mental mountain.’ Mark and Catherine dive into key mental skills like creativity, compassion, intuition, and insight. They discuss how critical thinking, cognitive bias, and uniquely human abilities are vital in today’s AI-driven world. Practical tools like box breathing and mindfulness are also shared to help cultivate a focused and resilient mind. Don’t miss this insightful conversation.
Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare. – Audre Lord
PRACTICE OR HABIT TO TRY
Dreaming with Intention Practice: Each night, set a clear intention before you sleep to practice engaging with your dreams. As you prepare for bed, pause for a moment of quiet reflection and ask yourself a specific question you’d like to explore in your dreams. This could be something personal, like “What do I need to let go of?” or something more abstract, like “How can I approach this challenge differently?” Write the question down beside your bed as a physical reminder. Then, as you drift off, focus on the question with an open mind, allowing your subconscious to take over. As you wake up each morning, jot down any details or impressions from your dreams—don’t worry about making sense of them immediately. For a week, consistently maintain this practice, and observe how your dreams begin to respond to your questions, offering insights or creative solutions.
P.S. If you enjoyed this email, reply here and let me know what you thought. I’d love to hear from you.
MOMENTUM
Go to livemomentous.com and try it today at 20% off with code DIVINE, and start living on purpose.
Mark Divine is a New York Times best-selling author, leadership expert, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and retired U.S. Navy SEAL Commander. He is also the founder and CEO of Unbeatable and SEALFIT.
