Become Unstoppable: Build Strength, Confidence, and a Warrior’s Mindset

Playing college football in my 30s was one of the most transformative experiences of my life, and it all started with a clear goal and a plan to achieve it. As a former Navy SEAL, athlete, and firefighter, I know firsthand the power of setting audacious goals and holding yourself accountable. In this episode of the Highly Effective Man podcast, I'm on a mission to help you reclaim your edge and unleash the unstoppable man within. Whether you're gearing up to conquer your 2025 missions or just wanting to elevate your daily routine, this episode is packed with insights to propel you towards remarkable success.

Tune in as we break down the Highly Effective Man goal-setting framework, a roadmap that turns dreams into actionable plans. Discover how to prioritize areas like mindset, nutrition, and fitness, and learn to set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. My personal journey from struggling with academics to walking onto a Division I football field is a testament to the power of discipline and focus. Let this episode inspire you to take action and transform your aspirations into reality. Join me and get ready to master resilience, command your potential, and become unstoppable.

If you would like to learn more or join the brotherhood of like minded men, click here: https://www.skool.com/thehighlyeffectiveman/about

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

Welcome to the Highly Effective man podcast, hosted by former Navy SEAL turned life and fitness coach. I'm your host, jp Bolwan. This podcast is your resource for unlocking the healthiest, most productive and highly effective man within you. Let's go what's up, guys. Welcome back to the Highly Effective man podcast. I'm your host, jp Bolwan, and this podcast is dedicated to helping busy men reclaim their edge with lasting strength, confidence and a warrior's mindset for life. I'm a former Navy SEAL, athlete, firefighter and your coach on this mission to master resilience, command your potential and live unstoppable. So today we're going to dive into the foundation of success setting clear, actionable goals and building systems to stay accountable. This week, you know, we're going to talk about these systems and how you can have them in place to set yourself up to crush your 2025 mission. I'm also going to share a personal story about one of my most transformative experiences in my life playing college football in my 30s and how goal setting and accountability made it possible. So get ready to take action, because this episode is about inspiration and it's about results. Let's get started. Okay, so setting goals is the foundation for success. Okay, without them, you're just drifting, hoping for the best. You know, maybe it'll happen. Maybe it won't, but when you're clear about what you want, you're empowered to take action and overcome challenges.

Speaker 1: 2:00

And let me take you back to a pivotal moment in my life in my 30s, when I decided to play college football. Yeah, you heard that right in my 30s. I'd never been to college and my high school transcript it was terrible. Ok, I had terrible grades, I barely graduated, but it was enough to get into the Navy at least. Ok, but I knew I wanted something bigger, something that would push me physically and mentally. So when I got out of the Navy, I set a clear goal Okay, and that's to get straight A's at a junior college. To provide the ability to transfer and to prove that I could handle the academic challenge. Transfer and to prove that I could handle the academic challenge, make sure that every class that I was taking transferred to the University of San Diego. And then I also had to prepare myself physically and mentally to step onto the football field. So at the junior college, I experienced emotional highs and emotional lows. What was the high? Well, shit, playing football for the first time since high school, right, and then stepping back on the field after so many years. That was amazing. Okay, what was the low? Well, we barely won. We won maybe one or two games, but you know what? It was still an amazing experience and I forged lifelong bonds with some of those teammates. But that season set me up for something even bigger, a bigger experience. When I transferred to USD, I walked onto the field at a Division I I guess you could say FCS program knowing that I had earned my spot through discipline, focus and resilience. And if I hadn't set clear goals or tracked my progress every step of the way, knowing that I had earned my spot through discipline, focus and resilience, and if I hadn't set clear goals or tracked my progress every step of the way, that dream would have just stayed that a dream.

Speaker 1: 3:55

So now it's your turn. It's 2025. What's your mission? So let's talk about how we can achieve those goals using the highly effective man goal setting framework. And this is your, this is your roadmap for turning dreams into a reality.

Speaker 1: 4:16

First thing we've got to do is identify our priorities Right. Think about the areas that you want to improve in 2025. Here are three categories Mindset, nutrition and fitness. Right Mindset's about mental clarity, stress management, building resilience. Nutrition's about healthy eating habits, meal planning, hydration. And fitness is about physical strength, endurance and mobility. So take a moment and reflect what's the most important area for you to improve right now.

Speaker 1: 4:52

Now, once you've got that, think about SMART goals. Right, and SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Ok, I'm sure you guys have heard that before, but just in case you haven't, let's break it down. So, what specific is? What exactly do I want to achieve? Specific is what exactly do I want to achieve? Ok, measurable is how am I going to track that progress? Achievable is is this realistic given my current resources? And then, relevant why does this matter to me? Right? What's the why behind it? And then time bound what's the why behind it? And then time bound what's the deadline? So, for example, for mindset, a smart goal might be meditate 10 minutes daily and then track it in a journal and complete it by March 31st 2025.

Speaker 1: 5:50

Okay, so break down your goals and, once have that, what you're going to do is you're going to break down your goals into action steps. Ok, and for each goal, identify three to five action steps that you can take immediately, because this is going to make you feel like it's achievable and it's going to get you moving forward. All right. The next part to that is staying accountable with some type of tracking or a weekly tracker Right? So once you've set your goals, the next step is accountability, and that's where the Highly Effective man weekly tracker comes in. This tracker is your secret weapon. It helps you review your goals daily, track your progress in real time and celebrate wins and adjust when necessary. So I suggest that every Sunday, you take 10 minutes to reflect Did I hit my targets, what worked well, what obstacles came up and how do I adjust.

Speaker 1: 6:54

And don't forget that there's a power of the community. Right, I have the Highly Effective man community. It's free to join, and this is where you're going to find accountability partners and like-minded men to push you and stay on track. So you've got your action steps. You've got your smart goals, but guess what? Life happens, right? Ok, so we got to anticipate challenges and then start adjusting. Right, because challenges are, they're inevitable in. Challenges are going to happen Forget that word, right, but challenges are going to happen, but they're not an excuse to quit. Ok, it's an opportunity to adapt and to grow. Okay.

Speaker 1: 7:37

So, for each goal, ask yourself what's one potential obstacle that I could face and then what's my plan to overcome it, okay. So, for example, if my goal is to improve my nutrition, but I travel frequently, my obstacle might be eating out too often. So what's my solution? Okay, I could pack healthy snacks, maybe. Look at the restaurants that are at the airports, okay, and research what are the healthy options that you know I might be able to get ahead of time and you know, in reality, success is it's not about perfection. Okay, it's about staying consistent and finding ways to overcome setbacks.

Speaker 1: 8:21

So here's your mission for this week Use the highly effective man goal setting framework to define three smart goals OK, one for mindset, one for nutrition, one for fitness and then break them down into actionable steps. And then track your progress daily with the Highly Effective man Tracker, you know, and that's available exclusively in the Highly Effective man community. Now, remember this isn't about just achieving goals. It's about becoming the man that you were meant to be. Ok, imagine yourself at the end of 2025 stronger, more confident and living a warrior's mindset. That vision starts with the steps that you take today, and if you're not already a part of the Highly Effective man community, join today. It's where like-minded men like you come to share their goals, celebrate wins and hold each other accountable. And then, lastly, subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs it. Together, we're building a brotherhood of men who master resilience, command their potential and live unstoppable. Until next time, show up daily, use the tools and take one step closer towards your goals. Let's go.

Speaker 1: 9:58

Thanks for tuning in to the Highly Effective man podcast. If you found value today, hit that subscribe button and stay connected. I want to invite you to join my incredible community, the Highly Effective man. The link is in the show notes below. It's a powerful space where you'll find support, accountability and camaraderie with men who are committed to growth and living purposefully. And your voice matters. So leave a review and share your thoughts and help us reach more men just like you. Together, let's elevate our lives and become the best versions of ourselves. Stay highly effective. See you next time.