Tough Enough?

Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory. -Bill Russell (1934-), 5 time NBA MVP, 12 time NBA All Star and 11 time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics.

Barefooted Hippy

This week I watched a couple of shows about survival. The first is called Dual Survival and it’s about two tough guys that are purposely cast into survival situations. They both have very different styles. The first is a former military trained guy and the second is an earthy-crunchy barefooted hippy survivalist. In this episode they simulate a small plane crash where they both presumably would have parachuted to the floor of the Arizona desert 8 miles apart. The first point of importance is that survival, according to both of them, is much more likely if they can find each other and work together rather than alone. The next highlight is how the hippy moves towards a water source, he clearly leaves obvious clues as to his trail so that his partner can easily track him.

As I sat in the comfort of my bed, I marveled at how they both used some very basic and simple principles to make it through the freezing temperatures of the desert night. The hippy was even more comfortable as his understanding of the desert was simple and straightforward. He fashioned a cutting tool out of stone and then whittled a branch into a perfect shape for making fire. He then bore a hole in a flatter piece of wood for stability and rested it all on top of a fluffy piece of bark. In an instant, this guy had a tiny wooden ember that he fanned into a full fledged camp fire. The military guy was not as successful with the fire part, but used the parachute to create a wind and cold barrier to keep warm for the night. Once reunited they even used the rays of the sun to purify bacteria laden water they trapped in a plastic bag to keep hydrated as they made their way to safety.

Hell Week

Stuck in that mode, I made my way to the next show called 2 Weeks in Hell. Simply put, it’s the story of Green Beret training for the U.S. army…need I say more. Immediately, I saw many similarities between the shows, not the least of which was teamwork. The candidates were broken into 4 smaller groups and required to complete incredibly difficult tasks. At one point, they were given four steel poles, 4 wheels, some strapping and a 400 lb barrel of toxic liquid; all of which was to be transported over 6 miles of difficult terrain. The teams that spent some time working on their plan before beginning were much better off. Their makeshift vehicles were able to withstand the journey, which put less stress on the candidates. The team that came undone finished the course almost 6 hours behind. As tough as that may sound, the candidates where then forced to march for 20 miles into the night.

So what’s the message in all of this? Mental toughness combined with teamwork can overcome almost anything. There was no rocket science needed in these events just plain old Yankee ingenuity. Like the hippy had stated as he lit the fire…”just like they did 10 billion years ago.” These days however, it’s just too easy to pull over to the side of the road and quit. After all, someone will be along to pick us up, right? Well if you took that path in either of these shows you were dead…and yes literally. If you weren’t tough enough and willing to push yourself to the next level of your ability then it was plain and simply over. As I sat back and contemplated what I had just witnessed, I wondered to myself if I’ve ever even pushed myself remotely close to my best. Maybe something we should all think about?