37 When Excellence Gets Decoupled From Your Future, Hardcore and At Ease, Others Over Self®

You are expected to keep performing at the same level for an institution that has already quietly removed you from the outcome. Your excellence has been decoupled from your future. And every day you suit up knowing that and you spend a little more of yourself. Near the end of this two week stretch, my battle buddy picked me up for class. It was our standing arrangement. It's the same we did every morning. I picked up my bag, I went down three flights of stairs, walked across 100 degree weather to his car, and I pulled open the passenger door and he looked back at me and he was wearing civies. I had come down in the wrong uniform. Now, for anyone who hasn't served, understand what this means. I'm the person who gets the small things right. This is not ego. This is just my record. The details are my things. That's my superpower. The uniform's not something that I get wrong. And I had just gotten it wrong. And it was going to cost me 10 minutes that I didn't have. And I was nearing the end of my two weeks having to wear this mask that was getting heavier and heavier every single day.