"GOOD", on Dispatch from the Razor's Edge

The Great Secret, Version Four

Jocko Willink is one of the scariest human beings imaginable. He is a lean 230 pounds. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who used to tap out 20 Navy SEALs per workout. He is a legend in the special operations world. Jocko Spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy and commanded SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated special operations unit from the Iraq war. Upon returning to the United States, Jocko served as the officer-in-charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams, designing and implementing some of the most challenging and realistic combat training in the world. After retiring from the Navy, he co-founded Echelon Front, a leadership and management consulting company, and co-authored the #1 New York Times bestseller Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win. He is an avid surfer, a husband, and the father of four "highly motivated" children.

“GOOD”

How do I deal with setbacks, failures, delays, defeat, or other disasters? I actually have a fairly simple way of dealing with these situations. There is one word to deal with all those situations, and that is: "good." When things are going bad, there's going to be some good that will come from it.

Oh, mission got cancelled? Good. We can focus on another one.
Didn't get the new high-speed gear we wanted? Good. We can keep it simple.
Didn't get promoted? Good. More time to get better.
Didn't get funded? Good. We own more of the company.
Got injured? Good. Needed a break from training.
Got beat? Good. We learned.
Unexpected problems? Good. We have the opportunity to figure out a solution.

That's it. Accept reality, but focus on the solution. Go forward.

Finally, to close this up: If you can say the word "good," guess what? It means you're still alive. It means you're still breathing.

And if you're still breathing, that means you've still got some fight left in you. So get up, dust off, reload, recalibrate, re-engage, and go out on the attack.

And that, right there, is about as good as it gets.

- Jocko Willink

attitude spec-ops happiness the great secret

Dispatch from the Razor's Edge is owned and operated by novelist, technologist, vegan, exercise junkie, classical liberal, rambler, and Londoner Michael Stephen Fuchs.

Fuchs is the author of the novels The Manuscript and Pandora's Sisters, both published worldwide by Macmillan in hardback, paperback and all e-book formats (and in translation); the D-Boys series of high-tech, high-concept, spec-ops military adventure novels – D-Boys, Counter-Assault, and Close Quarters Battle (coming in 2016); and is co-author, with Glynn James, of the bestselling Arisen series of special-operations military ZA novels. The second nicest thing anyone has ever said about his work was: "Fuchs seems to operate on the narrative principle of 'when in doubt put in a firefight'." (Kirkus Reviews, more here.)

Fuchs was born in New York; schooled in Virginia (UVa); and later emigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lived through the dot-com boom. Subsequently he decamped for an extended period of tramping before finally rocking up in London, where he now makes his home. He does a lot of travel blogging, most recently of some very long walks around the British Isles. He's been writing and developing for the web since 1994 and shows no particularly hopeful signs of stopping.

You can reach him on .

“GOOD”

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Dispatch from the Razor's Edge is owned and operated by novelist, technologist, vegan, exercise junkie, classical liberal, rambler, and Londoner Michael Stephen Fuchs.


2023 >> 2022 >> 2021 >> 2020 >> 2019 >> 2018 >> 2017-12-05 2017-11-23 2017-11-16 2017-11-14 2017-10-31 2017-10-30 2017-10-19 2017-10-15 2017-09-15 2017-08-25 2017-06-10 2017-05-31 2017-05-25 2017-05-20 2017-05-13 2017-05-07 2017-03-22 2017-03-18 2017-03-04 2017-02-26 2017-02-02 2017-01-05 2016 >> 2015 >> 2014 >> 2013 >> 2012 >> 2011 >> 2010 >> 2009 >> 2008 >> 2007 >> 2006 >> 2005 >> 2004 >> 2003 >> 2002 >>	“GOOD” The Great Secret, Version Four Jocko Willink is one of the scariest human beings imaginable. He is a lean 230 pounds. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who used to tap out 20 Navy SEALs per workout. He is a legend in the special operations world. Jocko Spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy and commanded SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated special operations unit from the Iraq war. Upon returning to the United States, Jocko served as the officer-in-charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams, designing and implementing some of the most challenging and realistic combat training in the world. After retiring from the Navy, he co-founded Echelon Front, a leadership and management consulting company, and co-authored the #1 New York Times bestseller Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win. He is an avid surfer, a husband, and the father of four "highly motivated" children. “GOOD” How do I deal with setbacks, failures, delays, defeat, or other disasters? I actually have a fairly simple way of dealing with these situations. There is one word to deal with all those situations, and that is: "good." When things are going bad, there's going to be some good that will come from it. Oh, mission got cancelled? Good. We can focus on another one. Didn't get the new high-speed gear we wanted? Good. We can keep it simple. Didn't get promoted? Good. More time to get better. Didn't get funded? Good. We own more of the company. Got injured? Good. Needed a break from training. Got beat? Good. We learned. Unexpected problems? Good. We have the opportunity to figure out a solution. That's it. Accept reality, but focus on the solution. Go forward. Finally, to close this up: If you can say the word "good," guess what? It means you're still alive. It means you're still breathing. And if you're still breathing, that means you've still got some fight left in you. So get up, dust off, reload, recalibrate, re-engage, and go out on the attack. And that, right there, is about as good as it gets. - Jocko Willink Tweet attitude spec-ops happiness the great secret ← before \| contribute comment ↓ \| after →