"Don't you give up!"

"Don't you give up! Don't you quit on me!"

The sun wasn't even up yet. It was cold and wet in the dead winter in Fort Leonard Wood, MO in 2004. I had just graduated high school the year prior and was 19 years old. I grew up in the deserts of Texas. Missouri's winter air was the coldest I'd ever experienced at that point in my life. It was my first physical training session in basic training.

"You've got no heart, Conley!"

I was falling behind my group on our run. I was a weight lifter, not a runner! I was gasping for air and my legs didn't seem to work right.

"Dig deep. Don't let your battle buddies down! They're depending on you!"

That was the motivation I needed. Somehow, I found the energy to catch up to the group. Drill Sergeant began singing cadence again. That man could sing! Motivated, the group echoed each line as loud as we could. Our steps and arms were in sync. We were moving as a single unit. We were a team.

It was my first lesson in perseverance. It was a lesson in crashing through a quitting point. Was quitting an option? Sure it was. I could've let my team down. I didn't want that for them or for me, though! The end result? Day after day, I pushed through quitting points in physical training, in mental exhaustion, and emotional exhaustion. I graduated basic and advanced individual training with distinguished honors.

Who's depending on you? Your wife? Your kids? Your co-workers? All of the above and then some... Adversity is an inevitability. Learn to embrace it. Adversity brings with it opportunities to learn, to grow, to improve. Don't quit! Crash through quitting points - keep going!

“Friends, it’s not about the goal or the dream you have. It’s about who you become on your way to that goal.” - Rachel Hollis