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

by Jocko Willink

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.

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?

How do I stay on The Path? Once you see The Path, you must begin to walk down it. This can be the most difficult part of the journey — to break free from the gravitational pull of weakness, habit, and fear. The best way to start, is to start. Don’t hesitate. Don’t wait. Don’t analyze or plan or research. Just start. Now. Once you begin down The Path, you will soon realize, it is not an easy path. The Path is fraught with obstacles and distractions. Laziness, ego, weakness, and immediate gratification will all try to pull you off The Path every day. You must fight them. You will even have to fight people who don’t want you on The Path. But you can fight. And you can win. Every moment you are alive is made of choices you get to make. Little, tiny choices that alone mean nothing, but when combined together, mean everything. You have to make the right choices. The hard choices. You have to deny immediate gratification and pushback against weakness. You must impose Unmitigated Daily Discipline in all things.

UNMITIGATED DAILY DISCIPLINE IN ALL THINGS. IT IS THE ONLY WAY.

Find meaning in your job. If your job doesn't have meaning, design an exit strategy to move to one that does. A lot of your time will be spent at work. Make it matter.

Children struggle controlling their emotions. Eminently Qualified Humans do not.

We have to turn our words into action. We have to turn our ideas into action. We have to turn our skills into action. We have to turn our goals into action.

What do you do when you fall off The Path? You can and you will fall off The Path. It happens to everyone. Sometimes, we do it to ourselves. Sometimes life hits us with something we didn’t see coming. People get sick. Accidents occur. Things happen in the world we can’t control, and those things can push us off The Path. But you can control how you react when you fall off. What you do to get yourself back on The Path is up to you. The situation doesn’t dictate what happens to you. You dictate the situation. You decide. When you fall off The Path, ask yourself why. Why are you not doing the things you know you should? Do an unsparing self-assessment, identify corrective measures, and ruthlessly implement those measures. TAKE ACTION. GET BACK ON THE PATH. NOW. For anything that affects the health of your mind or body, see your doctor or a professional in the field. This is not a time to rely on a friend or family member. You need professional help, so get it. That being said, there are protocols to help you get back on The Path.