The journey of personal development, of becoming a more excellent and extraordinary individual, can sometimes seem a little abstract. That’s why it’s helpful to imagine it as Mark Divine does, as a set of five metaphorical mountains to scale.

Mark is a retired Navy SEAL Commander, a professor of leadership, a yogi, the creator of fitness and mindset programs like SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind, and an author. He combines his two decades of military service with his study of martial arts and zen meditation to create the holistic warrior monk development philosophy that informs his work, including his latest book, Uncommon: Simple Principles for an Extraordinary Life.

Today on the show, Mark acts as a guide to the topography of the five mountains of personal development and the daily practices that will help you summit them. We talk about why mastering the physical mountain comes first and climbing the intuitional mountain comes fourth, the Navy SEAL breathing practice that will help you develop your metacognition, how the Japanese concept of ikigai can help you find your purpose in life, and much more.

• Mark’s previous appearance on the Art of Manliness podcast: Episode #60 — The Way of the SEAL
• Box breathing
• Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine
• Staring Down the Wolf by Mark Divine
• AoM Article: 4 Key Insights From the Bhagavad Gita
• AoM Podcast #616: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling
• Sunday Firesides: You Don’t Have the Time, Not to Take the Time
• F3 Nation
• Ikigai

• Uncommon website
• Mark’s website
• Mark on IG