Master the 1-Second Decision that refocuses any crisis

It was the second—and worse—surf rotation of Hell Week. My palms stung from cold water, and my lungs begged for air as I was flipped each time I tried to swim out. My heart pounded like a bazooka, and for a heartbeat, I felt the urge to quit, to step into the warm sand and walk away from the whole nightmare. In that terrifying moment, I realized I had to catch myself in one second. I paused mid-roll, inhaled a long, measured breath, and forced myself to imagine the next small move: regroup with my boat crew and follow them back into the surf. That one second spared me from drowning in panic. I regained composure and dove back into the crushing wave. If I’d let terror take over, I would have thrown in the towel—and possibly failed out of BUD/S entirely. Instead, I flipped the script in a single moment, went on to dominate the rotation, and sharpened a skill I’d apply for decades: the 1-second decision that ends chaos and begins control.

Whenever you’re gripped by panic, spend one second naming the feeling. Breathe in for four counts, hold, and exhale for four. Picture the next tiny step you need—just one—and move immediately. That one-second shift is all you need to regain control. Give it a try the next time your heart starts racing.