DJ Shipley, a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Navy SEALs and a former member of the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), has become a prominent voice on cultivating resilience, leadership, and a high-performance mindset. Through his company, GBRS Group, and various podcast interviews, Shipley shares the profound lessons learned from a life lived at the apex of special operations. His insights, often raw and deeply personal, provide a practical framework for overcoming adversity and achieving excellence in any field.
On Mindset and Personal Accountability
- "Be a pro." A core mantra Shipley learned from a mentor, emphasizing professionalism in every aspect of life, from appearance to performance.[1]
- "If you be a pro in everything you do it gives you the accountability, it gives you the ownership, and it gives you an opportunity to be the person that people are trying to emulate."[2]
- "I'm not afraid of the change, I'm afraid of staying this way forever." On the motivation required to break out of stagnation.[2]
- "Control the things that are controllable. And the things that I can't control, I don't think about them anymore. I block them out.” A key principle for maintaining focus and mental clarity, discussed on the Huberman Lab podcast.[3][4]
- "Self-respect comes from doing what you say you're going to do. Every time you keep a promise to yourself you build self-respect; Every time you break a promise to yourself you lose it."[3]
- "I have to be selfish right now in order to be selfless later.” Explaining the necessity of his disciplined morning routine to be fully present and effective for his family and team later in the day.[4]
- "War is not fair. It doesn't matter how good you are. If you don't get the chance to fight, the chance to show how good you are, it doesn't matter." A harsh lesson learned from losing teammates in combat.[5]
- "You have to earn it every day...earning your seat at the table every day and putting the group before yourself."[6]
- "Am I a better version of myself today than I was yesterday? That's the end goal. Doesn't have to be drastically. Just a little bit."[6]
- “If you're the smartest dude in the group, find a different group. If you're the strongest guy in a group, find a different group." A core belief in the importance of surrounding yourself with people who push you to be better.[2]
On Routine and Discipline
- "I do 25 things inside of my control before I even make my morning coffee.” Highlighting his strategy of "stacking micro-wins" to build momentum from the moment he wakes up.[3]
- "My morning routine is structured in a way to where I can do that same routine everywhere I go. Everywhere, at any point of the day, I can lock that thing in.” On the portability and power of a consistent routine.[4]
- "If you set that positive routine it builds in buffer to where you can control the variables." Explaining how discipline prevents small stressors from compounding into a disastrous day.[7]
- "If you have to get it done, sacrifices must be made. So maybe you're not staying up till 10:00, maybe you're going to bed at 8:00 cuz you have to wake up at 4:00."[8]
- The 20-Minute Walk: Shipley advocates for a nightly 20-minute walk with his wife, without phones, as a tool that "saved his marriage" by fostering communication and connection.[3]
- Discipline Over Motivation: He emphasizes that his rigorous routine isn't about feeling motivated; it's a deep-seated fear of what will happen to his mental health if he deviates from it.[4]
- Make the Time, You'll Never Find It: A core tenet of the GBRS Group's philosophy on the necessity of prioritizing what's important.[9]
On Overcoming Adversity and Mental Health
- "It is okay to not be okay." A message he repeatedly shares to break the stigma around mental health struggles, especially in alpha communities.[10]
- “I would not sit here and suffer in silence. I've tried that before, I did it for a decade...it doesn't help. And in case you're wondering, it's not just going to go away. You're going to have to solve this at some point.”[11]
- "Talk to somebody. Talk to your wife, talk to your husband, talk to your best friend. Just say the words out of your mouth and tell them what you're going through. I promise you you are not the only one."[11]
- “The better I got physically, my mental health naturally started to pull out of it." On the powerful, direct link between physical fitness and mental well-being.[4]
- Break Down Impossible Tasks: He explains that the key to getting through BUD/S is focusing only on the next immediate goal, like the next meal, rather than the entirety of the challenge. This makes insurmountable obstacles manageable.[3]
- You Are Not Alone on Your Island: Shipley often speaks about the isolation he felt during his struggles, reassuring others that what they're experiencing is shared by many.[9][10]
- Give Your Struggle a Voice: "I am flawed, I have messed this whole thing up, and I will give it a voice because you won't... I'll say it cuz people need to." He sees it as his duty to be open about his imperfections to help others.[9][12]
- Psychedelic Therapy Can Be Life-Saving: Shipley is open about his transformative experiences with treatments like Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT, which he says "gave him his life back" after years of battling PTSD and addiction.[3][13]
On Leadership and Teamwork
- "Is what you're doing or about to do helping the team? If the answer is no, don't do it." A simple, powerful framework for decision-making in a team environment.[8]
- "If you start thinking like an individual in a team setting, that's an issue."[8]
- Lead by Example: He describes his most respected leader as someone who embodied the principle of never asking a teammate to do something he wasn't already doing himself. This leader was always the first in the gym and the last to leave.[14]
- Surround Yourself with People on the Same Path: "Surrounding people who are on the same path, the same progression, it'll naturally rub off on you... so on those days when you're not at 100%, you can draw energy from them."[15]
- Loyalty is Reciprocal: "When you really, really truly need them, they'll absolutely show up because they've seen you go the entire way for them. It's just a reciprocal thing over and over."[16]
- The Group Before the Individual: A core value from his time in the SEAL Teams that now guides his company, GBRS Group.[6]
- There is Peace in Absolute Trust: He describes the profound sense of peace in going into harm's way knowing you are surrounded by the best, most trustworthy teammates in the world.[16]
- Authenticity Connects: "Just be yourself and represent a culture that connects with people and inspires them to push themselves further."[17]
On Life, Balance, and Performance
- Use "Dials, Not Switches." Shipley evolved from the "switch" mindset (on/off for a mission) to a "dials" approach for life. This allows him to be a father, husband, and CEO, adjusting the intensity "dial" for each role without completely shutting the others off.[18]
- Compartmentalize, Don't Eliminate: The "dials" method allows for a more nuanced focus. When the "CEO dial" is turned up, the "family dial" is on a low simmer, not completely off, which is a healthier way to manage multifaceted responsibilities.[18]
- Your Morning Routine is "Me Time": The only time all of Shipley's "dials" are powered down is during his morning routine, which is carved out for himself to get into the right state for the day.[18]
- "If tomorrow was not a guarantee, how far would you push?" A question he poses to instill a sense of urgency and purpose.[19]
- "If it doesn't have a threat of killing you, it's probably not worth doing." A reflection of his adventurous spirit and pursuit of challenging endeavors.[1]
- Embrace Being Average in a High-Standard Group: "I'm happy with being average because the average is so high in this room... if I'm sitting the baseline of what is minimum standard, we got a really high...standard."[2]
- "You have accountability over your nation, and you're represented with everything you do." A call for patriotism to be a sense of personal responsibility for one's actions.[20]
- Mastery Requires Exhausting All Resources: Before concluding he's not good enough at something, he asks himself, "Did you exhaust all the resources?" Success is not for a lack of effort.
- There's a Superpower in Quiet Control: "It's one thing to be able to control every situation physically. It's another to be able to control it and not let them know you can control it... I know that I can control the outcome of this whenever I want to. That's a superpower."[7][8]
- Childhood Accountability: He credits his father and early farm chores with instilling a deep-seated sense of accountability and discipline from a young age.
- Skateboarding as a Foundation: Shipley found that the repetitive nature of mastering skateboarding tricks helped him manage his ADHD and taught him the value of relentless practice.
- "Good is good enough" leads to stagnation. True growth happens when the risk of staying the same outweighs the risk of change.[2]
- "I can always be better. Always." A mindset of continuous improvement and acknowledging personal flaws.[9]
- Find Mentors Who Pull You Up: "I've only seen mentors in my life that are always doing this...they're always trying to pull you up. And the really good ones want you to be better than they are."[7]
- Your Actions Represent the Whole: "Everything you do, everything you say, represents all of us. Are you proud of what you just said?" A lesson from a troop chief that instilled a profound sense of responsibility.[9]
- "If you're not on your game...the results could be you die." On the deadly consequences of a lack of focus in a high-stakes environment.
- You can't save everybody. A hard lesson learned, emphasizing that you can only help those who are willing to help themselves.[15]
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