You can’t heal what you won’t acknowledge. And you can’t strategize when you’re just trying to survive.
There’s something that happens in every ICBM Triathlon session, usually around the first forty-five minutes hour. Someone finally says: “Man, it’s exhausting.” Not physically exhausting. Emotionally exhausting. We’re in a constant defensive mode. Exhausted waiting for the next crisis. Exhausted living like life is just a series of fires to put out rather than something you get to actually enjoy. Welcome to survival mode — and more importantly, welcome to the exit strategy.
What Survival Mode Looks Like
Survival mode is the state most of us know too well. It’s when your nervous system is stuck on high alert, scanning for threats, bracing for impact. It’s reactive, not responsive. It’s about getting through today, not building toward tomorrow. In survival mode:
- Every decision feels urgent
- Rest feels like a luxury you can’t afford
- Planning ahead seems pointless
- Your body is tense even when you’re “relaxing”
- Relationships become transactional
- You’re running on adrenaline and obligation
One brother described it perfectly: “I realized I’d been living like every day was an emergency for so long that I forgot what peace even felt like. My body doesn’t even know how to relax because it was always ready to fight.”
Why We Get Stuck There
Here’s the thing: survival mode, at one time or another, has saved us. Growing up in environments where threat was real — violence, poverty, racism, instability — your brain learned to stay vigilant. That hyper vigilance kept you alive. But the brain doesn’t always update its software. So even when the immediate threat passes, you’re still operating from that fight-or-flight place. You’re still reacting to dangers that might not be present anymore — or at least not in the same way.
Plus, society keeps us there. The daily experience of navigating racism, economic stress, and systemic barriers means you’re constantly having to defend, prove, and protect. You can’t afford to let your guard down because, in many ways, the threat is still real. But staying in survival mode long-term has costs: chronic stress, health problems, damaged relationships, missed opportunities, and the haunting feeling that you’re just existing, not living.
The Shift: JumpStart Philosophy
The EndZone philosophy at the core of ICBM is about this transition — from constantly putting out fires to actually building something fireproof. Strategy mode isn’t about ignoring threats. It’s about moving from reaction to intention. It’s about:
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Creating margins: Building space in your life for things other than crisis management
- Developing systems:Setting up structures that support you instead of constantly improvising
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Thinking long-term: Making decisions based on where you want to go, not just what you need to escape
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Choosing your energy: Being deliberate about what gets your attention and what doesn’t
What the Transition Requires
Moving from survival to strategy isn’t a switch you flip — it’s a practice you build. In our sessions, we work on:
What activates your survival response? Traffic? Relational Conflict? Money stress? Once you can name it, you can work with it instead of being controlled by it.
Learning actual techniques — breath work, mindfulness, somatic movement — practices that signal to your body: “We’re not in danger right now.”
You can’t strategize alone. You need people who help you think clearly, hold you accountable, and remind you of the bigger picture when you’re overwhelmed.
Keep a daily/weekly journal for yourself. Write down reflections on your goals. Every quarter make assessments of your direction. These aren’t luxuries — they’re how you stay in strategy mode.
The Real Work:
In one workshop, a participant shared: “I used to think planning ahead was for people who had time. Then I realized — I wasn’t too busy to plan. I was just too afraid.” That’s it! Fight your fears! Survival mode doesn’t just drain your energy — it kills your hope! Because if you can’t imagine a different future, why would you plan for one? Strategy mode requires something radical: the belief that your life can be more than just suffering. That you deserve to craft, endure, not just survive. That you have permission to want more than just making it through.
The Practice
Start small. What’s one area where you can move from reactive to proactive? Here are some suggestions.
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Instead of scrambling every Sunday night, plan your week on Friday. Yes, Friday! Also, you might as well review the previous week while you’re at it. Read your journal entries to see if you hit your weekly goals.
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Instead of dealing with stress when it hits, build in daily practices that prevent it. Lift weights. Bike. Walk. Practice mindfulness. Listen to soft music. Read a book, (a real book), Pray with or for your partner. They all work.
- Instead of waiting for crisis to force change, make adjustments before things break. Learn to trust your gut. You know when somethings not right, right?
Date posted: November 19, 2025
Author: Fredrick Bush
Choose to live with intention instead of just instinct. Building a life that's sustainable, not just survivable.
The Freedom
Here’s what we’re discovering together: When you’re not constantly in defense mode, you have energy for creation. When you’re not just reacting, you can actually respond. When you’re not stuck in survival, you can finally start to live.
You’ve survived enough. Now it’s time to strategize and craft what has yet to exist.