I am Ron White, memory training speaker. I would like to share with you some lessons on discipline I have learned while working with my friend and former Navy SEAL, T.C. Cummings.
When you know what your goal is, keep your eyes on the goal and get it done. Although you may run into distractions and diversions, if you are truly motivated and focused, nothing will stop you.
To begin any mission, you must first understand what the purpose is. As my friend T.C. Cummings says, “What is your WHY?†When you know your purpose, what’s there to stop you?
T.C. gave an instance in our “Mind of a Navy SEAL†workshop about purpose, despite diversions. During the War in Grenada, SEALS were sent in to rescue officials. They were told originally that the resistance was poorly trained and disciplined, so it should be a piece of cake. What they found was just the opposite. Their position had been compromised (their cover was blown) and they needed to come up with another plan or order to evacuate the officials. They did just that, because they were focused on the goal of the mission, to get the officials out. As T.C. says, “Sometimes your plan doesn’t fit the purpose anymore.†The SEALs then did what they were trained to do – they adapted, improvised, and overcame. They did not react, they responded.
What does purpose mean? It means our deepest desire for our lives to mean something. Our purpose is what gets us up in the morning, going to work or school, and gives our life meaning. If you are not sure of your reasons why, what happens if things become too uncomfortable? Are you going to quit?
Many marriages don’t survive because both parties think they have outgrown each other, or have grown in different directions. They forgot the purpose they got married in the first place. They lost the compelling reason why they should be together.
Every business, if they are successful, start out with a mission statement. This lays out the purpose of what they want to accomplish with their business. Without a plan, and a purpose, they may soon loose track of their goal, and fall on their face. When you give yourself a purpose, and have set your own mission statement, you are not dependent on others to get things done. You are large and in charge, and nothing is going to stop you.
It is a fact that success is directly linked to your determination to stay focused on your purpose, or your mission. If you have no focus, or discipline, to get things moving they won’t get done. Purpose gives you to clarity so focus on what is really important, and the discipline and determination to follow through until completion.
What would have happened to the officials in Grenada if the SEALs had thrown up their hands and said, ‘We can’t finish the mission because they know we are here’? They had a purpose, and they found another way to accomplish it. Sometimes the best laid plans get compromised, and the only thing you can do (without giving up) is to make a new plan. That doesn’t mean the purpose has changed, only the way you go about accomplishing it.
You will find the lesson in holding your composure under duress among many available on the training CDs “Mind of a Navy SEAL,†and in our training “Think Like A U.S. Navy SEAL†workshops.
Sources:
“Mind of a U.S. Navy SEAL†workshop
Wisdom Commons – Purpose, Essay by Raquel Smith: http://www.wisdomcommons.org/search?q=purpose&x=36&y=10
Wikipedia – Purpose: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purpose