One of the most neglected sources of Wisdom is the soldiers of the last 20 years that were actively involved in combat. All men who were in combat arms fighting on the front lines have a unique experience and wisdom. The men I like to follow and study are the men from the Special Operations community. The men from the elite units like the Green Berets,75th Ranger Regiment, Navy Seals,British Special Air Service etc. I think it’s a tragedy that most people don’t tap into the wisdom of these men who share a lot of it on their podcasts and books. The knowledge and wisdom they gathered fighting on the tip of the spear are priceless. Whether you agree with the wars or not is irrelevant, you can learn from them. There is a unique insight into life and operating on the highest levels of special operations that can add value to anyone’s life.  It’s very strange to me that people only study ancient warrior cultures, like the Spartans and Samurai but forget about the modern special operations warfighters with a vast wealth of experience that you can tap into and use in your own life. A while ago, I was listening to a podcast with an ex-Green Beret, and he asked the following question: “Why is it that men from the most elite units go out on operations night after night and always come out on top with minimal casualties? His answer?  He went on to say that it’s because of the culture, the systems, the knowledge, the standards, and consistent training at a high level that normalizes excellence.  He said when a helicopter puts them down in a crazy hostile environment that seems chaotic to the casual observer, people would assume that it’s highly dangerous for them.  He said that when you operate on that high a level, you don’t need to be part of that problem.  And when you operate at that high a level, things become predictable and simple.  When you operate in a culture of excellence, you operate on a level where you don’t need to be part of the problems most people encounter.  He ended the conversation by saying that anybody can use this mindset in their lives and create this type of culture in their own lives.  You don’t need to be a soldier to create a culture of excellence in your own life.  You can build a culture that is on such a high level that you avoid most obstacles that most people have to deal with every day. But the key to this culture is that it can’t just be a hobby,it must be a lifestyle. This brings me to the idea of becoming the ” Operator” of your own life. Be A Professional Operator Of Your Life. Don’t be a one trick pony.Be versatile and multi-dimensional. The idea of the professional comes from the ideal of being an excellent individual. In other words,being above average. Being a man operates on a whole different level than the average man. Firstly for himself. And secondly to be an asset for the people he cares about;people like your girlfriend/wife,and family. But also being a force for good in your community and the world as a whole. In other words,being a sheepdog in your community. Beings someone that adds value in any environment he walks into. You should be a value add, not a value take. See yourself as a “Operator” in the modern world of mediocrity we live in. The Military term “Operator” The operators from special operations forces are highly respected in the civilian world and have earned a special title among their peers – they are known as “Operators”. In this context, an “Operator” is a special term used to refer to those outstanding men serving in elite units such as the Green Berets or Navy Seals.  These operators exemplify the highest levels of skill, experience, and knowledge, making them invaluable members of their special operations units.  They take great pride in both what they do and who they are and understand better than most that the responsibilities they shoulder come with unique risks, challenges, and rewards. The idea of a special operator is that each of these men individually has been built up by the government to create super soldiers. In other words,the government invested millions of dollars in each man. They get the best possible training the military can give them. These men can take up to 2 years to earn a spot in a Special Operations Unit. The point of this investment is to create indvidual soldiers that are a value add in any situation. Compare these men to the average soldier.The average soldier gets 13 weeks of basic training. So they are average in a military context.Good men,but average. Now I get it,we are not in the military and we are not in Special Operations Units. However you can model these men in the sense that you can build a high level of excellence in everything you do,so that you can operate on a high level in this mediocre world we live in. You can do everything in your ability to build up your value. Read books,do training courses, and whatever else you can do to build up your value and become a high value man. It’s the former Navy Seal David Goggins that made the point that it’s now ridiculously easy to be successful because most people just quit. The first sign of resistance and most will give up. In the modern world,most men have given themselves over to mediocrity and the word excellence is almost foreign to them. They have forgotten what it means to be a man of value. And that is what this book is about,it’s about 10x your value. You want to be operating at such a high level that in any room you walk into you are a massive value add. We live in a world where people just want to take and not give first. This is in all areas of life. In relationships with women attraction is about adding value,not taking value. In business it’s about adding value not taking. Being a valuable member of your family is about adding value not taking it. All other areas of life are the same. But now the question is how much value do you bring to the table? And this is what this book is about. We will cover the main areas of life that you must master,but in this chapter we want to look at fundamentals as a man and why you should be more than “just a man”. Enter the high value operator. You must build a skill set that the average man does not have. Now you are probably saying: “But John, that sounds like a lot of work!” And my answer to that is yes,for some it will take more work than others,depending on how advanced your development is. And it’s not about age. There are a lot of men out there today who are 20,25, 35, 55 or 65 who are mediocre men who bring very little value to the table. If a fire breaks out in their building they would probably run and just get themselves to safety. Or even worse they don’t have the physical strength to kick a door down and carry their partner or children to safety. If you are in this category then you have a lot of work to do. If you are a little above average then you have a lot of development to do. But like I mentioned before ,it won’t take much to elevate yourself above average in this mediocre ,soft world we live in. And also don’t fool yourself thinking that the world we live in is safe. It’s not,it’s safe at times but as we all witnessed the last few years that things change quickly and you need to be able to think independently and operate on a high level. This goes for all areas of life. But first things first. There are certain skills every man should know,at least at a basic level. You don’t have to be the best in the world in these skills but at least be competent and you will have more than most. Basic skills: Good communication (Learn by talking to people where there is no pressure on you,for example start conversations at the store,at Jiu-Jitsu,at work etc.)    Make a fire(with a lighter,dont worry about rubbing sticks together)   Deadlift (aim for good form and build up a basic level of strength)   Squat (aim for good form and build up a basic level of strength)   Pull up (At least 6 pull-ups using an overhand grip.)   Sit ups (At least 80 continuous sit-ups within 2 minutes)   Push Ups(At least 60 continuous press-ups within 2 minutes)   Fireman’s carry (practice with another human in a park or get a punching bag and carry it around)   Run 3 Miles(At least 12 minutes 30 seconds for 1.5 miles, but work towards a goal of 10 minutes 30 seconds for 1.5 miles.)   Swim 100 meters (If you can’t swim,then take lessons,you must have basic skills in water.                               I could have added another 50 things to this list but I decided to keep it basic and simple to learn. Some of you might read this list and ask why we should learn these skills. But let me tell you a quick story about how one of these skills created instant success with a woman. Turning Skill Into Game A few years ago I was in Japan and I met a woman for coffee. This was the first time we met and we had a cup of coffee and I walked her to her car. As we got to her car she noticed she had a flat tire. Her mood immediately dropped and she started panicking and wasn’t sure who to call and what to do. I told her “Don’t worry ,I will fix it.” So I went into the car,opened the trunk and checked if she had a spare wheel that was good to use. When I said I would fix it she seemed like she didn’t understand what I meant. So she watched me take out the wheel and then the tools that she didn’t even know were in her car. I then quickly changed the wheel which for me was no big deal. When I was done she looked at me like I was some kind of superhero. She was so impressed that she invited me to drink more coffee at her home. Let’s just say that “coffee” ended up with me leaving the next morning. The point is to never underestimate the shortcomings of the average modern man. She later told me that the men she knows can’t do that. I guess there is something in a man that can change wheels and use tools. This is a simple example of what value in terms of a basic skill can do for you. I don’t care what your age is,you need to be able to do certain basic things as a man. On the streets nobody cares about your age or injuries,you are either competent or you lose. That’s the reality of the world. I’m not looking at more complex ideas in this chapter,we will do that in more detail in the following chapters. Basic Skills You Must Have Remember the whole idea of being a Professional is to operate at a high level and that means you must become so valuable as one human being that people naturally gravitate towards you. This will not happen overnight ,you need to create yourself and build your value. But like I mentioned before, most men won’t even think about working on themselves,so differentiating yourself from them will not be hard. But what will be hard is setting extremely high standards for yourself and maintaining them. And don’t overwhelm yourself. Just work on the basics and build on top of that. Conclusion  The more you discipline yourself, the easier it will get and the more confident you will become. If you are just starting with this process, be patient. Your mind is conditioned to act in a certain way after years of being out of control. Therefore it will take time to get control. So when you make a mistake, just try the next time again until it gets better. Make it a consistent practice until it becomes part of who you are.