Why Success Requires Two States of Mind

The expression “You can’t shoot a cannon from a canoe,” comes from the world of physical training. It’s a phrase meant to capture the idea that you must be stable before you can produce power.

Recently, I started to wonder if that’s really true - at least in life.

You see, I read an article on toughness and performing under pressure that used the training of US Navy SEALs as an example.

After decades of watching how the body reacts to physical training I’ve seen that there are rules of nature that no BODY (and nobody) can alter. And it’s within those limits we must perform.

One SEAL described something I’ve long believed: success isn’t about locking into a single state of mind. It’s about becoming comfortable moving between two very different states — especially when you’re exhausted and under strain.

It wasn’t the “right” state of mind that mattered most, and it wasn’t only the ability to switch between states of mind. The key was being familiar with both states, and being able to endure the process of going back and forth.

That’s not the message we usually hear. In business, sports, relationships, or recovery from injury or illness, advice often focuses on getting into one ideal mindset. Little attention is given to the fact that often we won’t be there, and getting comfortable with both states.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC), for example, emphasizes a compassionate state (“Giraffe”) over a judgmental or upset one (“Jackal”). The Law of Attraction (LOA) teaches that your mindset and energy determine what you attract. Coaches everywhere urge us to “focus on what you can control” — often your effort and attitude.

These approaches can be helpful. But when the emphasis stays too long on the goal being achieving a single mental or emotional state, it can distort the reality of how the human mind and body actually works. Our states shift. They always will.

Human beings are shiftable beings constantly subject to the environments and conditions that surround them.

The SEAL’s insight suggests a different approach: train for the oscillation, not just the ideal.

It’s the difference between practicing to fire a cannon from a ship on a calm lake versus one tossed on an ocean swell.

It’s the difference between practicing playing football only in a pristine indoor arena versus also in mud, snow, and rain.

We perform best in real life when we’ve practiced in conditions that resemble real life.

Just as showing people only the bodies of elite fitness models can warp expectations of what is normal and achievable in the day-to-day, leading people to believe they can — or should — live in one constant state of mind can do the same.

A better question might be: How do we help people get better at experiencing and navigating from both states of mind?

Because in reality, the cannon you’ll be firing won’t be from a calm deck — it’ll be from one that’s moving, pitching, and rolling.