"NO MORE!!!
No more excuses.
No more 'I'll start tomorrow'.
No more 'just this once'.
No more accepting the short falls of my own will.
No more taking the easy road.
No more bowing down to whatever is unhealthy or unproductive thoughts that float through my mind.
No more waiting for the perfect moment.
No more indecision.
No more lies [especially the lies I tell myself].
No more weakness.
NO MORE.
Now is the time for strength; and through will power, and through unwavering discipline, I will become what I want to be. I will become who I want to be, and then and only then, will I rest and say NO MORE."You may have already read "Extreme Ownership". Many organizations have encouraged their leaders to read and implement the principles taught here by Jocko Wlllink and Leif Barron. They served together as Navy Seal officers in the Iraq War, and their Naval Special Warfare task unit Bruiser remains the most highly decorated special operations unit in that war. At the core of "Extreme Ownership" is the mindset and commitment to take complete responsibility for every area of your life. "Until you take ownership, you're just chasing happiness."
The authors translate their experiences on the battlefield into actionable steps in the business world. Leaders are responsible for everything under their care. And as a leader, you must own everything in your world. Who is this book for? If you're in a leadership position, then this is for you. You may be saying to yourself, "But I'm not a leader. I'm actually the 'low man on the totem pole' at my job." One doesn't have to have a fancy title to be considered a leader. The principles still apply. You lead yourself and need to take responsibility for everything under your care. Everyone who is a part of your world you are responsible for in some capacity. If you are a husband, then God says that you are the leader of your family (whether you want to be or not). If there's a problem in your organization, within your team - or, husbands...within your family - the responsibility is yours. Extreme Ownership is your ability as a leader to own everything, knowing there is no one else to blame.
But this is not easy! "Implementing extreme ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility...Every true leader takes extreme ownership of his team, checks his ego, and leads with humility. At the end of the day, it's not what you preach, but what you tolerate." What you tolerate becomes the new standard.
You've most likely heard the quote "there are no bad teams, only bad leaders." Whenever I hear that, my mind goes back a few decades when I was coaching a varsity basketball team, and we.were...AWFUL. There was not one shred of talent on my team. Were we going to win the state championship with that team? No. Could I coach them in a manner and communicate with clarity so they would understand the vision I had for them to improve with each practice? Yes. Did we win even one game that season? uhhhh...no. Did we develop some self discipline and improve? Absolutely. If, as a leader, you don't communicate the "why" in order to cast the vision, then there is grumbling and dissention. And if you don't know and are unwilling to ask for clarification required to understand the objection, then you're failing as a leader. When everyone has a clear understanding of their expectations, the mission is more simple to achieve. When the team does not understand the objective, then the members begin competing against each other instead of working together as a team. Competition is good, but when every member finds a way to uplift and support one another, the success will be even greater.
Self-discipline is also very important when it comes to extreme ownership. Discipline = Freedom.
Becoming more disciplined in one area allows you to be more disciplined in other areas. Raising your standards in one area will lead to raising your standards in other areas. However, true discipline is developed when no one is looking. "We don't rise to the standards we have when others are watching. We fall to the standards we have when no one is watching. The only work that really matters is the work that on one sees. It shows you who you really are rather than who you say you are."
Accepting responsibility for something for which you did not do is not an easy task. And not many people can do this, or do it well. Leaders must be humble. Humility is the trademark of a good leader. Just look at Jesus' life (and death).
NO MORE.
No more excuses. Let's write our own story, so we can write the ending.
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