Gregg Glassman and The Crossfit Community: An Honest Reflection
We are a little under a year out from the Twitter comment that Greg Glassman made referring to what was going on in this country as “Floyd-19.” The response across the country and the international community was an uproar of anger. Rightfully so. The insensitive response to a loss of life and systemic racism deserves that sort of response. I’m genuinely left wondering two things. First, did we give any credit to the good Glassman did? Second, have gyms put their money where their mouth is after leaving the Crossfit Brand?
In response to the first question, I think the answer is no. Greg Glassman’s model of fitness has changed the world in three areas and no one seems to care. The first and most obvious change is in the world of fitness. The second is job/wealth creation. The third and final is community creation. All of these things seem to be completely ignored in his forced retirement aside from a letter sent out from Crossfit HQ.
Health
Crossfit made fitness a sport. Personally it made me enjoy something I begrudgingly did every single day and that was making the trip into the gym. Instead of showing up and hitting 4 sets of 10-12 reps for maximum muscle growth I learned how to make fitness a game I enjoyed competing in due to Crossfit. My whole family does crossfit, my mother has lost 100 pounds because of the gym we built in my garage that we all crossfit in. I have watched countless people who have never enjoyed a single moment in the gym flock to the boxes created by Glassman’s brand.
My own experiences are not enough to drive this point home. This nation was losing the battle against obesity and disease. We were falling off of the edge and into the deep end of making the “Wall-E” world a reality. Things like heart disease and diabetes were crushing Americans. Then Crossfit came in and a world began to grow where people said no to refined carbohydrates, sedentary lifestyles, and low bone density. That world grew because of Glassman’s model.
Wealth
I cannot find another example of an industry that had such an impact on individual health and also created a business model with such low barriers to entry. At the beginning of Crossfit, any individual anywhere had the opportunity to start their own business for close to 10K and in year one receive a 10x return on investment. Yes, these numbers vary from case to case but for the most part, every single gym owner I know corroborates these kinds of returns. Having the ability as a 20 something-year-old to go out and find a shack with four walls, put a pull-up rig inside of it and make that kind of money was unprecedented.
This discussion does not even touch the multi-million dollar brands who expanded their offering or were built on the backs of the sport of CrossFit. I would say, Rogue, Reebok, and Nobull owe a majority of their revenue to the market created by a man named Greg Glassman. I’d be interested to see what those organizations would look like in the absence of Crossfit. I have no doubt they would have figured it out, but the aid they received from the CrossFit industry is undeniable.
Community
I think this is the part I struggle with the most based on Glassman’s actions. I coached at close to 8 CrossFit gyms as a CF-L1, CF-L2, and Crossfit Kids coach. I know hundreds of people and have meaningful relationships with them because of Crossfit. An entire table at my wedding was filled with my Crossfit family. My military career forced a lot of moves in my life. I never had to worry about finding friends in each place I moved to as long as I found a local Crossfit gym. My family built relationships with the people they met at the gyms across the world. I watched athletes I coached get married and have children.
At a time when technology drove us further apart Glassman’s model brought us all closer together. At this point is where I must admit something that was wrong with said community. It was mostly white and wealthy. I will not venture to guess why or what forced that but it was. Of the eight gyms, I coached at I watched a single owner open up her gym to individuals who came from a lower socioeconomic standing. She caught shit because of it and did it anyway. I respect her for taking that action. This brings me to my second question stated initially.
Have Gyms Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is?
Morning Chalk Up, reported that over 1,000 CrossFit affiliates dropped their affiliation and distanced themselves from Crossfit HQ. We vote for politicians every 2-4 years but we vote with our dollars every day. I respect those affiliates who took action to demonstrate they would not condone Glassman’s racist comments. I am curious to know how much of an impact refusing to pay a 5,000 dollar annual affiliation fee had on our anger toward the lack of equality at Crossfit HQ. Yes it forced Glassman out and I think that was needed, but what else have CrossFit gyms done to put their money where their mouth is?
I wonder how many of the 1,000 that disaffiliated also began to make an honest and concerted effort to lower their monthly memberships in order to allow individuals with lower incomes to access their gyms. I understand that this is a tough thing to do in the pandemic but I am excited to see how many of them do so. Especially when we return to 100% indoor capacity in gyms across the nation.
I’ve never been one to accept blaming others for issues. Instead, I believe we should take action when and where we can. For Crossfit gym owners that means making a concerted effort to change the color, sexual orientation, and income distribution of your membership. It’s your job to stop your gym from looking like a country club if you really want it to. As members of the CrossFit community, it’s our job to ask ourselves how we can take the same actions.
Until then I don’t know how Glassman will be remembered in history. I pity the man because he made a pretty stupid comment that unraveled his entire World. I don’t know where he was taking the organization in his final years as C.E.O. and personally, I look forward to what Castro is able to do. Until then I am thankful for the contributions Glassman made and I think more affiliate owners would do well to remember that the man gave them a blueprint to earn a living. Much like this nation, our affiliate owners, and Crossfit HQ have a lot of work to do. I wish them the best of luck.
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About the Author
John McCarthy is a Father, Son, Husband and former Marine Infantry Officer. He serves his local community and just wants to push people to be better humans. Check out the Tough Talk Podcast and other writings on this website to learn more.
Like what you see? Check out more.
- Adaptation Is a Beautiful Thing
- Trying Out The Wim Hof Method
- The Skills Evolution Forgot
- The Optimal Morning Routine Is Not All It Is Cracked Up To Be.
- Business Leadership Vs. Battlefield Prowess
Join Our Followers
Ep 76: Passing Special Forces Assessment and Selection and becoming a Wildland Firefighter with Harry Walker
On Today’s Episode I interview Harry Walker about how he managed to pass the Army’s Special Forces and Selection and went on to Fight Wildland firefighters during one of the craziest years in history. We cover everything from functional fitness, crafting survival skills, developing a mindset that helps you to be successful and much much more. Harry is an interesting man and his story is one I love to share. Tune in fo a riveting episode full of interesting stories and to learn more about how you could prevent wildland forest fires.
Links From Today’s Show
10 Best National Parks in America
My Last Episode with Harry: Write your Own Adventure Story
Here’s a Breakdown of different types of Wildland Firefighters in case all that talk confused you
Looking to expand your Fitness, check out Warhorse Athletics
Wildland Firefighter Fitness Test
The Meat Eater Wilderness Survival Guide
Warhorse Athletics on Instagram
Buy A Flag from Allegiance Flag Supply
I am proud to announce that I have partnered with Allegiance Flag Supply a company selling American Flags made in America by American seamstresses, with 100% American materials. Did I say American enough times? I am setting a goal with AFS, to see an American-made, American Flag in front of every home. From now on, My listeners, followers, and blog readers who buy $45 dollars or more worth of goods from Allegiance Flag Supply will receive a free hat pictured below. Just use the offer code POSTMODERN at checkout. For me this is about spreading the message to honor Old Glory again. Let’s do so in the best way possible, by flying it high and for as far as the eye can see.
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Check out some of our other posts and episodes.
- Adaptation Is a Beautiful Thing
- Trying Out The Wim Hof Method
- The Skills Evolution Forgot
- The Optimal Morning Routine Is Not All It Is Cracked Up To Be.
- Business Leadership Vs. Battlefield Prowess
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Make it Happen
There will always be a reason why we cannot accomplish something. Some thing, or being, is standing in our way. Some limiting belief or factor in our lives is beating us down. For every goal we have we can always find a thousand reasons why we cannot achieve it. Then we watch someone who actually does. We witness that person who obtains the goal they set out to achieve and then we come up with the excuses as to why they were able to do what we could not.
Work ethic is one of the two things I mentioned in when it comes to achieving your 2021 resolutions (read about the other here). We can and must work as hard as possible to reach the goals we have set for ourselves. The amount of work required to even have the opportunity to be successful is so great that it is a huge barrier to entry for many. The funny thing is you can work extremely hard, do 90% of what is required to be successful and still walk away with nothing.
As Nick Shaw mentioned on my podcast, you could write 90% of the code for a software application and you wouldn’t have 90% of a working program, you would have no program. Do 90% of the work to develop a vaccine and you don’t go down in the history books as the person who almost invented the vaccine. You just don’t go down in the history books at all. What we frequently fail to talk about is the difference between the person who goes 100% of the way toward their goal and the person who does not. For good reason. It doesn’t matter what the difference is.
All that matters is the result. The individual who accomplished their goal, who took the objective, is the individual who made it happen. They found a way to win. Regardless of all outside circumstances. Regardless of everyone telling them they could not. Regardless of everything that got in their way. They managed to take the objective and prepare for the next fight. This is the difference between winners and losers. Winners make it happen and get over the goal line or reach the top of the mountain.
This is not to exclude your ability to chalk a loss up as a win in certain categories. There are times in life when we set absurd and audacious goals that we fail to meet. Yet we find ourselves shooting for the moon, missing, and remaining with the stars. It’s good to find the positive in those situations, re-assess the goals we set in the future and move forward.
Nine-tenths of tactics are certain, and taught in books: but
the irrational tenth is like the kingfisher flashing across the
pool and that is the test of generals. It can only be ensured by
instinct, sharpened by thought practicing the stroke so often
that at the crisis it is as natural as a reflex.
If you liked this post please share it with a friend or loved one.
About the Author
John McCarthy is a Father, Son, Husband and former Marine Infantry Officer. He serves his local community and just wants to push people to be better humans. Check out the Tough Talk Podcast and other writings on this website to learn more.
Like what you see? Check out more.
- Adaptation Is a Beautiful Thing
- Trying Out The Wim Hof Method
- The Skills Evolution Forgot
- The Optimal Morning Routine Is Not All It Is Cracked Up To Be.
- Business Leadership Vs. Battlefield Prowess
Join Our Followers
EP 75: Men Of Honor
On today’s episode I discuss the concept of honor and virtue. Specifically how our founding fathers placed such a huge sense of importance in honor, virtue, and reputation and how we fail to today. I think it is imperative that we as a people require certain people around us to be honorable and virtuous. I think that we should strive to separate ourselves from those individuals who are not. I cover two books in today’s show that led to this topic linked below. I recommend considering an honor code for yourself and your family. Check it out and tell a loved one about it.
Buy A Flag from Allegiance Flag Supply
On Today’s Episode I discuss my struggle with individuals kneeling during the National Anthem. I share with everyone what I am doing to have a positive impact on those around me. I am proud to announce that I have partnered with Allegiance Flag Supply a company selling American Flags made in America by American seamstresses, with 100% American materials. Did I say American enough times? I am setting a goal with AFS, to see an American-made, American Flag in front of every home. From now on, My listeners, followers, and blog readers who buy $45 dollars or more worth of goods from Allegiance Flag Supply will receive a free hat pictured below. Just use the offer code POSTMODERN at checkout. For me this is about spreading the message to honor Old Glory again. Let’s do so in the best way possible, by flying it high and for as far as the eye can see.
Recommendation
101 Famous Poems
What’s On Brew
Link’s From today’s Show
First Principles
Tribe
101 Famous Poems
Last Week’s Episode
Books to read in 2021
Buy Your American Flag here
Tribes and Why We Badly Need to Bring them Back
Episode 65 Race In America and the BLM Movement with Rodney Coursey
Episode 64 What Can Prisoners Teach Us about Patriotism
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- The Casualties of Meme Warfare
- EP 74 : Live Reflections on The Capitol Siege with Isaac Wyant
- EP 73: Fit For Success With Nick Shaw
- Your 2021 Resolution is Useless without these two principles
- EP 72: Let’s Crush it in 2021
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The Casualties of Meme Warfare
Decades ago, Neil Postman – an American media and cultural critic – said that images short-circuit our ability to separate truth and falsehood. “True” or “False” are not easily discernable with images because the mental presumption is that what we see is truth. Otherwise, how would there be an image? If you see an advertisement featuring fit people eating fast food, is the ad True or False? It is certainly true that many fit people eat fast food from time to time. But it is not true that being fit is associated with fast-food, or that fit people are the majority of patrons to fast-food restaurants, or that fit people routinely eat fast-food. Thus, modern advertising exists in a space beyond logical thought, short-circuiting our ability to parse the signals from the noise.
Technology and creativity only aggravated this problem as pictures were overlaid with witty text to further political and cultural objectives. Memes. I’d be lying if I said my phone wasn’t full of them. But it’s becoming increasingly evident that memes sit as a potentially toxic replacement for productive conversation in the public square. In the last twelve years, memes have taken center stage across all media platforms. We’re exposed to hundreds of memes every week. They crowd our feeds and steadily shorten our attention span.
Simultaneously, a distorted ironic culture has developed that doesn’t value real-world accomplishment. Rather, it seeks to suppress and belittle anyone who dares to step into the arena. Dares to put forth an original idea. Dares to create. Anyone who has scrolled through the vitriol anonymous strangers hurl at public figures knows this to be the case.
Large pockets of society have completely retreated from in-person connection into dimly lit basements and studio apartments. This culture thrives in anonymous online spaces, where no one’s reputation can be held socially accountable. No one is put in their proper place on the competence hierarchy. And anyone can be who they lie to themselves about being.
We’ve created a place where instead of people striving towards goals of objective accomplishment, you can pretend that you add value to the world and still get your small dopamine hit. In this space, there is no will towards self-betterment, because there is no need for self-betterment. You’re not a person, operating in a physical world. Your reputation doesn’t follow you as either an asset or a liability.
You’re an avatar. A projection without substance.
Nothing encapsulates this disturbing illusion as much as ironic meme culture. In these anonymous and semi-anonymous spaces, endless political memes are shared back and forth, distorting the reality of their purveyors. Memes don’t do anything. They don’t influence anyone. They don’t change minds. They don’t require you to be well-versed on an issue. They are unserious and the political weapon of choice for unserious people.
Typically, memes are an oversimplification of complex issues. They are rough 2-D representations of a nuanced world. Their strength comes from their portability and adaptability. Like viruses, they are easily transmissible due to their ability to convey an idea while requiring minimal mental bandwidth. And like viruses, they evolve and transform to become more effective.
One of the most troubling aspects of memes, yet least recognized, is their tendency to foster hopelessness and nihilism, self-destructive character traits that erode communities. They create and promote an ironic detachment from society that says, “I can’t change anything so I’ll just launch poison arrows into an already turbulent world.”
As I said, I share memes with people privately all the time. They’re funny (As I write this, the “Twisted Tea” memes have taken on a life of their own). They are, and continue to be, an outlet for creativity and humor. But what is the balance? Personally, I make a conscious effort not to share political or cultural memes publicly. This is because they are devoid of substance and nuance and I don’t want to become devoid of substance and nuance by extension. They often don’t add to conversation, but detract. A steady diet of memes (particularly political memes) turns the realities and complexities of existence into an ironic joke.
We should instead seek more comprehensive conversation and work to articulate ideas coherently. This serves multiple purposes:
First, it is an effective exercise in self-development that hones an individual’s ability to think.
Second, it empowers individuals to have a voice and believe in their own efficacy as a force for positive change in the world.
And finally, it expands conversation to the level of robustness that the issues of our time demand.
Passionate conversation is fundamental. But I fear the weaponization of passions threatens to tear society apart and leave us all in a state of lonely depression. Memes can be effective and even enjoyable in proper doses and context. But we must endeavor to develop our ability to engage more meaningfully in an increasingly charged world.
About the Author
Isaac Wyant attended California State University- Sacramento and received a degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections. While awaiting assignment to active duty Isaac taught computer science and history in California for the Tracy Unified School District. Isaac served in the United States Marine Corps where he attended and graduated from The Basic School and Infantry Officer Course at Marine Corps Base Quantico. He served as a platoon commander in Iraq and in his final tour was assigned to the coveted position of 81 mm Mortar platoon commander, an assignment generally reserved for the best Lieutenant in each Battalion. Isaac conducted operations as a platoon commander on Three separate continents. Isaac currently attends Harvard Law School. He is an advocate for the limited use of technology and increasing the virtue in his fellow man. His writing is extremely compelling and featured on Thymos.com a website that discusses, challenges, and compels the current virtues of man.
Like what you see? Check out more.
- EP 74 : Live Reflections on The Capitol Siege with Isaac Wyant
- EP 73: Fit For Success With Nick Shaw
- Your 2021 Resolution is Useless without these two principles
- EP 72: Let’s Crush it in 2021
- EP 71: 2020’s Most Underrated Episode with Joe Maffei
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EP 74 : Live Reflections on The Capitol Siege with Isaac Wyant
On today’s episode Isaac Wyant and I sit down to discuss live reflections on what happened at our nation’s capitol on January 6th, 2021. We discuss why comments about things like civil war, insurrection, and revolution are unacceptable. Isaac shares an interesting opinion on the impact that memes are having in serious discussion. Once again we fall back to how social media perpetuates negative action. Finally that the only thing we can do in response is be good citizens who raise better citizens. I really enjoyed this episode and I hope you will share this message with a loved one or friend. Americans need to start talking to each other about these kinds of things.
Buy A Flag from Allegiance Flag Supply
I am proud to announce that I have partnered with Allegiance Flag Supply a company selling American Flags made in America by American seamstresses, with 100% American materials. Did I say American enough times? I am setting a goal with AFS, to see an American-made, American Flag in front of every home. From now on, My listeners, followers, and blog readers who buy $45 dollars or more worth of goods from Allegiance Flag Supply will receive a free hat pictured below. Just use the offer code POSTMODERN at checkout. For me this is about spreading the message to honor Old Glory again. Let’s do so in the best way possible, by flying it high and for as far as the eye can see.
Link’s From today’s Show
America’s Post Election Call to Action
Havok Journal Post about Civil War
Isaac’s Article on Memes
Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt
Books to read in 2021
Buy Your American Flag here
Tribes and Why We Badly Need to Bring them Back
Episode 65 Race In America and the BLM Movement with Rodney Coursey
Episode 64 What Can Prisoners Teach Us about Patriotism
Think our Podcast is Awesome!! Subscribe below.
I-TunesAndroid
Check out some of our other posts and episodes.
- EP 73: Fit For Success With Nick Shaw
- Your 2021 Resolution is Useless without these two principles
- EP 72: Let’s Crush it in 2021
- EP 71: 2020’s Most Underrated Episode with Joe Maffei
- Tribes and why we badly need to bring them back
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EP 73: Fit For Success With Nick Shaw
On Last Week’s episode I share with my listener’s why I think Renaissance Periodization is the best system to use to reach your fitness goals in 2021. This Week I interviewed Nick Shaw the CEO and Founder of RP. Nick has created a system for people to lose weight and put on muscle that is easy to follow and actionable. If Nick has any one talent that set’s him apart it is creating systems that make complicated things simple. Which is why his application is the number 7 nutrition application in the world. We talk about a lot pertaining to RP, the application, and what makes certain people successful where others fail when dieting. Finally we discuss his book Fit For Success, which can easily be seen as a literary review on multiple books about success.
Fit for Success by Nick Shaw
Buy A Flag from Allegiance Flag Supply
On Today’s Episode I discuss my struggle with individuals kneeling during the National Anthem. I share with everyone what I am doing to have a positive impact on those around me. I am proud to announce that I have partnered with Allegiance Flag Supply a company selling American Flags made in America by American seamstresses, with 100% American materials. Did I say American enough times? I am setting a goal with AFS, to see an American-made, American Flag in front of every home. From now on, My listeners, followers, and blog readers who buy $45 dollars or more worth of goods from Allegiance Flag Supply will receive a free hat pictured below. Just use the offer code POSTMODERN at checkout. For me this is about spreading the message to honor Old Glory again. Let’s do so in the best way possible, by flying it high and for as far as the eye can see.
Link’s From today’s Show
RP Diet Application
Jim Frith and the Eat as Much as you want method
Want to know the Science of RP?
Nick Shaw the CEO of RP
Nick Shaw’s Book
Sleep is also important
My number one way to make yourself harder to kill
Books to read in 2021
Buy Your American Flag here
Tribes and Why We Badly Need to Bring them Back
Episode 65 Race In America and the BLM Movement with Rodney Coursey
Episode 64 What Can Prisoners Teach Us about Patriotism
Think our Podcast is Awesome!! Subscribe below.
Check out some of our other posts and episodes.
- Adaptation Is a Beautiful Thing
- Trying Out The Wim Hof Method
- The Skills Evolution Forgot
- The Optimal Morning Routine Is Not All It Is Cracked Up To Be.
- Business Leadership Vs. Battlefield Prowess
Join Our Email List
Your 2021 Resolution is Useless without these two principles
I had the good fortune of interviewing Nick Shaw the CEO and Founder of Renaissance Periodization last week about his new book, “Fit For Success.” Nick was gracious enough to send over a signed copy, I’m really a huge fan of the book. Specifically, because Nick has a talent for putting complicated concepts into easy to understand systems. If you don’t know Nick or RP, then you probably don’t understand why he has the right to write a book on success. RP has been the nutrition coach of choice for multiple Crossfit Games Athletes, not to mention Rich Froning Jr. (COUGH). Nick’s skills are not reserved for nutrition coaching though.
He has taken his skill-set for achievement and developed the number 2 Nutrition Podcast in the world. His diet application is number 7 in the world. I can hear some people saying yes, everything this guy touches turns to gold just like Midas. I would point you toward his book and specifically what is at the base of his “Pyramid of Success.”
Number 1: Work Ethic
Have you ever met a person who has a bad work ethic? Rarely if ever do you meet a person who self-admittedly has an awful work ethic. Why? Because it is highly frowned upon within the American Mystique to be a person who can’t find their bootstraps. I argue that work ethic is much like cleanliness. Everyone thinks they’re a very clean person until they meet an individual who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and sees their kitchen is as clean as an operating room. Work ethic is very similar to this. I myself never realized how hard I could work until the Marine Corps Infantry forced me to push past previous self-imposed and self-limiting beliefs. I would argue that when you think you are working hard you can most likely work even harder.
Why should you work so hard though, and why is it required for whatever your New Year’s Resolution may be? Well, I’ll let Nick Shaw tell you why in this awesome excerpt from his book.
In a direct sense, work causes success. And in some cases, the minimum amount of work that is required for success can be quite high. Creating a vaccine requires scientists to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of hours working diligently in their laboratories. Computer programmers must write hundreds of thousands of lines of code if they want to create an effective computer program. And Olympic weightlifters must train for thousands of hours if they want any chance to represent their countries and to compete on the world’s grandest stage.
Failing to meet these minimum thresholds of effort doesn’t lead to less success, but no success at all. Programmers who don’t finish writing the necessary lines of code will develop not a less functional program but one that does nothing useful whatsoever. Chemists who don’t log all of the necessary hours of research in the bio lab won’t create a less-effective vaccine. They simply won’t create a vaccine. The hard truth of the matter is this: if you want to be successful in the modern world, you have to work long, and hard just to have a chance at it.
Nick Shaw, Fit For Success
So whatever your goal is for 2021 it’s time to quantify and qualify what kind of work it will take to reach that goal. How many hours do you need to put in? How will you put in said hours? What are the potential things that can get in your way? If you are not asking yourself these things to make this goal tangible, and attainable, then I think you’re already setting yourself up for failure. Remember, right now you’re extremely motivated to take on this new goal in 2021. That motivation is good, you should use it to feed the work ethic you will need to attain this goal. That being said, the question of motivation running out is not a question of if, it is a question of when.
Number 2: Discipline
David Goggins puts it the best when he talks about the mindset we are in when we are setting these goals. Everyone says they want to be a (insert warrior class here) Seal, Ranger, Marine (EERRAHH), when they’re warm and on their couch. Life is comfortable. It’s extremely easy to say you’re gonna go do that thing. Next thing you know you’re sitting in a fighting hole in the hills of Quantico in 15-degree temperatures watching your buddy babble from hypothermia. In that moment, your goal to be a big bad Marine Infantry Officer or anything else does not seem so appealing.
When we actually are working toward our goals is when it really sucks. Many great athletes admit that they hate every day of training. They just have convinced themselves that suffering now is worth the payoff in the long-run. Motivation will run out. Things will get extremely difficult and your desire to push forward will waiver. When that happens you have a single thing left to keep you going. Discipline.
Merriam Webster defines discipline as, “Control gained by enforcing obedience or order, orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior, SELF-CONTROL.” The military is extremely familiar with discipline because very frequently troops are put in the most testing situations. The American Military does not place its bid for success in the belief that men will rise to the occasion, instead we assume that they will sink to their level of training.
As a Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor I was shown a clip of a man being heldup by a robber with a gun. The man being held up had some combative training because without hesitation he disarmed the robber. Seconds later though, you can see on the clip, the man handing the weapon back to his would-be robber. Why the hell did he do that? He did that because he was trained over and over to practice this technique with a friendly training partner and hand it back to his partner. He had someone point a gun to his head and his body over-ran his mind. When things were absolutely awful for him he did not rise to the occasion, he did what he was trained to do through disciplined and repetitive action.
Find Your Why
So how do we impose a tenacious work-ethic and rigorous discipline on ourselves? The WHY. Right now while motivation is high I recommend you write down a very detailed explanation to yourself on why you want to undertake your 2021 resolution. Why do you want a six-pack? Why do you want to become a Marine? Why do you want to read 20 books this year? Why do you want to quit smoking? In most cases, it’s for someone else. That woman you want to attract, that thing you want to prove to your parents, the knowledge you want to gain, or the children you want to live for.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter why you want to do something. It just matters that you know why you want to do something. Now, wherever you write that down, you better go back and read that in a week when you’re ready to give up on your resolution. Want to be more extreme like David Goggins? Put it on a sticky note on your mirror so you can see it every day first thing when you wake up. However you do it make sure you have something powerful to see every single day to remind yourself why you need to keep going.
If you liked this post please share it with a friend or loved one.
About the Author
John McCarthy is a Father, Son, Husband and former Marine Infantry Officer. He serves his local community and just wants to push people to be better humans. Check out the Tough Talk Podcast and other writings on this website to learn more.
Like what you see? Check out more.
- Adaptation Is a Beautiful Thing
- Trying Out The Wim Hof Method
- The Skills Evolution Forgot
- The Optimal Morning Routine Is Not All It Is Cracked Up To Be.
- Business Leadership Vs. Battlefield Prowess
Join Our Followers
EP 72: Let’s Crush it in 2021
On today’s episode of the podcast I discuss why you should not waste a single minute of 2021. Because so many people focus on fitness related resolutions each year I share my fitness story with everyone and the surefire way to reach your weightloss goals. The answer is the RP diet coach application. This isn’t some sales pitch and I have zero sponsorship or funding from this company. I’m not one of their coaches and I don’t get anything for recommending the to you. I’m just a guy who knows what its like to struggle for results by doing the wrong thing and waste considerable time doing so. RP will ensure that your efforts do not go unnoticed. Tune in to hear how I lost 19 lbs with their diet coach application. Or just take my word for it and click this link to download it (RP Diet APP)
Buy A Flag from Allegiance Flag Supply
On Today’s Episode I discuss my struggle with individuals kneeling during the National Anthem. I share with everyone what I am doing to have a positive impact on those around me. I am proud to announce that I have partnered with Allegiance Flag Supply a company selling American Flags made in America by American seamstresses, with 100% American materials. Did I say American enough times? I am setting a goal with AFS, to see an American-made, American Flag in front of every home. From now on, My listeners, followers, and blog readers who buy $45 dollars or more worth of goods from Allegiance Flag Supply will receive a free hat pictured below. Just use the offer code POSTMODERN at checkout. For me this is about spreading the message to honor Old Glory again. Let’s do so in the best way possible, by flying it high and for as far as the eye can see.
Recommendation
Tribe by Sebastian Junger:
We have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding–“tribes.” This tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society, but regaining it may be the key to our psychological survival.
Decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians-but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species. The most recent example of that attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredibly intimate bonds of platoon life. The loss of closeness that comes at the end of deployment may explain the high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by military veterans today.
Combining history, psychology, and anthropology, Tribe explores what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging, and the eternal human quest for meaning. It explains the irony that-for many veterans as well as civilians-war feels better than peace, adversity can turn out to be a blessing, and disasters are sometimes remembered more fondly than weddings or tropical vacations. Tribe explains why we are stronger when we come together, and how that can be achieved even in today’s divided world.
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EP 71: 2020’s Most Underrated Episode with Joe Maffei
Hint: One of the three commodities is not bitcoin. My Guest on today’s show is a man by the name of Joe Maffei. He’s the co-host of the recently returned Pizza Beer Revolution Podcast. The podcast where I first made my recording and the show that helped me get started. Courtesy of another well-known guest, Mike Pullano. Joe has always intrigued me because of his ability to call things as he sees them and capture the essence of things he’s describing in a profound way. He is a wealth of knowledge in host of areas and we covered a concept in the show that caught me off guard. Joe’s belief on the three commodities we need to focus on in life. We talk about the education system, economics, and decision making.
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I am setting a goal with AFS, to see an American-made, American Flag in front of every home. From now on, My listeners, followers, and blog readers who buy $45 dollars or more worth of goods from Allegiance Flag Supply(the previous link takes you to their website) will receive a free hat pictured below. Just add the hat below to your cart and type in the offer code POSTMODERN at checkout. For me this is about spreading the message to honor Old Glory again. Let’s do so in the best way possible, by flying it high and for as far as the eye can see. If you want to hear more about why I’m doing this please listen to this episode: A Flag In Front Of Every Home
Links From Today’s Show
Being a Life Long Learner
1984 by George Orwell
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