Brian Johnson (host) presents a short Heroic +1 podcast episode drawing on Alden Mills' SEAL-team anecdote about every teammate carrying a "can of Whoop Ass" as a mental-preparation tool. The episode explains and adapts Mills' CAN acronym — Concentrate, Activate, Narrow — and gives practical steps: concentrate on the desired experience, activate the body with nose-to-belly breathing (exhale slightly longer than inhale) to produce calm confidence, and narrow focus by eliminating distractions. The piece emphasizes training, readiness, and using nervous energy as fuel, ending with a motivational call-to-action ("Day one. All in.").
Chapters
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic one. In our last several plus 1s, we've been having fun hanging out with former Navy Seal Platoon Commander and Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Company CEO Alden Mills. We've been exploring some of his wisdom from his new book on how to create an unstoppable mindset. We started by cooking some hero bars celebrating you at your unstoppable best and then using those memories as fuel to power you through your current challenges. Then we chatted about those voices in your head. We named them the Whiner and the Winner, the daimon and the Demon. Then we asked ourselves, is this thought helpful or hurtful? Today I want to chat about opening your can of Whoop butt. Yes, I'm Mr. Rogers. I will not say what it actually is, but opening your can of Whoop Butt. Yep, your can. C a n. Notice the all caps. Your can of Whoop Butt. Let's get to work. Alden tells us, quote, before every Navy SEAL mission, the platoon commander and his chief petty officer, the senior enlisted man, perform a platoon inspection. No two missions are the same, and because each person has different responsibilities in the platoon, it's vital to ensure everyone has the mission critical gear needed to carry out the mission. He continues by saying, the military equipment is obviously important, but there is one piece of equipment that is more important than all the others. And I would ask every one of my platoon mates every time if they had it, their can. I learned about inspecting for their can from my very first chief, a senior petty officer who was an old school seal. He would often pull me aside and say, sir, all these new electronic toys are distracting. I don't want the platoon to rely on these things because they can break. And then what? Then? Alden says, I remember looking at him quizzically and saying, okay, so what do you want them to use, senior Chief? He didn't miss a beat as he looked at me and said, sir, no mission ever goes as planned. I want to make sure every one of our boys has their can of Whoop Ass. But with him. And finally he tells us, yes, again, I'm Mr. Rogers. Kids, you can listen along. Parents, you can listen along without worry about it. And finally, Alden tells us. The analogy of the can of Whoop Butt from SEAL team is something I have carried forward and modified over the past 25 years. It is great to be fired up and focused on what you need to do, but it's even more helpful to direct the energy by attaching a series of thoughts and actions that will help you perform at your highest level. I call this technique opening your can. C A N. I have made an acronym out of the word can. Concentrate, activate and narrow. The process of opening your can requires you to attach to positive thoughts that have happened in your past and to those that you want to happen in your future. So that's from chapter number six, appropriately called opening your can of whoop butt. I love that story of Altman as senior chief. Today's plus one is simple. The next time you are going through a review of your life and all the equipment you need to fulfill your next mission, make sure you have your can of Whoop Butt ready to go. Alden's can acronym is short for concentrate, activate and narrow. Here's the quick take. C equals concentrate on the experience you want. Delete all negative thoughts from your mind. Focus on what you want to see come to fruition, not what you're afraid of. The A is activate your body. Breathe in through your nose. Down into your belly, exhaling slightly longer than your inhale. Bam. Energized tranquility and calm confidence activated. The N is for narrow your focus. Do not let your mind wander. Eliminate all distractions as you focus on what's important. Now. As Alden says, when it's game time, you can feel it because your heart rate is getting elevated and your breathing increases to feed. You're raising pulse. You smile because you know your body is secreting extra hormone energy to help you perform at your peak. These moments are the moments you have trained for and you're ready to do something extra special. Let your narrowing of focus remind you that nervousness is just fuel for your body to perform at its highest level. You are now ready to open your can of performance. But I repeat. C A N. Concentrate. Activate. Narrow. As we get ready to dominate today's missions, let's make sure we've got our can of Whoop Butt ready to go. It's day one. We're all in. It's time to go. Crush it with a playful smile today. Endnote here, I asked Alexander, hey, should I say whoop? You know what should I say? No, Keep it. But. So that's why you got a but now and again, parents. Hope you appreciate it. Day one. All in. Let's go.
