Land Navigation is probably one of the hardest skills for an Military Officer to learn and retain. The US spends 4 years training an officer, for just about all of the branches; a lot of leadership, small unit tactics, and a handful of other basic soldiering skills. Sure there are programs that can go shorter or longer but for the most part it is 4 years. The Cadet’s abilities will vary wildly based on what program and school they come from. ROTC vs West Point vs OCS; even what university if you are ROTC can matter. Even still it usually comes down to the individual.

Still there is one skill that all cadets had trouble with. Land Navigation. I never saw an exception unless that cadet had been prior service and land nav as part of his MOS. Now I don’t mean with GPS, I mean with a magnetic compass, paper map, and your pace measured out so you knew how far one step carried you. The final test would see a cadet given 5 points. All over a distance of maybe 10 miles, some points would be closer to each other than others, but you had 6 hours to complete the course.

Some would measure out both a running and walking pass count, that way they could run when they wanted. Pretty smart. It seems simple, get your azimuth, distance, and direction. Then go. Only it’s not that easy unless you’ve done it for years. See when you walk over distance you naturally drift to your dominate side. The counter to this you would be told to take a knee, recheck your azimuth every 30-40 pace counts. So yeah you had to be keeping track. This would help to make sure you are still headed towards the point. This even effected you if you walked around an obstacle such as a tree, rock, ditch, or fence. The counter here was to go left on one then right on the other. Still you had to stop and take an azimuth.

All that said it was still easy to be 30- 50 meters off your desired location. You have to really work at it. I mean you have to hump your ass off. Through all sorts of terrain.

What are you checking your azimuth against?

Swallowing the Red Pill is not an easy proposition. It tears a man down. Along comes someone who says, “I can help you. I can give you what you need.” This persuader appeals to our missing needs and because it’s a vulnerable moment for an unplugging man, it’s very easy to sell, to persuade. The problem is people too often look for someone else to solve their problems. These people are not just looking for hope. They are not just looking for examples, but for someone who knows. Someone who has the iChing. Who has solved the problem.

Rule Zero is true north. It’s a key component that cannot be forgotten. At it’s core the focus is on you. What you want and need. It places the man at the center of his world and it’s jarring because that is not what you were taught. Not what you were told would get you any where.

Get married or stay married. Plate women, get jacked, get wealthy. Doesn’t matter. These things don’t make a man. They are things to do that are easy to change. Things that help you get in a new mindset and break the blue pill mold. You can be all these things and still not live life on your terms. What are you setting your azimuth against here?

Stay focused on the larger picture. Be careful of the dangers of creating gurus, because when you create a guru you’re saying that this person is above me and it’s very easy then to become a worshiper rather than a student.

This was never about her. Them. That other guy.

It has always been about your self respect. Your boundaries and knowing what you will and will not put up with. Then holding to them.

This has always been about you.

Along the way make sure to a Take knee and check your azimuth.