There's a big difference between passing the test and doing the job.

I remember watching the Green Berets going into Afghanistan in the weeks after 9/11 and wishing so badly that I could be there with them...and not in the motor pool. As a 2LT, I pestered the SF recruiters about submitting my packet. They were nice, but basically said, "slow down skippy, you've still got some work to do." They were right.

As a Scout PL in Baghdad, I had the privilege of working with some studs from 5th SFG, and the deal was sealed. If I was ever going back to war, I wanted to do it with these guys.

A few weeks after getting home from Iraq, I went off to SF Selection and Assessment. While there, I felt something in me shift. At a point, my burning competitive desire to "pass the test" gave way to something bigger. I no longer wanted to get selected for the Q-Course, I NEEDED to be a Green Beret.

One early morning while we were waiting for the chow hall to open up - tired, sore, and dreading another day's worth of abuse, we were told to "MAKE WAY!" by an instructor. We all moved over so that a group of truly haggard looking students could go to the front of the line. They were recently "liberated" SERE school grads, and I remember thinking "Damn, those dudes look wrecked." Then I thought, "Shit, I'm wrecked and if I think they're in rough shape, that course must be brutal."

It was in that moment I realized that the completion of every training evolution is just a new starting line. I realized that difficult courses weren't about accomplishment, but preparation. In the years since, I've told every aspiring Green Beret that the key to passing Selection is simple - understand the work of an SF solider and if you NEED to do that work, you'll be fine. If you're looking to prove something to yourself or others, or if you just love a good challenge, you're probably wasting your time.

Same could be said for most of life's important decisions. Whether you want to be an entrepreneur or a CEO or even a parent, earning the title is the easy part. Doing the job is the real work.