New Year Strategy: Jocko Willink

so i get a lot of questions about the new year’s and what i think about it and [Music] what are my new year’s resolutions and all that stuff and i’m actually not the best at that kind of thing any of that kind of thing i’m not great at i’m not great at birthdays or anniversaries or holidays really because for me and i i think this is actually a fault for me these are just just another day that’s the way i think about them is it’s just another day and i don’t do anything special on these days because well because i think every day is special like every day is a gift every day that being said i do understand the idea and i do think it is good to pause and take a breath and do assessments and acknowledge what i’ve done right what i’ve done wrong where i’ve succeeded where i’ve failed what we can celebrate and what we can learn what corrective measures we can take so let’s look at the new year what is the new year’s resolution my wife used to ask me that question when we were younger before she really knew me she’d say what’s your new year’s resolution going to be darling and i used to say the same thing every year i’d say my new year’s resolution is i’m going to surf more and get better at jiu jitsu and it was funny because i was always trying to do that anyway every day i was trying to surf more and get better at jiu jitsu so a new year’s resolution wasn’t going to change my habits and to this day i’m still trying to surf more and get better at jiu jitsu and i think i always will be doing those things so what do i think would be a good new year’s resolution when i do an assessment and look at my life i think i have benefited the most from one thing that i do and that is think strategic now this is uh this is a military term strategic in the military means big picture it means long term strategic in military terms is where you are going to end up that’s thinking strategic and the opposite is tactical thinking tactical thinking which again in the military means [Music] short-term thinking it means it means immediate action it means what’s happening right now so so there’s a big difference this is the differentiator for me is thinking long term versus thinking short term and i believe that this thinking long term this thinking strategic is one of the most if not the most important concepts a person can consider in order to improve themselves and improve their lives so so here’s some examples short-term thinking short-term thinking says the donut tastes good eat it short-term thinking says one workout doesn’t matter i can skip it short term tactical thinking is the part of your brain that says i should just finance this this new car or this new watch or this new tv or whatever else instead of actually saving and paying cash for something that you can actually afford short short term thinking encourages you to make short-term emotional decisions that hurt you in the long run and they definitely don’t move you toward your overall strategic goals the more short-term decisions you make decisions that are based on that immediate gratification decisions based on quick emotional satisfaction and even based on involuntary chemical releases in your body that dopamine hit the further from the path you will stray so what i’m saying is don’t do that instead think strategic think long term act strategic take action that improves your long-term position and moves you toward your long-term goals how do you do that first figure out where you want to go figure out who you want to be figure out what you are trying to do with your life write them down what do you what are you saving for what are you working toward what kind of physical condition do you want to be in what kind of relationships do you want to have what skills are you trying to develop and just like any leader you have to explain to yourself the why why do you want to save money why do you want to be in that physical condition why do you want those relationships or why do you want those skills you are your own leader give yourself the mission and explain the why behind those goals write those things down in simple clear concise language read it before you go to bed read it when you wake up read it every day until it is embedded in your brain consciously and subconsciously and once you’ve written those things down now with all this talk about strategic thinking also know this you need tactical wins you need to win battles in order to win the war you need to get out of bed you need to run you need to work out you need to read and study and practice and you need to do things that you don’t necessarily want to do and i know that can be hard that’s why people lose the war that’s why people never achieve their strategic goals they lose the little tactical battles the death of a thousand cuts one missed workout at a time one donut bypasses security and then another and then another and it all adds up why because we don’t think about the big picture we don’t see the decay from altitude we don’t see it from an elevated position we are like the frog boiling in the pot as the temperature slowly increases one degree at a time one degree at a time one degree closer to death one degree closer to failure that is why to win tactically we have to think strategic all the time think strategic all the time now that you know what you’re trying to achieve ask yourself this question ask yourself this question before any action or any inaction ask yourself this question what i am doing what i am about to do is it going to help me get where i am going is this action going to make me stronger or weaker is this action going to make me smarter or more skilled will this action move me toward the strategic long-term goals i am trying to achieve in my life and do not lie to yourself don’t don’t don’t rationalize don’t negotiate you you have to tell yourself the truth that is where discipline comes from discipline is rooted in the truth we tell ourselves and discipline delivers long-term strategic success am i a am i a disciplined person sure but that discipline is there because i know and understand my long-term goals and i know why those goals are important i think strategic strategic thought is discipline thought strategic thought allows you to make the right tactical actions to move you forward to achieve your goals to be who you want to be and do what you want to do so for 2022 and for life think strategic know why you are doing what you are doing and then get out there every day and win those small tactical short-term battles so you can win the strategic long-term victory that puts you where you want to be and it’s not going to be easy the fight the daily fight is a challenge you will not always want to do what you need to do you will not always feel like doing something you need to do you may not want to fight that battle but you need to you need to you need to know your strategic goals and you need to know why they are important and then you need to get up get out of your damn bed get off your phone get out of the soft and addictive comfort zone that weakens you and destroys your goals and you need to go out there into the world and get after it have a good 2022 and i will see you on the path