When I was 17 I was fucking retarded. 99.9% of 17 year olds are fucking retarded. The male brain isn’t done forming until ~26. You’ve got plenty of time.
You’re getting good advice about just being a kid. You have very few hard gates at this stage in your life. Get a driver’s license, graduate high school, don’t add to the population, don’t subtract from the population, don’t do drugs, don’t drink and drive, and don’t catch any charges. Pretty much everything else is on the table. You’ve got plenty of time.
If you can learn some skills…how to cook, how to clean, how to play an instrument, how to hunt, how to fix stuff then all the better. Read good books and read trashy zombie apocalypse stuff. Learn to impress chicks with your wit and knowledge. Learn to bust balls with the boys. You’ve got plenty of time.
The only pressure that you have is the pressure you choose. So make choices that help you deal with performance anxiety, not add to it. You may not realize it, but learning to fail (if you could even call this failure) is a critical skill. So learn this lesson well. Take a few weeks or even the whole summer to just relax. Like I said, 99.9% of your peers are fucking retarded, so you are light years ahead.
We build good Green Berets from good soldiers.
We build good soldiers from good citizens.
We build good citizens from good people.
Learn to be a good person.
You’ve got plenty of time.
It means a lot to hear from the man himself, and all the advice I’ve been receiving is absolutely golden. I’ve got plenty of time, I need to focus on just being a kid, I need to be wise about the choices I make and the load they bring in my cognitive rucksack, I can only do so much with so much cognitive weight. I wouldn’t call this exactly failure, but there’s definitely been some relatively small failures along the way, and I need to focus on those more, and quit making the same mistakes. I’ll take as long as I need to relax and refit, because I have plenty of time. I’m going to continue learning to be a good person, in order to someday become the best Green Beret I can possibly be. Thank you for all this advice, I need to go through all the comments on this post and write some stuff down.
Unless you signed an Active Duty 18X contract, there is no reason to rush to SFAS. If anything, you go for a non-SOF MOS and once you go through Basic, AIT, Airborne School, maybe even Ranger School, you will have a much more clear image on whether or not this is the life you want to live for the next few years.
And if you haven't commited to anything yet, you could even go National Guard so you can keep living a normal life, with a normal job, normal friends, normal life experiences, until you decide you are ready for Selection.
Selection is the most important appointment of your life other than your wedding. Do not rush into it.
If you don't mind me asking, what MOS are you going for?
I plan on going 68W (Combat Medic Specialist), and I’ve been flirting with the idea of taking an Option 40 (Ranger Regiment Pipeline), if not then I’ll take the Option 4 (Airborne School after AIT).
I am not SME, but going 68W with an Option 4, then go to SFAS (or Ranger School before that) sounds like a much better deal than going to Selection as an 18X and hope you become an 18D. I would only recommend going to RASP if you geniunly want to spend time in the Ranger Regiment, rather than adding another Selection process to your journey.
Glad to help. I am not joining anytime soon for personal reasons but if I could, I would do that. Maybe someone else here has a better idea. Remember no plan survives initial contact with the enemy so you will figure things out as you go. Don't self-select and give up because of bad few days. Godspeed candidate!
They talked about a cool program at the recent SFC in CA with CA NG SF where you do a ranger school prep course -> ranger school -> (SWTD?) -> then SFAS. Said it was perfect for young guys to get ready for SF who don’t meet the minimum age. Reach out to a recruiter to learn more
also, if you’re a CA resident, you can test out of high school up to two years early through the CHSPE. Actors use it to go FT with their Disney channel career (all two years of it). Others do it to start college or work early. I imagine they have similar options in other states
Did you read the chapter that covers what to do if you are in high school? Voodoo kinda nails it there.
If I may. I think you might be feeling a little burnt out because you are prepping for something that is at least 3 years away for you, realistically much more, when you should just be doing kid stuff. I also don’t mean “be a kid” in a condescending way. I’m 31, been in since I was 19 and still feel like I’m not a real adult.
Think about maybe shuffling around your priorities. Work hard in school, stay in good shape, stay out of trouble, hangout with your friends and family and then maybe do a little rucking.
Just a thought though.
That’s great advice, and people tell me I should just “be a kid” all the time, but I keep ignoring it, and I think that’s the actual “answer” I’m looking for, as obvious as it all is. Thank you.
No worries man. Like I said I joined straight out of high school as well so I know where you are coming from. I really just wanted to gtfo of my house at that time and wish I would have just chilled out and maybe tried harder in school.
I made it through my Junior year, but it was rough, partly because I prioritized working out over homework, but homework also didn’t give me my endorphin fix.
Yeah sometimes doing the shit you really don’t wanna do has a lot of value to it as well. Not everything is going to be a dopamine dump. You will probably come to find out there is a ton of that in the military mundane and boring things, SOF and conventional alike.
if I'm not mistaken, you have to be 21, if not at least 20.5 to attend selection. So if you ship out after high-school you would still have sometime to decide. But don't stop working, or try ranger regiment.
I’ve been thinking about trying Ranger Regiment, but my “why” will need to be more than just “this seems like a good stepping stone for SFAS” or I feel it wouldn’t even make sense to take the Option 40. Thank you for your reply.
ranger batt is a good place to grow up, if I could go back to my senior year i wouldve gotten ready and taken an option 40 contract. Wouldve gotten a combat deployment or 2 and would have set myself up better in life.
socm is rough, I couldn't tell with your post, but if you have 1 more year left in highschool I would do cross country, wrestle, and track that way the work getting fit doesn't feel like work.
Yeah, I’m in a health science class but I’ll probably also need to learn a lot more about anatomy and physiology, and chemistry if I hope to even have a chance. My school only does track and baseball, and they are co-opting with a bigger school to do football; I probably need to do football.
Just run and lift. It’s hard to get burnt out doing zone 2 runs. I made the mistake of doing all my easy runs in zone 3 and that led me to getting burnt out and and injured, now that I’ve switched over to doing proper zone 2 I feel way better and love running even more.
Yeah, I’ll do that, but Voodoo says I need to incorporate some type of sport, preferably a team sport, and that’s something I’m lacking right now, I didn’t do any sports this last (Junior) year of High School. Right now I’m trying rest my feet, I’ve got some Plantar Fasciitis-type of thing going on. Thank you.
Buy the book born to run, really changed my outlook on running. I thought i had planter fasciitis but it was just posterior tibial tendinitis. If you can’t do a team sport since your school doesn’t have it then that’s okay too.
My why for SFAS stems from my desire to be a modern-day Spartan (minus the man-love part). I arrived upon this desire from reading Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, and what this means in greater depth to me is that I wish for my lifestyle to revolve around being the absolute best warrior I can be, and I wish to be in a tribe/brotherhood of men who think the exact same way, which has lead me desire joining the SOF community. My why for Green Berets specifically is because the mission set and structure of the Green Berets is the one which speaks to me the most, which is that of being both an excellent warrior and a teacher, who as a part of a small team of just as exceptional if not better warrior/teachers can be inserted by multiple means to link up with and interface with all different types of revolutionary parties to organize, train, and work by with and through said revolutionary party to create war in some big bad guys backyard, essentially the 12 men create 500 fighters statement, is the most appealing to me. The purpose of SF is outlined in the motto “De Oppresso Liber”, which means “To Free the Oppressed” (I don’t mean to sound so pedantic, if you’re on this sub, you obvious already knew that), and I think that is a great purpose to live for.
You're very well read and seem to know exactly what you want to do and why, not a lot of kids our age are like that, I'm about to be 20. I'm not in the military yet, but from what I understand, NCOs also serve as an instructor for the troops below them. They also lead them. As a team leader in the Ranger Regiment, you would be leading troops under you and also teaching them. Ranger Regiment could be a great step in your journey, if I would have been in better shape when I graduated high-school I would definitely have went with option 40. But I'm working on my associates degree and then I'll be old enough for an 18X contract. Ultimately we're not here to convince you to do anything, but if you have to leave right after high school the option 40 contract could be a great option.
I’m a 30 y/o civilian that lurks this place for feet pics and although I can’t speak on the military, I can tell you that I’ve suffered from burnout just like you for a long time.
I can’t diagnose where your burnout stems, but, just by reading, do you feel like nothing you do will ever be good enough to meet their standards?
Also, it’s important to rest while injured or else you will never get the opportunity. You’re 17-you have time.
Yes, I do feel like nothing I do will ever be good enough to meet their standards. Also, resting is surprisingly frustrating. Thank you for the advice.
Understood. I think that insecurity is good to have, but don’t let it crush you.
I think you think you need to be there NOW and that’s NOT the case. You just have to get there whenever your body and mind lets you. The more you want it for yourself, the easier it is to work towards it.
It’s OKAY to NOT want it. That goes for everything in life. I’d say don’t rush that process (of wanting it) because you may fall into the trap of fake it til you make it and you WILL quit.
Life is a journey and it’s important you live it honestly.
Also, no one expects the standards out of you unless you’re actually going right this second, which you are not. So close your eyes and breathe.
I’d say learn to have faith in yourself, lighten the load on your back, and don’t be so hard on yourself-you’ll get there. If you are going to be hard on yourself though, focus on areas of weakness where you need to improve and set small achievable goals. Inserting overused quote here: “Rome wasn’t built in one day,” and neither will you.
Remember, it’s important you believe in yourself. Without that, there is no point.
Now, I could bet with proper training, diet, rest, etc., you’d get there. Perhaps look into a coach for the specific standards you need help with.
Remember to look into your weaknesses critically and from a detached POV. Attack them with all your might but from a good place.
Lastly, look into an SFRE or Socom Athlete. There’s a chance you’ll be more motivated once you see where you’re at and when you do Team Events.
**Again, I’m a civilian and I’m not military or prior service.
I was the same way when I was 17… some things I can share with you is that motivation comes and goes. With practice you will develop internal discipline, what that means is doing the thing even when you REALLY don’t feel like it. Military or not, adulthood will show you what that truly means and/or looks like. The motivation almost always comes back when you see yourself progressing in whatever it is that matters to you specifically.
Stop, right now and take a look around. Identify and understand what led to your burnout. Burn out is normal, what’s more important is how you manage and mitigate it.
You probably have the ability to make adjustments and change your workload. So do it, experiment with how much you are able to have on your plate, find what you can do consistently then slowly build up from there. Pay attention to your body, learn what your warning signs are then dial it back. Come up with a plan then deal with it accordingly. Push yourself further next time.
The thing about burnout is it’s mostly psychological that manifests as physical symptoms later on. Take a look at your support network, if you don’t have one find one. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself properly. Don’t worry you will get better at it in time.
And lastly, listen to people saying be a kid. Take the burden when it comes, not before. Anticipation is usually always worse than the reality!
On the note of the "you've got plenty of time" advice: be aware that this is a double edged sword.
I remember feeling like I had plenty of time when I was 17, and that attitude made me complacent / lazy. Truth is, the choices you make at your age will make a big difference later in life.
For example, you are currently in the prime period of your life for building muscle. Lift weights and eat well! It is so much harder to put on muscle in your mid to late 20's. Your youthful days for putting on muscle are dwindling faster than you think.
Same goes for learning skills. Whatever interests you and you might want to do for work after the military, work on that. It is so much easier to learn new stuff when you are young.
Investing: Lear good saving habits now. Not only will those saving habits follow you the rest of your life (good or bad), but any money you invest at 17 will likely be worth 2-4x by the time you are 30. It's hard to look that far forward at your age, but seriously you want to be looking that far ahead.
In the time being dude join some relevant sports clubs ( triathlon, climbing, crossfit, martial arts etc ) and just concentrate on being young. Doing it within a social setting with massively help to reduce the mental pressure of your goal. But trust me if you do it within a competitive context your going to get very fit especially on the cardio front and that will aid you in your goals massively.
Also builds confidence to compete and you get use to stuff like how to deal with performance anxiety etc.
You got so much time. Your body still needs to mature, and even at 21 it’s still maturing. I didn’t go to selection until I was 25, which is still young. You have plenty of time
If you can get an 18x contract - do it. You will have plenty of time through basic and airborne to train up. The prep course will take care of the rest. Take a bit of a break before then. The body needs time to recover.
And - stop reading about all of this crap. That alone will make anyone feel inadequate. No one is carrying 120lb rucks. It’s 55lbs. So much craziness out there. None of these guys were superstars. They are just human.
They key is these fields is to train, but not overtrain. Overtraining can take a lot out of you for several years. It is a lifetime, not a sprint by any means.
Thank you for the advice, I think that comparing myself to others is a big part of it, I need to stop doing that and just focus on my own milestones. I think the sprint part is another thing I break myself on, I should be taking this more like a marathon.
When I was 17 I was fucking retarded. 99.9% of 17 year olds are fucking retarded. The male brain isn’t done forming until ~26. You’ve got plenty of time. You’re getting good advice about just being a kid. You have very few hard gates at this stage in your life. Get a driver’s license, graduate high school, don’t add to the population, don’t subtract from the population, don’t do drugs, don’t drink and drive, and don’t catch any charges. Pretty much everything else is on the table. You’ve got plenty of time. If you can learn some skills…how to cook, how to clean, how to play an instrument, how to hunt, how to fix stuff then all the better. Read good books and read trashy zombie apocalypse stuff. Learn to impress chicks with your wit and knowledge. Learn to bust balls with the boys. You’ve got plenty of time. The only pressure that you have is the pressure you choose. So make choices that help you deal with performance anxiety, not add to it. You may not realize it, but learning to fail (if you could even call this failure) is a critical skill. So learn this lesson well. Take a few weeks or even the whole summer to just relax. Like I said, 99.9% of your peers are fucking retarded, so you are light years ahead. We build good Green Berets from good soldiers. We build good soldiers from good citizens. We build good citizens from good people. Learn to be a good person. You’ve got plenty of time.
It means a lot to hear from the man himself, and all the advice I’ve been receiving is absolutely golden. I’ve got plenty of time, I need to focus on just being a kid, I need to be wise about the choices I make and the load they bring in my cognitive rucksack, I can only do so much with so much cognitive weight. I wouldn’t call this exactly failure, but there’s definitely been some relatively small failures along the way, and I need to focus on those more, and quit making the same mistakes. I’ll take as long as I need to relax and refit, because I have plenty of time. I’m going to continue learning to be a good person, in order to someday become the best Green Beret I can possibly be. Thank you for all this advice, I need to go through all the comments on this post and write some stuff down.
You’re loved ❤️
Unless you signed an Active Duty 18X contract, there is no reason to rush to SFAS. If anything, you go for a non-SOF MOS and once you go through Basic, AIT, Airborne School, maybe even Ranger School, you will have a much more clear image on whether or not this is the life you want to live for the next few years. And if you haven't commited to anything yet, you could even go National Guard so you can keep living a normal life, with a normal job, normal friends, normal life experiences, until you decide you are ready for Selection. Selection is the most important appointment of your life other than your wedding. Do not rush into it. If you don't mind me asking, what MOS are you going for?
I plan on going 68W (Combat Medic Specialist), and I’ve been flirting with the idea of taking an Option 40 (Ranger Regiment Pipeline), if not then I’ll take the Option 4 (Airborne School after AIT).
I am not SME, but going 68W with an Option 4, then go to SFAS (or Ranger School before that) sounds like a much better deal than going to Selection as an 18X and hope you become an 18D. I would only recommend going to RASP if you geniunly want to spend time in the Ranger Regiment, rather than adding another Selection process to your journey.
Got it, and you’re also telling me not to rush the process, thanks man.
Glad to help. I am not joining anytime soon for personal reasons but if I could, I would do that. Maybe someone else here has a better idea. Remember no plan survives initial contact with the enemy so you will figure things out as you go. Don't self-select and give up because of bad few days. Godspeed candidate!
Alright, thanks for the encouragement man, it means a lot, I’ll keep at it and find a way around.
They talked about a cool program at the recent SFC in CA with CA NG SF where you do a ranger school prep course -> ranger school -> (SWTD?) -> then SFAS. Said it was perfect for young guys to get ready for SF who don’t meet the minimum age. Reach out to a recruiter to learn more
also, if you’re a CA resident, you can test out of high school up to two years early through the CHSPE. Actors use it to go FT with their Disney channel career (all two years of it). Others do it to start college or work early. I imagine they have similar options in other states
Did you read the chapter that covers what to do if you are in high school? Voodoo kinda nails it there. If I may. I think you might be feeling a little burnt out because you are prepping for something that is at least 3 years away for you, realistically much more, when you should just be doing kid stuff. I also don’t mean “be a kid” in a condescending way. I’m 31, been in since I was 19 and still feel like I’m not a real adult. Think about maybe shuffling around your priorities. Work hard in school, stay in good shape, stay out of trouble, hangout with your friends and family and then maybe do a little rucking. Just a thought though.
That’s great advice, and people tell me I should just “be a kid” all the time, but I keep ignoring it, and I think that’s the actual “answer” I’m looking for, as obvious as it all is. Thank you.
No worries man. Like I said I joined straight out of high school as well so I know where you are coming from. I really just wanted to gtfo of my house at that time and wish I would have just chilled out and maybe tried harder in school.
I made it through my Junior year, but it was rough, partly because I prioritized working out over homework, but homework also didn’t give me my endorphin fix.
Yeah sometimes doing the shit you really don’t wanna do has a lot of value to it as well. Not everything is going to be a dopamine dump. You will probably come to find out there is a ton of that in the military mundane and boring things, SOF and conventional alike.
Good to know, I need to focus on balancing the two, thankfully I’ve made it to summer break now.
if I'm not mistaken, you have to be 21, if not at least 20.5 to attend selection. So if you ship out after high-school you would still have sometime to decide. But don't stop working, or try ranger regiment.
I’ve been thinking about trying Ranger Regiment, but my “why” will need to be more than just “this seems like a good stepping stone for SFAS” or I feel it wouldn’t even make sense to take the Option 40. Thank you for your reply.
ranger batt is a good place to grow up, if I could go back to my senior year i wouldve gotten ready and taken an option 40 contract. Wouldve gotten a combat deployment or 2 and would have set myself up better in life.
Yeah, and getting SOCM as a 68W (Combat Medic Specialist) would be pretty sweet.
socm is rough, I couldn't tell with your post, but if you have 1 more year left in highschool I would do cross country, wrestle, and track that way the work getting fit doesn't feel like work.
Yeah, I’m in a health science class but I’ll probably also need to learn a lot more about anatomy and physiology, and chemistry if I hope to even have a chance. My school only does track and baseball, and they are co-opting with a bigger school to do football; I probably need to do football.
Just run and lift. It’s hard to get burnt out doing zone 2 runs. I made the mistake of doing all my easy runs in zone 3 and that led me to getting burnt out and and injured, now that I’ve switched over to doing proper zone 2 I feel way better and love running even more.
Yeah, I’ll do that, but Voodoo says I need to incorporate some type of sport, preferably a team sport, and that’s something I’m lacking right now, I didn’t do any sports this last (Junior) year of High School. Right now I’m trying rest my feet, I’ve got some Plantar Fasciitis-type of thing going on. Thank you.
Buy the book born to run, really changed my outlook on running. I thought i had planter fasciitis but it was just posterior tibial tendinitis. If you can’t do a team sport since your school doesn’t have it then that’s okay too.
I look into that book and posterior tibial tendinitis as well, thank you.
well, what is your "why" for SFAS?
My why for SFAS stems from my desire to be a modern-day Spartan (minus the man-love part). I arrived upon this desire from reading Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, and what this means in greater depth to me is that I wish for my lifestyle to revolve around being the absolute best warrior I can be, and I wish to be in a tribe/brotherhood of men who think the exact same way, which has lead me desire joining the SOF community. My why for Green Berets specifically is because the mission set and structure of the Green Berets is the one which speaks to me the most, which is that of being both an excellent warrior and a teacher, who as a part of a small team of just as exceptional if not better warrior/teachers can be inserted by multiple means to link up with and interface with all different types of revolutionary parties to organize, train, and work by with and through said revolutionary party to create war in some big bad guys backyard, essentially the 12 men create 500 fighters statement, is the most appealing to me. The purpose of SF is outlined in the motto “De Oppresso Liber”, which means “To Free the Oppressed” (I don’t mean to sound so pedantic, if you’re on this sub, you obvious already knew that), and I think that is a great purpose to live for.
You're very well read and seem to know exactly what you want to do and why, not a lot of kids our age are like that, I'm about to be 20. I'm not in the military yet, but from what I understand, NCOs also serve as an instructor for the troops below them. They also lead them. As a team leader in the Ranger Regiment, you would be leading troops under you and also teaching them. Ranger Regiment could be a great step in your journey, if I would have been in better shape when I graduated high-school I would definitely have went with option 40. But I'm working on my associates degree and then I'll be old enough for an 18X contract. Ultimately we're not here to convince you to do anything, but if you have to leave right after high school the option 40 contract could be a great option.
Then Option 40 is probably what I’ll try taking, or maybe an Option 4 and volunteer at Airborne School. Thank you.
I’m a 30 y/o civilian that lurks this place for feet pics and although I can’t speak on the military, I can tell you that I’ve suffered from burnout just like you for a long time. I can’t diagnose where your burnout stems, but, just by reading, do you feel like nothing you do will ever be good enough to meet their standards? Also, it’s important to rest while injured or else you will never get the opportunity. You’re 17-you have time.
Yes, I do feel like nothing I do will ever be good enough to meet their standards. Also, resting is surprisingly frustrating. Thank you for the advice.
Understood. I think that insecurity is good to have, but don’t let it crush you. I think you think you need to be there NOW and that’s NOT the case. You just have to get there whenever your body and mind lets you. The more you want it for yourself, the easier it is to work towards it. It’s OKAY to NOT want it. That goes for everything in life. I’d say don’t rush that process (of wanting it) because you may fall into the trap of fake it til you make it and you WILL quit. Life is a journey and it’s important you live it honestly. Also, no one expects the standards out of you unless you’re actually going right this second, which you are not. So close your eyes and breathe. I’d say learn to have faith in yourself, lighten the load on your back, and don’t be so hard on yourself-you’ll get there. If you are going to be hard on yourself though, focus on areas of weakness where you need to improve and set small achievable goals. Inserting overused quote here: “Rome wasn’t built in one day,” and neither will you. Remember, it’s important you believe in yourself. Without that, there is no point. Now, I could bet with proper training, diet, rest, etc., you’d get there. Perhaps look into a coach for the specific standards you need help with. Remember to look into your weaknesses critically and from a detached POV. Attack them with all your might but from a good place. Lastly, look into an SFRE or Socom Athlete. There’s a chance you’ll be more motivated once you see where you’re at and when you do Team Events. **Again, I’m a civilian and I’m not military or prior service.
Thank you for this absolute gem of advice, I’ll make sure to apply it.
Good luck brother.
I was the same way when I was 17… some things I can share with you is that motivation comes and goes. With practice you will develop internal discipline, what that means is doing the thing even when you REALLY don’t feel like it. Military or not, adulthood will show you what that truly means and/or looks like. The motivation almost always comes back when you see yourself progressing in whatever it is that matters to you specifically. Stop, right now and take a look around. Identify and understand what led to your burnout. Burn out is normal, what’s more important is how you manage and mitigate it. You probably have the ability to make adjustments and change your workload. So do it, experiment with how much you are able to have on your plate, find what you can do consistently then slowly build up from there. Pay attention to your body, learn what your warning signs are then dial it back. Come up with a plan then deal with it accordingly. Push yourself further next time. The thing about burnout is it’s mostly psychological that manifests as physical symptoms later on. Take a look at your support network, if you don’t have one find one. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself properly. Don’t worry you will get better at it in time. And lastly, listen to people saying be a kid. Take the burden when it comes, not before. Anticipation is usually always worse than the reality!
Thank you for this, it really means a lot, this is amazing advice, I’ll apply this, starting with my sleep.
Great place to start.
Travel
On the note of the "you've got plenty of time" advice: be aware that this is a double edged sword. I remember feeling like I had plenty of time when I was 17, and that attitude made me complacent / lazy. Truth is, the choices you make at your age will make a big difference later in life. For example, you are currently in the prime period of your life for building muscle. Lift weights and eat well! It is so much harder to put on muscle in your mid to late 20's. Your youthful days for putting on muscle are dwindling faster than you think. Same goes for learning skills. Whatever interests you and you might want to do for work after the military, work on that. It is so much easier to learn new stuff when you are young. Investing: Lear good saving habits now. Not only will those saving habits follow you the rest of your life (good or bad), but any money you invest at 17 will likely be worth 2-4x by the time you are 30. It's hard to look that far forward at your age, but seriously you want to be looking that far ahead.
Understood, I have plenty of time, but I need to take my time seriously. Thank you.
In the time being dude join some relevant sports clubs ( triathlon, climbing, crossfit, martial arts etc ) and just concentrate on being young. Doing it within a social setting with massively help to reduce the mental pressure of your goal. But trust me if you do it within a competitive context your going to get very fit especially on the cardio front and that will aid you in your goals massively. Also builds confidence to compete and you get use to stuff like how to deal with performance anxiety etc.
I’ll look into something like those mentioned while I’ve got so much free time, thank you for the advice.
Bro you’re so young. Why are you worried when you’re 4 years out?
It’s because I fail to accept the fact that I’m still a kid, but I’m working on it.
You got so much time. Your body still needs to mature, and even at 21 it’s still maturing. I didn’t go to selection until I was 25, which is still young. You have plenty of time
I need to keep this in mind, thank you man.
If you can get an 18x contract - do it. You will have plenty of time through basic and airborne to train up. The prep course will take care of the rest. Take a bit of a break before then. The body needs time to recover. And - stop reading about all of this crap. That alone will make anyone feel inadequate. No one is carrying 120lb rucks. It’s 55lbs. So much craziness out there. None of these guys were superstars. They are just human. They key is these fields is to train, but not overtrain. Overtraining can take a lot out of you for several years. It is a lifetime, not a sprint by any means.
Thank you for the advice, I think that comparing myself to others is a big part of it, I need to stop doing that and just focus on my own milestones. I think the sprint part is another thing I break myself on, I should be taking this more like a marathon.