Three Traps That Disrupt Steadiness
In my continued reading of Discipline Is Destiny, author Ryan Holiday repeatedly asserts that the greatest loss of discipline happens during times of the mundane, not the chaotic. I not only believe in this wholeheartedly, I have experienced it personally in some of the most painful circumstances as I recount in my book, The Steady Leader:
My buddy, John, wasn’t supposed to go on patrol that day. It wasn’t even a combat mission. A unit was running supplies from one base to the next base, something that happened several times a day. John was a sniper, extremely intelligent and level-headed, and he looked like a thinner, more serious version of Hulk Hogan. Basically, this meant he embodied what most people strive to be as a soldier. Put this guy on the ground, and he was a lethal warrior. Put this guy sitting in a truck on a supply run, and it was a completely different story. When we were fighting in Afghanistan, we could go days on end without seeing a single enemy. Then, all of a sudden, the enemy would throw hundreds of people at us, attacking us with everything they’d been storing up for weeks. They’d give it all they had for one battle and lose every soldier in the process. We were in the middle of one of these weeks-long lulls when John volunteered to head out on this patrol.
Now, these supply runs were routine. We did them three or four times a day, every day, and there hadn’t been any sign of the enemy in over a month. When things become routine, when the enemy goes quiet, it’s easy to get careless. It’s easy to take the path of least resistance, to do what you always do. And when you become predictable, the enemy has an in. On the Iranian border, where we were stationed, the terrain was desert with slight rolling hills that never seemed to end. This made it nearly impossible for a force to maneuver without being seen, but it was easy for a force to position themselves for an ambush. A cargo convoy who takes the same path multiple times a day for days on end is an easy target. That day, the enemy took a perfect shot, launching a long-range artillery round as a direct fire weapon into John’s vehicle at the one spot where the armor was weak. The shot penetrated the bolt that held the armor up and went through both his thighs. John bled out before anyone could treat him.
After all these years, I still can’t help but think that it was complacency that took John’s life. I can’t help but wonder if his platoon leader had changed it up, if they had taken a different route or split the vehicles up or just done something, anything, differently, he would be alive today. Even on a real battlefield, in the middle of a war, people stop planning like there are lives on the line. When we lose this perspective, when we forget what’s at stake, we grow complacent. We get distracted. We lose sight of the vision, the mission, and the potential cost. That’s why the final principle in leading yourself involves planning and preparation.
This memory is an integral part of my leadership makeup. When things are going well, when I feel myself or anyone on my team getting “too comfortable,” I highlight the dangers of complacency. Comfort too-often undermines steadiness and progress.
Maintain a keen sense of urgency by avoiding these three traps that can disrupt your steadiness during mundane times:
TRAP #1: Success makes us comfortable; success also makes us soft.
Holiday outlines that too much success alters the way we make decisions. We begin to make decisions to protect our comfort, and become desperate if things start to turn in a way that prohibits us from maintaining our comfortable lifestyles. This is another way of saying that success makes us soft. Avoid this trap by pursuing discomfort sometimes; live on less; make the harder decisions that may cause pain in the short-term for greater long-term gains.
TRAP #2: Hard work is undesirable.
Hard work is the antithesis of complacency. Break from the mindset of hard work being something you dread – instead, relish the hard work. Seek fulfillment in working hard to move something forward. Avoid this trap by loving the hard work.
TRAP #3: Lacking a clear purpose that is big enough to motivate you.
When things are going well and you are comfortable, it is easy to relax. But if you’ve got a purpose for your life based on the betterment of others – if it’s big and exciting – you will never stop showing up to produce more. Even when things are going well, your purpose will fuel your daily progress and you will avoid any traps of complacency.
As this year comes to a close, you may be reflecting on your measures of success. But, with today’s message, I urge you to instead reflect on how you are leading yourself – no matter your success. Are you bringing your very best every single day? Are you communicating that vision, that purpose, that exciting future to your team and to yourself? Are you bringing urgency to your planning? Are you making sure your health and your energy are the best they can be every single day for your team?
If you lead yourself appropriately, even when things are going well, you won’t let yourself be soft. You are not going to shy away from hard work. You’re not going to let a day pass without doing something to further your life’s purpose. Get excited about doing the hard work – and be steady even during the mundane times.
Written by Schuyler Williamson
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God Bless!
~ Schuyler Williamson