US Navy SEAL Jocko Willink on Controlling Your Anger: "Be Unflappable."

“What are the pre-event indicators that show to you or reveal to you that your temper is about to be lost? What are they? As soon as you feel that, you detach.” — Jocko Willink

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Watch this awesome video to find out all Jocko has to say about controlling your temper.

As you listen, start thinking about what your “pre-event indicators” are.

Keep asking yourself what Jocko asks: What are they?

Write them down, and then start thinking about how you can begin working on changing how you react when you’re angry.

If you’ve been working on controlling your temper, how do you help yourself do so?

What do you do to detach and stay cool?

How anger can be a benefit? Remember: Anger isn’t a bad thing—it’s a normal and healthy emotion to have. It’s when we allow it to control us, control our actions and our words that it it becomes a problem.

The first step to using anger to your advantage acknowledge and accept you’re feeling it. The second step is to “calculate”, as Jocko says, how you’ll choose to react.

What did you realize about yourself as you watched?

Did you become aware of what your indicators are?

What were they?

How are you going to use them to your advantage to remain in control and be unflappable? (This is another facet and form of mental toughness.)

There’s two ways you can be reactionary in any situation: Out of control of your emotions and letting them call the shots—or in control, where you’re accepting of your feelings and you choose the response.

Question: Who is Jocko Willink?

Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL officer, embodies disciplined leadership and is renowned for his influential podcasts, motivational content, and books on leadership principles. With a distinguished 20-year career in the U.S. Navy, Willink commanded SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser during the intense Battle of Ramadi in the Iraq War, showcasing his exceptional leadership skills under challenging circumstances. Post-military service, he co-authored “Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win,” a best-selling book outlining crucial leadership principles, and continues to inspire countless individuals through his podcasts and motivational speeches, emphasizing accountability, discipline, and personal development in leadership roles and everyday life.

QUESTION: I have a terrible time getting motivated on Monday. But I noticed where my head is on those mornings sets the tone for the whole week. How can I change this?