Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life

by Brent Gleeson

Define the Goal. Such as marrying the girl you just met, taking down a terrorist stronghold with limited information, finally telling your unappreciative boss to fuck off, or launching yourself from a perfectly good airplane. Make the goal as concise, measurable, achievable, and time bound as possible. List Threats and Hazards. Don’t really know the girl, could end badly. Unknown number of terrorists on target. Will probably get fired when I tell my boss to fuck off. Parachute may not open. You’ll come back to this list when weighing your options. Identify Resources for Successful Execution. Need to buy a ring. Shit, need money. Should probably ask her dad’s approval. Need Spectre gunship for air support. Need backup job ASAP. Need properly packed parachute—and some skydiving lessons. Assess Go/No-Go Criteria. Use the information at hand to make the best possible decision to proceed—or not. Do the risks outweigh the resources and rewards? Be careful about getting advice from others. Ensure your sources are trusted and as unbiased as possible. But in my experience, when you’re about to toss yourself willingly into the unknown oblivion of risk, everyone tells you not to proceed. Sometimes you gotta say fuck it and go with your gut. And remember The Three Ps! Always Debrief. Somewhere down the road, assuming your decision was to move forward, it’s important to debrief the execution and outcome. What went well? What didn’t? What unforeseen events cropped up that I didn’t