What is BreakPoint?

What is BreakPoint?

A break point is the moment you decide to make a disruptive change in habitual behaviour, in line with a pre-determined goal. The moment you choose to take action; a decision to step out of your comfort zone.

What’s the difference between a Special Forces soldier and a civilian?

Less than you might think. We’re not supermen, we’re not bulletproof, we’re just exceptionally well trained. And that means that when a plan doesn’t come together perfectly – because no plan survives first contact – we’re what I call ‘battle ready’. That means we’re able to think under pressure and adapt. So, we don’t have a plan for every scenario imaginable, but we’re experts at taking control when a scenario spirals off in a dangerous direction, and reassessing our options. A very simple Special Forces mantra is ‘breathe, recalibrate, deliver’.

In software development, a ‘break point’ is an intentional pause in a programme, so that it can be analysed to make sure it’s working properly and debugged if necessary. It’s a great analogy for real life – stopping to assess if things are going to plan and reacting accordingly.

But it’s not just Special Forces soldiers that face break points.

We all do every day. They don’t have to happen in dramatic circumstances, while you’re wearing a balaclava and wielding a laser-sighted weapon. It might be a crisis that needs solving in the office or even more mundane, like being faced with a mountain of dirty dishes and the decision to do them before bed or wake up to the mess.

The trouble is, in today’s society we’re programmed to not believe in our true potential. When faced with difficulties, we panic, we go into our shells, we complain, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ But that negativity doesn’t allow for learning and growth. And from a young age we’re told, ‘Do this, do that, do well at school, go to university, get a good job, buy a house’. Then what? We’re not told to find our purpose, and many of us don’t even know we’re looking for it. Purpose is created, not discovered and you won’t find that through playing safe. So, when we achieve these goals and find ‘comfort’, we can often find ourselves in a position of discomfort, because we’re no longer learning and growing.

A break point is the moment when you realise that’s not good enough.

You make a conscious decision to solve the crisis or do the dishes. Whatever your goal, you decide that nothing is going to stand in the way of you achieving it; you step out of your comfort zone in order to move forward and grow as a person. Your potential becomes unlimited and you realise you can go beyond what you thought you were capable of.

One of my many break points occurred after a project in Asia, working for a charity called The Grey Man. This was set up to prevent child prostitution and slavery in the region and the project culminated in us infiltrating slave camps, where kids were being held. We got them to safehouses and evacuated them to an orphanage. Believe it or not, I never got much satisfaction from serving in the military. I’d wanted to join the Marines from a young age but it didn’t make me happy, partly because I was only doing it for the image; I thought it would look good.

But the satisfaction of helping these children created a spark in me, a passion to improve people’s lives. For the first time in my life I had a clear idea about who I was and what I wanted.

From there the skeleton of a business plan started coming together and I visualised the website, the corporate pitches, the HQ, talking to large audiences about my experiences, the sense of purpose I would get from helping people unlock their potential. And that sense of purpose lives with me every single day in BreakPoint, the business that I’ve built, whose mission it is to be recognised for the positive growth and development of others.

But it is the finished article? No. Am I constantly assessing and recalibrating? Yes. Do I have all the answers? Absolutely not. Nor would I want them, because that would be too comfortable.

So, what is break point?

It’s staying energised and not giving up on your dreams. It’s the recognition that we all have more we can offer. It’s the understanding that struggle isn’t a bad thing; that a challenge is an opportunity. And the decision to act on that opportunity … that is BreakPoint.

Founded by Ollie Ollerton in 2015, BreakPoint delivers a range of corporate and individual training programmes that help people change their limiting beliefs and unearth infinite potential. Learn how you could benefit from a BreakPoint course by visiting www.break-point.co.uk.