How do people succeed? It’s a question that most of us ask one time or another. We see someone who has what we want, whether it’s the perfect job or the perfect body, and we wonder how they achieved it. If you ask, everyone has a different response. And as we know here at Rewire Me there is more than one path to a goal. But authors George Everly, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Douglas Strouse, managing partner of Wexley Consulting HRD, and Dennis McCormack, one of the original Navy SEALs have tried to answer it in their new book Stronger: Develop the Resilience You Need to Succeed. Their theory? There are five factors to personal power: Active optimism, decisive action, moral compass, relentless tenacity, and interpersonal support.

So why take advice from a Navy SEAL? It’s actually not that hard to believe the SEALs know a thing or two about succeeding when you realize they are defined by their ability to adapt and rebound from adversity, regardless how formidable. A trait that proves highly useful on and off the battlefield. Plus, the book draws on others who shine under pressure.

Here’s a look at the five attributes that the authors call their psychological body armour:

1. Active optimism: George R Worthington, retired SEAL and Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations Former Commander, states “Cynics need not apply because the cynic is always content with the way things are, or that there is no better option for rectifying a situation.” Instead, optimists provide the necessary traits for enlightened leadership and finding a new a better way to look at adversity.

2. Decisive action: Study an issue, get group input and take action. Case Closed.

3. Moral compass: The foundation of any job, company, or situation is its ethics. Know them and adhere to them, because your moral compass will always lead you in the right direction.

4. Relentless tenacity: This step is all about paying attention to the small details. Allowing yourself to sink your teeth in to something and, when you do, sticking with it. To see adversity through requires tenacity.

5. Interpersonal support: With movies and TV shows often showing a lone hero taking on all the bad guys, we often forget that teamwork is essential to success. Steve Jobs may be the face of Apple, but we know he didn’t build the iPhone all by himself. SEALs rely on their team for the success of any mission and so should you.

Overall Stronger is full of insightful lessons and a handful of homework and self-assessments that will help you to unleash your inner resilience to succeed in life. Everly, Strouse, and McCormack, drawing from various historical figures such as baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr and Olympian Jim Craig, show how their stories of success stem from their own incredible resilience. And the three authors, who started on very different paths—a grieving father, a researcher, and a SEAL—write about their own lessons and experiences about using inner strength and resiliency in the face of life’s challenges. In a quote from Stronger: “We believe [the answer] is to learn to be resilient in the wake of adversity, rejection, unfairness and failure. Our three respective journeys have not ended here. We’re simply pausing to reflect and share.”

Purchase Stronger here and learn about your own ability to succeed.

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