Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual

by Jocko Willink

Discipline means taking the hard road—the uphill road.

Upbill road

So often, the easy path calls us: To be weak for that moment. To break

Easy pTh

To give in to desire and short-term gratification.

St term grAdicatiom

And most important, discipline will put you on the path to FREEDOM.

FREEDOM

To get better, faster, stronger, healthier, smarter?

better

Is this going to be my life?

Is this goinv to be my lifd.

I am going to work hard. I am going to train hard. I am going to improve myself. I am not going to rest on my laurels. I am going to own my mistakes and confront them. I am going to face my demons. I’m not going to give up, or give out, or give in.

I am going....

You are going to move fast. You are going to think fast. You are going to outthink and outmaneuver the enemy.

Move fast think fast

I don’t view aggression as an outward attitude. I view aggression as an internal character trait. A fire in your mind that says: I am going to win. I am going to battle and I

I am gpong tl win attidd life attituxd

Choose to work out and study and eat good food and keep your mind clean.

YES!!!!!

I want you to be horrified—terrified— of sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing.

Horrified

That is what I want you to be afraid of: Waking up in six days or six weeks or six years or SIXTY YEARS and being no closer to your goal … You have made NO PROGRESS. That is the horror. That is the nightmare. That is what you really need to be afraid of: Being stagnant.

STAGNANT

And don’t let another day slip by.

Slip By

The Warpath is the interminable path of discipline— which is why it leads to FREEDOM. And beyond that—in the end—The Warpath leads: To peace.

And finally Peace

You’ve given it your best shot. You can stand down. You can back off. You can take a knee. This is the instinct that says: You can rest now. Do not listen to that instinct. DO NOT LISTEN.

Do motlisten

the desire to rest was just weakness

Weakness

I want that long-term goal to be so embedded in my mind, that I never lose sight of it. EVER.

Dont lose focus

So we stop the daily tasks and the daily disciplines that will allow us to achieve our goals. And a day slips by. And then another day. And a day turns into a week and a week into a year. And you look up in six weeks or six months or six years … And you’ve made no progress: None.

Slipping days going on by

Every day. Every day: Do something that moves you toward that goal—that keeps that goal alive and in sight and in focus.

Every Day do something

Are you going to start going down the spiral of negativity? Are you going to let the horrible situation dictate the way you feel and the way you handle it? Are you going to fall over? Fall down? Fall apart?

FallApart?

No more accepting the shortfalls of my own will.

Shortfallz of will

It happens in the darkness of the early morning. In solitude. Where I try. And I try. And I try again.

In DarkMorningSolitude

A victory that is earned every single day. A victory of determination and will and discipline.

Every Day Sober is a VICTORY

No matter what is happening—no matter how hard the fight is. As long as you keep fighting—you win. Only surrender is defeat. Only quitting is the end.

But there is one time of day that no can take away from you: predawn.

PREDAWN

When you are on the path you want to stay on the path.

Want to stay on thd path