The 80% Rule: How to Push Past Limits and Unlock Your True Potential

How to Stop Quitting Too Early

Most people give up at about 40% of their actual capacity.

That’s not a motivational poster (actually, I'm sure it is).

It’s the rough estimate used by Navy SEALs when training new candidates. They’ve seen it repeatedly: when recruits say they’ve hit their wall, they’re usually not even halfway there.

But here’s the twist…

You don’t need to be a SEAL to benefit from this insight (including the marine mammal or pop star).

Whether you're working on your body, your business, or your bandwidth, the difference between what you think you can do and what you’re actually capable of is often massive.

And the key to unlocking it?

Recognizing that the discomfort is a signal of opportunity, not a sign to stop.

How I Learned to Stay in the Suck (And Why It Changed Everything)

There’s a stretch of every workout I dread. I could be on the bike, a group x class, or even a solo weight training session.

On the bike, it's always (and I do mean always) on an awful climb. I'm not a small dude. All the great climbers are built like bulimic horse jockeys. When I go up a long hill I suffer with a capital S. And every time I hit that deep trench of pain, my brain starts the same playlist:

→ This is stupid.

→ You could turn around.

→ What are you trying to prove?

→ You’ve already done enough today.

But then something weird happens.

If I ignore that playlist and keep going - just a few minutes longer, everything changes. My breathing evens out. My legs stop screaming. I actually feel stronger.

I’ve learned that this moment, where I most want to quit, isn’t the end.

It’s the threshold.

That’s where adaptation, clarity, and confidence are built.

Now I look for those moments. I want to see what happens at 41%. Then 50%. Then 80%.

Because that’s where the growth lives.

5 Ways to Push Past Your Self-Imposed Limits

This isn’t about becoming a masochist. It’s about seeing where you stop yourself short and getting curious.

Here’s how to start pushing beyond the 40% line:

1. Name Your Thresholds

Pick one area of life (fitness, work, writing, learning) and notice exactly when you tend to quit. Is it when you get bored? When you hit friction? When someone gives feedback? Give it a label and then refer to it as such. This provides you with less identification and more perspective.

2. Add 2 More Minutes

Whatever task you’re working on; deep work, cold outreach, a cold plunge - when you hit “I want to stop,” add just two more minutes. The difference between quitting and staying in the game is often a game of winning a few inches at a time. Train the rep. Stay in it.

3. Track “Rep Wins” Instead of Results

Forget perfection. Each time you stay 1% longer in that uncomfortable zone, count it. Momentum comes from reps, not results. Celebrate wins to retrain your brain what is helping you move forward.

4. Use a Pre-Commitment Ritual

Before a task that typically triggers quitting, ask: “What would 80% of my best effort look like today?” Commit to that number. It’s usually more than you want to do, and less than you think you should do. Perfect.

5. Shift from "Can I Finish?" to "Can I Stay In It?"

It’s not about checking a box. It’s about sticking around after your brain tells you to bail. That’s the part that builds your ceiling.

What This Unlocks

You want to build something meaningful? You’re going to brush up against the edge of your comfort zone every single day.

Most people turn back when things get uncomfortable.

You can be world-class or fit in with the world.

But not both.

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

— Albert Einstein

Find your next edge,

Eli.