Be A Grinder | Yesterday Was Easy - Episode 09

Apologia Studios

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You gotta do what you gotta do, and when you're done, you'll be stronger. Welcome to Yesterday Was Easy.

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That quote was from legendary Navy SEAL and DevGuru operator Adam Brown, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on March 18, 2010, ultimately sacrificing his own life in order to preserve the lives of his fellow teammates.

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Not only was Adam notoriously fearless, but he was also a Christian. The legacy he left was tremendous, one that I know carries on 23 years later.

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If you want to know more about this real -life hero and selfless warrior, I highly recommend an incredibly well -written biography of Adam's life titled

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Fearless, written by Eric Blem. I do not intend to dive deep into Adam's life in this episode, but to use him as a perfect example of a godly man, who was a faithful and loving husband and father, who understood sacrifice and someone who persevered through some significant trials.

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Adam didn't just wake up one day a legendary SEAL. What made him legendary was his ability and desire to overcome obstacles, obstacles that would make most of us quit at the mere sight of.

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Not only did he lose vision in his dominant eye, but he also had to learn to shoot with his non -dominant hand and still become a

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SEAL sniper after the fact. This is virtually impossible, has never been done before, and probably will never be done again.

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Not only did Adam Brown have the testicular fortitude to embrace the suck, he also had to overcome it.

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He had the resolve to set his face like Flint and do what he had to do to conquer whatever obstacle he encountered.

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And in the end, it only made him stronger. When he gave up his own life for the lives of his teammates, he did what was needed to be done, sacrificing the one in order to preserve the many.

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Adam lived out Christ's very words in John 17, 12 -13, which say, This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

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Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. Chief Petty Officer Adam Brown rightly understood what sacrificial love looked like and died living it out to the fullest.

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There is a concrete and asphalt pad at the Bud's Training Center in Coronado, California.

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Affectionately referred to as the Grinder. This is the place where men entering into SEAL training do their calisthenic workouts.

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It is surrounded by pull -up and dip bars, instructors, and training and commanding officers offices.

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It is impossible to avoid being watched and scrutinized while on the grinder. This grueling workout was designed to holistically test a man.

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It doesn't simply push you physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Its goal is to grind you up and spit you out, never relenting from pushing you well past what you thought were your limits.

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Only those with the proper mindset to survive the grinder. This grueling workout was designed to holistically test a man.

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It doesn't simply push you physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Its goal is to grind you up and spit you out, never relenting from pushing you well past what you thought were your limits.

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Only those with the proper mindset will survive the grinder. Only those with a never give up, never give in mentality make it to the end.

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Only those who are willing to do what you gotta do to pass this test end up finishing, and when they do, just as Adam Brown said, end up being stronger.

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They are willing to grind and be ground up. They themselves are Grinder. Merriam -Webster defines a grinder as an athlete who succeeds through hard work and determination rather than exceptional skill.

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This is also true of the seals in training who grind away and pass that initial phase of the budge training.

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Now of course these men go on to become some of the most highly skilled warriors the world has ever seen, but the point is that they have the mindset to succeed simply through hard work and determination.

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This is the required mindset to be a grinder. I fear that far too many of the men in our culture, and especially in the church, even have the desire, let alone this mindset, for anything at all in their lives.

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Instead of being willing to grind to be better husbands, fathers, employees, and Christ followers, they wilt at the sight of pressure.

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They give in the moment things get difficult. Instead of taking the path that makes them stronger, they look for the path of least resistance.

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They are experts at finding the easy way and excel at making excuses and foregoing responsibility.

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The only thing they are willing to grind is coffee beans or some stank weed. Retired Navy Seal and motivational speaker

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David Goggins has been quoted as saying, I don't stop when I'm tired, I stop when

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I'm done. David has his own incredible story, which I will not dive into today, but one that allows him to make a statement like that.

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The point is this, being tired, in most instances, is never an acceptable excuse for not finishing a task.

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It's simply an excuse, and we need to bury our excuses. A grinder does not stop because he is tired.

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A grinder pushes through the exhaustion until he has done what needs to be done. A task is complete when the job is finished, not when you no longer feel like working.

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This discussion does not confine simply to physical tasks either, like working out or demoing a concrete block wall.

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It can also apply to spending time with your kids, leading your household and family worship, reading the word, attending regular worship, completing work for your employer, or even taking your wife out on a date.

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This is what I refer to as the Puritan work ethic. To be totally honest, it is really nothing more than a biblical work ethic, but the

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Puritans often get credited for living it out. This way of life emphasizes hard work, diligence, and discipline.

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I am grateful to God that this mindset was passed down to me from both sides of my family, as it has shaped and molded me into the man that I am today.

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I don't know anything different. Laziness is literally physically uncomfortable for me. I consistently ask

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God to allow me to pass this same lifestyle down to my own children, and especially to my son. I have seen far too many young men fail to grasp this concept, even men that cherish

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Puritan theology. This is to the shame of their fathers, who either weren't around, didn't model this for them, or maybe even made excuses for them, allowing them to perpetually suckle from the teat of their own hard work and provision.

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The result is a generation of men who are allergic to hard work. Men who are never able to shake adolescence.

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Men who excel at taking the easy way out. Men who ultimately further the decline of our culture.

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Men who are incapable of doing what you gotta do to even survive on their own, let alone be responsible for other human beings.

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Lastly, another retired SEAL, podcaster and author Jocko Willink once said,

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It's the grind that sharpens the axe. If you want to not only be sharp, but also stay sharp, you have to be willing to grind.