5 Ways To Build Extraordinary Resilience, According To An Ex-Navy SEAL And Paralympic Champion
Authored by Walker Larson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
When Dan Cnossen opened his eyes, he saw the sterile walls and beeping medical devices of a hospital room. He also saw his mother’s face, just a few feet from him, looking into his own. How could she be here, in Afghanistan? But then Cnossen realized he wasn’t in Afghanistan anymore. He was back in the United States. Then the memories began to flood.
U.S. Navy SEALs emphasize honor, courage, and commitment to the mission. petesphotography/Getty Images
In 2009, during a nighttime operation in Afghanistan, Cnossen stepped on a pressure plate, igniting an IED that cost him both his legs. His comrades-in-arms transported him down the rocky face of a craggy hill, each step they took jarring his body, engulfing him in indescribable pain. The last thing he remembered before waking up in the hospital was being loaded onto a chopper.
Cnossen chose to tackle his recovery with the same determination and grit that had carried him through the notoriously grueling training to become a U.S. Navy SEAL and subsequent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Cnossen not only recovered from his wounds, but went on to become a Paralympic athlete of the highest order, winning multiple gold medals in skiing. All these experiences have honed Cnossen’s resilience to a diamond-hard edge. Drawing on his past, Cnossen shared five rules for resiliency.
Courtesy of Dan Cnossen
1. Find Your Cohort
Surrounding yourself with likeminded individuals who share your goals is a key to getting through challenges.
Cnossen’s always been a planner. When he was just a high school freshman, he’d already established a plan to get into the Naval Academy. Once there, he developed an interest in becoming a Navy SEAL. Cnossen knew that to achieve his goal, he needed to improve his swimming. Even basic swimming drills unleashed the butterflies in his stomach.
But at the Naval Academy, he gravitated toward other students with similar interests and goals, many of whom were excellent swimmers. By building relationships with these friends and learning from them, Cnossen was able to improve his swimming skills and eventually enter BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training). Similarly, during this notoriously difficult training—with an attrition rate of 70-80 percent—Cnossen’s cohort of comrades helped him get through and become a SEAL. The mutual support provided by a strong social network of likeminded individuals forms one of the pillars of resiliency.
U.S. Navy SEAL candidates perform a 50-meter underwater swim in the combat training tank during the first phase of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Benjamin K. Kittleson
2. When Things Get Tough, Sharpen and Narrow Your Focus
From being pushed to his mental and physical limit in BUD/S to facing an interminable uphill climb to recovery, including 40 surgeries, after his injury in Afghanistan, Cnossen has returned again and again to a simple principle of interior strength: Break it down.
Mentally tackling the entirety of BUD/S or all the training needed for a…
