Marines

I am a Marine even though my honorable discharge took place back in ’91.

We are the only branch that refers to ourselves in the present tense, regardless of duty status.

This can create confusion in a conversation so you’ll hear us say “ex” and “former.”

But this mindset of being an active Marine shapes all I am today

I am not, nor was I ever “gung ho.” I’ve always been proud to be a Marine, even though I am now in “former” Marine status.

While I was active, my friends and I were more like a biker gang in how we viewed following the rules, following orders, and going about getting our job done the way we felt was best. We had an ironic hippy angle working for us too.

We were an odd bunch of violent dreamers, if that makes any sense to you

But we were proud of the work we did, to the point of fighting about it with any who questioned our quality. We just weren’t “The Poster” version of Marines that many assumed all Marines to be.

What the Corps put into me still plays a large part in everything I do

I want to share how those lessons have helped me to do what I do now and show you how you may use them to do the same, Marine or not.

How to be a leader

The only way you're going to ever be heard, much less respected, is to become the leader of your niche. It's the only way to overcome your competition and the ...

Courage

Courage. You're gonna need a bunch of it as you press on into greatness. It's so painfully true that anything worth having is worth fighting for. And you WILL have ...

Willingness to win – champion mindset

The willingness to win is one part of the champion mindset. The other part is perseverance but I'll discuss that in another post. In order for you to succeed at ...

Perseverance

Perseverance - the act of never giving up. This is something that is hammered into every Marine as he or she goes through boot camp. It then sticks with us ...

Thinking outside the box

Life in the Corps was full of dichotomies. One was how we were supposed to be disciplined and follow all orders at all times, while also being expected to think ...

Being the best

Being the best is a state of mind that expresses itself in your physical reality. You have to believe it before you see proof of it. Once you have it, ...

Being an effective follower – Keeping the team strong

The Corps is all about building leaders and expecting us to continually strive to reach that next level in taking command. But there's always someone above you for most of ...

Devising effective systems

One of the few things I miss about being in the Corps is the organization...of everything! We had a system and plan for absolutely every single aspect of our lives ...

Orderliness

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. They used to say something like that, right? I think orderliness is the same And I had it rammed straight down my throat for five ...

Habitual training

We trained on the same things constantly in the Marines. It got to where we knew whatever we needed to know and did whatever was required without even thinking about ...

Never showing weakness

Marines are never to show weakness in any form, ever. That's what we were taught. Combined with the mostly male environment and the mostly young age range, it wasn't hard ...

Being part of a brotherhood – The value of camaraderie

The brotherhood and camaraderie of the Marine Corps was the number one thing I missed for the longest amount of time after I got out. I'm serious. I missed my ...

Standing up for your beliefs

There is often nothing harder than standing up for your beliefs. Especially when you believe something unpopular. As a Marine, the things you'd assume I believed in I most likely ...

How to survive

Bear with me on this one. Learning how to survive created some interesting tales for me. But they'll apply to you in the end. In boot camp, the drill instructors ...

Improvise

There will always be a moment when you don't have what you need when you need it to keep the job moving forward. You'll have reached a fork in the ...

Adapt

Adapt - another third to the Marine Corps motto Here's what we got. Accept it. Embrace it. Deal with it. Get to work. Don't fight the environment you might find ...

Overcome

The ability to overcome is the final third of the Marine Corps motto. We don't stop until the objective's been achieved. It's why we're called "Devil Dogs" There was a ...

The importance of leading from the front

There's no room for hypocrisy in the Corps. The importance of leading from the front is instilled into every aspect of our day, right from the beginning. Whatever a Drill ...

Cockiness – assuredness

Cockiness makes up the majority of the driving force within every Marine's head. We take it to ridiculous levels. We're known for it. But cockiness intones a lack of sense ...

Loyalty

Loyalty, the act of remaining faithful to a cause or person, was of course, a gigantic part of being a Marine. It even extends into the civilian Afterlife. We don't ...

Sacrifice

The single greatest sacrifice that involves becoming a Marine is the relinquishment of your personal freedom. Set aside all the lofty ideals, principles, and the purity of mission and you're ...

Capacity and capability for accomplishment

A very large part of being a Marine is in the fact that we're willing and expected, to have the ability to do what others won't or can't do. We ...

Push your limits

You're gonna have to push your limits in all areas of your life, not just the actual construction of your business and online presence, in order for it to come ...

Manage pain

The Marine Corps WAS pain. At least it was for me and my guys. Boot camp of course, was nothing but heaps and piles and truckloads of pain slathered in ...

Division of labor

One of the beautiful things about being a Marine was the rank structure. It clarified the division of labor in all settings. Everyone knew their place on the totem pole ...

How to play nice with others

The Marines do not really give much thought on how to play nice with others. We tended to want to just handle the whole show on our own, thereby ensuring ...

These ideals, or the notion of them still runs subtly in the background of all my decision making moments, regardless of scenario. Not everything I learned in the Corps is healthy to me today. Not everything they taught me gets used the way they’d intended. Hell, that was the case even while I was still in.

But I have a strength that they put in me. Of course, the strength is all mine and was always there. But they activated it and showed me in many ways, what to do with it and how far I could take it once I turned it on.

It’s this drive to succeed, no matter the size of the goal, no matter how early on or near completion one may be in one’s mission, that I look for in others.

Marines are a noisy bunch. We’re friggin’ full of ourselves and do not hesitate to display that fact. We can’t contain our exuberance about being Marines. It feels that awesome to us.