good

Jocko Willink has a simple way of dealing well with failures, setbacks and roadblocks. Whenever he faces a challenge and/or gets unexpected news, his response is the same as usual: “Good’. That’s wise and something that we all can learn from. When asked specifically about his response by a junior subordinate, he replied, “Well. I mean it. Because that is how I operate.” He further elaborates, “And that is how I feel. When things are going bad, there’s going to be some good that is going to come from it…”

I encourage you to read his full ‘Good’ transcript here.

We all know how dark and challenging times can be immensely difficult to deal with it. But practicing the ‘Good’ mindset — when things don’t work out, we have better things in store for us — can be an effective and enriching way to get past them.

In the Hindi language, the common response that people give, when they hear some news or revelation, or simply want to acknowledge something is ‘Achcha’, which means ‘Good’. Sure the tone varies based on the news, which can be either pleasant or unpleasant, but the word remains the same. I’m clueless about its origin but it may have similar sentiments behind this usage.

The word ‘Good’ basically translates to the fact that you have accepted the challenge that is in front of you, and now you have a mission to work on — focusing on finding a solution and transforming this obstacle into an opportunity.

It’s your response to life that wants you to get up and fight. Life has given its blow and it’s your turn now to recalibrate, re-adjust your strategy, re-engage and attack it with all that you’ve got.

It’s a reminder that you’re still alive, breathing and still have the fight within you. It’s a reminder that you are a warrior, not a spectator, in the arena of this world. It’s a reminder that no matter what happens, you need to keep your eyes ahead. As the character Rocky Balboa says, “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”