Captain Michael: There are several hundred young American soldiers training in the jungle here beside the marina.
The former Fort Sherma
There are several hundred young American soldiers training in the jungle here beside the marina.
The former Fort Sherman is now a Panamanian military base, but the jungle is still doing what it has always done—testing people.
Before their training began, a few of the soldiers wandered over to the marina cantina. We sat around and talked for a while.
I knew a little about what waited for them.
Heat. Rain. Mud. Bugs. Exhaustion. Heavy gear. Not enough sleep. And probably more than a few moments when they would question every decision that had brought them there.
So I gave them the same advice many of us received somewhere along the way:
Embrace the suck.
That doesn’t mean pretending the misery feels good.
It means accepting that some worthwhile things are going to be uncomfortable. Once you stop wishing the experience were easier, you can get to work dealing with the experience you actually have.
Much of my military training sucked.
Some of the operations sucked even more.
There were times I was cold, wet, exhausted, scared, and thoroughly ready for the whole damn thing to be over.
But here’s the strange part:
Looking back, I would do almost all of it again.
Not because it didn’t suck.
Because somewhere in that discomfort, I learned what I could endure. I learned how to keep thinking when I was tired. How to depend upon the human beings beside me. How to laugh in miserable circumstances. How to work the problem when quitting wasn’t one of the available choices.
The discomfort eventually ended.
What it built remained.
That is true far beyond military training. It happens while raising children, caring for someone you love, building a business, crossing an ocean, recovering from failure, or simply surviving a season you never would have chosen.
Not every hardship is necessary. Pain by itself is not noble.
But when the hard thing must be done, wishing it were easier doesn’t make it so.
Sometimes you just have to step into the mud, shoulder the weight, and embrace the suck.
It may not feel like much while you’re living it.
Years from now, you may realize it helped make you who you are.
It sucked then.
I’d do it again.
#EmbraceTheSuck, #CharacterIsEverything, #WorkTheProblem, #CrypTok
Captain Michael: There are several hundred young American soldiers training in the jungle here beside the marina. The former Fort Sherman
There are several hundred young American soldiers training in the jungle here beside the marina. The former Fort Sherman is now a Panamanian military base, but the jungle is still doing what it has always done—testing people. Before their training began, a few of the soldiers wandered over to the marina cantina. We sat around and talked for a while. I knew a little about what waited for them. Heat. Rain. Mud. Bugs. Exhaustion. Heavy gear. Not enough sleep. And probably more than a few moments when they would question every decision that had brought them there. So I gave them the same advice many of us received somewhere along the way: Embrace the suck. That doesn’t mean pretending the misery feels good. It means accepting that some worthwhile things are going to be uncomfortable. Once you stop wishing the experience were easier, you can get to work dealing with the experience you actually have. Much of my military training sucked. Some of the operations sucked even more. There were times I was cold, wet, exhausted, scared, and thoroughly ready for the whole damn thing to be over. But here’s the strange part: Looking back, I would do almost all of it again. Not because it didn’t suck. Because somewhere in that discomfort, I learned what I could endure. I learned how to keep thinking when I was tired. How to depend upon the human beings beside me. How to laugh in miserable circumstances. How to work the problem when quitting wasn’t one of the available choices. The discomfort eventually ended. What it built remained. That is true far beyond military training. It happens while raising children, caring for someone you love, building a business, crossing an ocean, recovering from failure, or simply surviving a season you never would have chosen. Not every hardship is necessary. Pain by itself is not noble. But when the hard thing must be done, wishing it were easier doesn’t make it so. Sometimes you just have to step into the mud, shoulder the weight, and embrace the suck. It may not feel like much while you’re living it. Years from now, you may realize it helped make you who you are. It sucked then. I’d do it again. #EmbraceTheSuck, #CharacterIsEverything, #WorkTheProblem, #CrypTok
There are several hundred young American soldiers training in the jungle here beside the marina. The former Fort Sherman is now a Panamanian military base, but the jungle is still doing what it has always done—testing people. Before their training began, a few of the soldiers wandered over to the marina cantina. We sat around and talked for a while. I knew a little about what waited for them. Heat. Rain. Mud. Bugs. Exhaustion. Heavy gear. Not enough sleep. And probably more than a few moments when they would question every decision that had brought them there. So I gave them the same advice many of us received somewhere along the way: Embrace the suck. That doesn’t mean pretending the misery feels good. It means accepting that some worthwhile things are going to be uncomfortable. Once you stop wishing the experience were easier, you can get to work dealing with the experience you actually have. Much of my military training sucked. Some of the operations sucked even more. There were times I was cold, wet, exhausted, scared, and thoroughly ready for the whole damn thing to be over. But here’s the strange part: Looking back, I would do almost all of it again. Not because it didn’t suck. Because somewhere in that discomfort, I learned what I could endure. I learned how to keep thinking when I was tired. How to depend upon the human beings beside me. How to laugh in miserable circumstances. How to work the problem when quitting wasn’t one of the available choices. The discomfort eventually ended. What it built remained. That is true far beyond military training. It happens while raising children, caring for someone you love, building a business, crossing an ocean, recovering from failure, or simply surviving a season you never would have chosen. Not every hardship is necessary. Pain by itself is not noble. But when the hard thing must be done, wishing it were easier doesn’t make it so. Sometimes you just have to step into the mud, shoulder the weight, and embrace the suck. It may not feel like much while you’re living it. Years from now, you may realize it helped make you who you are. It sucked then. I’d do it again. #EmbraceTheSuck, #CharacterIsEverything, #WorkTheProblem, #CrypTok
