Mental Fitness: 15 Rules to Strengthen Your Body and Mind

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The frantic events of that day made me realise for the first time that so much of my strength came from the ways in which my mind and body were connected. Don't give bullies a chance to infect you with their misery- but use confrontation when it's needed. But after halfway in or so it gets a little old hat. I started to wonder when he would say something I didn’t actually already know. And other than 2 brief segments it didn’t bring anything new whatsoever. It was a good read with lots of amazing tips. My only issue with it is that it seemed quite disjointed and sometimes a bit random. It didn't have the same consistent flow that the rest of Ant's books seem to have. Rather, it seemed almost like a collection of journal entry style thoughts. As if Ant had bursts of thought or inspiration relating to each chapter and then and there wrote it out and added it, without the smooth transitions he has used in his previous writings. There’s a lot of stuff in here that I already am/do/believe, so while I can’t say I 4-star enjoyed it, the content is basically me, so I’m not going to mark it down!

Definitely worth reading, got quite a few lessons out of it. The structure is really nice, as he describes his own experiences first and then draws lessons from them. Keep in mind, tough, to convert the SAS extremes to normal extremes as this man's experiences don't line up with those of the average human being. Goods that by reason of their nature, cannot be returned - (Items such as underwear, where the 'hygiene patch' has been removed, or cosmetics where the seal has been broken). Presented in a similar vain to the previous collections, Middleton expertly takes you on a journey of the aforementioned 15 rules. Talking from the heart and a life of experience, this is a book that quite simply, makes you stop and think. A good book to read if you’re finding your place in the world, and I certainly wish it had been around 20-odd year ago.

He also seems to be a bit of a hypocrite - there is one chapter where he says that he wasn't around for his kids and then starts to lecture the reader on how to be a good parent - and as I was listening to the audiobook, it really did sound like a lecture. Learning from other people's mistakes is one thing, but trying to make something sound easy when you've failed to do it yourself is completely different.

Suddenly I realised that my adrenaline had ebbed away. All that was left was the steady, calming sound of my own breathing. At that moment I felt a really deep connection with everyone around me. It was like I actually understood them, and because of that was responsible for them. I had this futile desire to fix all of their problems there and then.Some interesting stories - clearly he has led a colourful life so enjoyed that autobiographical aspect of the book. However I found that the lessons /tips that flow from those stories are told in a rather disjointed and random way and are sometimes contradictory. I found this frustrating - perhaps greater edit would have helped. What he is an expert in is pushing through the most difficult circumstances. I learnt a lot from his experience of extreme physical and mental pressure and how to find your limits.

To push yourself to your limits- you have to work hard to develop a strong harmony between your mind and body. I have listened to this book on Borrow Box and the first chapter did not capture my interest. As I read on, I understand that the author, himself, is also working to improve himself. However, I didn't find anything helpful in this book. There is nothing mind-blowing or new in this book. There is a lot of army jargon and curse words in this book, that I didn't care too much about. I didn't think the profanity were necessary. The sale of customised goods or perishable goods, sealed audio or video recordings, or software, which has been opened.The plan was that we’d be landing during the day on the outskirts of the village – where the compounds met the scrub and dust of the desert – then make our way into the village and have a dig around. We weren’t going in expecting a vicious firefight, but we didn’t know exactly what lay in store for us. Perhaps the Taliban had prepared a trap. Perhaps they wanted to draw us into the village’s narrow, winding streets then gun us down. Perhaps one of them was waiting, his finger hovering over the button of a detonator, ready to set off one of their murderous IEDs and blow us into bloody tatters the second we walked past. It didn’t pay to dwell too long on those thoughts. Also popular from the survival series SAS who dares wins, Ant Middleton has here written; a personal and instructive Autobiography, where he balances the struggles on the battlefield, to the other, less lethal, but nonetheless important stresses, of managing a home life. And that being there for your kids, needs to be on your mind All of the time. Even if for whatever reasons, you can't be there all the time, in person. And whatever the elders might have said to our intelligence officers, we couldn’t be sure whether we’d get a friendly reception from the villagers. Any given individual we approached would be aware that the Taliban were probably watching our interaction with them. The wrong move could see them and their family punished. So the stakes were high, and the demands on our concentration and application immense. We had to be firm, but not aggressive; friendly, but vigilant. Even assuming that what we’d been told about insurgent activity was true, it was unlikely that we’d catch anybody red-handed – the Taliban had an incredible ability to just melt away at the slightest sign of danger. But if we did everything properly, and located what we’d been told was there, then we’d be able to seize enough of their gear to seriously disrupt their operations.

All the time I was making sure I remained alert for potential danger – scanning the buildings that surrounded the market. What was in them? Could I see any suspicious movement? Did any of them offer cover in case things turned nasty? When somebody moved into my field of vision I’d be asking myself: is there anything different about them? I was watching for that little glitch in the pattern telling me that something was up. The biggest threats are often the less obvious ones. You’re not looking for a gun. What you need to be aware of are the far more subtle things: the way somebody holds their body or even the way they move. If one guy is calm, standing by a doorway, while everybody else is in a mad rush, then he’s probably planning trouble.Pay attention to people you invest in relationships with and talk about things you actually care about. I got the hard copy as a Christmas gift and although there are so good takeaways in there, it was a struggle to get through. For one it was very disjointed and for another it was more about proving himself then helping others