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The Sniper Mind: Eliminate Fear, Deal with Uncertainty, and Make Better Decisions
Snipers are exceptional. The trained sniper is a complex fusion of hard skills such as weapons knowledge, situational awareness, knowledge of ballistics and physics, and soft skills such as emotional stability, empathy, and a stoic acceptance of the hardships associated with a particular set of circumstances. There are countless instances where a single sniper, embarking on a secret mission, would have to improvise, operate beyond any hope of support, and yet still manage to carry out the mission and get back home unharmed even though the enemy was actively hunting him.
For the first time ever, The Sniper Mind reveals the practical steps that allow a sniper's brain to work in this superhuman precise, calculated way. It teaches readers how to understand and apply these steps, whether they are stuck in a cubicle facing mounting piles of work or sitting in a corner office making industry-defining decisions.
Through the explanation of advanced military training techniques and cutting-edge neuroscience, this book provides concrete strategies and real-world skills that can help us be better:
-At our jobs
-In our relationships
-In our executive decision making
-In the paths we choose to take through life
By learning how snipers teach their minds to eliminate fears and deal with uncertainty we can also develop the mental toughness we need to achieve the goals that seem to elude us in business as well as in life.
For the first time ever, The Sniper Mind reveals the practical steps that allow a sniper's brain to work in this superhuman precise, calculated way. It teaches readers how to understand and apply these steps, whether they are stuck in a cubicle facing mounting piles of work or sitting in a corner office making industry-defining decisions.
Through the explanation of advanced military training techniques and cutting-edge neuroscience, this book provides concrete strategies and real-world skills that can help us be better:
-At our jobs
-In our relationships
-In our executive decision making
-In the paths we choose to take through life
By learning how snipers teach their minds to eliminate fears and deal with uncertainty we can also develop the mental toughness we need to achieve the goals that seem to elude us in business as well as in life.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published November 7, 2017
68 people are currently reading
826 people want to read
About the author
David Amerland
36 books202 followersHey Goodreads peeps, drinks are on me. I’d love to be able to do this face-to-face, hear why you’re reading this over coffee (or a beer) and talk about my obsession with sensemaking, and how books rewire our brains and change the world.
Unfortunately, face-to-face is limiting and, most times, impossible. This is why I love Goodreads. Not only do I get to exorcise some of my demons by using my blog here
as a form of therapy, but I also get to answer questions you ask and post my latest news. The books I write take apart the mechanics of human behavior and analyze the building blocks of this world, though some readers interpret them as being about, search, the web, popular culture, and elite soldier mentality.
I believe that everything we do that is sustainable answers a specific need we experience at a basic human level. Search is information retrieval which is needed to help us make sense of what we see in the world (and there is a version of it inside our head), social networks answer our need for social connection and culture is just behavior that is driven by values, filtered through perception and modulated by context.
Digital technology does what technology has always done: augment existing human abilities and amplify human traits. It is no different, in that respect, to the car or the airplane. It challenges us right now because it is new, fast-moving and it impacts many of us at once. It attracts us because we sense the potential it offers for everyone to matter. For lives that are mostly invisible to feel that they belong. That they make sense.
My books are quoted by academics in research papers and used by universities as primers in classes. I try not to take this too seriously otherwise I won’t be able to write another word. What keeps me writing and evolving are the questions you have too: Why? Why are we the way we are? Why is the world the way it is? Why can we not all be better? Why is the struggle we experience so real? Why is everything just so difficult?
You can keep track of what I write by visiting my website.
You can ask me almost anything here and I hope you can join me as I go looking for answers to things that matter to us all.
Stay true and keep on reading,
David
Unfortunately, face-to-face is limiting and, most times, impossible. This is why I love Goodreads. Not only do I get to exorcise some of my demons by using my blog here
as a form of therapy, but I also get to answer questions you ask and post my latest news. The books I write take apart the mechanics of human behavior and analyze the building blocks of this world, though some readers interpret them as being about, search, the web, popular culture, and elite soldier mentality.
I believe that everything we do that is sustainable answers a specific need we experience at a basic human level. Search is information retrieval which is needed to help us make sense of what we see in the world (and there is a version of it inside our head), social networks answer our need for social connection and culture is just behavior that is driven by values, filtered through perception and modulated by context.
Digital technology does what technology has always done: augment existing human abilities and amplify human traits. It is no different, in that respect, to the car or the airplane. It challenges us right now because it is new, fast-moving and it impacts many of us at once. It attracts us because we sense the potential it offers for everyone to matter. For lives that are mostly invisible to feel that they belong. That they make sense.
My books are quoted by academics in research papers and used by universities as primers in classes. I try not to take this too seriously otherwise I won’t be able to write another word. What keeps me writing and evolving are the questions you have too: Why? Why are we the way we are? Why is the world the way it is? Why can we not all be better? Why is the struggle we experience so real? Why is everything just so difficult?
You can keep track of what I write by visiting my website.
You can ask me almost anything here and I hope you can join me as I go looking for answers to things that matter to us all.
Stay true and keep on reading,
David
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 16, 2018
Excellent book on mind management, the discipline of thought and the science behind how our brain works. The book is based on the latest findings and advancements in the neuroscience field. Add to that the author’s extensive understanding of information and data, combined with the full awareness that data and processing are only terms we use for what the brain does, and “we are not reactive machines that come to life the moment data enters a consciously defined channel”.
From the sound perspective of us being our own great tool (weapon, as the book has it), The Sniper Mind looks at the very core of motivation, peering deeply into the workings of the brain through thought experiments, research and plenty of real-life stories. It is not a motivational book though, one that you would expect to teach you how to get up in the morning and prime yourself. It won't. At least not in that way. What the book will do is extensively explain you the very essence of what drive us.
The book has a wonderful structure, leading you through stories and research about the brain, about emotional intelligence, mind preparation and self-discipline, to name a few. The appendices of the book are brilliant too: a set of “mind tools” to help you walk the talk of the book.
I have to admit, snipers and baseball players are not my passion and field of exploration, but I was curious to understand so much about them and the way they live in use their brain for optimal performance.
“In each and every example of a successful business leader, sniper or top baseball player there is a core identity. A sense of knowing who they are and why they are. A center buried deep within the onion layers of their personality. It gives them a sense of inner balance. “
What impressed me deeply when I finished the book, was that strive for excellence I was infused with.
Don’t get me wrong.
I use excellence not in that overambitious sense of having more and wanting more and doing more and achieving more at all cost, but rather in the sense of believing that nature has created us as amazing beings capable of doing anything any time no matter the circumstances, provided we are deeply aligned with what we know we want to do in this world.
“Excellence is not something one is born with. It is manufactured with a dozen ingredients the key of which is what the Delphic Oracle of Ancient Greece knew all along: Know thyself”
And, as I like it - truth always comes in paradox, it is nature again, as I understood from the book, the nature of our own limitations, when it comes to the wiring of our brain, that can prevent us from achieving our greatest potential. I was intrigued to understand (and crack) my own weakness when it comes to some sales tricks. I learned that the auction countdown timer on Ebay is a “bounded rationality scenario” where my brain is being tricked into seeing an imperative to action.
With that and many other examples, The Sniper Minds reveals not only what drives us towards success but what is it that makes us fail, or follow behaviours that are not leading us to want we really desire in life, to our core needs. Thinking (please note, thinking - and this reminds me of Tony Robbins who says “Stay in your head and you are dead”) that we're less, that we can’t, that we're constrained, that we have no time, that's something binds us is not true. The Sniper Mind tells us why through real life scenarios, comprehensive study of lots of research on the topic.
“The tendency of the brain to shut down on us, to seek to numb itself, to transport us somewhere else when things get tough, is a response that those who develop mental toughness have learned to recognize.”
The good news is all this can be escaped and controlled. With knowing your core and maintaining the right self-discipline to align your activities with your understandings.
What I liked most in the book is the personality of David Amerland shining through the heaps of research and in-person interviews with top performing snipers. I know David for more than 5 years now, and he has always been an example of someone who works hard and pushes the limits of everything (himself included) on a daily (hourly) basis. David truly lives what he believes in and what he finds out throughout his sleepless nights of research, thinking and writing. We can be our best selves it only takes us it only takes a deeper dive into who we really are. Into our core.
Yes. The Sniper Mind is an unexpected way to look into yourself and find that unstoppable part in you that will help you “eliminate fear, deal with uncertainty, and make better decisions.”
Are you ready to do that? If yes, get the Sniper Mind.
P.s. I wasn't ready but I did it because I trusted David. And he didn't let me down.
From the sound perspective of us being our own great tool (weapon, as the book has it), The Sniper Mind looks at the very core of motivation, peering deeply into the workings of the brain through thought experiments, research and plenty of real-life stories. It is not a motivational book though, one that you would expect to teach you how to get up in the morning and prime yourself. It won't. At least not in that way. What the book will do is extensively explain you the very essence of what drive us.
The book has a wonderful structure, leading you through stories and research about the brain, about emotional intelligence, mind preparation and self-discipline, to name a few. The appendices of the book are brilliant too: a set of “mind tools” to help you walk the talk of the book.
I have to admit, snipers and baseball players are not my passion and field of exploration, but I was curious to understand so much about them and the way they live in use their brain for optimal performance.
“In each and every example of a successful business leader, sniper or top baseball player there is a core identity. A sense of knowing who they are and why they are. A center buried deep within the onion layers of their personality. It gives them a sense of inner balance. “
What impressed me deeply when I finished the book, was that strive for excellence I was infused with.
Don’t get me wrong.
I use excellence not in that overambitious sense of having more and wanting more and doing more and achieving more at all cost, but rather in the sense of believing that nature has created us as amazing beings capable of doing anything any time no matter the circumstances, provided we are deeply aligned with what we know we want to do in this world.
“Excellence is not something one is born with. It is manufactured with a dozen ingredients the key of which is what the Delphic Oracle of Ancient Greece knew all along: Know thyself”
And, as I like it - truth always comes in paradox, it is nature again, as I understood from the book, the nature of our own limitations, when it comes to the wiring of our brain, that can prevent us from achieving our greatest potential. I was intrigued to understand (and crack) my own weakness when it comes to some sales tricks. I learned that the auction countdown timer on Ebay is a “bounded rationality scenario” where my brain is being tricked into seeing an imperative to action.
With that and many other examples, The Sniper Minds reveals not only what drives us towards success but what is it that makes us fail, or follow behaviours that are not leading us to want we really desire in life, to our core needs. Thinking (please note, thinking - and this reminds me of Tony Robbins who says “Stay in your head and you are dead”) that we're less, that we can’t, that we're constrained, that we have no time, that's something binds us is not true. The Sniper Mind tells us why through real life scenarios, comprehensive study of lots of research on the topic.
“The tendency of the brain to shut down on us, to seek to numb itself, to transport us somewhere else when things get tough, is a response that those who develop mental toughness have learned to recognize.”
The good news is all this can be escaped and controlled. With knowing your core and maintaining the right self-discipline to align your activities with your understandings.
What I liked most in the book is the personality of David Amerland shining through the heaps of research and in-person interviews with top performing snipers. I know David for more than 5 years now, and he has always been an example of someone who works hard and pushes the limits of everything (himself included) on a daily (hourly) basis. David truly lives what he believes in and what he finds out throughout his sleepless nights of research, thinking and writing. We can be our best selves it only takes us it only takes a deeper dive into who we really are. Into our core.
Yes. The Sniper Mind is an unexpected way to look into yourself and find that unstoppable part in you that will help you “eliminate fear, deal with uncertainty, and make better decisions.”
Are you ready to do that? If yes, get the Sniper Mind.
P.s. I wasn't ready but I did it because I trusted David. And he didn't let me down.
September 30, 2017
Individual skills and personality are the ultimate way I believe in leading to a fulfilled life for oneself and for others around. The Sniper Mind book is empowering the nuances, bringing them to crystal clear steps in a kind of dance. I find the story and business case summaries a solid frame for a transformed thinking. I've read books that influenced my thinking for the message the author translates and involves me as the reader yet The Sniper Mind became "my book". I discover and implement while reading.
July 2, 2018
How can ordinary people become super-humans?
The Sniper Mind book is power. Key success factors are delivered to you in a great way. As you go, you'll be able to blow up both your professional and personal barriers!
This is a terrific approach to cognition and perfectly in line with what I've learned over 30 years, moving from elite combatant to entrepreneur, and where mastering anticipation is a silent weapon, empathy and perspicacity are ammunitions …
Also, in memory of my grand father, my father and to my son I say: The art of the warrior consists in balancing the terror of being a man with the marvel of being a man.
-Carlos Castaneda - Anthropologist, Scientist (1925 - 1998).
Michel Reibel - Former Commando Sniper - Strasbourg - Alsace - France
***
About the book: The premise is simple: If we can all learn to create that same synthesis of hard and soft skills in our own lives, we’ll be better at our jobs, in our relationships, and in our executive decision-making. Our life choices will be better weighed. The outcomes we want to achieve placed within our reach.
Each chapter of the book presents a particular skill set that snipers possess. It explains the science behind it and then how it can be acquired and applied in a business environment. Each chapter starts with a sniper story and also features the ideas, opinions and thoughts of trained snipers who consented to being interviewed and quoted.
The Sniper Mind book is power. Key success factors are delivered to you in a great way. As you go, you'll be able to blow up both your professional and personal barriers!
This is a terrific approach to cognition and perfectly in line with what I've learned over 30 years, moving from elite combatant to entrepreneur, and where mastering anticipation is a silent weapon, empathy and perspicacity are ammunitions …
Also, in memory of my grand father, my father and to my son I say: The art of the warrior consists in balancing the terror of being a man with the marvel of being a man.
-Carlos Castaneda - Anthropologist, Scientist (1925 - 1998).
Michel Reibel - Former Commando Sniper - Strasbourg - Alsace - France
***
About the book: The premise is simple: If we can all learn to create that same synthesis of hard and soft skills in our own lives, we’ll be better at our jobs, in our relationships, and in our executive decision-making. Our life choices will be better weighed. The outcomes we want to achieve placed within our reach.
Each chapter of the book presents a particular skill set that snipers possess. It explains the science behind it and then how it can be acquired and applied in a business environment. Each chapter starts with a sniper story and also features the ideas, opinions and thoughts of trained snipers who consented to being interviewed and quoted.
November 3, 2018
I found the parts about sniping to be fascinating and well researched, but the 'business' lessons that he draws from them to be the kind of stuff you've already heard a million times in a million other business books. It was OK.
November 24, 2017
What did I think? - "I thought it was deeply and carefully researched. It provides clear and practical pathways to improvement. It enthralls through highly engaging stories with easy to relate to contexts. It has the potential to create sustainable positive impact, in all aspects of life. In summary, I found The Sniper Mind, outstanding!"
To expand: David and I know one another from our engagements on Social Media, especially on Google+. It has always been a pleasure to discuss, analyse, and draw outcomes and actions from our interactions across a wide array of topics; so naturally I was excited to seek out the value contained within this book, and did so by buying the Kindle version the day it came out.
I got through the first 11 chapters on Kindle swiftly, making highlights of things that resonated personally and occasionally adding notes. The final chapter took a bit longer due to work, but the wait was worth it. After finishing the book my head was filled with disconnected memories of supremely important concepts, quotes and personal insights; a feeling I often have when reading something that resonates and connects deeply! How do I process it all...?
Inspired by the personal insight contained with the highlighting, I've begun the process of a deeper level of analysis. Using all the tricks known to geeks, I was able to extract the highlighted text, some 650 highlights, in full - without truncation!- out of the Kindle and into a Google Sheet. From there a folksonomy of tags based on natural occurrence in the highlight emerges. To enrich the highlight further most all highlights receive a personal one-sentence-summary to indicate deeper understanding and possible action items.
Collecting the sentence summaries together, chapter by chapter, in a Google Doc, and joining the concepts as they logically apply I'm creating a 1 page personalised summary of each chapter. The first two are done, and all the work was worth it, the insights are literally dancing on the page! I'm currently on Chapter three so I expect this work to take some time yet. Once all the chapters are complete I'll create a master summary of the twelve chapters which will give me the a personalised framework to make really significant changes in my life and the lives of the people I care about.
Later plans also include reviewing the tags generated: cleaning them and producing slices of insight by creating summaries across the different emergent tags: persistence, belief, vision, plan and so on. It's a lot of work, but it's worthy personal work, and the Sniper Mind has enthused me to take the steps towards those improvements - and that's powerful indeed!
To map the concepts, learnings, processes and scientific findings so-as-to improve my ability to control my mind at will, in such a way that it reflects those traits identified in elite performance, is for me a personal journey well worth taking. In David's work I've found insight and connection that is enabling me to get started and for that I'm most thankful.
I hope my journey with the Sniper Mind inspires you to pick up a highlighter and in doing so you also find personal insights that make a big difference day-to-day. A final personal thanks to David for writing this outstanding book, and for our ongoing social media engagements; and who knows, David, perhaps in 2018 our paths in non-virtual-reality will cross. The first beers on me!
@simbeckhampson
(Twitter)
PS. Very cool title, Mr Shervington :-)
To expand: David and I know one another from our engagements on Social Media, especially on Google+. It has always been a pleasure to discuss, analyse, and draw outcomes and actions from our interactions across a wide array of topics; so naturally I was excited to seek out the value contained within this book, and did so by buying the Kindle version the day it came out.
I got through the first 11 chapters on Kindle swiftly, making highlights of things that resonated personally and occasionally adding notes. The final chapter took a bit longer due to work, but the wait was worth it. After finishing the book my head was filled with disconnected memories of supremely important concepts, quotes and personal insights; a feeling I often have when reading something that resonates and connects deeply! How do I process it all...?
Inspired by the personal insight contained with the highlighting, I've begun the process of a deeper level of analysis. Using all the tricks known to geeks, I was able to extract the highlighted text, some 650 highlights, in full - without truncation!- out of the Kindle and into a Google Sheet. From there a folksonomy of tags based on natural occurrence in the highlight emerges. To enrich the highlight further most all highlights receive a personal one-sentence-summary to indicate deeper understanding and possible action items.
Collecting the sentence summaries together, chapter by chapter, in a Google Doc, and joining the concepts as they logically apply I'm creating a 1 page personalised summary of each chapter. The first two are done, and all the work was worth it, the insights are literally dancing on the page! I'm currently on Chapter three so I expect this work to take some time yet. Once all the chapters are complete I'll create a master summary of the twelve chapters which will give me the a personalised framework to make really significant changes in my life and the lives of the people I care about.
Later plans also include reviewing the tags generated: cleaning them and producing slices of insight by creating summaries across the different emergent tags: persistence, belief, vision, plan and so on. It's a lot of work, but it's worthy personal work, and the Sniper Mind has enthused me to take the steps towards those improvements - and that's powerful indeed!
To map the concepts, learnings, processes and scientific findings so-as-to improve my ability to control my mind at will, in such a way that it reflects those traits identified in elite performance, is for me a personal journey well worth taking. In David's work I've found insight and connection that is enabling me to get started and for that I'm most thankful.
I hope my journey with the Sniper Mind inspires you to pick up a highlighter and in doing so you also find personal insights that make a big difference day-to-day. A final personal thanks to David for writing this outstanding book, and for our ongoing social media engagements; and who knows, David, perhaps in 2018 our paths in non-virtual-reality will cross. The first beers on me!
@simbeckhampson
(Twitter)
PS. Very cool title, Mr Shervington :-)
November 7, 2017
How To Become More Resilient In All Aspects Of Your Life
This book, ultimately is a tool chest for becoming closer to yourself through clarity.
Reading The Sniper Mind, I found myself transforming by becoming increasingly intimate with how I see the world and its details. I learned that my own thinking and behaviors, motivations, responses, reactions in my relationships and relationship to the world can be fine-tuned through a particular kind of basic awareness. It opened up the world in a new way that is different yet entirely related to and organically woven in with my other disciplines.
And due to that, my focus is sharpened.
I found out that the more I pay attention the more resilient I can be in the challenges of my personal life and work. New choices naturally open up.
Reading this book has assisted me in becoming more productive by being more honest with myself and the way I operate in the world.
David Amerland has woven together practices from multiple traditions and created a framework that is entirely accessible.
This book, ultimately is a tool chest for becoming closer to yourself through clarity.
Reading The Sniper Mind, I found myself transforming by becoming increasingly intimate with how I see the world and its details. I learned that my own thinking and behaviors, motivations, responses, reactions in my relationships and relationship to the world can be fine-tuned through a particular kind of basic awareness. It opened up the world in a new way that is different yet entirely related to and organically woven in with my other disciplines.
And due to that, my focus is sharpened.
I found out that the more I pay attention the more resilient I can be in the challenges of my personal life and work. New choices naturally open up.
Reading this book has assisted me in becoming more productive by being more honest with myself and the way I operate in the world.
David Amerland has woven together practices from multiple traditions and created a framework that is entirely accessible.
December 18, 2017
A quite different approach to a business book, applying the training and mindset of a sniper to business-orientated tasks. The result is an engaging book that is a lot better than originally feared.
Clearly you are not expected to threaten your business targets with a weapon (or kill them) but many of the properties a sniper must use – such as subject knowledge, situational awareness and human soft skills – can be relevant and beneficial. This book sets out to highlight these and give a good, basic grounding to the reader. A ‘sniper’s boot camp’ you could almost say, mixing some of the latest and best research, military training techniques and real-world experience to good effect.
The utility of this book can be clearly seen. It might not grab everybody at first glance, since it may require a personal connection be formed to get the most out of it, but it remains a credible, informative resource that can help many up their game if they let it. The concept of linking military activity to business is not that far-fetched, as after all many early business models were based on a hierarchal army structure with command-and-control structures and modular (silo) areas of responsibility and operation. There is a reason why many ex-military officers are in demand within many businesses. It is not just for their ability to follow orders and have shiny shoes! Far from it…
This reviewer felt there was something missing with the style and format that held it back, but that is not a reason to ignore it. The content inside was interesting, accessible and valuable. It can be a sturdy performer, doing what it sets out to do, but it just wasn’t supreme leadership material. A good senior officer, but not the commander you may say, to continue the military analogy.
It is different, considerate and worthy of closer scrutiny. You only need to pick up something out of it to get your money’s worth and a lot more besides!
Clearly you are not expected to threaten your business targets with a weapon (or kill them) but many of the properties a sniper must use – such as subject knowledge, situational awareness and human soft skills – can be relevant and beneficial. This book sets out to highlight these and give a good, basic grounding to the reader. A ‘sniper’s boot camp’ you could almost say, mixing some of the latest and best research, military training techniques and real-world experience to good effect.
The utility of this book can be clearly seen. It might not grab everybody at first glance, since it may require a personal connection be formed to get the most out of it, but it remains a credible, informative resource that can help many up their game if they let it. The concept of linking military activity to business is not that far-fetched, as after all many early business models were based on a hierarchal army structure with command-and-control structures and modular (silo) areas of responsibility and operation. There is a reason why many ex-military officers are in demand within many businesses. It is not just for their ability to follow orders and have shiny shoes! Far from it…
This reviewer felt there was something missing with the style and format that held it back, but that is not a reason to ignore it. The content inside was interesting, accessible and valuable. It can be a sturdy performer, doing what it sets out to do, but it just wasn’t supreme leadership material. A good senior officer, but not the commander you may say, to continue the military analogy.
It is different, considerate and worthy of closer scrutiny. You only need to pick up something out of it to get your money’s worth and a lot more besides!
November 9, 2017
First - it's an exceptional book. If you're thinking of whether to get this book or not - definitely get it!
Now that we got the conclusion out of the way - let's talk a bit about the book. Will start with the author. David Amerland has been a life-long analyst, thinker, high end business consultant and yes, a book author. That combo puts him in a category by itself, because he has a much deeper understanding, superior research and thus amazingly potent result in the end. When intereviewed, he shared that he talked with hundreds of snipers, he researched the science of brain development for over 3 years and due to his exceptional analytical skills and experience - poured the conclusions and finding in this amazing book. I actually don't like to call it a mere 'book', it's more like a life/business guide for those who need it (and who doesn't?)
The book has many historical stories and interviews, each is being carefully deconstructed, where relevant, and explained why and how it matters, then scientific findings are combined with these stories and finally business-related suggestions are made to make all of this incredibly useful & valuable, not only in business life, but in personal life as well. It's like a manual for life, with tools describing exactly what you could do to achieve seemingly unachievable.
I said 'could', because this isn't a fairy tale, where you touch a magic wand and all of a sudden pumpkin turns into a carriage. No, the information in this book is gold, but not your gold... unless you decide to take it and actually take action and do what the book suggests - then, it becomes your gold. If you don't take action - it's just another book. If you do - it may significantly and positively augment your professional and personal lives.
Your mind is crucial in managing the rest of your being. It controls everything... including itself. Some of it is automatic (like your breathing, for example), some you get to decide... and what's remarkable is that even though you can't will your hand to control itself - you can will your mind to not only control that hand, but alter the mind with itself! Just think, your mind can be used to enhance itself and thus the rest of your body and your life! And that's what this book is all about.
I've read a lot of great books, this one is in a category of its own. It has history, self-help, science, spine-tingling stories, absolutely amazing humans who can easily be classified as super-humans. They're fearless, quick decision-makers, orchestrators of actions, with precise and focused results, all while trying to stay alive in unbelievable tough, dangerous and stressful conditions. And this book will show you how you can use similar techniques and approaches that they use - to have similarly positive outcomes in your life, both personal and professional.
I typically dislike being redundant, but Get this book!
Now that we got the conclusion out of the way - let's talk a bit about the book. Will start with the author. David Amerland has been a life-long analyst, thinker, high end business consultant and yes, a book author. That combo puts him in a category by itself, because he has a much deeper understanding, superior research and thus amazingly potent result in the end. When intereviewed, he shared that he talked with hundreds of snipers, he researched the science of brain development for over 3 years and due to his exceptional analytical skills and experience - poured the conclusions and finding in this amazing book. I actually don't like to call it a mere 'book', it's more like a life/business guide for those who need it (and who doesn't?)
The book has many historical stories and interviews, each is being carefully deconstructed, where relevant, and explained why and how it matters, then scientific findings are combined with these stories and finally business-related suggestions are made to make all of this incredibly useful & valuable, not only in business life, but in personal life as well. It's like a manual for life, with tools describing exactly what you could do to achieve seemingly unachievable.
I said 'could', because this isn't a fairy tale, where you touch a magic wand and all of a sudden pumpkin turns into a carriage. No, the information in this book is gold, but not your gold... unless you decide to take it and actually take action and do what the book suggests - then, it becomes your gold. If you don't take action - it's just another book. If you do - it may significantly and positively augment your professional and personal lives.
Your mind is crucial in managing the rest of your being. It controls everything... including itself. Some of it is automatic (like your breathing, for example), some you get to decide... and what's remarkable is that even though you can't will your hand to control itself - you can will your mind to not only control that hand, but alter the mind with itself! Just think, your mind can be used to enhance itself and thus the rest of your body and your life! And that's what this book is all about.
I've read a lot of great books, this one is in a category of its own. It has history, self-help, science, spine-tingling stories, absolutely amazing humans who can easily be classified as super-humans. They're fearless, quick decision-makers, orchestrators of actions, with precise and focused results, all while trying to stay alive in unbelievable tough, dangerous and stressful conditions. And this book will show you how you can use similar techniques and approaches that they use - to have similarly positive outcomes in your life, both personal and professional.
I typically dislike being redundant, but Get this book!
July 26, 2021
As someone who played wargames and plenty of war-based computer games (first person shooters), I am familiar with the simplest definition of the job of the sniper. “The Sniper’s Mind” delves into many more nuances than I was familiar with, skills snipers must have in order to make the shot, but also skills needed to put themselves into position to make the shot, as well as understanding how the environment can modify the shot. There is a lot going on besides pulling a trigger. The author maps the skills required of snipers to skills required in business. It’s a pretty good match, and makes for some interesting reading. I tend to enjoy when a book makes me reframe what I know in a new way, and this book did this well. For example, a sniper often must embed themselves into a location, becoming as innocuous as a local, in order to blend in and collect intelligence on the target. Sounds like market intelligence to me, and I can see where that description might lead a business leader to do his market research differently. The author includes plenty of stories about snipers, so you get some military history here as well as business.
January 22, 2018
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I very much appreciated the format in which the author presented the information. First with an anecdote, concepts, how to apply them in business and civilian life, and a quick bulleted summary at the end of each chapter. My plan is to go back through the book with post-its to make myself notes as I would like to apply some of these tips to my everyday life.
March 20, 2018
Good concept, but too heavy on the psychology and not strong enough on the practical life implications.
May 2, 2024
Fascinating!
October 12, 2017
I was privileged to receive an ARC of The Sniper Mind, and have to say that it's probably my favourite book by David Amerland so far. Not really a reader of business-type books, but not only are the anecdotes and explanations that start each chapter fascinating, but the lessons drawn from them are applicable to many facets of life, and certainly not exclusively to business. Definitely worth a read.
March 22, 2018
The Sniper Mind is the kind of book that can be a life changer. It analyses, explains and reflects not only on our decision making processes but also our deeper inner mindset and holistic approach towards life, business, our relationships and can lead the reader to achieve self-awareness.
February 19, 2019
In David's book he uses interviews with snipers as a way to creates a methodology so that business leaders can focus to make better decisions. If we think about it, snipers and the armed services have spent years training people to work in teams and for snipers to have a role within those teams. Snipers then, from a vantage point often look down on the field of play and then have to make, calculated decisions, quickley. How is it that business leaders can use this clear and focused thought as mayhem opens up below? That's how David taps into the Sniper mind.
January 20, 2019
Very educational
I believe that this book should not only be read by each sniper but also by every business man who wants to be successful
I believe that this book should not only be read by each sniper but also by every business man who wants to be successful
July 7, 2019
A lot of research here and some interesting ideas.
The author isn't in the military but he does have the patience and obsession with detail of a sniper. Unfortunately, reading a book isn't improve your game unless you do the work. Amberland breaks down sniper skills into principles, but he supplies little in the way of real exercises or resources for training. So I'm left feeling like a lot of admiration and respect for snipers who have done amazing things under pressure, but not necessarily the feeling that I know how to do that in my own life.
The author isn't in the military but he does have the patience and obsession with detail of a sniper. Unfortunately, reading a book isn't improve your game unless you do the work. Amberland breaks down sniper skills into principles, but he supplies little in the way of real exercises or resources for training. So I'm left feeling like a lot of admiration and respect for snipers who have done amazing things under pressure, but not necessarily the feeling that I know how to do that in my own life.
May 17, 2019
More of a self-help book than anything else, the author does a good job of citing real life analogies to explain a plan of self improvement. I found the book to be very informative and dynamic. The only complaint I have is that the chapters seemed overly structured, but I guess this is to be expected in a book of this type. Overall a fascinating book.
November 8, 2021
Really interesting read. Author takes the work of snipers and their training and compares it to business and personal life. Breaks down how snipers are able to make super human calculations and literal life defining decisions within seconds and how they are able to do so with scientific evidence and reasoning. Worth another read later on.
dropped
November 29, 2018I couldn’t quite get behind the premise of this book in tying together the mind of snipers with business fundamentals. The author clearly did his research though, and the stories he tells aren’t necessarily boring, it just wasn’t for me.
June 28, 2022
A good read I must strongly recommend. It takes a good look on snipers and baseball players, how they moved from ordinary to super ordinary.
PS: it is not a motivation book. But a daunting challenge that helps you stay afloat of crisis whilst having the right and precise decisions in check.
PS: it is not a motivation book. But a daunting challenge that helps you stay afloat of crisis whilst having the right and precise decisions in check.
March 18, 2019
Ce livre contient beaucoup de trucs pour garder mais surtout améliorer son mindset! #snipermind lecture qui mérite d'être revisitée.
April 26, 2020
A lot of takeaways. But more from a conceptual framework perspective rather than concrete examples. It provides ideas to ponder and reflect.
April 30, 2021
Absolutely an amazing and informative book!
Reading this has certainly changed my perceptions of my own mindset for the extreme better!
Reading this has certainly changed my perceptions of my own mindset for the extreme better!
May 7, 2021
Derivative survey of popular business topics, delivered through the provocative framing of a specialized soldier's mindset.
The concepts discussed are useful in a general sense, but their superficial treatment here doesn't lend itself to realistic, concrete steps towards implementing them in your life. In addition, certain aspects feel shoehorned in and grounded in speculation. His case for snipers having particularly high levels of empathy, somehow marking that as vital to their development as a soldier, for example.
The writing was incredibly circuitous at times. Easily could have been 1/3 of what it was. There were passages the length of a page one could justifiably skip without missing anything. Additionally, though the stories of snipers' experiences were gripping, they weren't especially illuminating of the principles discussed, and only served to maintain the aesthetic of the book.
While The Sniper Mind may serve as an initial signpost pointing readers in directions that warrant further exploration, I would suggest cutting out the middle man and look into the following:
Grit by Duckworth
Atomic Habits by Clear
Emotional Intelligence by Goleman
Any book on practicing mindfulness by Kabat-Zinn
Something on Critical Decision Making (I enjoyed the lecture series from The Teaching Company)
Any one of these will provide you with a much higher resolution picture of the topics discussed here, but most importantly, they contain the concrete, immediately actionable steps this book is mostly lacking.
The concepts discussed are useful in a general sense, but their superficial treatment here doesn't lend itself to realistic, concrete steps towards implementing them in your life. In addition, certain aspects feel shoehorned in and grounded in speculation. His case for snipers having particularly high levels of empathy, somehow marking that as vital to their development as a soldier, for example.
The writing was incredibly circuitous at times. Easily could have been 1/3 of what it was. There were passages the length of a page one could justifiably skip without missing anything. Additionally, though the stories of snipers' experiences were gripping, they weren't especially illuminating of the principles discussed, and only served to maintain the aesthetic of the book.
While The Sniper Mind may serve as an initial signpost pointing readers in directions that warrant further exploration, I would suggest cutting out the middle man and look into the following:
Grit by Duckworth
Atomic Habits by Clear
Emotional Intelligence by Goleman
Any book on practicing mindfulness by Kabat-Zinn
Something on Critical Decision Making (I enjoyed the lecture series from The Teaching Company)
Any one of these will provide you with a much higher resolution picture of the topics discussed here, but most importantly, they contain the concrete, immediately actionable steps this book is mostly lacking.
February 8, 2021
I like the angle of learning from extraordinary snipers. However, all I found in this book was quite mediocre billet points. Stories about snipers in this book are not attractive as they should be. I’m a bit disappointed.
June 9, 2024
This book pretty much sucked. The idea behind it was cool but it was an absolute struggle to read. What this book really lacked was HOW to develop these skills.
December 2, 2025
Applicable knowledge
This book his full of tactics and knowledge from the sniper world that can be applied of at least give things to think about for the business world.
This book his full of tactics and knowledge from the sniper world that can be applied of at least give things to think about for the business world.
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