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"Embrace the Suck”! Say what? What did you say? Did I hear you right? You may have no idea what that means. But a Marine, Navy Seal or Army Ranger understands perfectly what it means, and we all can learn from this phrase.
The phrase “Embrace the Suck” is used to motivate soldiers to ignore the pain and discomfort of the moment and not just come to terms with it … but relish it, deal with it, handle the misery … so when things SUCK, they know they’ll conquer the problem facing them.
Some of you may be wondering what a military saying has to do with our business and personal lives. How about EVERYTHING! Our journey in life comes with many unexpected problems and issues that must be dealt with: Bad health, lack of money, sucky job or boss, weather (storms), inflation, shortages, Covid-19, and divorce issues … to name a few.
A recent example: Hurricane Ian. Thousands of families are dealing with the horrific aftermath of destruction. Some people will give-up and quit under the stress and hardship, while others will “Embrace the Suck” and rebuild.
I remember the day our son, Tyler, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at nine years old. He/we hadn’t done anything wrong. We didn’t cause it. But there it was staring us in the face; a lifetime illness – with no cure. I can’t say I am fond of the phrase, “It is what it is,” but in this case, it fit. We could either “Embrace the Suck” or not. It’s a choice. We can either shut down or rise-up to meet the challenges? We can complain, whine, talk about how unfair this is … or motivate ourselves and others to push forward? We chose the latter. Years later, Tyler would say, “At least I have a disease that I can control.” He fully “Embraced the Suck” and is winning the fight.
Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing at 19 months and went on to an extraordinary life of accomplishments (American author – 14 books, disability rights advocate, political activist, lecturer and is in the Alabama Woman’s Hall of Fame) once said: “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”
Successful people “EMBRACE THE SUCK”!