GoRuck

A few weeks ago, I watched an in-flight movie on a trip to a medical conference in San Diego called The Standard.  The movie is now available on Hulu, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.  Apparently there is an organization called GoRuck that claims to sell the world's toughest "rucking" gear (according to the company's website, "rucking" is "just walking with weight on your back").  GoRuck was founded in 2008 by a former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret named Jason McCarthy.  The company employs about 150 Special Forces veterans.

The organization also sponsors and runs a series of training clubs and competitions, including "GoRuck Selection", a self-proclaimed "world's toughest endurance event" in which competitors spend just over 48 grueling hours being tested by a group called the Cadre (all veterans of U.S. military Special Forces).  The event is patterned after the U.S. Army's Special Forces Selection.  The movie, "The Standard" is about one of the "GoRuck Selection" events (Class 019).  Only the toughest competitors (about 2%) finish the entire 48 hour competition.  The movie was tough to watch, as these competitors go through hell and back.  What's incredible is that the "GoRuck Selection" provides competitors with just a glimpse into what Special Forces soldiers go through during their 24-day selection (if you want to learn more, check out "Chosen Soldier: The Making of a Special Forces Warrior" by former Navy SEAL Dick Couch).

I have been told that the selection process for any branch of the U.S. military's special forces (U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Army Rangers, U.S. Army Special Forces are perhaps the best known examples) requires more mental fortitude and resilience than physical strength and endurance.  For example, one of the recurring themes in "The Standard" movie was that individuals often can go far beyond the point of physical exhaustion.  As the American psychologist and philosopher William James said, "Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second."

I've posted about this concept before (see "Winnie the Pooh and the Navy SEALS").  William James wrote in The Energies of Man ""Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."  Former Navy SEAL David Goggins calls it "the 40% rule". Simply stated, the "40% rule" states that when your brain is telling you that you can't go on anymore, you are really only 40% done.  Deep down, your body can handle more stress and you can face even greater challenges.

All of this - the "40% rule" and "The Standard" is really about something that we call resilience.  I won't argue that any of us will ever come close to pushing ourselves to the point that the U.S. Navy SEALs or U.S. Army Special Forces seem to do on a daily basis.  But as leaders, we should be able to appreciate that we can do more than we think.  Our teams can do more than they think.  Maybe it really is about "mind over matter".  That "never give up" attitude is something that we all can and should aspire towards - we should commit to resilience.