Embrace the Grind

A Few Thoughts On Adversity

"It's About Patience and Practice"

Twelve months have past since I had reconstructive surgery on my right knee. It has been a year filled with triumph, tragedy, success, and failure, but above all it has been a year of growth. It has been a year that I have grown physically, mentally, and spiritually. One quote I have often been reminded of is "adversity introduces a man to himself." Now when I say adversity it would be easy to think of only monumental challenges or obstacles. But the truth--and what you probably don't want to hear--is that we are faced with adversity in some form every single day. Be it a party where there is pressure to do something that you may later regret, or be it a test that you haven't prepared for--adversity--remains the constant. And in that way, we are being further introduced to ourselves every single day.

As this introduction continues, and you begin to learn more about yourself a picture will begin to form. At this point you have two options: you can accept the picture or not. You can accept all of the negatives in your life and blame them for your failures (victim's mentality) or you can get rid of those negatives, raise your standards (Lion's mentality), and alter, or at more specifically hone, the picture for good. I can personally attest to the difficulty of the second option, but--as with most things--the sacrifice, commitment, and resolve it takes makes it worth it. Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and every other great artist/sculptor didn't just create a work and have people marvel at it. The spectacles they created took years of revision and reworking--they spent countless hours perfecting the little things, and while they assuredly made many mistakes throughout its construction, their end results spoke for themselves. Take a lesson from the artists of our past. The construction of a successful you, and one that you will be proud of, will involve conscious thought as well. Don't let the allures of mediocrity and the "easy" choice fool you, for there is nothing easy about success--it's the exact reason why so few attain it.

Thanks for reading. JG

A Naval Academy Checklist

"Success Depends on Previous Preparation."--Confucius

I have officially received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. While I will surely write a post on what exactly that means to me in the near future--I would like to take the time to write out everything that I absolutely must complete prior to Induction Day--which is July 1 this year. This list will be fluid and many things will be added and ~~hopefully~~ everything will be crossed off by the end of June. Without further ado,

Skills That Need Development:

Develop Habit of Making Bed Each Day (The Correct Way) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMYZhdC-6jA
Learn and Develop the skill of Ironing :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41eq7tIqVFw
Swimming: 500 Yard Test
Distance Running: http://www.physicalculturestore.com/default.asp
PRT MAX: http://www.usna.org/handbook/prtstandards.html
Memorization: Map of Naval Academy, Schedule, Reef Points, Mission Statement, The Administrative Chain of Command, The First Three General Orders of a Sentry (Note To Self Practice Memorizing Menus)
Military Knowledge: SEE ABOVE
The Correct Way to tie a Military Tie

Academic Advancement:

The Core Topics Review: Geometry, Algebra, Pre-Calc Calculus, Chemistry, US Government, Naval History, Arabic
Use Daily Calendar

MISC.:

Passport Updated
Letters
Continue Reading and Writing

Helpful Links:

Powerpoint: http://www.usna.edu/Users/naome/phmiller/ACR%2013th.ppt.

Time to go to work.

Back with this Blog Thing

Have you ever just sat down and felt like time was flying by? I recently found myself in this exact situation. I stopped writing blog posts one day and as I began to write my next post—this very one—it felt like the next day, but in actuality it is 4 months later.

While these past months in my life have been filled with news—mostly wonderful news—I can't help but be amazed by how crazy this thing we call time is. Time, I mean it's one of the few things that no matter what—no matter the money or effort—we can never have back—not even a single second. It can be a little depressing to think about, but it doesn’t have to be. Because like Victor Frankl, in his profound work Man’s Search For Meaning, said:"Everything cn be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." Given that we have the ability to “choose our own way” I think it is imperative that we take advantage of this gift. To just go through the motions and let others pave your road, or, perhaps more accurately pummel you into a road they have envisioned, is both unacceptable and unnecessary. Make up your mind to raise your standards and begin choosing your own way. It doesn't matter your age or your current situation—the only thing that matters is what you do. It’s about what you do today, tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that. Because, eventually, your legacy will be dependent upon just how you spent those minutes, hours, days, and weeks.
And it’s never too late to change your reality. Just look at Abraham Lincoln: at age 28 he went to buy a bed but was too poor to afford one. The store’s owner, Joshua Speed, offered him a bunk upstairs for free and the two became great friends. But, seriously, think about that for a second—Abraham Lincoln—who we know as the “Great Emancipator” was so broke at age 28 that he had to share a bunk with another grown man for 4 years. If Lincoln, who reasonably had every excuse to give up, was still able to march on and become the President of the United States nineteen years later, then how is it too late for you? What’s your excuse?

Don't get me wrong: you don’t have to turn out to be the next Lincoln, because that’s not who you turn out to be. Ultimately, you turn out to be the next you. So dial in, hit the pavement, and make it happen.

Thanks for reading. JG

It's all about the work

Update from surgery: I have hit a stride in my recovery from reconstructive ACL surgery. I am now at 180 lbs which means I have gained 16 of the 24 pounds back. I now have my eyes firmly set on 200 lbs by the End of July. My goal for the month of May, however, is to knock out 20 hill sprints in 30 minutes.

About a month ago I got a job as a cook at a pretty amazing restaurant. A restaurant that has been awarded 5 stars by the News and Observer, and is run by the most talented chef in North Carolina, Steven Greene. Being a 17 year-old working with professionals, who are the best at what they do, has been an eye opening experience--one that has transformed and impacted me, and one that I'm glad is taking place. What I'm learning each and every day is that it's all about the work. Talking is nice and everything, but, frankly, it's not going to get you where you want to be. The work, however, will. It's not easy sticking to a plan and attacking it with a relentless, indomitable will each and every day, it's not easy leaving behind all the negativity and negative people in your life, it's not easy hammering away endlessly at the minutia, but it's worth it. And it's all a necessary part of living a purposeful and successful life.

I look at it like this: You can sacrifice and attack your dreams with everything you have now, or, say in twenty years, you can look back and wonder why you didn't. For me the choice is easy. You can choose to become successful, choose to leave a mark that will endure by just doing you--by pursuing your interests rather than listening to someone else's.

Forget about the past and focus on the present, forget about every little thing you would've done differently and get to work now. Right now. Not tomorrow, not the day after that. Today. Because the time is now for us to get to work and to get to the place that we have envisioned. There are no excuses in our journey, no excuses that can serve as reason for failure. It's time to live up to our potential; It's time to get to work. It's not too late. The race ain't over.

Thanks for reading. JG