Former Navy SEAL Reveals Weird TRICK To Overcome FEAR & DO HARD STUFF | Rich Diviney
Here are the top 10 key takeaways from former Navy SEAL Rich Diviney's masterclass on overcoming fear and thriving in uncertainty.
1. Optimal performance beats peak performance
Peak performance represents an apex that can only go down and requires extensive planning and scheduling. A professional football player peaks for three hours on Sunday after planning their entire week around that moment. This approach doesn't work for Navy SEALs or regular people who must perform with whatever they have in the moment.
Optimal performance means doing your very best in any given moment, regardless of circumstances. Sometimes optimal looks like peak performance with flow states and everything clicking perfectly. Other times optimal means grinding through difficulty when that's all you have available. This approach allows you to celebrate those gritty moments and practice responsible energy management.
The concept enables you to modulate your energy appropriately for different situations. You don't need peak energy driving to the grocery store, and you shouldn't waste energy on unnecessary activities before important tasks. Navy SEALs often nap in helicopters before missions because they don't know what energy will be required later.
2. Moving horizons master uncertainty
When facing uncertainty, the brain automatically seeks three factors: duration (how long will this last), pathway (route in, out, or through), and outcome (what happens at the end). Absence of one or more creates stress and uncertainty. The technique involves creating your own duration, pathway, and outcome through "moving horizons."
During SEAL training, Diviney found himself miserable running with a heavy boat, not knowing how long it would continue. He focused on reaching the end of a sand berm, unconsciously creating his own duration, pathway, and outcome. This gave him something concrete to move toward and provided a dopamine reward upon completion.
The key lies in picking appropriate horizons - not too short to feel unrewarding, not too long to run out of motivation. This becomes a neurological equivalent of eating an elephant one bite at a time. The approach puts your frontal lobe back in charge and prevents limbic brain takeover during stressful situations.
3. Identity shapes performance and transition
People collect multiple identities throughout life, from small ones like being a fan of a band to serious ones like being a parent or professional. These identities come with rules and biases that drive behavior because you must act consistently with that identity. You tend to prioritize behaviors toward your most powerful identities.
Diviney prioritized husband and father above Navy SEAL, though military demands sometimes forced temporary shifts. When transitioning out of the military, he experienced the common challenge of losing a powerful identity. The SEAL mantra "earn your trident every day" means once you leave, you're no longer earning it - you become a former SEAL.
Healthy transition requires having other identities to fall back on and consciously building new ones. Those struggling with transition often lose their powerful identity without having alternatives ready. Building new identities takes deliberate work and effort, but most military personnel are accustomed to climbing difficult mountains.
4. Breathing controls autonomic response
The respiratory system provides direct access to the autonomic nervous system through the vagus nerve. You can literally shift from sympathetic (action state) to parasympathetic (rest and digest) through breathing alone. Different breathing techniques can increase, decrease, or maintain your current autonomic arousal level.
The physiological sigh proves most effective for reducing stress and uncertainty. Take a deep inhale, add a second smaller inhale on top, then exhale slowly for eight to ten seconds. Repeat this process two to five times to feel noticeable calming effects. This technique blows out carbon dioxide, which causes the stress sensation when holding your breath.
Box breathing maintains your current autonomic level when you're exactly where you want to be. Breathe in for five seconds, hold for five seconds, exhale for five seconds, hold empty for five seconds. This creates a perfect square pattern that keeps you charged but controlled, ideal before performances or presentations.
5. Better questions create better answers
Your brain functions as a question-answering machine, constantly processing environmental information often unconsciously. When you consciously place questions into your mind, your brain automatically generates answers. Poor questions like "Why am I so bad at this?" or "Why does this always happen to me?" produce spectacular answers reinforcing negative beliefs.
High performers flip the script by asking empowering questions. Instead of focusing on problems, they ask "What am I good at?", "Who can help me?", or "How can I make it through this?" These questions direct your brain toward solutions and opportunities rather than limitations and obstacles.
This concept mirrors physical navigation - you go where you pay attention. Racing school teaches drivers never to look at walls during spins because you'll steer toward whatever you're watching. Neurologically, asking better questions steers your mental focus toward desired outcomes rather than feared ones.
6. Dynamic subordination creates high-performing teams
Traditional organizational structures fail to capture how elite teams actually operate. Pyramids are too bureaucratic and slow. Flat structures create information silos where different parts of the team can't see or hear each other. Even servant leadership models place too much burden on a single person.
High-performing teams operate like blobs where leadership position shifts based on situational needs. The person closest to a problem or most capable in that moment steps up and takes lead while everyone else follows and supports. This creates "alpha hopping" where the leadership position dynamically moves to wherever it's needed most.
Team position has nothing to do with rank or hierarchy and everything to do with contribution. Even as an officer leading hundreds of missions, Diviney spent most time supporting his snipers, breachers, and assaulters rather than being supported. Leadership means creating environments where this dynamic subordination can flourish naturally.
7. Trust requires four elements working together
Trust building requires competence (doing things right), consistency (doing things right over time), character (doing the right thing), and compassion (doing the right thing because you care about people as human beings). Most business environments focus only on competence and consistency because they're visible and measurable, missing two crucial elements.
The taxi driver example illustrates this perfectly. After a crash with an unknown driver, you won't ride with them again because you only had competence and consistency - when competence failed, trust disappeared completely. However, you'd likely ride again with a family member who crashed because you have all four elements to fall back on.
Trust is a feeling that's been rationally justified through observed behaviors. You cannot make anyone trust you - you can only behave in ways that allow others to choose to trust you. Leaders must go first in demonstrating these behaviors rather than waiting for others to "earn" trust.
8. Language shapes identity and performance
The two most powerful words in human language are "I am" because whatever follows focuses your behavior and attention. These statements literally direct where you place your energy and effort. Whether saying "I am a father," "I am a leader," or unfortunately "I am a failure," you behave consistently with that identity.
Neuroscience supports this through the anterior mid-cingulate cortex, which controls human ability to do difficult things. This brain region shrinks without challenge and grows with hard work. You can literally tell yourself "I love this hard stuff" while lying to yourself, and with enough repetition, your brain will start believing it's true.
The reverse application proves equally powerful for separating from negative behaviors or outcomes. Instead of saying "I suck" after poor performance, saying "That's not like me" prevents negative experiences from becoming part of your identity. This linguistic separation protects your self-concept while acknowledging temporary setbacks.
9. Uncertainty training starts in certain environments
Since uncertainty cannot be predicted by definition, you cannot prepare for specific uncertain scenarios. However, you can practice uncertainty management techniques in controlled, relatively certain environments to build the skills before you need them. Working out provides an excellent training ground for horizon-setting and breathing techniques.
During hill sprints with a weighted vest, Diviney practices the same DPO (duration, pathway, outcome) techniques used in combat. Rather than committing to six months of healthy eating, start with eating healthy for just breakfast, then lunch, then dinner. Experiment with different horizon distances to develop intuitive feel for appropriate challenges.
The goal is making these techniques habitual through conscious practice in low-stakes situations. When real uncertainty hits, the skills activate automatically. You'll naturally assess what you can and cannot control, pick appropriate horizons, and move systematically toward solutions rather than becoming overwhelmed by the bigger picture.
10. Optimism with skepticism navigates complex times
Maintaining optimism while avoiding blind loyalty to any political side or ideology creates the healthiest approach to uncertain times. Patriotism means rooting for whoever leads the country while also taking honest looks at what's actually happening. This requires asking tough questions about whether current approaches still serve the greater good.
Polarization represents the greatest danger because it turns people into sheep regardless of which side they choose. Americans have the responsibility to avoid going "all in" on any single side and instead evaluate issues holistically. Every two years provides opportunities to vote conscience based on honest assessment rather than team loyalty.
Pessimism proves energetically expensive without providing useful value, while skepticism offers honest questioning that leads toward solutions. You can remain optimistic while being a healthy skeptic, staying engaged and positive without getting drawn into polarizing extremes that cloud judgment and reduce effectiveness.