In Unbeatable Mind, Mark Divine offers a guide for developing a warrior mindset that allows you to reach your full potential as a person and then apply that to improving your life and the lives of others. Divine writes that developing the mental toughness of an unbeatable mind means mastering five levels of personal development by cultivating character traits that maximize your personal and interpersonal abilities, focusing your mind on your true purpose as a human and then working toward that purpose, and training your body and mind through breathing exercises and meditative practices.
Divine is a retired Navy SEAL Commander and best-selling author of other books devoted to holistic training such as Staring Down the Wolf and The Way of the SEAL. His techniques are based in such systems as CrossFit training, Ashtanga yoga, Saito Ninjitsu, and Seido Karate.
In this guide, we’ll first explore the five levels of personal development Divine identifies and how to navigate them, outlining his advice on cultivating a deeper awareness of yourself and how to use techniques such as breathing and meditation to develop your unbeatable mind. We’ll also discuss the research behind Divine’s ideas and compare them to similar guides and practices from other writers in the field, including psychologists, leadership experts, and productivity advisers.
According to Divine, you can cultivate an unbeatable mind by learning to navigate five levels of personal development, which he refers to as plateaus. He links each level to one of five different intelligences characterized by a specific type of human functioning: Physical intelligence relates to surviving, emotional intelligence relates to protecting, mental intelligence relates to achieving, intuitive intelligence relates to equalizing, and holistic intelligence relates to integrating.
(Shortform note: There are other theories of multiple intelligences, most of which derive from the eight intelligences described by John Gardner. Gardner’s theory includes things like bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, which could be linked to Divine’s description of physical intelligence, and interpersonal intelligence, which could relate to Divine’s emotional intelligence, but Gardner describes several others that don’t fit into Divine’s framework, such as musical intelligence and linguistic intelligence. Gardner also rejected the addition of things like spiritual intelligence, which may contrast with Divine’s theory of intuitive and holistic intelligence.)
These levels build upon each other, but they’re not hierarchical in the sense that it's “better” or “worse” to be operating at one level than another. Further, reaching level 4 doesn’t mean that you’ll never again operate at or use the skills developed at level 1. As you ascend through the levels, you’ll continue to use the previous ones to guide you and inform your development.
The first level Divine discusses is about survival. When you’re at this level, you’re devoting the majority of your time and energy to getting your basic survival needs met. You’re making choices based largely on instinct.
(Shortform note: Acting on instinct can be dangerous but also has its benefits. In Relentless, Tim Grover suggests that acting instinctively pushes out distractions like self-doubt that may otherwise interfere with your decision-making, and he suggests that you can train your instincts to help you make the best decisions without having to stop and think about them.)
In this stage, you focus on yourself and possibly a small circle of loved ones, and you ignore people outside of that circle. You can develop behaviors that are damaging in the long term, including abuse of others or of yourself in the case of substance abuse or self-harm.
(Shortform note: Substance abuse is a common mechanism used to cope with negative feelings that accompany situations where a person feels like they’re in survivor mode, such as abuse or being unhoused. Studies show that rates of substance abuse are higher among unhoused people than in the general population. Having basic needs—like housing—met can enable people to move past these maladaptive behaviors.)
To transcend this level, Divine advises that you find a way to get your basic needs met and deal with the emotions caused by struggling to survive. Practicing certain disciplines and virtues can also help you ascend to the next level. (Shortform note: All of these disciplines and virtues will help you at every level, but some are particularly relevant to each specific level.)
Divine offers the following tips for getting through level 1:
Take on an abundance mindset: Understand that there’s enough to go around and that you don’t need to be focused on getting “enough” for you and yours. (Shortform note: Studies show that most crime is motivated by poverty, or the inability to meet your survival needs. An abundance mindset requires actual abundance in a person’s life, which is not entirely in their control.)
Hold yourself responsible and accountable: When you take responsibility for both yourself and your team (and hold yourself accountable when you fail to meet your responsibilities), you’ll expand your sense of self to include others and gain the trust of those around you. (Shortform note: In The Oz Principle, Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman also emphasize the importance of being responsible and accountable in gaining the trust of others, and they go on to suggest that accountability is one of the biggest keys to success.)
Stay determined: Understand that every day is a battle. Stay in the present moment and keep driving forward through hardship. (Shortform note: Staying in the present moment can keep you focused on your current situation, but it can also prevent certain types of anxiety that may hold back your progress, such as catastrophizing about the future or ruminating on the past.)
Once you’ve met your survival needs and successfully processed the emotions involved, you'll be able to tackle level 2. This level is where you’re acting (in your mind) as the guardian for your group or a specific structure or way of life. At this stage, Divine says, your choices are based on deeply rooted biases or unexamined emotions. It's easy to get stuck here if you aren’t exposed to—or if you refuse to consider—perspectives or beliefs different from your own.
(Shortform note: Certain types of ideology such as tribalism and nationalism derive from level 2. These kinds of ideas elevate certain groups of people over others and can cause social issues such as bigotry and large-scale conflicts—including warfare—that can be devastating on a micro and macro level.)
When you focus only on your own emotional needs without considering the needs of others who may be different from you, you may engage in illogical or emotionally manipulative behaviors.
(Shortform note: Certain mental illnesses may make it difficult for a person to focus on others’ emotional needs. People with a narcissistic personality disorder, for example, tend to lack empathy and prioritize themselves over others. These people may need help learning the emotional skills necessary for connecting with others emotionally and may benefit from therapy.)
To move past this level, Divine suggests that you examine the beliefs that you feel you're protecting and eliminate the ones that are unhelpful or damaging. If you’re helping someone else through this level, make sure you approach their beliefs with respect while offering other options that benefit them and others without shaming them.
(Shortform note: Others agree that confronting people directly about their biases in a way that places blame on them isn’t productive. In The Anatomy of Peace, The Arbinger Institute writes that telling someone they’re biased in an attempt to change their biases won’t work, and that you must approach them from a place of understanding and compassion.)
Divine offers the following tips for getting through level 2:
Practice authenticity: Make sure your beliefs and behaviors are in line with your goals and with serving others. This will improve your character and the way others view you.
Practice good leadership skills so people will be more likely to believe in you and invest their time and energy in you.
Authenticity Facilitates Leadership
Other experts have discussed the links between authenticity and the ability to lead others. They have outlined a distinction between the authentic self, which is the embodiment of who you really are, and the adaptive self, which consists of the behaviors you developed in order to fit in with others and do what you’re told. Standing by your word, being mindful about how your actions affect others, and being brave enough to face the frightening discrepancies between the authentic self and the adaptive self builds trust with others, which makes them more likely to be willing to follow you.
However, others have suggested that it’s not always beneficial to listen only to the authentic self and that your adaptive behaviors can also be useful in leading others. Their recommendation is to strike a balance between the two that allows you to act in a way that speaks to your true self while actively managing the way others perceive you through your adaptive behaviors.
Once you’re secure in your survival and belief system, you’ll move on to level 3. At this level, Divine says, you’re striving to improve your life through accomplishment. You’re making choices based on logic and hard evidence, and you may dismiss ideas that are not possible or easy to “prove.”
(Shortform note: The idea of relying only on scientific or provable evidence can be comforting, but scientists have pointed out that science is not as objective as we would like to believe, and that the beliefs of the people who are establishing this scientific evidence can influence the results. If you base your beliefs on “provable” scientific evidence, your beliefs will still be subjective, which may be frightening to someone at level 3.)
The dangers of this level are that when you focus only on achievement, you risk becoming a workaholic and experiencing stress from over-work, as well as prioritizing your gain over the greater good of humanity or the planet.
(Shortform note: Success through achievement is extremely tempting, but as Divine points out, it can come at the expense of others’ well-being. Billionaires are an example of almost unimaginable success, but researchers have suggested that the means they often use to achieve that success can have such consequences as causing catastrophic climate change or severe mistreatment of workers for the sake of higher productivity.)
However, there are some positive aspects of this level. People at this stage are independent and innovative and have a strong devotion to their loved ones and support networks.
(Shortform note: Experts agree that the skills associated with level 3 are highly beneficial in the workplace because they drive people to continuously improve processes, policies, and products even when those things are working well as is. When people innovate, they go above and beyond to make life better for themselves and the people around them, which adds value to both their personal and professional lives.)
To transcend this level, you’ll need to align yourself with your purpose and achieve a balance between work and personal life, and you’ll need to devote yourself to serving others.
(Shortform note: In The 12 Week Year, Brian Moran argues that a work-life balance is actually not as productive as creating a deliberate imbalance in your life, because trying to give equal attention to all the different aspects of your life can cause burnout. He suggests focusing intensely on a specific goal for 12 weeks at a time, and then shifting your focus to another goal for your next 12-week period.)
Divine offers the following tips for getting through level 3:
Practice compassion: Divine notes that western culture has historically portrayed compassion as a weakness, especially in men, but many other traditions that focus on creating warriors have recognized it as an invaluable skill that should even include your adversary.
Be generous: Recognize that giving more to others also increases your own share, and practice offering your time, talent, and love to other people.
Cultivate humility: Focus your attention on the needs of those around you.
Focus on Connecting With Others
These three tips all center around the recognition and validation of others and their needs, and around taking steps to help with those needs. These practices are mutually beneficial and build upon each other, and orienting yourself toward others can help you build relationships that can balance your need for achievement.
Unfortunately, as Divine points out, there are some obstacles to employing these practices. Western culture’s view of compassion as a sign of weakness in men continues to negatively impact both men and women in the workplace. Studies show that men who are seen as kind and compassionate by their colleagues tend to be paid less and be viewed as less competent than men who appear stoic and seem unconcerned with the needs of others.
However, compassion is a necessary facet of generosity and an important tool in any relationship, and as Divine points out, it’s beneficial for both the giver and the receiver. Compassion also can help you cultivate humility, as it’s an important part of overcoming interpersonal conflicts. In Crucial Conversations, the authors emphasize the need to be humble when approaching someone else’s viewpoints in order to reach a solution that’s beneficial for everyone.
Once you’ve met your survival needs, expanded your perspective beyond yourself, and begun to seek equity over material gain, you’ll reach level 4. At this level, Divine explains, you're devoted to the ideals of equity and creating a world built for everyone. You’ll work to advocate for policies or actions that elevate those at the bottom and bring those at the top down to an equal level.
(Shortform note: Divine uses the word “equality” instead of “equity,” but the principles he addresses, such as making changes that bring people to the same level, actually match up more closely with the definition of “equity.” Experts point out that “equality” means treating everyone the same way, but this only works if everyone is already on a level playing field. The solution to inequality is actually equity—giving everyone what they need—and only after that can we implement equality—treating everyone exactly the same.)
The drawbacks of this stage are that focusing only on strict equality can lead you to feel envy toward others who have more, to overcompensate in areas of social justice, or to exclude people with different perspectives.
(Shortform note: People who experience justice sensitivity, or a strong negative reaction to situations of injustice or unfairness, may be particularly susceptible to the drawbacks of level 4. Studies show that people with justice sensitivity can demonstrate symptoms of depression, including guilt and rumination, when they perceive injustice. People with this quality may need to find a way to gain some emotional distance from a situation in order to change it.)
However, there are benefits of this stage as well: At this stage you're focused on humanity and the world at large. You tend to work toward human connection and against systems that divide or marginalize people.
(Shortform note: This kind of work is difficult and not necessarily in our nature. The phenomenon of diffusion of responsibility can lead us to wait passively for someone else to help, but equalizers take the initiative to help everyone whenever possible.)
To transcend this level you’ll need to combine the positive aspects of all four levels and overcome the drawbacks of each while aspiring to a higher level of intention and spiritual attainment. Divine offers the following tips for getting through level 4:
Embrace simplicity: Teach yourself to be happy with where you are right now instead of focusing doggedly on things that haven’t yet happened. This doesn’t mean you don’t still strive to improve the future for yourself and others, but it gives you a sense of contentment that will keep you going when you experience hardship. (Shortform note: Being content with where you are involves recognizing that you have—or are—enough, and it’s necessary for both happiness and growth.)
Practice dedication: Moving to the next level requires a strong commitment to your development and the ideals of the first four levels. (Shortform note: Ideals without dedication won’t get you very far. In High Performance Habits, Brendon Burchard explains that success doesn’t result from strong work ethic alone but from dedicated habits that push you toward your goals.)
This level is the amalgamation of the strengths, values, and skills of all four previous levels. At this stage, your mind is in control of your self rather than the other way around.
Divine explains that at this stage, you’ve taken on a holistic view of the self, humanity, the earth, and the cosmos. Though you may still experience negative thoughts and emotions, you’re aware of them and work toward eliminating them. You’re courageous, compassionate, generous, forgiving, and loving.
(Shortform note: Putting your mind in control of the self means having agency over your own thoughts and actions. Because of the way the brain matures, this is difficult or impossible for children under a certain age, and like many of the traits Divine espouses, becomes easier when we enter adulthood.)
Integrating the first four plateaus can have some negative consequences when one of them begins to dominate. Focusing too much on self-growth can cause other things to fall by the wayside. For example, if you commit too intensely to the belief that everyone is equal, it can lead you to view everyone as “perfect,” and you risk being taken advantage of by others. Also, if you focus too much on spiritual attainment, you may begin to feel detached from reality.
(Shortform note: It’s important to maintain balance in your integration of the four levels. You should try to avoid becoming overly fixated on personal development to the point that it interferes with other aspects of your life or leads to obsession, self-doubt, and conflict in your relationships.)
While the goal is for you to operate mainly from the fifth level, Divine explains that you won’t eliminate the other four, but instead will become aware of how to integrate them into your life or behavior as needed. Sometimes you’ll be operating at different levels in different areas of your life, like if you feel you’re achieving what you want in your marriage but feel like you’re in survival mode at work.
What You Need to Grow
Divine’s five levels align in some ways with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s hierarchy is a psychological model depicting the five different types of needs humans have, listed in the order in which they need to be met.
Maslow’s first level of needs is physiological, or survival needs, which aligns with Divine’s suggestion that you must meet your body’s basic needs to pursue personal growth.
Maslow’s second level is the need for safety, which comes from society and the people around you, and his third level is the need to be loved and to belong. These two together correspond to Divine’s second level, which is about forming close bonds with others and working to keep them safe.
Maslow’s fourth level, the need for self-esteem and the respect of others, corresponds to Divine’s third level, as both are related to working toward achievement in your life.
Maslow’s fifth level, the need for self-actualization, could apply to Divine’s fourth and fifth levels together, as all three are about striving to be the best person possible in every facet of your life.
Unlike Divine’s levels, Maslow’s levels are mostly eliminated as you move up the hierarchy. Once a deficient need is met, it goes away and you can focus fully on your next need.
You may feel ready to dive right into working your way through the five levels, but more than likely you’ll need help figuring out where to start. To enact meaningful change within yourself and be able to navigate the five levels of development, Divine says you must learn to be constantly aware of what’s going on inside you and around you. This involves understanding how your brain functions and how best to control it.
(Shortform note: You can also use knowledge about how the brain functions to enhance your learning, as research shows that understanding how the brain learns and adopting a growth mindset improves learning outcomes in children.)
Awareness starts by understanding your mind, and that includes your physical brain and its different functions. Divine explains that the human brain evolved over millennia, building up from lower levels of functioning and ability to more complex functioning. As it progressed through these stages of evolution, it built upon itself, and many of the neurological traits that formed in our brain’s earliest stages of development have stayed with us rather than being bred out of us.
The three stages of our brain’s evolution are:
1) Reptile: The first of our three “brains” to develop was the reptile brain. It consists of the cerebellum and the brain stem and is responsible for maintaining our basic bodily functions such as heartbeat and motor control.
2) Mammalian: The second brain to develop was the mammalian brain, which is responsible for higher functions like emotions, as well as our reactions to stressors.
3) Monkey: The final brain to develop was the monkey brain, or neocortex. This is responsible for higher-level thinking and learning like analysis, creativity, planning, and decision-making. This brain is ripe with the potential to create and innovate, but it's also pleasure-seeking and unwilling to tolerate pain. Since pleasure is not always productive and pain is necessary for growth, you must work hard to train this brain.
(Shortform note: The concept of the three animal brains evolving and maintaining their original structure and functions in discrete parts has been widely accepted for decades, but recent research has debunked this idea. It indicates that the human brain did not evolve directly from the reptile brain and that it cannot be separated into distinct regions that function independently of each other. Instead, the brain functions as a highly interconnected web of neural networks that touch on and incorporate all parts of the brain for many different functions.)
According to Divine, these different brains need to be under the control of the mind. He emphasizes that the mind is separate from the brain’s neurological functions. He calls the mind the “witness,” meaning the conscious and purposeful awareness of your brain’s functions.
To achieve higher levels of consciousness, you must train your mind to have control over your neocortex. This training can be done through a number of eastern practices like yoga and meditation, and Divine has based his own system on these practices.
(Shortform note: Divine’s view of consciousness as separate from the functioning of the brain is generally not accepted by science. While it may seem like the mind is something greater than the sum of its physical parts, research shows that the processes of the mind and the memories and knowledge that inform those processes are stored physically in the brain, suggesting that the idea of a higher consciousness is an illusion.)
Divine says that in order for the mind to become the master of the neocortex, we have to embrace a state of silence in the mind. To do this, he advises that you push out all distractions, and he recommends various meditation techniques (which we review at the end of the guide).
When you embrace a state of silence, you can better connect with your higher self and the universe. This takes practice and feels unnatural at first, since western culture teaches us to constantly analyze everything. However, tapping into this silence and using it to identify negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts is the impetus for personal change.
(Shortform note: In The Art of Happiness, the Dalai Lama recommends a method for stilling the mind that involves taking on a neutral state of mind and pushing out distractions, like Divine’s method. He also emphasizes that you’re not just tuning out, but that you should stay alert and connect with your mind in a pure state.)
Divine says that achieving awareness and putting your mind in charge of your neocortex allows you to identify and follow your purpose. To identify your purpose, ask yourself how you can pursue your passions, how you can embody the traits you feel are important to your character, and what you exist to do. Once you’ve answered these questions, you can focus on the steps you need to take to fulfill your purpose: building emotional strength, building mental strength, and establishing and following through on goals.
The Purpose of Your Purpose
Many authors have written about the importance of finding your purpose in life and using it to guide your actions and thoughts.
For example, in The Success Principles, Jack Canfield echoes Divine’s sentiment that your purpose is essential to your success and happiness. To find your purpose, he recommends reflecting on what makes you happy, noticing your interests and skills, and envisioning what you want the world to be like. He also recommends meditation and a few questionnaires to help you pinpoint your goals.
Likewise, in Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi agrees that your purpose is vital in achieving happiness, and he suggests that finding your purpose requires you to alternate your focus between yourself and your community. He also distinguishes between different kinds of purposes, including purposes that you take on willingly and feel internally motivated to pursue versus purposes that you follow because others expect you to do so.
Similarly, in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, Robin Sharma adds to the idea that your purpose will guide you through life and says that your purpose should involve helping others in some way.
If you struggle with Divine’s guidelines on how to find your purpose, the methods recommended by these and other authors may help you narrow it down.
To train your mind, you must forge emotional strength. If you build emotional strength, you can weather the emotional storms that come with every challenge you face, keeping strong in the face of adversity and using challenges to help you grow and fulfill your purpose. Use your purpose to guide your actions and motivate you during difficult times.
(Shortform note: Our natural tendencies regarding challenges are to either avoid the challenge entirely or overly fixate on it, depending on our personalities and the way we were raised. The key to emotional strength is finding the middle ground between these two tendencies and facing challenges without letting them overwhelm us.)
To build emotional strength, Divine writes that you must:
Cultivate high self-esteem so you feel respected by others. (Shortform note: Divine doesn’t elaborate on why self-esteem is important for emotional strength, but we can infer that high self-esteem will help you bounce back from negative experiences and avoid internalizing them.)
Build up your self-control so you don’t react emotionally in the moment and inadvertently make the situation worse. (Shortform note: To build self-control in conversations, it may help to imagine yourself pressing a button to pause your mind and take several seconds to fully process what was said before giving your response.)
Take on a positive mindset so you can view setbacks as opportunities. (Shortform note: A positive mindset serves you best when it’s based in reality and takes into account your skills and resources so you feel equipped to handle the setbacks you’ll face.)
Orient yourself toward helping others. Tending to others will help you find meaning in your struggles. (Shortform note: Experts agree that helping other people helps you make sense of your own life’s challenges, and they add that it can help you find your purpose as well.)
Divine also writes that the biggest roadblock to achieving emotional strength is the negative emotions that result from hardships you face. However, when you encounter one of these negative emotions, you can build emotional strength by processing it effectively.
When a negative emotion strikes, acknowledge the emotion without letting it convince you that there’s something wrong with you. Then dig deeper: Find what is underlying that emotion, and then change that emotion into its corresponding positive emotion (such as turning envy into compassion, or turning anxiety into self-assuredness). Take that positive emotion and internalize it, letting it drown out the negative one, and finally, use this new mindset to enact positive change in yourself or to help others.
(Shortform note: Turning a negative emotion into a positive one can help you minimize negative feelings in your life, but you may also be able to use the negative emotions themselves to motivate you to make change. If you’re struggling to turn anger into forgiveness, for example, you could try using that anger to spur a major life change. If a negative emotion leads to positive change, like if anxiety motivates you to begin therapy, it can be reclassified as a positive emotion.)
Divine also writes that fulfilling your purpose requires mental strength. Mental strength gives you the ability to power through obstacles that stand in the way of reaching your goal. Divine’s advice on building mental strength focuses on managing stress. Mental strength can help you process stress in a productive way to keep you moving on your path to your purpose.
(Shortform note: Other writers agree that stress is one of the biggest obstacles in our lives and add that people often resist stress management because some of our stress responses were survival mechanisms in childhood, and it can be difficult to let those go.)
We tend to view stress as the source of our internal problems, but Divine says that very belief is actually the source of these problems. He emphasizes that stress is neutral, and that whether our stress is negative or positive is a matter of how we frame it.
If we view stress negatively, we might develop a victim mentality, feeling like we’re at the mercy of the stressors in our lives. But, if we view stress in a positive light, we can use it to facilitate our growth, strengthen our minds, and work toward our purpose.
(Shortform note: Research supports the idea that our perception of stress affects its impact on our health and that viewing stress as a major negative influence in our lives even corresponds to a shortened lifespan.)
Divine offers a method for managing stress productively, similar to the process for managing negative emotions. First, acknowledge the stressor and the effect it's having on you, and remember that experiencing this stress doesn’t make you a worse person. Then, intercept the effects of the stressor, reframing it to have a positive impact on your mind and body.
Through this process, you're training your mind to overcome the brain’s stress response and act in the moment to work through your crisis calmly.
(Shortform note: Managing stress productively may even prevent certain types of brain damage, as research shows that chronic stress can change the structure of the brain, including causing it to shrink.)
Proper goal-setting is another important step in finding and fulfilling your purpose.
(Shortform note: Some experts recommend using techniques like a journal specifically for manifesting what you want in life to help you set and achieve your goals.)
Divine recommends the following techniques to guide you in setting proper goals:
The first tip he gives is the acronym KISS, which you may recognize as “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Set a goal that’s small, or that can be broken down into smaller steps to increase your chances of success.
(Shortform note: When the phrase “Keep It Simple, Stupid” was first coined, it didn’t refer to breaking down goals into small steps but to a design principle that any product you make should be simple.) enough that someone with only a basic understanding of how it works should be able to use or repair it.)
Divine recommends that you choose goals that are appropriate for you (and your team if applicable). Set goals for yourself that are in line with your purpose, highly motivating, and within your means to complete. If you don’t have all the skills or resources needed to achieve your goal, figure out what you would need to gain to achieve it.
Also, set goals that are appropriate in terms of time. If your overall purpose is to start a new career in six months, it wouldn’t make sense for your smaller goal to be getting a medical degree, as that takes much longer than six months. If your goals are not feasible in the timeframe you’ve set for your goal, then you should let that one go and select a different goal.
(Shortform note: Large-scale goals may be appropriate for visions involving big groups, such as an entire company. In Traction, Gino Wickman describes how to use both incremental and long-term goals to enact your company’s vision, including setting a 10-year goal, a three-year goal, and a one-year goal.)
Once you’ve established your goal and stated it clearly, visualize yourself achieving the goal in order to see it become a reality. This can involve either imagining a future where your goal has been achieved or mentally walking through the process of achieving your goal. Divine says that research shows visualizing throwing a basketball through a hoop improves performance better than just practicing in real life.
(Shortform note: Some research actually suggests that visualizing yourself achieving your goal can have a detrimental effect on your progress because the subconscious mind can’t differentiate between the hypothetical vision and the reality of actually accomplishing it, and this can reduce your motivation for pursuing that goal.)
To navigate the five levels of development, cultivate awareness, and apply that awareness to your own growth, you must train both your mind and body. Divine shares a number of meditation and concentration techniques that he has learned or developed through studying such systems as Ashtanga yoga, Seido karate, and other eastern practices.
Practice these skills while keeping your mind focused on your purpose. This will give you the ability to turn your concentration on and off on command. These techniques include developing a mantra and practicing breathwork, meditation, and journaling.
(Shortform note: In addition to helping with concentration and awareness, meditation can also help with mental health issues such as anxiety and panic attacks, as it helps shift your focus from sadness about the past or fear of the future to calmness in the present moment.)
First, come up with a mantra for yourself. A mantra is a short phrase that provides a positive or motivational boost to your mind. According to Divine, choosing an effective, positive, and catchy mantra will allow you to redirect your negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts that align with your needs and goals. You'll use this mantra regularly in your practices, and eventually it’ll blend into your mental backdrop so you no longer have to consciously employ it.
(Shortform note: A mantra is a type of positive affirmation. In addition to conveying a positive idea as Divine says, your mantra will work better if it uses positive words as well, such as saying “I am strong” rather than “I am not weak” so that your focus is on the word strong and the word “weak” doesn’t slip into your subconscious.)
A mantra is essential for personal development but can also be very useful in motivating teams. As a leader, if you see your team struggling with motivation or feeling defeated, introduce a mantra that will reinvigorate them and refocus their attention on the task at hand.
(Shortform note: Research shows that repeating a statement or idea again and again makes us more likely to believe it’s true, even with simple ideas that we should know are false. Repeating a positive mantra can be particularly effective in teams involving children, as you’re teaching them positive ideas about themselves that they’ll internalize as truths.)
Divine says that, while we’re all born knowing how to breathe correctly, that skill fades as we age, and by adulthood most people are only using one-third of their total lung capacity and taking three times as many breaths as they should. Breathwork is the most important tool in strengthening your mind.
(Shortform note: In addition to age differences, there are also gender disparities in lung function and capacity due to differences in rib structure and the muscles that allow for lung expansion. These differences may result from anatomical differences related to men’s and women’s reproductive organs and capabilities.)
Re-learning to breathe correctly strengthens your body’s physical breathing structures and immune system, and also improves your control over the flow of energy through your body. According to Divine, using focused breathwork to improve health is an integral part of many schools of yoga. It can help you manage stress and lengthen your life, and its spiritual benefits make it a great tool for navigating the five levels of personal development.
(Shortform note: Long Covid can drastically reduce lung capacity and function, as it’s a disease that attacks the organs—including the lungs. Deep breathing exercises can help strengthen the diaphragm and improve outcomes for people suffering from lung damage, though they should be avoided if they cause dizziness, chest pain, or other troubling effects.)
Divine offers a technique to retrain your body to breathe the right way:
(Shortform note: Divine does not specify exactly how this process retrains your body to breathe, but we can infer that it strengthens the diaphragm and other muscles needed for respiration so that your breath will be stronger even when you’re not doing this exercise.)
Divine also describes a technique he refers to as box breathing. This involves four stages of breathing performed for five seconds each. Before you begin, empty the air from your lungs. Inhale for five seconds, hold it for five while keeping your body relaxed and avoiding clenching your muscles, exhale for five seconds, and then hold another five seconds before inhaling again. Add a five-second mantra that you repeat with each step to improve your results. Divine recommends using this technique for at least five minutes daily.
(Shortform note: Divine’s technique is a variation on yoga breathing, or pranayama. Pranayama encompasses a wide range of styles involving cycles of inhaling, holding the breath, and then exhaling in timed intervals, as well as more specific techniques like alternate nostril breathing.)
Finally, Divine offers two meditative practices to enhance your training. Do these regularly to improve your concentration and overall health.
The methods he describes are insight meditation and contemplative meditation. These are techniques for analyzing what you believe to ensure that it’s correct and in line with your purpose. To practice these, you need to get rid of the assumption that you must be right and anyone who disagrees with you is wrong. Reflect on how other people view this belief in differing ways, deeply exploring each idea. You might begin to feel less attached to your belief and may want to change your views.
The difference between insight meditation and contemplative meditation is that the former involves focusing specifically on a belief you currently hold, while the latter involves focusing on a work of some kind that you would like to consider deeply, such as a book or a movie.
Divine says to follow both of these practices with a few minutes of journaling, writing down what your beliefs were beforehand and then noting how they have changed during the meditation.
Meditation for Other Purposes
Both of Divine’s meditation techniques are designed for concentrating on and analyzing what you believe, but there are many meditation practices available that focus on different results and activities.
Mantra meditation is the practice of focusing on and repeating a mantra. This style helps you push out distractions, and the chanting of the mantra lets your breathing slip into a relaxing rhythm. Mantra meditation helps with focus, memory, energy, and mood.
Spiritual meditation involves using self-reflection to connect with something higher or greater than the self. This can be a religious entity, but the practice isn’t specific to religion. It requires you to let go of negative feelings toward others and focus on helping them from a place of authenticity. Spiritual meditation can help with enriching your inner life, strengthening your faith, and seeking to help others.
Present-moment meditation is a practice designed to center your awareness on the present, pushing out thoughts about the future or the past and tuning in to your senses—what you see, hear, and feel—in the moment. It can help with stress management and heart health, and it can also help you manage certain conditions like learning or mood disorders.
Candle-gazing meditation involves focusing your eyes on an object—like the flame of a candle—in order to focus your mind on your own awareness. If you struggle to clear your mind in regular meditation, the visual stimulus of the candle can make it easier to clear out distracting thoughts. Candle-gazing meditation can help with sleep issues, concentration, and executive function, and may even improve eyesight.
All of these practices can help you foster the type of awareness Divine describes—in addition to their other benefits—and aid you in your personal development and the building of your unbeatable mind.
Right now in your life, you are primarily operating at one of Divine’s five levels of development (surviving, protecting, achieving, equalizing, or integrating). In this exercise, you’ll assess where you are now and see what it would take to push you into the next level.
First, ask yourself which level you’re at right now. What are you focused on in life? Who is included in that focus? What are you striving for the most? Which level do your focus and aim correspond to?
Next, think about what disciplines and values you may be lacking. Which ones could you incorporate further into your life, and what goal are they oriented toward?
Now, think of what steps you could take to move to that next level. Pick one discipline or value and ask how you can implement it in your daily life. What’s one change you can make that will push you toward the next level?