11/11/2021
My most humiliating moment
Have you ever embarrassed yourself in front of someone you wanted respect from?
When I decided to become a Navy SEAL, there was no doubt in my mind that I could do it, there was just one problem…
SEAL training is the toughest military training on the planet. It requires serious strength, endurance, and grit.
Weighing 120 pounds, I knew that wasn’t going to cut it so I looked for some help. I discovered that an ex-SEAL owned a Crossfit gym just a few miles away from my parents’ house, so I had to visit.
I approached the big, angry-looking man who seemed like a pit bull ready to rip someone’s head off.
“Um… excuse me?” I “Um... excuse me?” I mumbled, my heart beating so loudly he must’ve heard it. “I’m looking for Mike.”
“I’m Mike, what do you want?” he growled at me, barely looking up.
I explained to him that I was going to SEAL training and needed some help getting in shape.
He looked up and gave me a piercing stare that seemed to last forever. Then he scoffed and told me to “do the workout” with the class.
First I fell while attempting a squat. Literally. My legs were so weak that I lost my balance and landed on my ass in front of everyone.
I was mortified. But I got up and kept going.
Next came the rope climb. I got halfway up, lost my grip, and fell on my ass. Again.
This continued on for 30 minutes until everyone else had completed the workout but me.
“Stop. You’re weak, pathetic, and you have no idea what you’re doing” he told me, my chest tightening.
“But you have heart, so be here at 6am. Ears open, mouth shut, ready to work, and ready to learn.”
I spent the next 9 months doing 3-a-day workouts, freezing in the lake, and berated just enough to build up a thick skin.
By the time I got to training, I wasn’t the fastest or the strongest, but I was just as capable as the best guys there. Since I had trained mentally, I was able to keep going while most of the other guys gave up and quit.
To this day, there’s no challenge I can’t handle. Quitting is never an option, and I’ve built the physical and mental strength that I can stand on for the rest of my life.
I’m grateful for his mentorship and damn proud of myself.