How to Test Your Limits: Don Mann

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Lost deals, rejections, and denied bank loans. You face the potential for many failures each day. Knowing how to test your limits will help you adopt the right mindset to be prepared for these failures. You will also identify potential boundaries that can hold you back from success. My guest today has built his life around practicing this mindset. His story will motivate you to go beyond what you ever thought possible. 

My guest today is Don Mann. Don a motivational speaker and is a retired Navy SEAL who was a member of SEAL Team SIX. Don is also a New York Times Best Selling Author. His new book, Reaching Beyond Boundaries: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Achieving Everything You’ve Ever Imagined, offers stories and inspiration for those eager to do more with their lives. 

If you missed part 1 of my interview with Don, you can download it here. 

An Extreme Mindset

In addition to a long career in the Navy SEALs, Don Mann is an endurance athlete. He has taken part in races that cover hundreds of miles. At 1:10, he discusses the extreme impact that these races would have on his body. Don believes that if he didn’t get to the point of passing out or hallucinating in a race, he wasn’t really testing his limit. 

Listen at 2:45 to hear Don speak about the effects that this training would have on him and his team. The body starts to break down, and the mind starts to lie to you.

“Touch the Line”

While Don used to push his body and mind to the extreme, he has adopted a safer way to challenge himself. At 4:40, Don talks about how important it is to identify the point where you are overdoing it. He suggests that you shouldn’t be afraid to “touch” the line, but make sure to back off. 

Whether you are training for an endurance event or launching a business, this mindset is a valuable one. By knowing where to back off, you will get as much done as you can without damaging your mind, body, relationships, or other parts of your life. Don says that the real tragedy is that many people set their goals too low. While you may reach that easy goal, you will end up with a void in your life that was never fulfilled because you didn’t go beyond your capabilities. You are better off setting a high goal that you never reach instead of underachieving. 

Facing His Biggest Goal

One of Don’s most ambitious goals was climbing Mount Everest. At 9:40, Don tells the story of his failed attempt at climbing the famous mountain. After a certain point, his body began to quit on him. Don aborted the climb before he could face further potential for danger. 

Does Don view this as a failure in his life? Listen at 18:30 where he speaks on how grateful he is to have the experience. He will never have to say “I wish I could have…” for this goal. If Everest was never his macro goal, he never would have reached the smaller goals of climbing other mountains. This mentality is a valuable one to have. What big goals are you putting off out of fear of pushing your limits? 

You can learn more about Don Mann at his website.

If you liked my interview with Don Mann, download more episodes of The Profit Express to inspire you on your journey to creating success.