U.S. Air Force Airman Matthew Bernard (foreground) wears a water filled mask while performing flutter kicks after a non-stop physical training during an extended training day at the Pararescue Indoctrination Training Center. Location: LACKLAND AFB, TEXAS (TX) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The other night I was watching a Discovery series called: “Surviving the Cut“. It is about the US military special training for Marines Recon, Air Force Pararescue, Army Rangers, etc. It was amazing. I felt like these men were animals in the drive they had to get into these training programs. My nephew is in the Army Special Forces, and was a Ranger before that. He is a dedicated young man but I had no idea until I watched this program just how driven he is.
I started thinking about the whole unemployment search I’ve been going through, and comparing my dedication to theirs. I have to admit there was no comparison. These men would be up for 24 hours or more going through grueling tasks. Crawling in the mud with their faces in the mud until they reached the top of a hill, and having to start over if they raised their heads out of the mud. The training that got me was the Marines Recon and Air Force Pararescue. These men had to do so many water endurance obstacles that I would have given up in about 15 minutes. I would have drown from exhaustion within 5 seconds during a lot of these exercises. These men when interviewed, had something to say in common: “It is mind over body.”
Now let’s look at the unemployment obstacle course. How many of us don’t even force ourselves to get out of bed in the morning? How many of us put forth a strong 8 hour day looking for work, and or networking? This too is an endurance test of both mind and spirit. We don’t have to go through physical endurance but we do have to go through mind and spirit endurance every day that we face being unemployed.
We need to be our own Master Sergeants motivating us not to quit, to double our efforts. Our lives really do depend on us getting a job. You cannot live in this country without a job. Yes, you can exist but you cannot live. Gee wiz you can’t even purchase a lot of jeans now for less then $100! Gas keeps going up, food prices are ridiculous, clothing is completely out of control, and housing in major cities is pretty much unaffordable. You must get a job. It isn’t a choice, it is a necessity.
Get your face in the mud of unemployment, and don’t come up until you have a job. Suffer the humiliation with dignity knowing that the reward on the other side is well worth it; a paycheck, and doing a job well. We can do this: mind over matter.
Related articles
- Surviving the Cut Inspires (discoveriesofpastandpresent.wordpress.com)
- Airmen train for Ranger course (losangelesnewsone.wordpress.com)
- Reason behind another Pararescue tradition and PJ Mark Bedell shares (examiner.com)
