The newsletter which curates & delivers the best mind hacks, mental health tips & high performance strategies to you every single week.

‍🧠 LEARNING HACK

Success Secret Of The Olympic-Beating Chinese Diving Team & How You Can Use It To Develop Your Skills Faster!

If you've ever wished you could learn faster... acquire new skills quickly... & become extraordinarily good at something... we've got something for you!

To kickstart this week's newsletter, we're going to share what may just be one of the most important keys to doing exactly that...

Although before we get to the secret itself, let's talk about the Chinese Diving Team who perfectly exemplifies this in their training…

In the 2012 London Olympics, China won 6 out of the 8 possible gold medals in the sport of diving...

4 years later — the 2016 Rio Olympics — they came back & won gold in 7 out of the 8 diving events...

(The Chinese diver Wu Minxia, became the first athlete to win the same diving event 4 times...)

And in 2020, the Chinese diving team won 12 medals (7 gold, 5 silver)

Which begs the question, how did they do this?

Well, like any success, it cannot be explained by 1 factor...

Hard work, training, dedication, sacrifice, world-class coaching, mindset — all of the above are applicable as well as dozens of other distinctions...

But we're going to focus in on 1 specific one which also happens to be one of the core underlying insights for why some people learn incredibly slowly, struggle to absorb new information they learn & fail to develop skills, while others can learn, develop & acquire skills & abilities much more quickly & easily...

The insight is called feedback.

More specifically…

For example, here's what a typical training dive looks like for divers on the Chinese diving team:

• They go up to the diving board & perform the dive (often a very basic dive; they focus on mastering the foundations over more advanced techniques — another great insight for work & life!)
  

• They get out the pool & instantly get feedback (a.k.a. constructive criticism) from a world-class diving coach about what they can do better for their next diving (one example of feedback/coaching.)
  

• They then walk over a TV screen & proceed to watch a replay of the dive they just performed to get a second layer of feedback from themselves.
  

• And usually, there are additional levels of feedback beyond even this comparing their dives over time, noticing common errors in form, etc…

Now, let's compare it to what most people do...

The core of it again is called feedback (or 'constructive criticism')...

Firstly, what most people do is they look to avoid this feedback/constructive criticism in their life...

That’s because most people only want to hear what they are doing well/right & prefer not to learn what they are doing wrong/badly — already a big disadvantage if you want to get better.

Secondly, as mentioned, the quantity, quality & speed of this feedback…

• Quantity: generally, the more feedback, the better… (as you can see in the example of the Chinese diving team, they have not just 1 layer, but multiple layers/sources of feedback baked into their training.)
  

• Quality/Accuracy: when feedback is inaccurate or wrong, it can actually be counterproductive, reinforcing the wrong habits & behaviours, so you got to make sure the feedback is as accurate as possible…
  
  (the Chinese diving team using camera & TV showing the divers instant-replays of their dives is a good example of this because it's very accurate/objective. The diver can think their did one thing in the air but the TV/replay doesn't lie & it'll show them that they did not. The world-class coach standing by the side pointing out their errors also helps.)
  

• Speed: highlighting this part of the example, the divers don't watch the replays of their dives (or get feedback from a coach) later in the locker room once the entire training is done.
  
  No!
  
  They get the feedback (multiple layers of it) mere seconds after they complete the dive…
  
  That speed helps connect the dots between input & output, behavior & outcome, action & result, greatly improving their learning speed!

The question for you is how can you apply this into your own learning & skill acquisition efforts?

How can you get more feedback (can be as simple as asking people to tell you what you're doing wrong/can do better, or getting a friend/coach to help), getting more accurate feedback (e.g. recording yourself & watching it back right after or tracking stuff in more objective ways) & increasing the speed of the feedback you receive?

Do this & we assure you will start learning faster, acquiring skills more easily & become better at what you do, faster…

And if you'd like to learn more strategies like this (with more examples & specifics) to learn more effectively, develop your skills up to 500% faster & become extraordinary at anything you set your mind to... be sure to check out our book on the topic called:

"Skilled Success: Learn Faster, Train Like The Best & Become Extraordinary At Anything"

Inside you'll learn how to start soaking in new information like a sponge & activate your brain’s full potential to achieve your goals faster & thrive in today’s rapidly-changing new world…

(even if you think you're a "slow learner", have a "bad memory", "low IQ" or lack "natural talent")

👉 Get all the details & get the book for free today »

▶️ SPECIAL INTERVIEW

Revealed: The Root Cause Of Physical, Mental & Emotional Problems + A Proven Method To Heal Mind, Body, Spirit & Transform Your Life In The Most Remarkable Ways!

Watch this eye-opening Potencia interview with one of the leading personal growth experts in the world, Dr. Alex Loyd, PhD, ND (bestselling author with 1+ million copies sold, translated into 29 different languages… international speaker, lecturer & more!)...

...& learn the ‘root cause’ behind the rapid rise in physical, mental & emotional health problems (incl. cancer, heart disease, depression, anxiety disorders, suicide rate, etc) we’re seeing as a species…:

Plus: a method (proven by 23 double-blind studies!) to heal your body, mind, spirit… become the best version of yourself… & unleash your fullest, highest potential!

👉 Click to watch the interview & transform your life »

💭 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Here’s a powerful quote about failure & how it's the secret to success:

Or, you can watch Jordan say it himself here as part of a Nike commercial:

We agree & discuss this topic at great depth in various Potencia courses... failure isn't something to avoid, it's actually the stepping stone to success. 

If you don't fail, you don't learn.

And if you don't learn, you can't succeed.

So don't be afraid to failure, steer into it & leverage it for learning, growth & achievement 😃 

 FEATURED COURSE

How To Eradicate Distraction & Tune Into Deep States Of Laser-Like Focus & Flow!

“In a world in which your attention is under attack, focus is scattered, distraction seems a constant & overwhelm feels all too common...

…how can you take back control of your time, focus & attention, to achieve your goals, faster?”

…that’s the question at the heart & soul of the new Potencia focus course, which is titled;

"Laser-Like Focus: How To Eradicate Distraction & Create Laser-Like Focus On Demand"

'Laser-Like Focus' is a game-changing methodology, system, practical steps — & in-depth, 3-part, video training course walking you through it all — to eradicate distraction & tune into greater focus in your life…

The 'Laser-Like focus' course itself consists of eye-opening insights as well as big-picture frameworks that'll first give you a better understanding of attention (& how it works) than 99% of people in the world have...

...before guiding you to implement a number of simple, yet proven & highly-practical steps, methods & strategies... to delete distraction from your life...

...as well as train up your ability to consistently tune into deep states of focus & flow... so you can learn anything faster, be more creative, multiply your productivity... & start hitting your goals in record time!

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🎯 BODY HACK

The 'Wim Hof Method' (Or… A Proven Way To Boost Immunity, Prevent Disease & Activate Your Full Human Potential!)

In a recent edition of the 'Potencia Body' newsletter (click here to subscribe if you're not already to learn amazing health tips for free!), we covered the life & method of Wim Hof...

If you haven't heard of the Wim Hof (nicknamed the 'Ice Man'), where have you been hiding?

The man is incredible & has collected a total of 20 Guinness World Records in the process of demonstrating this fact to the world...

One of his most remarkable feats occurred in 2007 when he climbed Mount Everest (where temperatures can drop as low as -50°) wearing just his underwear!

In one study, they buried him to his neck in ice for almost 2 hours...

...yet his body temperature actually went up (not down!) by 1 degree due to his breathing & the control he has developed over his own nervous system!

The best example of this was in another study where under laboratory conditions, researchers injected Wim's body with a endotoxins, flu-type bacteria (which causes strong flu-kind symptoms such as fever, chills & headaches in all of the 240 people previously) only to find that in Wim's case, he suffered no ill effects whatsoever! (thanks to the breathing patterns that he did beforehand.)

What's best is that he is not a freak of nature...

To prove this, he has actually trained others ordinary people to also do the same & they have, proving that virtually anyone can do this, heal their body & boost their performance in these ways, as well as achieve the most incredible things previous thought to be impossible...

How can you do this?

Well, you follow the method he developed called the 'Wim Hof Method'.

It's made up of 3 core elements...

• 1. Cold Exposure — we won't cover this in this newsletter as we already covered it at length in a previous newsletter here as part of our 'Potencia Mind' publication (from taking cold showers, to ice baths to swimming in the cold winter water!)
  

• 2. Breathing (he uses a specific breathing protocol which we’ll share with you in just a moment!)
  

• 3. Power of the mind (including interoception & visualization)

Each of these 3 components are powerful on their own… but when you bring them together, they are even more powerful (as Wim Hof demonstrates!)

Let's explore them...

🫁 The Wim Hof Breathing Protocol

Here is one of Wim’s basic breathing techniques that we highly recommend you test out if you don't do it already, starting today:

1. Take a few long, slow, deep, gentle breaths to focus, relax & prepare.

2. Take in 30 - 40 deep, full breaths & let the exhales out without any force (active inhale, passive exhale). Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, or breathe in and out through your mouth...

3. After completing 30-40 repetitions, take in one more long, deep breath, let that exhale out & proceed to hold your breath out (don’t breathe in) as long as you can.

4. When you feel a strong urge to breathe or your diaphragm begins to flutter, take in a full inhale & hold it in again (on the inhale this time) for 10 - 15 seconds) below letting go, exhaling & relaxing

5. Repeat the steps above for 3-5 rounds. Then repeat 2-3 times every day for the best results.

What you'll see is that over a few weeks your breathing will ease & capacity will increase dramatically...

You will be able to comfortably hold your breath for longer periods, & you will begin to notice many health & performance benefits!

And then, the 3rd pillar of the Wim Hof method — & another big reason we're mentioning this here — which is the mind, or mindset.

This includes the idea of will & the power to imagine, to meditate, to be self-aware, conscious & to visualize — the ability to transform conscious attention to any part of your body or mind or anything, to observe any bodily process, all as we please. 

As Wim Hof proves, it’s about conscious control & that this is a power we all have + can train over time (much like you can train a muscle to get stronger)...

By challenging yourself to do more & more difficult things, getting out of your comfort zone & challenging yourself, you're harnessing & training the power of your mind, your mental strength & toughness.

This is how the people we look at & consider 'superhuman' (like Wim Hof, amongst others) do what they do...

They don't start by hiking Mount Everest in shorts...

No, they start by taking a cold shower one morning or doing an ice bath for the first time in their life — even though it's cold & seems scary.

Then, they do it repeatedly, more intensely... at each stage, pushing themselves just a little bit & stretching their mental limits (much in the same way that you develop physical flexibility — by stretching your body to the point of discomfort every day.)

So, develop the power of your mind & do that by challenging yourself to do hard & challenging things & stretching your comfort zone.

(As you do this, you'll also be able to better able to implement the first 2 elements of the Wim Hof method, as well as do anything in life, too!)

So, that's an overview of the Wim Hof Method (including cold showers, ice baths & more), breathing that hyper-oxygenates the body & harnessing the full power of the mind 🧠 

Recommended Reading: Wim Hof's book, Wim Hof Method.

🌟 REFER OTHERS

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