Army Boot Camp Changed Me for the Better!
10 positive lessons I learned from the US Army Boot Camp.
When I was 17 I joined the army so that I could earn money for college. It was not for me (that’s a whole another article) however I learned a lot of great lessons from Boot Camp. Here are 10 in particular I learned which got me moving & springing into action which can help anyone use them to apply towards their own futures, today.
-You always wake up very early and within the first 4 hours you achieve more than most others will achieve all day. The advertisement is true.
Waking up early allows your mind to get going earlier. It releases ideas both negative and positive and allows you to get moving towards better at an earlier time. Sometimes when we sleep in, we are in a blurry cloud the rest of the day. Wake up early, there’s a natural reason it is beneficial to us. This is the way it’s meant to be.
-It’s hard to run 5 miles on your own but if you join 60 others running 5 miles it becomes much easier. Really…
I am not sure why it’s easier to run with others however it works. Have you heard the saying “if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go farther go with others”? Same thing with running long distances. I believe it might be the fact that we are experiencing the pain and hard work together which could lessen the brutal nature of the run on our legs, mind, and lungs, which helps us relax and accept it more.
-Others are in the same boat as you and they are scared and have no idea what the next day is going to look like. All they know is they have to keep going day by day.
Experiencing fear with others helps you understand your own fear as well. Once you have hit rock bottom and you have no where else to turn, you start to accept your situation and adapt to it.
-They make you learn things you never would have considered and somehow you learn them and excel at them.
In our private lives, we seem to gravitate to things are we good at or things we like to do. In the military, they don’t care what you like to do, they care that you listen to what they want you to do. Working long hours on skills you never have before makes you appreciate your weaknesses and helps you build up new skills you never thought possible.
-You feel like boot camp, which is a huge grind everyday, will never end and you have to find faith in yourself to keep going. Then graduation comes and it seems like yesterday you just started.
The struggle and grind keeps us in a dynamic state filled with all negative emotions with a few sprinkles of small accomplishments. This drags out the days. However it’s not that the day is slower it’s just that our emotions are in a turbulent state. Eventually by the end, looking back you realize that time just flew by.
-They won’t let you quit, you have to keep going so you find a way to adapt.
When you can’t give up, you have to become tougher and find a way to adapt. When you don’t give yourself an option out, you will come up with creative ways to survive.
-They put you in extreme situations and you think you will never make it through and somehow you do.
Humans can adapt to anything. Adaptability is natural to humans. We are made to be able to survive in any type of environment. Remember that the next time you feel you won’t make it. You should be fine and it’s probably not as bad as you think it is.
-In the military they make you eat healthy, run, workout, and learn constantly. You come out of training a mental & physical beast. It was easy to find a girlfriend after that.
This applies to real life as well. If you can take care and strengthen your mind and body you will be amazed at how much you grow mentally and physically. Others are attracted to you more when you are on top of your own health and when you have taken ownership over your own growth towards better.
-You make great friends because you all went through hell together and there was no ego involved. You saw each other eat %$^! everyday :).
Humans bond with others when we are all in the same situation experiencing the same experiences, especially when those experiences are negative or frightful. If you are in a tough situation at work or in your personal life, just know whoever is in the struggle with you, will definitely be someone you can connect with thus possibly bringing you closer to each other.
-It transforms you into better.
In every which way.
So when someone says they are joining the military, before you make any assumptions either way, look at the positive habits the person will gain by pursuing this path. I am not endorsing joining the military in anyway of course, that is totally up to the person. Hint: If you like don’t like structure and being told what to do at all times, you will not like the military. However you can learn from these lessons in your creative or entrepreneurial career.
Twitter: @positivetarek
