Quit Whining
We all whine and complain at some point and is someways we actually need to, to decompress, but what matters is when.
In the Marines, fake motivation is strongly encouraged. There is a very good reason for this.
When people whine and complain it tanks morale and makes everybody feel worse and it solidifies there own resolve for the situation being crappy. Words give those feelings power.
Why? I don’t know. But, not only have I seen this first hand too many times to count, but this has been well established across hundreds, if not thousands of years of military history.
This is also why humor is key cornerstone in the Royal Marines.
But, here’s the thing, faking it until you make it, eventually makes you make it. Whether that’s faking the humor in something or faking your motivation.
So, here is a good rule to follow, don’t whine and complain in the moment. Find a way to laugh about it and find a way to minimize it, and you will quickly realize how much easier the task at hand is.
Then go home and cry into your pillow… kidding. On a serious note, it’s okay to talk about what’s hard, just not during the high stress at hand. (i.e. not during the 12-mile run, but after when you’re puking on hill).