TN50#174_Selection Is An Ongoing Process_09 September_2024
Hi Team,
As we mark the 23rd anniversary of 9-11, I’m surprised that what seems like yesterday is now – so long ago. I’ve also found myself repeating one of my Unit’s calls to action (which I adopted as my daily CTA) with renewed focus. We’ve covered a lot of ground since I first heard the phrase, “SELECTION IS AN ONGOING PROCESS” back in 1999.
Happy Monday and welcome to The Next 50 #174. I like to think of personal performance in 3 components: physical, mental and emotional. My frameworks focus on 4 Buckets: Eat, Sleep, Move and Think. This blog is my sandbox for sharing information that you might find useful for your personal performance.
The following is the first article I ever wrote back in 2021, with a few updates as I use the article in the Better Basics Program (BBP) coaching curriculum.
January 2021
As I look back over 5 decades of life on this amazing planet and wrap up a nice break at the beginning of 2021. I find the following sentence top of mind: SELECTION IS AN ONGOING PROCESS (SIAOP). As best I recall I first heard this life changing proclamation in 1999, the year I went to Selection and the Operator Training Course (OTC) at the Unit. I don’t know if anyone else experienced the clarity that I experienced that day, but I can honestly say this little phrase had a massive impact on my military career and ultimately continues to improve my life to this day
The year 1999 was an amazing year for me. Five days before the year kicked-off I had somehow sealed the deal on the ultimate selection process, Carly and I tied the knot on 26 December 1998. In addition to this I was scheduled to go to Selection in the spring of ‘99 which I did successfully! Two of the most important selections of my life, successfully completed within the same 5-month period – not bad! Back then I didn’t realize the absolute utility of SIAOP, this is because my life had a singular focus and that was to cross the hall and become an Operator.
So that we are on the same sheet of music let me explain how SIAOP works in my brain. Many times, a day during OTC I would find myself in a “Selection” moment. This was a moment when I could choose to do:
- The HARD action that will provide a POSITIVE outcome
- The EASY action that will provide a NEGATIVE outcome.
These decisions were often in the “important/not-urgent” corner of Steven Covey’s Four Quadrants, so the immediate result wasn’t clearly positive or negative.
Many times a day, SIAOP.
Here are some internal dialogues from OTC:
“I’m tired and it’s really hard to focus on this block of instruction on dry firing a pistol, I should stand up and move around a bit to wake up”, SIAOP.
“A scalding hot piece of brass from Brandon’s M4 just landed on the bare skin of my back, SHIT, it’s lodged under my kit, SHIT SHIIIIT, stay in the fight, SHIT” SIAOP
“I have been here for 18-hours, and I just want to go home, I can get my gear reorganized tomorrow when I am not so tired”, SIAOP.
In most commando situations, like these, I believe I made the right a-decisions and reality would bear that out as I retired 17 years later as an Operator in good standing from the Unit. What’s more important is in similar commando situations later on, it was easier to make an a-decision – because of those early reps.
Now I can hear my good friend, Danny P, pointing out the obvious, “Alex you aren’t an Operator anymore, does any of this stuff still matter?” My Selection Is an Ongoing Process origin story is 100% a commando story as you can tell from reading this article so far but here’s the thing; every role I say is important to me and every role you say is important to you requires these same real-time daily assessments.
Here’s a list of a few roles that immediately come to mind:
- Husband
- Dad
- Son
- Friend
- Coach
- Christian
- Citizen
- Brother
- Leader…
The same a/b decisions are in play many times a day. As I look at this list, I see a lot of areas where I am making too many b-decisions, how about you?
Let’s “what if” some EAT – SLEEP – MOVE examples:
“I’ve always been thin eating whatever I want, who cares about what it is doing to me on the insides”, SIAOP.
“I’ve rocked it getting 5 hours of sleep a night for decades, why try and change now”, SIAOP.
“I can’t get away for my full 75 minutes workout, so I’m not going to do anything with the 20 minutes I do have”, SIAOP.
You get the idea; in all of these made-up examples it would be better to make an a-decision as well.
News Flash! In my own personal performance journey, I haven’t always made the a-decision, not even close; but I would like to think that I am maintaining a solid B on average, using the A – F Grading Scale, 1980’s version.
Ok, let’s bring it home: We are running in multiple selections daily, in each one we have many opportunities to make a/b decisions. So, what’s it going to be?
- Hard/Future Positive Outcome
- Easy/Future Negative Outcome
Either choice won’t have a remarkable effect in the moment, so pause and remember –
SELECTION IS AN ONGOING PROCESS.
What if we all wrote this on a card and taped it where we’d see it multiple times a day AND actually put Selection Is An Ongoing Process into action??? Imagine what might happen!
Who you know that could use this information? I bet you can think of a couple folks before you click the next email, please share the post with your team and anyone who might find it useful and let me know what you think!
Have a good one,
Alex
PS. If you have a question regarding your personal performance? I’m your man: alex@fpp.llc
PPS. If you’re new to First Principles Performance Coaching, here’s a one stop shop for all my stuff.
PPPS. Ready to improve your Executive and Human Performance, email me so I can introduce you to my new BBP – Team Coaching opportunity! alex@fpp.llc