Jocko Underground: The POWER To Do Things You Don't Want to Do | How To Win The Top Spot

This is the Jocko Underground podcast number 72. Sitting here with EC Echo, Charles, Echo, Charlie.

And me, Jocko Willink. So thinking about military training and what is it that's good about it?

And then I realized one of the things that's good about military training is the same thing that's good about sports. Same thing that can be good about school, Same thing that can be good about peer pressure, in some cases, positive peer pressure. And that is you are forced in some cases to do more than you would ever do on your own.

So what makes me think about this, you know, you think a 20 year old, 18 year old, a 22 year old human, they go in the military, they are going to get pushed out of their comfort zone. They're going to do things, and not only that, they're going to be, they're going to like, if they're overweight, they're going to lose weight, if they're underweight, they're going to gain weight. If they're, I mean, those are physical aspects. They're going to learn to pay attention to detail. They're going to have to, so they're going to have to do these things. The same thing with sports, right? You're doing two A days in football, you're going to get pushed. You wouldn't be doing, let's face it. And I used to say this about MMA fighters. There's like two different levels, right? Okay, if I'm by myself, I can push myself so hard, right? I can push myself to 70%. If I got my coach with me, my coach can push me to 90%. Now there is another 10% that only you can get to, you know what I'm saying? Because you can fake your coach and be like, right? So there's like the champion trains. Look, let's face it, the champion can do all those things, just get to 100% output. But a normal human, they can get to 70%, their coach can get them to 90% and then they can dig out another 4%. If they're a champion, they can dig out all of it. But when you're in the military, you're gonna be doing that, you're gonna be giving 90% all the time. You're at 2 a days. Look, that last sprint, you didn't give 100%, you gave 92. But you at least gave 90% because your coach was there yelling at you. Had to.

Yeah.

So once you do these things.

When you're on your own, your discipline level has been raised, you realize there's limitations that you have, and you realize that they come from you, and you realize that you can overcome them. And the harder things that you are forced to do, the harder the things are that you're forced to do, the more things you're going to be capable of.

And part of that reason is because you embrace it. And part of that reason is because you start to know what it feels like afterwards. Have you ever talked to me, heard me talk about imposed discipline? Like, occasionally you got to get someone to know how good it feels to do something. You got to get them in there, you got to kind of make them do it.

Yeah.

So that they go, oh, okay, that, that. I feel good when I got done with that. You know, like the first time you get someone to do jiu jitsu, and they're like, oh, that was kind of cool. You had to make them do it. But then they kind of got into it, so there's that as well. Now here's what you got to watch out for. Some people, when they leave the imposed discipline, they rebel against it. Yeah, right. So, like, I'm never doing this shit again.

Yeah.

There's people that. There's. There's guys in the SEAL teams that once they get done with buds, they never want to go in the water again. They're like, hey, man, I dig it. They get made to go in the water and they say, no, no more water for me. They don't ever want to go in the water again. Yeah, that's the example. And it's an exaggeration. Like, nothing. Never. I'm never going. But they don't voluntarily. There's not too many guys that voluntarily go in the water. A bunch. Once you get done with basic SEAL training.

Look, there's some hardcore watermen, of course, guys that are just watermen in the taaaaa, but there's some guys that are not. And they don't want nothing to do with it. So that's what happens. And you gotta see. Watch. Same thing. Like fighters. This happens to. Fighters have been cutting weight their whole life. Wrestlers that have been cutting weight their whole life, the minute they get a chance and they're done with that career, they just blow up, get totally overweight.

Yeah.

Because they're rejecting it. Some people, like, they'll stay in good shape forever. I mean, remember we had Gil on here?

Gil Espinoza, seal, he wrestled in College. He's still 75 years old. Looked like he was about 40. Still in great shape.

Yeah.

It's like, oh, okay.

He.

He maintained the discipline. He cut Weight, you know, but he maintained the discipline. So the imposed discipline turns into self discipline. And once again, it's. Once you learn what it feels like, once you learn that it feels good, then it really helps you. And even if you, even if you don't learn that, like being in the military, you spend four years, formative years in the military, where you have to get up in the morning, you have to work out every day, you have to learn things, you're, you have to go to work, you can't just like, oh, I'm not gonna go to work today. And then you end up with a big advantage because you've been through that. So.

That'S the advantage of these different things that humans can live through. And again, you can find it in sports, you can find it in peer pressure, you know, you ever been peer pressured to do something and you're like, so glad that you did it? You know, if you're hanging around with the right people, that should hopefully be kind of regular, you know, Even if it's something as simple as like, get one more set, get one more sprint, get one more, you know, whatever the case may be.

Sports, hard practices, when someone's making you do stuff, when that imposed discipline, you learn about it, it can turn you into a better person. So keep that in mind.

Is there anything that you like, don't like to do and kind of don't really do, like actively avoid. Not completely necessarily that. And it's. You think it's because you were made to do it so much? Is there anything like that? They used to have.

Wait, what was I made to do?

I don't know, anything. So, like, you know how, like how you said, like in the middle, Some people, they don't, they're like, yeah, like, I went in the water so much that, you know, I don't like the water that much anymore. You know, like, I don't have to do that anymore. So I'm never, never doing it anymore. Like the rejecting thing, have you rejected any activity because it was imposed on you? Maybe too much for your liking?

You can take this for what it's worth. I don't like putting on a uniform, even if it's like a suit and tie or whatever. Like, I don't like that a lot. I avoid it.

Do you think that's, do you think in the military when you had to do that, do you think that has an effect on how you feel about it now, or did you always not like it?

I didn't like it even when I was a kid. I don't think so.

The uniform in the military, I've never been sharp.

Like, you know what a sharp dresser is? You know what I mean? Like someone that cares about how they look. I don't think I've ever been that guy.

No, that makes sense to me completely. Yeah. But it had no. The military had no bearing on that because, you know, that was impossible.

Military is. They're like, oh, this is what you wear, you know, as far as, like, you know, like going to a wedding or you got to go to some kind of ceremony. I know what I'm wearing. Military uniform. Thank God I retired. Because when you retire, like, I retired, I can still wear my uniform.

Yeah.

You know, so I can still wear.

Laid out for you.

Yeah.

Wait, but what I'm saying is, though, you know, it was kind of. I guess, for lack of a better term, actually, this is a better. It was imposed on you that you had to wear the uniform.

Yep.

Did. Does that have. Do you think? If you search your mental state, whatever. Did that have any bearing on how you feel about it now? Now, like, do you like wearing uniforms? Less. Even less now?

I think it's about the same.

Same, Right.

I think I'm just not a uniform. I'm not really in the clothes, so.

It'S not the same thing. Yeah. Yeah. But like, like this one Seinfeld episode, this guy, Elaine, the girl on Seinfeld, met this guy. He was a mover, you know, he's moving furniture and stuff. So they went on a date, and he was like, oh, I'd bring you to my place, but I don't have any furniture. He's like, I hate it. Because he moves furniture for a living. He sees too much furniture all the time, you know, so he, like, hates it. It's the same thing, right?

Yeah. There's nothing.

So you don't have anything?

Not really, man. I mean, other than, like, hey, have it aware. But look at, like, haircut, you know, so many guys, when they get out of the teams, the first thing they do is, like, grow their hair longer, grow goatee, you know, I don't really even care about that. I don't like facial hair. And I don't like. I mean, for me, I don't care what I. I don't care if you have a beard or whatever. What's that thing you have?

I don't know.

You have, like, a weird beard.

Thanks. No, I don't know what it is.

Right.

It's like a line.

Yeah.

What's it called?

I don't Know, I pretty called like a chin strap.

Oh.

Something like.

That's an appropriate name. So I don't care that you have that, but personally, it's not for me. Hair on the top of my head. I don't care if you want to have some. I don't know if you're physically capable of having some, but I rejected hair.

On the top of my head long time ago.

Rejected it.

But I don't care what you have, but it's just not for me. But a lot of times when they get out of the military, they want to grow that hair out, you know, they want to feel that. Feel that locks in the wind, you know?

Yeah. That makes sense. I don't think I have anything either.

It's. But like, I'm so foreign when it comes to getting dressed up.

Yeah.

That it doesn't even really make a lot of sense to me where, you know, where. Not computing. Yeah. Like, people are like, oh, you know, I got a cool sweater.

You know, like, I don't. Or, hey, this guy. This place sells really good suits. You know, I'm not. I'm not. It's hard for me. That is a little excerpt of what we are doing on the Jocko Underground podcast. So if you want to continue to listen, go to jockounderground.com and subscribe. And we're doing this to mitigate our reliance on external platforms so we are not subject to their control. And we are doing this so that we can support the Jocko podcast, which will remain as is free for all as long as we can keep it that way. But we are doing this so we don't have to be under the control of sponsors. And we're doing it so we can give you more control, more interaction, more direct connections, better communications with us. And to do that, we are. We're building a website right now where we'll be able to utilize to strengthen this legion of troopers that are in the game with us. So thank you. It's Jocko underground.com it cost $8.18 a month. And if you can't afford to support us, we can still support you. Just email assistance@jockounderground.com and we'll get you taken care of. Until then, we will see you mobilized underground.