Why Do You Train?

When training I will sometimes ask everyone: "When do we give up?" The response is "When we are dead or safe!" I have heard a shorter version of this that I like from the Navy Seals: "Not dead, can't quit." This is a great mantra.

To flesh this idea out a bit I developed a simple exercise that will help to bring this mantra to life for you. It can keep you focused in training when you are fatigued, beat down, gassed, frustrated, wiped out, trashed, getting schooled, at your wits end, and ready to throw in the towel. This same exercise is absolutely essential to keep focused if you ever find yourself in a real situation where your life (and possibly the lives of others) depends on you not quitting even when everything else is screaming at you to give up.

Take a evening and reflect on all of those things that you want to live for. I know this sounds a little corny, but really think about this. Why do YOU want to be here on this earth? Is it to see your kids grow up and have children of their own? Is it to mend those regrets you have between you and an old friend? Take care of a parent who has stood by you throughout your life? Grow old with your husband or wife? Is it to take that trip around the world or write that novel that you started ten years ago? Is it to simply have a beer with with an old school buddy just one more time? Or maybe to defend the freedom and dignity of others. Protect those who need help. To stand in the face of tyranny. To help the down trodden and exploited.

I don't know what it is for you, but YOU need to know what it is for you, so take out a sheet of paper, grab a pen and make that list; a physical list of all of these things and when the time comes in training or life that you have a choice whether or not to give up, think about those things that you wrote down.
Really dig down deep within yourself to find meaningful emotional triggers that will bring out your true desire to live. You have to feel it or this won't be an effective tool for you.

Have a clear understanding of what is worth living for and what is worth dieing for. Make it personal for YOU and your life.

Those are the real reasons why we train!

All the best,
~Craig



Comments

  1. JackieJune 19, 2009 at 6:44 AM

    I guess I bumped into this at the right time because there are soo many reasons why I want to just give up at my job but at the same time there are so many reason why I won't. Thank you for the post, I'm pulling out the pen to remind myself.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 19, 2009 at 6:45 AM

    Well Put!

    ReplyDelete
  3. David MaxamJune 19, 2009 at 6:52 AM

    Quality Post!

    ReplyDelete

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