It takes a special kind of person to make it through the Navy Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL (BUD/S) Training.  This 24-week grind at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, CA challenges aspiring SEALs with perhaps the hardest physical and mental exercises anywhere in the world.  An astonishing 60% of the candidates who start the training voluntarily drop out before the end of the Program.  And a preponderance of those dropouts occurs during the grueling five and a half days aptly known as “Hell Week”.

During Hell Week, each candidate averages 4 hours of sleep (total!) and runs an average of 200 miles from pre-dawn on Sunday to the end of the following Friday.  SEAL candidates have to spend countless hours in the freezing Pacific Ocean, bear crawl in the sand, carry logs the size of telephone poles, perform pushups and situps in the surf, and endure the constant cold, wet, and muddy conditions.  The sleep deprivation, hunger, and constant confusion from the middle-of-the-night M43 gunfire and whistles test the stamina and resolve of any human.  Former Navy SEAL Marcus Lattrell, in his book “Lone Survivor”, offered his sublime assessment: “Hell Week has no mercy!”

There have been endless studies and analyses on what qualities determine who will ring the bell (dropout) and who will eventually don the SEAL trident pin.  Grit, fortitude, commitment, and stamina (the usual suspects!) are the most often cited traits.  But a recent interview with Navy SEAL Chadd Wright may have uncovered a new indicator of success.  Wright noted those candidates who dropped out early during Hell Week thought about all the suffering and misery they would have to endure in the coming days.  The prospect of compounding stress over the series of days was too much. But the successful candidates took a different approach.  Hot food was the only “luxury” during this time.  Those SEALs who made it through Hell Week were simply focused on their next meal.

“We weren’t trying to survive Hell Week.  We were just trying to make it to breakfast.”

And that is good advice for all of us as we go through any difficult period in our lives.

It’s Not About Overcoming the Issue.  It’s About Progress.

Portions of our life can feel overwhelming.  A massive RFP or project for a new client.  A particularly bitter argument with a spouse or significant other.  A long and persistent losing streak.  A rough patch of financial difficulty.  There are times when it seems the darkness will go on forever.  There are times when our lives feel like a personal Hell Week.

In the moment, it can feel too big to overcome. All we want to do is ring the bell and make it stop.   But these moments are not infinite.  Projects have end dates.  Arguments have closure.  Losing streaks do not go on forever.  Financial strain isn’t always permanent.

We have to step back from the situation and put it in perspective.  We don’t want to minimize the challenge. There is real pain and suffering during these times.  But we have to find something we can build on today to help us see the end game.   Are we making any progress? Did we check at least one task off the list?  Did we say anything that an apology can’t fix?  Did we improve even during a loss?  Is there some hope for additional funds in the future?   We can’t always look at the entire timeline.  The cumulative pain and sacrifice necessary to overcome may be too much for us. So we have to chunk it up.   Sometimes, we just have to survive the night.

Breakfast is Served

We all work hard to make a better life for ourselves and our family.  We all want to be optimistic.  But certain struggles can capsize even the most stout-hearted person.  During those times, we can’t focus on the “when”.  It may take a long time to overcome and it may seem insurmountable.  Sometimes, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.  But there may be some right in front of us.

We have to work to get things back on track.  It won’t happen on its own.  Resilience is all about staying active.  The hole can swallow us at times.  But we can’t stop digging out.

What will keep you going?  What solace can you take today that will help you survive until tomorrow? The sand and the surf and chaos of life can crush our spirit.  But every struggle comes to an end.  Don’t get too far ahead of yourself.  You don’t have to stress about how long the suffering will go on.  You just have to make it to breakfast.