New Year Strategy 2022

A message about a New Year's Resolution. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jocko-podcast/exclusive-content

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Jocko Willink?

  So I get a lot of questions about the New Years and what I think about it. And what are my New Years resolutions and all that stuff?

• 0:16Jocko Willink?

  And I'm actually not the best at that kind of thing.

• 0:23Jocko Willink?

  Any of that kind of thing. I'm not great at birthdays or anniversaries or holidays, really. Because for me, and I think this is actually a fault. For me, these are just, just another day.

• 0:40Jocko Willink?

  That's the way I think about them is it's just another day.

• 0:45Jocko Willink?

  And I don't do anything special on these days because,

• 0:53Jocko Willink?

  well, because I think every day is special. Like every day is a gift.

• 0:58Jocko Willink?

  Every day.

• 1:02Jocko Willink?

  That being said, I do understand the idea.

• 1:07Jocko Willink?

  And I do think it is good to pause and take a breath and do assessments.

• 1:20Jocko Willink?

  And acknowledge what I've done right, what I've done wrong, where I've succeeded, where I've failed, what we can celebrate and what we can learn.

• 1:35Jocko Willink?

  What corrective measures we can take.

• 1:40Jocko Willink?

  So let's look at the New Year.

• 1:44Jocko Willink?

  What is the New Year's resolution? My wife used to ask me that question when we were younger.

• 1:52Jocko Willink?

  Before she really knew me, she'd say, "What's your New Year's resolution going to be, darling?"

• 1:59Jocko Willink?

  And I used to say the same thing every year. I'd say, "My New Year's resolution is I'm going to surf more and get better at jiu-jitsu."

• 2:07Jocko Willink?

  And it was funny because I was always trying to do that anyway. Every day I was trying to surf more and get better at jujitsu. So a new year's resolution wasn't going to change my habits. And to this day, I'm still trying to surf more and get better at jujitsu. And I think I always will be doing those things. So what do I think would be a good new year's resolution? When I do an assessment and look at my life,

• 2:45Jocko Willink?

  I think I have benefited the most from one thing that I do. And that is think strategic. Now, this is a, this is a military term. Strategic in the military means big picture. It means long term. Strategic in military terms is where you are going to end up. That's thinking strategic. And the opposite is tactical thinking. Tactical thinking, which again, in the military means short term thinking.

• 3:30Jocko Willink?

  It means, it means immediate action. It means what's happening right now. So, so there's a big difference. This is the differentiator for me is thinking long term versus thinking short term. And I believe that this thinking long term, this thinking strategic is one of the most, if not the most important concepts a person can consider in order to improve themselves and improve their lives. So, so.

• 4:13Jocko Willink?

  Here's some examples. Short-term thinking.

• 4:17Jocko Willink?

  Short-term thinking says, "The donut tastes good, eat it."

• 4:24Jocko Willink?

  Short-term thinking says, "One workout doesn't matter, I can skip it."

• 4:31Jocko Willink?

  Short-term tactical thinking is the part of your brain that says, "I should just finance this, this new car, or this new watch, or this new TV, or whatever else, instead of actually saving and paying cash for something that you can actually afford."

• 4:51Jocko Willink?

  Short-term thinking encourages you to make short-term emotional decisions that hurt you in the long run. And they definitely don't move you toward your overall strategic goals.

• 5:06Jocko Willink?

  The more short-term decisions you make,

• 5:11Jocko Willink?

  decisions that are based on that immediate gratification, decisions based on quick emotional satisfaction, and even based on involuntary chemical releases in your body, that dopamine hit,

• 5:28Jocko Willink?

  the further from the path you will stray.

• 5:34Jocko Willink?

  So, what I'm saying is, don't do that.

• 5:41Jocko Willink?

  Instead, think strategic, think long-term, act strategic. Take action that improves your long-term position and moves you toward your long-term goals. How do you do that? First, figure out where you want to go.

• 6:02Jocko Willink?

  Figure out who you want to be. Figure out what you are trying to do with your life. Write them down.

• 6:11Jocko Willink?

  What are you, what are you saving for? What are you working toward? What kind of physical condition do you want to be in? What kind of relationships do you want to have? What skills are you trying to develop?

• 6:29Jocko Willink?

  And just like any leader,

• 6:34Jocko Willink?

  you have to explain to yourself

• 6:39Jocko Willink?

  the why.

• 6:41Jocko Willink?

  Why do you want to save money?

• 6:44Jocko Willink?

  Why do you want to be in that physical condition? Why do you want those relationships? Or why do you want those skills?

• 6:54Jocko Willink?

  You are your own leader. Give yourself the mission and explain the why behind those goals. Write those things down in simple, clear, concise language. Read it before you go to bed. Read it when you wake up. Read it every day until it is embedded in your brain, consciously and subconsciously.

• 7:19Jocko Willink?

  And once you've written those things down, now with all this talk about strategic thinking, also know this, you need tactical wins.

• 7:34Jocko Willink?

  You need to win battles in order to win the war. You need to get out of bed. You need to run. You need to work out. You need to read and study and practice. And you need to do things that you don't necessarily want to do.

• 7:49Jocko Willink?

  And I know that can be hard. That's why people lose the war. That's why people never achieve their strategic goals. They lose the little tactical battles. The death of a thousand cuts.

• 8:06Jocko Willink?

  One missed workout at a time.

• 8:09Jocko Willink?

  One donut bypasses security. And then another. And then another. And it all adds up. Why? Because we don't think about the big picture. We don't see the decay from altitude. We don't see it from an elevated position. We are like the frog boiling in the pot as the temperature slowly increases one degree at a time.

• 8:40Jocko Willink?

  One degree at a time. One degree closer to death. One degree closer to failure.

• 8:50Jocko Willink?

  That is why to win tactically, we have to think strategic all the time.

• 8:58Jocko Willink?

  Think strategic all the time. Now that you know what you're trying to achieve, ask yourself this question. Ask yourself this question before any action or any inaction.

• 9:12Jocko Willink?

  Ask yourself this question. What I am doing? What I am about to do? Is it going to help me get where I am going? Is this action going to make me stronger or weaker? Is this action going to make me smarter or more skilled? Will this action move me toward the strategic, long-term goals I am trying to achieve in my life?

• 9:41Jocko Willink?

  And do not lie to yourself.

• 9:44Jocko Willink?

  Don't, don't, don't rationalize, don't negotiate.

• 9:51Jocko Willink?

  You, you have to tell yourself the truth.

• 9:58Jocko Willink?

  That is where discipline comes from.

• 10:01Jocko Willink?

  Discipline is rooted in the truth we tell ourselves and discipline delivers long-term strategic success.

• 10:13Jocko Willink?

  Am I a, am I a disciplined person? Sure.

• 10:18Jocko Willink?

  But that discipline is there because I know and understand my long-term goals and I know why those goals are important.

• 10:29Jocko Willink?

  I think strategic. Strategic thought is disciplined thought. Strategic thought allows you to make the right tactical actions to move you forward to achieve your goals.

• 10:46Jocko Willink?

  To be who you want to be and do what you want to do.

• 10:56Jocko Willink?

  So for 2022 and for life,

• 11:06Jocko Willink?

  think strategic.

• 11:09Jocko Willink?

  Know why you are doing what you are doing.

• 11:15Jocko Willink?

  And then get out there every day.

• 11:19Jocko Willink?

  And win those small tactical, short-term battles. So you can win the strategic, long-term victory. That puts you where you want to be and it's not going to be easy.

• 11:36Jocko Willink?

  The fight, the daily fight is a challenge.

• 11:41Jocko Willink?

  You will not always want to do what you need to do. You will not always feel like doing something you need to do. You may not want to fight that battle, but you need to.

• 11:58Jocko Willink?

  You need to, you need to know your strategic goals and you need to know why they are important. And then you need to get up.

• 12:07Jocko Willink?

  Get out of your damn bed, get off your phone, get out of the soft and addictive comfort zone. That weakens you. And destroys your goals.

• 12:22Jocko Willink?

  And you need to go out there into the world.

• 12:26Jocko Willink?

  And get after it.

• 12:30Jocko Willink?

  Have a good 2022. And I will see you on the path.