A Navy SEAL and the Power of Self Possession
I was down in LA last week listening to a former Navy Seal talk about what it takes to be a “Tier 1 Operator”- an elite Special Forces soldier who does the most dangerous counter-terrorism, insurgency, and behind-enemy-lines work. I’m not the kind of person who closely follows the military or knows a lot about soldiering. But man, was this guy impressive.
He is working as a special advisor on the latest installment of a military shooter game. He didn’t spend much time regaling us with war stories. Maybe that added to the mystique. No, most of what he said had to do with the mindset of being a Tier 1 operator. Bascially, you have to believe in yourself totally from the outset of selection, or you will fail. You’ll fail because the physical and psychological demands of training will break you otherwise. You’ll fail because the other guys competing with you for a spot will sense that weakness and attack it, like animals in a wolf pack. You’ll fail because it takes a certain arrogance even to dare to dream of being an elite soldier when you first sign up. “It’s a test of mettle that is harder than anything I could find in the civilian world. I needed to find it in myself first”
He was addressing about 30 of us and he had the whole room rapt. It was like listening to a fireman when you’re seven years old. I think his physical presence helped - he was handsome and poised with the strapping build of a pro linebacker. But he took pains to emphasize that the biggest misconception about his profession is that everyone is built like Superman: “we’re all shapes and sizes”. I think what worked is that he didn’t bother trying to establish himself or his credentials- he just started talking from a position of authority. Quiet confidence, not ego. If there’s one lesson I learned from all this, it’s the power of self-possession. Listening to him talk was what I imagine it’s like listening to an elite athlete like Michael Phelps or a world class musician. Someone who has such supreme confidence that they are at the top of their game that they have nothing to prove to an audience of mere mortals. I’d love to bring some of that mojo to my own work.
7 months ago