Back in September 2021, I attended a 3-day “Unbeatable Mind Experience” in Carlsbad, California.  The event was full of instruction, workouts, and transformational experiences like ice baths, fitness assessments, surf torture, etc. After a class on the “Big Four of Mental Toughness” by Mark Divine (Navy SEAL, Retired), we were primed to put these lessons to use by assuming the plank position for an undetermined amount of time.  The plank ended when Divine decided we had enough practical application of the Big Four.

At three minutes my body was starting to shake uncontrollably.

This wasn’t my first experience in the Big Four training.  We previously did a 30-minute plank hold (they told us about the time in advance) and a 42-minute plank hold (time target not announced).  Earlier in the day, one of the attendees announced that today was his 60th birthday.  At that moment, I knew we were screwed.  That number was going to find its way into Divine’s mind and translate into a brutal plank hold.

The good news is we all survived. I ended up using positive visualization as my Big Four tool of choice.  Basically, I went somewhere else as vividly as my imagination would allow to wait out the plank experience.

Increasing Your Relative Pain Threshold to Build Resilience

You may be wondering, why am I using a plank hold in a happiness post?  It turns out that suffering for a higher purpose — in this case, to support others that were struggling during the plank hold — can generate a lot of happiness.  Of course, I was elated when I heard we were done.  This leads to Darin’s theory of “Relative Pain Threshold.”  I have read that people often measure happiness without thinking about it by simply comparing what they have today versus what they had in the past. If the subtraction is positive, they are happy.  If they have less, they are unhappy.

The “Relative Pain Threshold” theory operates somewhat the same way: we measure how bad a situation is compared to past suffering.  If the current situation is less painful, we do not view it as bad.  If it is perceived as a level of pain never experienced, the current situation can be perceived as much worse, leading to worry, dread, avoidance, and other negative emotions.

Transformation Experiences = Better Life

Here’s where the plank hold comes in.  It sucked.  Really sucked.  If you don’t believe me, try doing a 10-minute plank to witness what happens.  Then, project that to 5x more.

For me, the 62-minute plank hold increased my Relative Pain Threshold.  Now, when I encounter setbacks or perceived obstacles, I do a quick mental check: “Is this as bad as that plank hold”?  Virtually nothing has been since the event. It gives me an amazing sense of perspective.

But the primary reason why the plank hold is so valuable is that it eradicated limiting beliefs.  If you’d asked me before the event if I could do a plank for that long, I would have had likely thought “no way”.   

As they say, it is not the event that is the problem, it is our reaction to the event.  Being forced (actually, I simply didn’t want to quit) into this crucible, wiped out some of my limiting beliefs replacing them with more powerful ones. 

Put another way:

1. the event served as a trigger

2. that provoked reactions based on limiting beliefs

3. and my willingness to hang in there created new, stronger beliefs that serve me well for future triggers.

As for the Big Four of Mental Toughness, you will need to wait for a future post on the rest of them.  

We will also discuss why you should be grateful for being “triggered” and all the growth that can come from these experiences.

Happiness Posts is published by Darin M. Klemchuk founder of Klemchuk PLLC, an intellectual property law firm located in Dallas, Texas and co-founder of Engage Workspace for Lawyers, a coworking space for lawyers. He also publishes the Ideate (law) and Elevate (law firm culture) blogs. You can find more information about his law practice at his firm bio and also at his BioSite.