KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

I'm sitting in an undisclosed location in the desert. I have a lot of time to think. We get a lot of emails asking what program is best for an individual. Those questions made me realize that a lot of people don't actually know why they are going through the motions of working out. Jamming out to some Steve Earle and on my third cup of Turkish coffee, you guys are about to get another window into my furiously spinning ADD brain. Today I'm going to explain the most important thing you can possibly identify in your training:  The reasons behind your striving. 

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A discussion in the SOFLETE Team Room got me thinking about all the stupid things I’ve done that could have shortened my stay on this earth. Sometimes those things were necessary or at least unavoidable. The extremities of combat or the exigencies of professions like emergency services place practitioners in situations that demand an acceptance of risk. But a lot of times my narrow escapes were the results of being under-planned, under-trained, or under-aware.

There is solitude in failure. But how a man reacts to that loneliness—despite being surrounded by friends—determines whether he grows or continues to spiral downward.

Failure is a perception; we define our own end state. We all will be well served to remember that a single defeat or a series of defeats is not a lost cause.

“There are two kinds of Marines in Recon,” a friend said, “Swim Team members and Barfighters. You my friend, are a Barfighter.” I looked back quizzically. He continued.

“Swim Team guys are tan, they’ve got cool tattoos, they’re in awesome shape, and they blow through hard training without sweating. They look like recruiting posters and they’re all about the badges and medals.”

“And Bar Fighters?” I asked, bemused.

“Bar Fighters maybe don’t look the best with their shirts off. They may not out run or out swim anyone. But you know in a bar fight you don’t have to look behind you to see if he’s backing you up. You know when a guy is about to break a chair over your head, a Bar Fighter will take that guy down.”

You don’t need to suffer through a “quarter life” crisis to find happiness. You need to be honest with yourself and those around you. You have to know where you want to go before you can arrive at a destination. Then you need to work towards that destination. If you feel lost, remember that you WILL bounce back if you keep doing the next right thing. I have found a lot of peace in just trying to enjoy the ride. I hope you can too.

The SOFLETE life is real.  We live it daily and are constantly pushing the limits of our own capabilities.  That standard of performance is accompanied by risk, we we gladly embrace, because the reward of pushing past limitations is so great.  Often, our efforts are successful. But sometimes we fail, and sometimes we get thrashed. Hard. That’s what this series of articles will address.  Topic numero uno: Concussion/Traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

If you’re reading this, chances are half the people in your life (including yourself) have gotten rapped hard on the head from an IED blast, thrown off a dirtbike, walked drunkenly into a pole, or have faced off against the biggest guy in the platoon with a pugil stick.  In addition, if you really are embracing the Die Living lifestyle, you’re pretty much always at risk of a blow to the head on any given day.  We’ve all been knocked the fuck out at some point. And yes, the horror stories of what it can do to your brain and the side effects are out there. 

So lets start with the front line of what we can do to help ourselves since we know the VA will take 12 years to give us Motrin. There is research coming out about over the counter supplements.  It’s promising.  Here’s the rundown.