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

by Jocko Willink

Without an objective, the objective will not be reached. Without a goal, the goal will not be achieved. Without a standard, the standard will not be met. Without a mission, the mission cannot be accomplished.

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?

Assess the person you have separated from and evaluate who they actually are. The truth is, that person is not who you thought they were. The person you cared about does not exist. The idea that this person was a trustworthy faithful companion is not true. You created an ideal around their framework, but they do not actually exist. They have proven they do not exist by their actions. Do not dwell on what it was, because it wasn’t. Do not dwell on what it could have been, because it couldn’t. It was a lie.

Don't look back. Your mind will play tricks on you. You will lie to yourself, tell yourself that “maybe it can work” and “maybe I was wrong” and “if I just try one more time, maybe he or she will change.” No. That is not happening. They aren’t going to change. And the fact of the matter is, the more you crawl back to them, the more you belittle yourself and push them further away. Don't do it. Walk away. Don’t look back.

GET BACK ON THE PATH. Wake up early. Work out. Run. Read. Write. Learn. Play an instrument. Train jiu-jitsu. Eat clean. Clean your room. Clean your car. Get ahead at work. When someone breaks our trust, we question ourselves. We think our judgement is bad because we put our faith in this person who hurt us. So how do you build that trust back up with yourself? Look back and learn from the relationship. See the mistakes you made and the red flags you missed. Then look for them the next time around. Recognize that there are plenty of people out there in the world that are trustworthy and faithful. Go find one of them. Move forward in that relationship with a clean slate. Don’t bring baggage.