Do you tell yourself, “That will never happen to me” or “There’s a one-in-a-million chance of that?” Many people walk through life as if negative things won’t happen. But the truth is, things always occur to place you in danger—and it’s more likely to happen than not. David’s advice? Stop avoiding reality and plan for it. How do you do that? He shares his thoughts in this episode of My Extra Mile. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

 

• Understanding your brain’s survival mode
• How to mentally navigate challenges to prepare for them
• Negative things will happen—how will you react?

Humans are programmed for survival

 

One would think that the human brain is programmed for success, happiness, courageousness, fearlessness, etc. But it’s not. The brain is programmed for survival. The brain is designed to keep us playing small. It’s about not dying—emotionally or physically. Part of the survival response is fear.

 

David points out that fear is usually a learned behavior. David is a scuba diver and has been in situations where a fellow diver needed rescuing. But it never stopped him from diving. He just played through scenarios that could go wrong and practice how to survive them. David has been in dangerous situations while sailing, which is why he practices man overboard drills with friends. It takes practice.

 

David is also a pilot, and he practices what to do if and when things go wrong while he’s flying. Not because it’s necessary at the time, but because things will occur, and you want to respond automatically. Sully landed a plane successfully on the Hudson river because he had trained for years to be prepared for scenarios just like that.

How to mentally navigate challenges to prepare for them

 

David pre-thinks a lot of things that could happen. If something happens, he wants to respond in a split second. If a car accident was to happen, he plays through what he would do. If you start to slide off the road, most people’s immediate reaction is to jerk the steering wheel in the opposite direction—which is the wrong move. If it were to happen right now, what is the safest response? What do you do?

 

David points out that the smartest move is to actually steer into the ditch and hope a tree will stop you or snow will slow you. What about if an animal runs into the road? Unfortunately, your best route is to hit the animal. If you veer away, you could further endanger your life and the life of others.

 

David was in a severe motorcycle accident many years ago. He always said he’d never ride without a helmet, gloves, leather jacket, etc. But one day he was late to work and hopped on his bike in a t-shirt and shorts. A woman pulled out in front of him. Instead of braking and sliding, he had to drive into her car. The car was a write-off. His bike was a write-off. He was severely injured—but still alive. All because he had played through the scenario in his mind and knew the right choice to make.

Negative things will happen—how will you react?

 

David implores you: don’t avoid living your life just because of the possibility of something negative happening. You can’t walk through life with the philosophy that everything is going to go right. It’s not a negative thought if you plan how to navigate something that has a high chance of occurring. It’s not a question of attracting negativity, it’s a question of training the mind. How are you preparing yourself to navigate normal everyday occurrences?

 

David knows people that go years in disbelief that something happened to them. How do you prepare yourself mentally? How do you navigate a negative situation with elegance, ease, and speed? Practice. The more you practice these things, the quicker you can rebound from them. It gives you the confidence to know that you can handle anything.

 

David is a realist. He knows he needs to mentally prepare for the worst eventualities to hone his skills. What are you mentally prepared for? What aren’t you ready for? How can you prepare for it? How will you adapt after? Listen to the episode for the whole discussion and practical ways to prepare for reality.

Resources & People Mentioned

 

• MOVIE: Sully

 

Connect with David T. S. Wood

 

• Follow David on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidtswood
• Follow David on Instagram: @DavidTSWood
• Follow David on Twitter: @DavidTSWood1