We're about committing to action - a concept that can have significant rewards.
Many of us have thought about attending a challenging school, switching to a more ambitious career path, or taking on some type of new adventure. Unfortunately, we often don't have support from our chain of command or NCO support channel. Sometimes we don't get that support because we don't deserve it. It's tough to make your case about going to Ranger School when you don't excel at PT, skipped out on the previous unit EIB, and don't act like a leader in your formation. Sometimes we are doing all the right things though and know we really do deserve the support from those around us.
I've seen countless individuals who made it their personal mission to achieve a goal of their choosing. Two years ago, I saw a young NCO in an adjacent company that was determined to get to Ranger School. In his case, he had apathetic leaders who weren't going to go out of their way to help him succeed. It was on him to get himself to school - no one was going to do the work for him. I observed him lobby his Platoon Sergeant and First Sergeant constantly over 3 months to convince them that he deserved a shot. He reached out to Battalion and Brigade to ensure he had to correct 4187 format and had the required pre-requisites needed. He also ensured he had his packing list assembled, he learned his RTTs, read up on the classes and 20 boards, and was as fit as he could be. He was preparing himself, by himself. He believed in himself when others didn't.
By the time his packet was ready to pass to his PSG, he was in a position where the normal reasons for saying no wouldn't work. "Do you have the packing list?” "Yes." "Let's see you do some perfect push-ups." "Too easy." "Is this 4187 formatted correctly? Did you get the extra Brigade memo?" "Yes." His packet was accepted because he prepared himself, took action on what he wanted, and ensured he had all the potential problems addressed. He didn't just complain about his situation and blame others.
This Soldier probably didn't do the right thing by going around his PSG, or by reaching out directly to Battalion or Brigade. But he did this for a good reason. He did it to get to school, which will help him become a better asset to his unit and to the Army. It was inspiring to see someone believe in themselves and do whatever it took, over the course of several months. He got to a place where the only answer was yes. He went to school a couple of months later and came back with his tab two months after that.
Do things always work out like this? Absolutely not. He still could have gotten a no from his chain of command. But he did everything he personally could to put himself in a position to succeed. He took personal ownership for what he wanted - this is initiative.
Everything we want starts with action. There is so much talk in the military and in life about wanting to do things. Everyone wants something special, but how many of us are actually willing to commit to the action required? And that action isn't always clear. But it always starts with initiating movement and starting to figure out the required steps one at a time.
Blue / Green Training focuses on physical fitness, and using the tools of proper workout programming, recovery, mental skills, and nutrition to reach higher levels of fitness. Even if you have one of our programs, or any other program you like, it's meaningless if you don't follow through with it. We've always viewed our material and our mission as a way to enable motivated individuals. It is a significant step to find a plan to use, or to make a plan of your own. But that's the easy part compared to following through with that program.
That work in reaching success often happens behind the scenes, something the picture above represents to me. That is something I appreciate about the NCO who got himself to Ranger. Going to school and earning your tab is the visible part. All the hard work of getting himself to the school, and physically and mentally preparing himself to succeed happened behind the scenes. It wasn't sexy. It was often alone, and challenging, and probably scary at times. No one wants to privately be working their ass off and not eventually reach their goal. It takes that much more motivation to get to that goal when you're doing it alone. This is the beauty of being part of a team. Much of our hard work can be done together through a collective struggle. But it makes us realize how much more significant that level of effort will be when it's happening individually.
No matter what you want, in the military or not, it starts with trying. Success starts with action. Commit to it.
---
Blue / Green Training designs programs for military athletes to achieve specific physical goals. Our material helps to enable those athletes, and capture their full potential. We're committed to action. Our library of material and content is rapidly growing. We share updates every day on our Instagram page.
