The Code. The Evaluation. The Protocols: Striving to Become an Eminently Qualified Human

by Jocko Willink

1. I will take care of my physical health by exercising, eating properly, and getting the rest I need to recover and rebuild. I will take care of my physical surroundings, keeping them in order. 2. I will develop myself mentally by reading, writing, drawing, building, creating, and engaging in other activities that sharpen and expand my mind. 3. I will not waste time. Time is precious. 4. I will not waste money and I will make prudent financial decisions. Money is hard to earn. 5. I will set goals that I will strive toward. 6. I will excel in my job because work is integral to life. 7. I will be humble and not allow my ego to negatively impact my decisions. 8. I will control my emotions and not allow my emotions to negatively impact my decisions. 9. I will put others before myself. I will help other people and protect those that cannot protect themselves. I will take care of my friends and family and treat other people with respect. 10. I will be ready to protect my friends and family. My gear will be ready. I will train and prepare to defend myself and others. This Code is not perfectly suited to everyone. But it is not unalterable. You can modify it if needed. Customize it for you and your life. While it isn’t perfect, it is a good place to start.

The Path is how you become what you want to be, who you want to be, and what the world needs you to be. It is how you reach your potential. It is The Path of Discipline that leads to Freedom. The Path is: A war against weakness, so it leads to strength. A war against ignorance, so it leads to knowledge. A war against confusion, so it leads to understanding. The Path is your LIFE. And so, The Path is different for everyone. It is your goals, your dreams, what you want to become.

Finding The Path isn’t as hard as you think. Some of it is clearly defined in The Code. The rest of The Path comes from simple questions you can ask yourself: What do you care about? Who do you want to be? What matters most to you? What are the most important things in your life? Who are the most important people in your life and what do they need from you? Answer those questions, then write down what you need to do to achieve them. Those things that you need to do, that you are supposed to do, that you know you must do. Those things are The Path. The Path is in your head waiting for you to follow it.

We must stay on The Path if we are to become an Eminently Qualified Human. But what does this Eminently Qualified Human look like? What are the attributes of this person? An Eminently Qualified Human is a person who has achieved mastery in every facet of life. This person has reached their full potential in every measurable way. This person lives The Code. But in order for us to live The Code, we need to clearly define its parts so that we can evaluate our progress every day. We need an evaluation system to grade ourselves as we attempt to follow The Code. And it should be hard. The bar must be set high. It should be near impossible. But just in striving, we will become better. And, we must implement discipline. We must aim to implement UNMITIGATED DAILY DISCIPLINE IN ALL THINGS. IT IS THE ONLY WAY. There are countless aspects of life, each with a varying level of importance. But what are the most important? What aspects of life should be focused on? Where should the pursuit of excellence be concentrated?