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The Science of Survival:
Rulon Gardner
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Survivor Rulon Gardner: Hardheaded
Rulon Gardner withstood a Russian giant, a frozen night in the wild, and a plane crash into frigid waters. His secret weapon? Mental toughness.
Text by Andrea Minarcek Photograph by Ravell Call/Deseret Morning News
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The mindset of a survivor isn't forged in the wild. It comes from a lifetime of surmounting obstacles—big and, in this case, bigger. The education of Rulon Gardner began on a dairy farm, where he wrestled 2,000-pound (907-kilogram) cattle for fun; it continued at the Olympics, where he wrestled a 286-pound (130-kilogram) Russian for gold. He has since lived through a night stranded in frigid Wyoming backcountry (he lost a toe), a motorcycle wreck (the bike was totaled) and, this winter, a plane crash in Lake Powell. Here's how.
Don't throw a pity party. "As soon as our plane made impact with the water at 150 miles (241 kilometers) an hour, I thought, There's no way this kind of thing is happening—again. It felt like getting kicked in the pants, hard. But I know I can't stay on self-pity for long."
Develop a mantra. "Wrestling is sometimes like looking down the barrel of a gun. You have to know when to let yourself flinch. But I hardly ever flinch. To keep my confidence, I adopt the attitude: 'I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.'"
Feel no pain. "After my snowmobiling crash in 2002, there was no pain. None that I can remember now, anyway. I wouldn't let myself think about the cold. If I did, I don't think I would have made it through the night."
Take it one step at a time. "When the plane struck Lake Powell, the water was freezing, my two friends and I were two miles (three kilometers) to shore, and I'm not a great swimmer. I started doing the backstroke, slowly, and kept telling myself, Just make it to land. That was my goal. Anything beyond that, I couldn't think about. It was too much."
Accept your circumstances. "When I got to shore, I thought, If this isn't a dream, then I'll feel the sand, I'll feel the sun's warmth, I'll feel the heat. I laid there for a while, but after everything I've been through, I knew I had to make myself act. I couldn't get paralyzed by fear."
Visualize a game plan. "When I was wrestling, an hour or two before matches I'd sit down and mentally work through what was about to happen. You can never predict something entirely, but having positive mental imagery beforehand gives you a plot to follow. That's what I did as soon as I got to shore."
Sit tight. "We were miles from anyone and anything, so we realized the best thing to do was prepare to make it through the night. It was 25 degrees (-4 degrees Celsius) that day, so we tried to bask in the sun, get some heat, and dry our clothes. The last thing we could do was fall asleep, so we did anything and everything to keep awake."
Be glad for what you've got. "If I started with nine lives, I think I have about two left. But, hey, that'll be enough to get me through."
Survival Intro >>
Page 2 - The Darwin of Dumb >>
Page 3 - When Mental Models Go Wrong >>
Page 4 - The Trouble With Success >>
Page 5 - Learning How to S.T.O.P. >>
Page 6 - Living Mindfully >>
Page 7 - The Survivor: Rulon Gardner >>
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