Apply Lessons From US Military Training

Apply Lessons From US Military Training

"If we do go to war, psychological operations are going to be absolutely a critical, critical part of any campaign that we must get involved in." - General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

The U.S. Military knows that survival is a mentality or a way of thinking.  The same can be said about thriving.  The lens that you use to view the world plays a big role in the results that you obtain through your efforts.  Thus, you must align your consistent outlook for surviving and thriving with proven approaches to surviving and thriving in tough times if you are to break away from the grasp and momentum of your major challenges.

In his book, The Survivor's Club, Ben Sherwood opens with a prologue about his experience participating in a dramatic survival training exercise at the U.S. Marine's Aviation Survival Training Center.  As a journalist, he is not only able to experience the training but vividly report on the experience and share the key lessons for us to apply in other potential survival situations.

Based on the experience, he found several keys to the approach that the U.S. Military uses in training their personnel for survival:

They understand that crisis is inevitable and you must anticipate adversity and crisis if you are to have the best chances for survival
When faced with adversity or challenges, they train personnel to observe and analyze the situation, devise a plan, and decisively take action - this all must be done quickly because, in most crisis situations, time is of the essence
If (and most likely when) things go wrong, survivors must be trained to adapt and improvise, not panic
If (and probably when) you get overwhelmed, you have to recover quickly.  Thus, recovery strategies and approaches must be close to automatic reactions
Waiting for the worst to end is a critical strategic and tactical option that most likely will be needed.  Frozen panic will kill you but so will overly aggressive action at the wrong time!  People must be trained to hold back, identify right moment, and then do what is gives them the best chance to survive
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty." - President John F. Kennedy
During times of great universal challenge or major personal crisis, the above approaches will help you not only survive, they can help you find the hidden opportunity to thrive by working through your adversity.  If you panic, wish things were not happening or it were just easier, you will significantly reduce your chances of creating something positive from your experiences.  And during those most severe crisis situations, you just may not survive!


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