The Battle of Belleau Wood brings up another great bit of Marine Corps lore. Due to the manner in which we fought the German forces there and killed them by the thousands they gave us a nickname. Teufelhunde. Devil Dog. Marines have taken that name to heart and proudly use it in everyday conversation. It is often shouted at Marines while engaging in various levels of physical activity in order to properly motivate them to finish. We love it.
It is recognition like this that has shaped us into the finest fighting force on the face of the Earth. It goads us on and gives us high standards to live up to. You should adopt this attitude as well. You see, I discovered that most of getting through life is about proper attitude. Problems and challenges that arise are handled best when you have an attitude that assumes victory. This happens to me all the time; something in life or work goes pear shaped and I am confident that at the end of the day everything will be fine. When you expect victory, everything just rolls along as it should towards an inevitable conclusion. The actual process is all just a bunch of details that remain to be worked out.
You can do this too. The basics of thought have all been revealed in these articles and they can be applied to most circumstances in your life as well. In the coming weeks we'll get into the basics of action. But before you can act as a Marine, you have to think like one. Be a warrior. Stick to core values. Accept the nature of life. Assume victory.
Be a Devil Dog.
