24 Sep Mindset: What the @7!% does that mean?
We hear it all of the time. Mindset this, mindset that. Hell it’s even part of our logo and mission statement! So what the eff is mindset about?
Well isn’t that a personal question….
I can only speak for myself and perhaps a few of my fellow blue sheepdogs but here is what I think mindset is about and how I justify my training habits.
Why?
Why do I do what I do? I mentally and physically cannot sit in a cubicle or work in an environment in which I perform a simple task in a repetitive manner. I’m not shitting on those that do such work by any means as jobs like that build and sustain this country. It’s just not for me. I’m simply not wired that way. My calling has always been to help others and I have been in public service since I was 17. As such I have been trained to an extent that allows me to help others in their worst time. Such training thus perpetuates the cycle and here I am thinking: If the flare goes up today, I am more qualified than 99% of the public to stop the threat and preserve life. It’s a vicious cycle…
For some it’s a calling. For others it’s just common sense. You choose the why but you must be able to quantify why you train/carry in order to develop and nurture your mindset. Not everyone has the propensity to do violence whether malicious or righteous. Look in the mirror and examine yourself… Then ask why.
If you’re not willing to bear the responsibility, who will be? Can you live with inaction when you had the skills and tools to preserve life?
I can’t.
Not tonight, not this shift.
I go home at the end of my watch. Period. It doesn’t matter if I handled routine calls all night or if I had to fight like the third monkey trying to get a berth space on Noah’s Ark.
Win. The. Fight.
This is a developed state of mind that many people simply do not possess, which is fine. It’s a free country and we have systems in place to aid in the protection of the masses. It’s your choice what you do. Again… Sheep or sheepdog?
Warrior Class Ethos
I hung up my MARPAT utes several years ago and traded them in for the blue superman suit. As far as I’m concerned the game is the same but my ROE have changed. I am still a member of the warrior class.
Without constant sharpening the sword grows dull. It’s on my shoulders to run the stone over the blade in order to maintain readiness. Is it Spartan? Yup. What’s wrong with that anyways?
It’s not over until the lights go out.
I owe it to my brothers and sisters and family to give it all I have. What does that mean? It means do give every last bit to stay engaged until it just goes black. Battle damage happens and it will most likely be ugly and bloody. It’s my job to suck it up and stay in the fight.
I owe it to my brothers and sisters to be prepared to stay in the fight. That means carrying a tourniquet and clotting agent. That means training more than the next guy, forever being the student of my craft. That means if I end up with shit luck and my time comes to take the POS with me. I expect the same in return.
Shorten the OODA Loop/Control the Situation
We live in a state of flux in a fluid environment. Unfortunately we are not clairvoyant and while we can anticipate, we cannot see the future. My mission is to react and roll with what is presented to me, return the observation and decision circuit to the threat, and reasonably neutralize as is required by the situation. I control it, not the threat. Nothing is absolute.
If you’ve taken any of our classes, you’ve probably heard me say that we are preparing for the 1% of 1%. We hope to never have to use the skills we hone on the range but by God we will be prepared.
The world is an ugly, violent place outside of our homes. Be ready, be vigilant, pray for peace.
We don’t choose the moment… The moment chooses you.
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