LEADERSHIP

144 • LEADERSHIP
Adventures test one’s mettle in many ways—emotional, intellectual,
physical, and more. And for most of us, learning to
have faith in oneself is the greatest challenge of all. Can you
imagine what you might attempt—and accomplish—if you
believed you would not fail? Few among us go forth unencumbered,
bearing no self-doubt, having no difficulty making
decisions, able to confidently embark on a course of action.
Most of us hesitate, procrastinate, hiding and waiting … second
guessing, fretting, and stewing over options. We observe
others’ grand achievements and we naturally wonder, “What
good fortune brings them success? Is there a secret?” You
know the answer: audere est fucare—to dare is to do.
Ten years after the rooftop adventure, I sat on a bus among
80 young men, all awaiting the unknown. We were frozen in
place—sitting silently, at attention, with only an occasional
cough punctuating the stillness. Just outside my window a
poorly lit archway beckoned. Large block letters underscored
the business at hand: MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT
SAN DIEGO, CA. It might as well have born an inscription
from Dante’s Inferno, ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO EN-
TER HERE! We weren’t there for the surfing.
About midnight—long after sitting had become painful and
bladders threatened disaster—Senior Drill Instructor Stelling
entered the bus and with three staccato blasts, louder than any
human could possibly create, contemplations ended—
transformations began.
“GET OFF MY BUS!”
“FALL IN ON THE YELLOW FOOTPRINTS!”