Getting Inspired - It is Easy IF You Pay Attention

Often, random words, phrases, pictures, people, and experiences can inspire a person so much that he/she will change focus and be redirected onto a new path. When you find that one thing that resonates deeply in your soul, you should take advantage of it to the best of your ability because not everyone finds the journey they are supposed to be on in life.  If you can find it more than once in your life - even better. To do this, you have to keep an open mind and learn about all the options you have in your life. My advice is to expose yourself to new ideas, people, and learning by doing, travel, and experience.  Keep your eyes and ears open and you will find the thing that you are supposed to become if you listen. 

I am pulling the Oprah card on this one - hear me out as this is good:

“The only time I’ve ever made mistakes is when I didn’t listen. So, what I know is, God whispers…. It’s subtle at first. If you don’t pay attention to the whispers, it gets louder and louder. It’s like getting thumped upside the head, like my grandmother used to do…. You don’t pay attention to that, it’s like getting a brick upside your head. You don’t pay attention to that,the whole brick wall falls down. That’s the pattern I’ve seen in my life, and it’s played out over and over again.

“Whispers are always messages, and if you don’t hear the message, the message turns into a problem. And if you don’t handle the problem, the problem turns into a crisis. And if you don’t handle the crisis, disaster. Your life is speaking to you. What is it saying?” — Oprah Winfrey, May 25, 2011

Obviously, this does not have to be directed toward the tactical professions. But many of my readers choose to serve, even with a big goal they want to accomplish later in life. For instance, a young person decides to serve in the military, uses his GI Bill to attend college and becomes a doctor, then a surgeon, or maybe even an astronaut. (It has happened.

 (from VA.gov)

Your journey can take a different path at the fork in the road several times in your life. In fact, I told my 18-year-old son that you do not have to know what you are going to do in your life at your current age.  In fact, if you do not change your mind 3-4 times in the next few years, you are not trying, in my opinion. 

Here are some of my favorite pieces of inspiration over the years:

Older kids in my neighborhood, local and professional athletes - As I was growing up, I was fortunate to be able to learn how to start training from older high school kids in my neighborhood. Being 3-4 years younger when you are 12-13 years old has a humbling effect on a person when playing sports and lifting weights. They made me stronger than my classmates, which helped me make sports teams, become team captain, and instill a work ethic in me at an early age. Of course, the athletes on TV were also inspirational, whether in sports or in movies. There was always something about seeing them perform and train that made me want to train harder. They helped me up my game at that early time in my life. 

Who did not want to become a boxer after watching Rocky? His character exemplifies OLD SCHOOL hard work and desire no matter what the cost. 

During high school summers, all the kids in my neighborhood took on manual labor jobs in tobacco fields, watermelon fields, and landscaping. Doing these jobs from 6 am to 6 pm each day made a man out of me for sure and taught the value of a dollar earned. Learning how to do a Hard Day's Work came with daily humor, bonding in the discomfort of North Florida Summers. I am not sure I was inspired to do these jobs, but doing them was a source of pride at a young age. 

After high school, I was blessed with an opportunity to attend the Naval Academy. It was a driving force in all that I did early in my high school days. I did everything I could to get TO the Academy. There I learned that getting TO the Academy was not good enough. You had to up your game AGAIN if you wanted to get THROUGH the Academy. Once again, I found mentors in upper class Midshipmen, Officers, and Senior Enlisted who I found inspiration. Once I saw people actually preparing for SEAL Training and successfully graduating and becoming SEALs, I realized something I thought was impossible was no longer. I guess sometimes you have to see it to believe it. I think it was the first time I made SEAL as my goal, and it drove me to train hard to become a better candidate. Fellow classmates helped tremendously because it is true, "Iron Sharpens Iron As One Man Sharpens Another." Proverbs 27:17.

Some Classics 

It Pays To Be A Winner - These words are staged on the top of my list of things I have found to make a person (including myself) to dig a little deeper and find the fuel when you thought the tank was empty.

Train to Compete - Not Just Survive - Understanding why you need to do this is just as important as finding inspiration. You will find people, no matter what your journey is, who struggle each day maintaining the minimum standards.  This is survival mode and it makes every day 10x tougher than it should be and eventually wears on your confidence and ability to continue onward. However, training to win something and thinking about winning and exceeding the standard changes the mindset and focus of the candidate.  In programs where there is a high attrition rate, not being in the top 20% of the class is a risk most people cannot afford, especially if the attrition rate is greater than 80%.  You never think about quitting - when you think about winning!  Exceeding the standard - IS the standard. 

 Related Articles:

Tactical Fitness Phase 1 - Getting TO the Training
Tactical Fitness Phase 2 - Getting THROUGH the Training
Exceeding the Standard is the Standard
You Never Think About Quitting - When you Think About Winning. 
Advice to Get TO and THROUGH Selection

If you can't stop thinking about it - Don't stop working for it - This is primarily what happens when you are "listening" to yourself.  Keep pushing and working to reach that goal by staying focused and going beyond just listening - start doing. 

Keeping a Sense of Humor: You have to be able to laugh, especially when things get painful.  Many decisions to quit have occurred when the candidate took some things too seriously, lost confidence, and failed to meet the standards of the day.  Remember - every evolution comes to an end eventually. You can get through it if you Laugh in the Face of the Quit Demon.  This is just one of several mistakes you can make when you are on this journey - in fact, Have You Ever Seen a Spec Ops Candidate Cry? 

 As you grow, you are exposed to new forms of inspiration - maybe even poetry and literature. Consider this poem written by a son who wanted his father to fight a little harder toward the end of his life: 

Do not go gentle into that good night
- Dylan Thomas 

From The Poems of Dylan Thomas,
Copyright ©1953. New Directions Publishing Corp. 

In a nutshell, inspiration comes in many forms. Keep searching, listening, and experiencing new things and find a path that makes you happy. That is the most important part of this journey: that you feel happy with your choices and your efforts along this path, as it is a lifelong journey - until the end. No one gets out of here alive, so make it your best path forward.  

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