Prioritize working on the body and mind

One of the most memorable experiences of Combat Control training was Hell Week.  Unlike the Navy SEAL Hell Week, it was officially called Introduction to Field Training, or IFT for short ( because the military loves acronyms).   For the purpose of this write up, I'm gonna refer to the week as Hell Week. Hell Week was at the beginning of Combat Control School or (CCS), which was one of the toughest schools of the pipeline, ( actually one of the toughest schools in the U.S. military) and to make it to this course, the trainee had already endured a year of intense training.   The week was  nicknamed Hell week because for five days and nights, ( in my experience) you get no sleep, not even a few minutes.   Maybe some guys could have gotten in a few minutes in, but I wasn't that lucky.  So, it wasn't uncommon to lose guys after a year of dedicated training. Hell Week was one of those events you heard about all through the training pipeline.  As a Combat Control trainee, our home

  None of it works unless YOU work. We have to do our part. If knowing is half the battle, action is the second half of the battle.” ―  Jim Kwik It's a problem everybody faces at some point, lack of motivation can derail progress in any area of life. I used to feel like I'd go weeks, or even months waiting on the motivation to start a new project.  I'd wait to start small household projects, personal projects, and countless little things needing attention.  And I'd continue waiting... Sure, sometimes I'd find some motivation to get some tasks going, but it felt hit or miss.  Sometimes I'd have the momentum to get on a roll, but it wasn't consistent.   Millions of people have this same issue, and some people, who I personally know,  are in a constant, almost paralyzing rut.   But, there are people who consistently find the motivation to consistently reach their goals, and stay motivated time and time again.  Authors write hundreds of books, entrepreneurs star

Strategic quitting is the secret of successful organizations      Seth Godin Never Quit! All my life I've been told not to quit.  Quitting means you are taking the easy road.   You can achieve anything, just never give up!  I have heard this so many times, it's second nature.  I don't question it.  I'm even guilty of judging others when they quit something.   It's been ingrained in my brain since birth.  The idea of quitting means I've failed.   For the people out there who are headstrong, the people who finish what they start, I'm writing this for us. The ability to never quit is an incredible gift.  To persevere when most people would just give up, seems to be a rare asset.  Actually, it is. It allows us to accomplish the impossible.  There is something I've been born with, which allows me to work harder than the ordinary person. When I want to do do something, I mean really want to do it, I give everything I have.  Everything else gets pus

"If you feel like shit, everyone you hate wins. -Tyler Durden" Stay positive! Have some gratitude! Attitude is everything! How important is it? When you're angry and someone tries to get you in a better mood, you trying to stay positive doesn't always work. If you've ever tried learning how to incorporate personal growth into your life, you've probably ran across the idea about always being positive.  You shouldn't get angry, and if you do, you should quickly get out of your angry state into a more positive one. If you get angry, then there must be something wrong with you.  There are people walking around who never get angry because they are just so, uh positive all the time.   Sometimes the most positive people I knew were the biggest mess in their personal lives. If you really put some thought into it, you'd know everyone gets angry sometimes.  It's a common emotion we've had for a long time.   If you take some

   Conflicts are not comfortable, but it doesn't have to be something you dread and avoid. There are so many people who completely avoid conflict, toning themselves down because of the fear, but a  good leader is prepared for conflict and train to become more comfortable with it. In special operations training, we prepared ourselves for conflict, running drills constantly to prepare for it. The very nature of special ops missions puts individuals in scenarios where conflict could appear.  Don't fear this; you should embrace it. A special ops group does not go around looking for conflict, instead they are small units conducting missions under the radar.  On many missions, the enemy didn't even know they were there. The same is true for a good leader.  In a leadership role, you should not go out of your way to find conflict.  Your energy should be focused on your mission.  Many people will never understand your vision and goals.  This should not stop you.  Instead

Being a success in your life, no matter what it looks like to you, requires strategies, trial and error, and trying to know a little more today than you did the day before. There is no better investment than putting the effort into growing as a person so you can be better for those who matter the most in your life. With the vast amounts of information out there on this topic, there are a few key things I've noticed emotionally intelligent, successful people do.  People with these qualities also make hard hitting leaders in their environment. From reading books, blogs, and being fortunate enough to meet some of these people, here are 10 things I've noticed above average people do. Wake up early to accomplish important tasks Our lives tend to get busy during the day, leaving us little time to focus on the bigger picture.  If we're not careful, we get stuck staying  busy  and becoming more average. A good way to battle this challenge is to wake up a little ea