We’ve all heard how difficult it can be to become a Navy SEAL – the physical challenges alone can make or break one’s success. Today’s guest and host of The Unbeatable Mind podcast, Mark Divine, had that part covered, but he ensured his success by mastering his thoughts as well.   From a disempowered background and core story, Mark didn’t always have dreams of becoming a Navy SEAL. In fact, he actually had a successful career as a CPA, but he longed for something more that also appealed to his athletic side.   Tune in to find out how Mark shifted his thought patterns and discarded those that didn’t work to accomplish his goals then and how he continues to apply those skills in his life and businesses now. I love how Mark’s approach links the heart and mind – you’re going to be amazed at just how simple it can be once you can quiet your mind and focus on one task at a time.   --      Questions Asked in This Episode: What led you to begin you Zen practice? What were some of the core beliefs of your family? What was the driver to become a Navy SEAL? Why did you find the process of becoming a Navy SEAL to be “easier?” If someone is feeling disempowered, what would you recommend for a visualization? What goes on in regard to training at your retreats? How can you break through mentally? What are you most excited about right now?   In This Episode We Talk about: How Mark went from CPA to Navy SEAL Mark’s Zen and meditation practice Changing the patterns of your thoughts from disempowering to empowering What it means to “practice on the bench” The BIG Four Skills (1. Breath Control 2. Maintaining, Managing and Curating Positive Direction of Emotions and Thinking 3. Always Hold an Image of What Success Looks Like and 4. Front Sight Focus) The importance and power of visualization Integrative training with mind and heart The Box-Breathing technique Disengaging from past events to free up energy The different levels of resiliency   Quotes:   “When I started asking better questions, then I started to get different answers.”   “The absence of thought is when the answers came to me.”   “Use your imagination to see a version of you that’s whole.”   “If you can see it, you can speak it and then you can believe it.”   “Create a positive memory of the future.”   “Sever the negative energy of the past so you can attract the force of the future which pulls you toward the future.”   “We always have value and a gift to give, no matter what happens to use, as long as we’re here.”   -- Mark is from upstate New York and did his formal undergraduate education at Colgate University. His years at Colgate University were focused on athletic endeavors such as competitive swimming, rowing and triathlon racing, interrupted by brief episodes of academic activity. After graduation from "the Gate" Mark started his professional career as a CPA with Coopers & Lybrand in New York City. Clients included luminous and no-longer existent financial firms such as Solomon Brothers and Paine Webber.  Four years later, with an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business in his briefcase, he left behind the suit to pursue his inner vision to become a Navy SEAL officer. He was 26 when he graduated as Honor Man (#1 ranked trainee) of his SEAL BUD/s class 170. Mark was fortunate to serve with many great men and women on active duty for nine years and in the reserves for eleven...retiring at the rank of Commander in 2011. After leaving active duty in 1997, Mark started his second business career as an entrepreneur. He co-founded the successful Coronado Brewing Company and launched NavySEALs.com in the same year he left active duty. To this day, it is the leading website for gear and information about the SEALs.  Mark's business career was interrupted by a stint as an Adjunct Professor of Leadership at the University of San Diego, where he was pursuing his Doctorate in Leadership, then by a one-year recall to active duty in 2004. The recall took him to Baghdad with SEAL Team