How to Be Unstoppable: 10 Lessons in Perseverance by Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela's rules for becoming unstoppable, this week's challenge, and how motivation works
Welcome to the Do Hard Shit Edition of The Art of Becoming.
Every Monday, we explore what it means to lead a happier, wiser, and more prosperous life by doing hard shit. We learn to be more resilient and embrace discomfort in a complex and challenging world. And maybe, better people for it.
I hope you join me.
What you need to know
Life lessons in becoming unstoppable from Nelson Mandela.
This week’s challenge: The Quick and the Dirty. 420 reps of fun.
Framework: How motivation works.
Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist who spent 27 years in prison for his beliefs.
Despite his imprisonment, Mandela fought for democracy and equality in South Africa and became a global symbol of resistance against apartheid.
After his release, Mandela negotiated an end to apartheid and became South Africa's first black President. His life and legacy inspired people worldwide to persevere in adversity. He was the embodiment of perseverance and resilience.
His life was a lesson in humility, love, sacrifice, and perseverance. Everyone can learn from him.
Let’s get into it:
Lesson 1
"I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death."
You will be tested. You will want to quit and lose faith in yourself and everything and everyone, but giving up is giving into despair. It was worse than dying. Mandela spent 27 years in prison and still refused to lose faith in people and his cause. In his trial in 1964, Mandela committed to his cause even more.
"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
To Mandela, giving up was equivalent to death. Losing faith in himself, his God, and his cause would have been worse than death. What are you willing to die for?
Lesson 2
"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."
You fail more times than you will succeed. I promise your character will not be judged by your wins but by how often you get back up after each loss.
Lesson 3
"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
Never, never, never settle. You are worth more than your most audacious dream.
Lesson 4
"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
Life is a scary and sometimes crappy proposition. Mandela understood this intimately. He feared that he would be arrested for treason if he kept protesting. And he was. His goal of ending apartheid was bigger than his fears. You will be unstoppable when you find a dream bigger than you, bigger than your fears, and bigger than the people standing in your way.
Lesson 5
"It always seems impossible until it's done."
Mandela said this during his inaugural speech on May 10, 1994. Before he was released from prison, everyone said it was impossible he would ever be free again. He was released from prison on 11 February 1990.
Everyone thought it would be impossible to end apartheid without immersing South Africa in a bloody civil war. The same people said no black man would be President of South Africa. Apartheid officially ended on 27 April 1994. Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa 13 days later.
Everything seems impossible until it’s done. When everyone thinks it can’t be done, put your head down and work as if it will be done. Let everyone worry about the impossible while you do the work.
Lesson 6
"Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."
Resentment is the first step to building a life of regret and loathing. It is like holding onto a hot stone. The only one who gets burned is you. Let go and forgive.
Lesson 7
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
Mandela was a lifelong learner. With education, you can meet and overcome your challenges. During his 27-year imprisonment, he studied several languages, including the language of his oppressor—Afrikaans. He engaged in fierce political debate, always searching for people who disagreed with his beliefs. In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, he wrote, “I read all the books I could lay my hands on – from philosophy to economics to history to the novels of Dickens and Austen." Never stop learning. It’s your greatest investment.
Lesson 8
"I never lose. I either win or learn."
The only time you fail is when you quit. That’s the definition of perseverance.
Lesson 9
“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”
You will face triumph and tragedy between the day you are born and die. There will always be obstacles blocking your path. They define who you are and will be. Also, when the challenges stop coming, that’s probably your last day. Be grateful for them.
Lesson 10
"Forget the past.”
When Mandela gave his first inaugural speech, he said all South Africa was in a covenant “to build a country in which all South Africans, both white and black, will walk tall, without fear in their hearts, and assured of their inalienable right to human dignity.”
They could not do that if they lived in the past, looking for retribution or hoping for the glory days to come back. The past is dead. Learn your lessons and move on.
Nelson Mandela's life and legacy are a testament to his perseverance. He did not lose faith when his life was threatened, imprisoned for 27 years, his wife betrayed him, or after the Bisho Massacre when the Ciskei Defense Force murdered 28 ANC volunteers. He stayed positive, faced his fears, learned from failure, and forgave his jailers. He put his cause first. Ending apartheid was everything. And when apartheid was over, building a new South Africa was his new dream.
You can be stronger and more resilient. As Mandela once said, "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
The Challenge of the Week: The Quick and Dirty
This workout is fast and straightforward. There are only two exercises: The goblet squat and pushup. You only need a dumbbell you can lift for 20 squats. If you don’t have a dumbbell, you can use a backpack filled with books, your kid, or your dog.
I call this workout the Quick and the Painful. Because it is fast, and it will hurt. But it’s a good kind of hurt.
Let’s get into it.
You will perform 20 goblet squats and 20 pushups.
Without resting, perform 19 goblet squats and 19 pushups.
Again, without resting, do another 18 squats and 18 pushups.
17 goblet squats and 17 pushups
16 goblet squats and 16 pushups
After each set, drop the number of reps by one. Keep going until you finish one goblet squat and one pushup.
Then do 20 burpees. And you’re done.
Simple, fast, and painful. A perfect workout.
Modification: don’t use a dumbbell, and start at a lower rep range.
How Motivation Works
Chris Williamson discusses a study Jordan Peterson told him. Though I don’t always agree with Peterson, I believe Williamson and Peterson nail motivation in this example.
After you watch the video, ask yourself:
What do you want, and what do you fear? If you can align both, you will be unstoppable.
Thanks for reading. What are you chasing, and what’s chasing you? You need both to create true motivation. Have a great week.
Michael
