Becoming the 0.1%

Historical recruitment campaigns to become a Royal Marines Commando drew on a harrowing but intriguing narrative: 99.9% Need Not Apply. In 2005, only one in a thousand applications for the Royal Marines were successful in reaching the end of training, earning the Coveted Green Beret – a world renowned symbol of excellence.

Becoming the 0.1% is the first-ever diary account of this training regime, charting the odds-stacked journey of Gareth Timmins, a 20-year-old recruit at the time, and providing a psychological framework for understanding how he was able to cultivate the mental strength and resilience needed to push through to success.

Each week of training is accompanied by lessons on his short-comings and growth to peak performance. It uses real-life and often terrifying experiences to describe to the reader the edge you need to cultivate a 0.1% mindset and succeed in life and work, by learning how to:

Visualise achievements

Combat fatigue and burnout

Stay motivated by not losing sight of the end goal

Eradicate complacency and achieve mastery

Redefine expectation and regulate disappointment

Live without convenience

Thrive under pressure

Break down self-imposed limitations

Be held accountable to others

(P) 2021 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd