Stop self-sabotage - autopilot high performance. Why Navy SEALs use THESE affirmations.

Navy SEALs—the world's most elite warriors—write and recite daily affirmations. A special kind of affirmations.  

Why would they "waste" their time?  

When these special operators face life-or-death situations, they need their best behaviors to activate automatically. Their solution? Programming their identity through powerful statements.  

What are those statements? Tune in to find out! 

University of Pennsylvania research reveals that repeating self-affirmations of this nature that Navy SEALs do physically rewires brain regions associated with identity, creating neural pathways that automatically generate desired behaviors.  

This explains why willpower alone often fails us—we're fighting against our deeply held identity rather than changing it at the source. 

What area of your life consistently frustrates you?  

The solution might not be more information or motivation, but an identity upgrade. Try this Navy SEAL- approved technique will help you shift your automatic behaviors to begin shifting toward your goals without constant struggle. 

Change happens in days, not years, when you rewire your identity. What will you program yourself to become?  

Transcript

Welcome to Change Wired

Navy SEALs Use Affirmations

Speaker 1 0:00

Hi guys and welcome back to another episode of. I hope you noticed that we rebranded our podcast to Change Wired. If you're new to this podcast, we just rebranded our podcast to Change Wired, something that is more aligned with what I'm doing in the world and, if I think about that, I've been passionate about that exact topic or pursuit of it since I was a little kid Change, growth, evolution. So this podcast is still going to be pretty much about the same things of growing ourselves, of self-leadership, self-development, but it's going to have a little bit more structure, a little bit more focus, a lot more talk around change. And also on Saturdays, we're going to have extra episodes leading through change, when we're going to be talking with experts from around the world leaders in their organizations, in HR, in culture, but also in change management and change leadership, people who are dealing with change as their profession on a regular basis and who are committed to mastering this art and science of leading change not just changing themselves, but also changing people around them, their teams, their families, their companies and sometimes the entire world. So that's going to be our episodes on Saturdays we're going to have guests.

Speaker 1 1:28

On Mondays, we're going to have our Mindset Mondays where we're going to talk all neuroscience and how our brain, how our thinking changes, the way our body works, changes how we even see our reality, and then how we can restructure that thinking process, what's inside of our heads, to better match the vision of our life. On Wednesdays, we're going to be all about well-being Wednesdays, but it's also going to be all about biological resilience and stress, fitness and health and all the hacks and this idea that our biology, that our body, changes the way we think and the way we see the world and our emotions, and how we can use that to again change and grow in the direction we want. And then on Fridays, we're going to talk about strategy and top productivity systems and, yes, of course, sometimes about the AI, but also about goal setting, about how to approach your to-do list so you get maximum return of investment on your time and our episodes. Also, we're going to transition more towards more structured approach and episodes are going to last mini-sorts on Monday, wednesday, friday somewhere around 15 minutes, 10 to 15 minutes. 10 minutes is our aspiration. Make it value-packed, super actionable and also super relatable and science-backed so you could immediately apply that and get value and get results and get positive improvement and positive change. So change wired, change in days, not in years, and in the way that you want.

Speaker 1 3:11

Today, guys, is Monday, so we are on our Mindset Monday episode, and I want to start with Navy SEALs. Guys, did you know that Navy SEALs write down and say and repeat their affirmations? I don't know how often you need to talk to some of my Navy SEALs friends, but they create affirmations, and these are some affirmations most elite performance in the world. They are paid handsomely by the government and their time is very valuable. So why would they spend time on such a kumbaya thing as affirmations Might be? Because it works. So affirmations right. Like.

Speaker 1 3:59

I am a surgical warrior, the top 1% in my field. I am disciplined in all aspects of my life. Discipline drives me to superior performance. I am self-aware, relentless in my self-discovery. I openly hold myself accountable for my strengths and weaknesses. I am audacious. My greatest fear is letting down those who trust in me. I am creative, agile and adaptive. Complacency is my most formidable enemy. I'm humble, for humility elicits admiration and trust in those I protect and object terror in my enemy. So these are some real affirmations that Navy SEALs use on a regular basis to create the identity that puts the desired behavior and decision making. Especially in the conditions when you are on some hardcore mission and you don't know what's going to happen in the next moment, you need to be on autopilot. Not on autopilot really fast, doing the right, the hard thing, instead of going with the flow, with the fear, and just not really serving the moment, doing your best or being that elite performer who you were hired to be to solve world's toughest challenges.

How Affirmations Rewire Your Brain

Speaker 1 5:23

Talking about affirmations and signs, guys. Repeating self-affirmations produces physical changes in the brain regions associated with self-processing, ultimately impacting your view of yourself. And these changes are associated with subsequent positive changes in your behavior. That's what University of Pennsylvania researchers there tell us about why repeating things is so freaking powerful. It literally rewires your brain. Your brain reshapes itself as you say those affirmations. That's not kumbaya, it's real life, and that's why Navy SEALs use them, because it actually works.

Creating Your "I Am" Identity

Speaker 1 6:12

And so in today's episode, you're going to learn a few ways you can use affirmations to solidify, to create, very often to grow your identity or change the one that you have into the identity that will serve you long-term to move you closer towards your goals. What am I talking about here? Let's get practical, let's get personal. If you struggle, let's say if you struggle with exercise or nutrition or any other health behavior or habit there is probably no identity in your mind that says I am a healthy person, I am a fit person, I am someone who committed to my health and feeling and doing my best every day. I am someone who invests and prioritizes my health. I am someone who leads by example, those who want to do their best and take care of themselves so they can show up and help others.

Speaker 1 7:19

So how can you use I am to reprogram your identity and, what's most important, on autopilot, do the right thing, the thing that you want to do, even when you don't feel like doing it. So how can you do that? Sorry, I just hit my computer with enthusiasm. So how can you do that? You can write down your IAM statements and start affirming them on a regular basis. And your subconscious, guys? It's kind of like memory in computer where you write programming. But the trick about your subconscious and that's what research tells us is that what goes into your subconscious needs to be repeated. Not everything that you just say to yourself once is going to just go into your subconscious. For kids it's almost true, but for an adult, you need to repeat that and that's why affirmations work when you repeat them, especially with the emotion, with the belief, with the motivation that, yes, I am committed to becoming this. So that's what.

Speaker 1 8:20

Rich Devaney, a friend of mine, is someone who wrote a book Masters of Uncertainty. That's what he did when he was a Navy SEAL commander. He wrote these statements for his team and then they would recite these statements on a regular basis to become the most elite performance in the world. So I am. Or, for example, if you struggle with self-sabotage and you're like I don't know why I do this behavior, it doesn't serve me, it doesn't work. Why do I do that? Well, that's because you're still running that old program. Some part of you, some identity, is still alive. You have this program installed and you never bother to install something that is stronger, something that works better for you, something that is different and something that will override the identity that doesn't work for you.

Personal Example: Entrepreneur to Business Owner

Speaker 1 9:12

To give you an example from my life, when I used to associate myself or call myself an entrepreneur, my business wouldn't go anywhere far Not like I'm rich and famous already, but it's going in the right direction. Finally, I'm seeing the quality improvements and I'm seeing the clients and I'm seeing that a lot of things are happening. And that's because at some point I stopped calling myself an entrepreneur, which in my head was associated with figuring things out, stumbling on things and just sometimes doing things, so exploring different ideas, and I started calling myself a business owner because for me, business owner is someone who's more serious about establishing an entity that is abundant, stable, that produces income, that have great offers, that have great structure, that delivers amazing service, that takes care of people who are involved in the business. Business owner is someone who figures things out, who does the thing that needs to be done, who does the hard thing instead of cutting corners, because business owner is committed to building something that lasts for decades. And once I started looking at myself as a business owner and I started looking like that at my schedule, I'm like okay, is this meeting really a good investment of business owner time? And I remember about all of these individuals or leaders who I would either message or interact in real life and I would ask them for a meeting and they're like you know, I can't do it this week or next week, or I can only do it next month, because I'm committed to all these other things and I realized that's what a business owner is do. They are responsible adults who know their responsibilities to their families, to their business, to other causes, and when somebody jumps at them with even the greatest opportunity in the world, they have their other commitments that they made obligations towards prior and they know that to build a reliable business, business that creates more abundance, more income, takes care of people who are employed in the business, who delivers value consistently in the world, certain things have to be consistent and you can't just jump on the next opportunity whenever I don't know the wind blows in the right direction, right. And so once I started associating myself with being a business owner, that behavior all over the place and jumping on every meeting disappeared. I'm like you know what? Yes, there are all these people going to this meetup and party or whatever. That is a mix of things. But you have other things to do, because you have this vision for your business and you need to move these milestones and they require quality work, not just a couple of hours here and there, and so that's why you're gonna stay at home and you're gonna work on those things, or just stay at home and get good quality sleep so you can wake up the next morning and, in your best time, actually work on those things. That's what a business owner would do. I am a business owner. You see how powerful that is.

Speaker 1 12:32

So if you struggle with some part of your life, ask yourself, what identity do I have? What is this? I am statement. If what you have doesn't work for you, it means you have some identities, because we have several in parts of your life which do not serve your future vision. So how do you change things?

Action Steps for Identity Change

Speaker 1 12:54

Again back to Navy SEAL affirmations. You write down those affirmations that will help you to own this new identity. Several of them, like Navy SEALs didn't just have one. I'm a Navy SEAL, whatever that means. They have this. What is it like? Six, the one that Trichy Davini shared in his book Masters of Uncertainty, like I'm a surgical and I'm disciplined in all aspects of my life. Discipline drives me to superior performance. I'm self-aware right? Who would think that Navy SEALs need self-awareness? But they do to be flexible in the most uncertain situations and still do their best. I'm relentless in my self-discovery. I openly hold myself accountable for my strengths and weaknesses. So all of this guys affirmations repeated on a regular basis, create a certain kind of identity that makes decisions the ones that you want to make, and take hard actions on autopilot. And what it means is you don't struggle with that anymore, Like when I go to the gym in the morning. I don't struggle with any discipline because I'm the kind of person who elevates other people's performance. I am the kind of person who leads by example. I am a leader, I'm a motivator, I'm an inspiration, I am an example of self management, of self-leadership towards that better vision that I have for myself. So, to summarize this episode I am.

Speaker 1 14:28

Statements are very powerful. It is a very powerful tool based on neuroscience research and psychology research and behavior research approved by some of the top elite performance in the world, performing in the most difficult situations that you can possibly go through in life. Navy SEALs use them and then again, every minute of their time is paid a lot. So they use them. They spend their time to create these affirmations, to recite them, to repeat them, to manufacture, to redesign their identity, to do the hard thing, to do the right things, no matter what circumstances they find themselves in. So my call to action to you is to try it.

Speaker 1 15:12

What identity do you need to do the things that you got to do consistently, that are hard, that you are failing at currently or don't do them consistently enough. What are the identities that you need and what are the I am statements. Write down five, six or 10, or just explore, as Rich Davini recommends. Write down those, do this exercise. Write down I am statements, I am this, I am that for different parts of your life, and maybe you'll discover that some identities clash and don't serve you, and maybe that's why you quote, unquote, self-sabotage right.

Speaker 1 15:45

Do the I am exercise and then ask yourself this question what identity do I need to improve this specific area whatever that area is for you of my life? What identity do I need? And then write down about five sentences at least five to 10 sentences I am, I am, I am. That will define that identity and then obviously write them down and put it on your mirror, on your wardrobe, in front of your desk, somewhere where you can repeat and obviously when you repeat them out loud it is more powerful. So when you can do that maybe in the toilet, in the bathroom, like my, for example, housemates are used to me shouting in my room you can also tell your family or whoever it is you live with. You know I'm going to do these things. It works for Navy SEALs.

Call to Action and Conclusion

Speaker 1 16:34

Here is the research. If you need research, then ask me or just ask GPT to find it for you. So I am. What identity do I need to make the next version of yourself happen and then write five to 10 I am statements to recite, to repeat every day, to write in this identity into your subconscious, kind of like a program. So, on autopilot, you do the right things. You do the hard things. You make the right decisions. Autopilot you do the right things. You do the hard things, you make the right decisions, take the right actions and grow the kind of self that you're absolutely proud of and excited about. So try it and don't forget to share this episode with someone who you know would benefit. Let's grow our collective consciousness and awesomeness together. So please do share with one person who would benefit from it. Let me know how we did on our first Mindset Monday episode and till next time, stay awesome and be careful about what you say after I am.