4 Lessons a Marine Sniper Can Teach You About Goal-Setting and Relaxation in The Midst of Stressful Situations (Part 1 of 2)

This article was inspired by the hit TV program, Shooter (AFF). I am sure many of you have seen the movie, and even though the movie was good, I would highly recommend you start watching the TV series if you have not already done so.?

Now, I know what you may be thinking, “What can a Marine Sniper tell me about goal-setting?” Believe me, I can see where you are coming from with this thought. You see, the idea of goal-setting and a Marine Sniper do seem pretty disconnected from each other. However, the truth is, they are really not disconnected at all.

I am sure you can see how the part about “relaxation in the midst of stressful situations” can be beneficial to you as a business owner and entrepreneur. With that in mind, I have found four lessons that have helped me immensely when it comes to writing and running my business. They are:

1. Account for the Wind
2. Identify the Weight of the Bullet
3. Line Up Your Sites and Focus on Your Target
4. Don’t Forget About Your Breathing.?

Account for the Wind

Before any Marine Sniper takes his/her shot, they first determine the speed and direction of the wind. You see, the wind is an outside force that you have no control over. The only thing that you can do is recognize it for what it is and make adjustments where needed as it comes.

You see, in business and in entrepreneurship, obstacles are going to come. They are inevitable. The obstacles are what I call the Wind Factor. What we can learn from the Marine Sniper is this: Take Account for the Wind. Determine where the obstacle is going to come from (the direction) and how hard it is coming when it hits (the speed).

You can’t change the wind and you can’t change the season. All you can do is prepare for it. Consider the wisdom Joseph had in the Bible when he helped prepare Egypt for the seven years of plenty so that they would be ready for the seven years of famine.

I am sure you have heard people say that you should “brace for impact” if you find yourself about to be in a wreck or crash. Well, take it from someone who has been in a few car wrecks, that is some of the worst advice you can ever get. You see, the truth is: you shouldn’t “brace for impact”, what you should do is loosen up and be ready to go with the flow (or roll with the flow).

You see, when you “brace yourself for impact” what you naturally do becomes solid or stiff, and this is the worst thing you can do when about to enter a crash or wreck. But when you loosen up and prepare yourself to ride with the rolls (in the direction of the wind) you are able to walk away from these hard times without a scratch or a bruise on you. Take it from someone who has gone through and experienced this kind of thing firsthand.

Related Article:?The Right Way to Approach Obstacles in 2017

Identify the Weight of the Bullet

The next lesson that you can learn from the Marine Sniper is to identify the weight of your bullet. You see, knowing the weight of your bullet, and identifying the direction of your target (which we will get into part 2 of this series), will determine how high, how low, or how wide you would need to aim in order to make certain that your bullet hits your target dead on.

You see, once you know how fast and in what direction the wind is blowing, and you know how heavy the weight of your bullet is, you are able to make these kinds of judgment calls and mental calculations when you enter into the actual preparation of taking the shot.?

What you have to understand about a sniper refile is this: they generally project bullets at the same velocity as any general-purpose firearm, however, they often use projectiles that are very aerodynamic and contain high ballistic coefficients.

Now, your average sniper weight bullet typically travels between 800 and 1,000 m/s (2,600 and 3,400 feet per second) at the moment the bullet leaves the rifle’s barrel. Now, taking into account the Wind Factor (the wind direction and speed that we spoke about earlier), the bullet slows down considerably due to the friction the air or wind brings in over a distance or period of time.

Any Marine Sniper will tell you that the distance a bullet will travel is determined by the shape, the weight, the launch velocity, and the angle of the projectile, which is known as the study of external ballistics.

Now, how does this relate to your business? The weight of the bullet represents the size and importance of the goal or target. You see, the higher importance of the target and the wider distance there is to make the shot will require the important lesson of identifying the weight and shape of the bullet.?

In other words, in order to hit your target or achieve your goal with ease, you will have to know the importance of the goal, and whether or not it is a long-term or short-term goal. With this information in mind, you would then be able to know which “bullet” you will need to use. -- how heavy it needs to be, and the shape it needs to be.

The weight of the bullet, in this case, represents how much action will be necessary to achieve your goal. The shape of the bullet represents the size of the team necessary to achieve the goal that you have set. If the goal is long-term then the size of the team will not necessarily need to be as big, if the goal is short-term, then more team members need to be added to achieve the goal.?

Remember this: a Marine Sniper never goes into action alone. There is always a spotter with him/her. A partner, if you will. The two of them are a team, an elite military unit.

Well, that is enough for now. We will cover part 2 of this series tomorrow. Stay tuned.

If you are liking this series so far, and are getting value out of this, I would just ask that share your thoughts in the comments below (and don't forget to pass this on to anyone you think might benefit from it).

To learn more about business, growth, and leadership connect with me on?LinkedIn.

Until next time,

Be Great, Nothing Else Pays!