Rhys Dowden's Operator Edge

They yelled at us to get into bed quickly. We were made to take off our boots and get into our sleeping bags. It was 11.40pm during week 3 of my Commando selection course and I had a sneaking suspicion the night was not over.

20 minutes later the screaming commenced. We were ordered out of our beds, to dress in battle PT equipment and to form up on the road just outside of the tents we were ‘sleeping’ in.

I always thought I knew what self-discipline was and how to employ it. After all, the concept is quite easy, right?

You have a task to do, you really don’t want to do that task, but you make yourself do it anyway.

Or…

I was helping a mate out a while back on an executive protection security job. Now, when I say ‘helping’, I certainly didn’t do it out of the kindness of my heart… I was well paid.

This saying is synonymous with fitness facilities, martial arts studios and, in particular, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) clubs. It’s a great saying and great advice, but reading it is one thing and implementing it quite another.

A few weeks ago I was promoted to the rank of brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).

In adult class, there are 5 different belts to achieve before you get to black belt. White, blue, purple, brown and, finally, black.

Most martial arts take around 3–5 years to achieve a black belt, while BJJ takes on average 8–10 years to achieve the same feat.

My first mission within a Sniper team didn’t exactly go the way we’d planned…

We were inserted via Chinook helicopter a little after midnight on a moonless night. It was dark; really dark.

We were each carrying around 65–70 kgs of equipment. It was heavy.

Motivation is fickle. It comes and goes and is a key element that separates those who are successful in their endeavours and those who give up.

Sometimes you have no trouble jumping out of bed at 5am, sprinting to the gym and smashing yourself in a killer session. You’re so motivated you can bang out a 5,000 word assignment without a break, finish your quarterly bookkeeping or clean the entire house without complaining.

Recently I put a post on Facebook regarding a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) competition I entered at the weekend. It was all about challenging yourself when you’re not fully prepared and I wanted to explain it a little further.

I wrote a short post recently on Facebook where I talked about my first experience contracting in Iraq.

Rocking up to Baghdad airport without much of a clue as to what was going on, being met by an overweight American who was profusely sweating and extremely anxious, my foray into private security contracting started nervously.

The following article is a piece I wrote up after I came back from Afghanistan. People were always asking if it was tough over there with the equipment, conditions and bad guys. This answers that question, but also gives you an insight into why circumstance can bring out the best and force you to be mentally strong.

Below are 4 principles I believe are key to any successful endeavour. They are principles I've used myself in the past and continue to use today each and every time I set a new target.

A few months ago I was contacted by a good mate of mine who I’d known for many years. We’d done Army cadets together and he had also joined the Army, a few years before I did. He was now a Warrant Officer and posted to a transport unit in Townsville.

I read a great article the other day that was all about performance and time management. It consisted of 5 strategies to improve your work productivity and manage your time better. The reason I enjoyed it so much is because ALL of these strategies are included in my Mindset course! I was a little surprised, but also humbled and excited that other people think these strategies are so important.

Let’s be honest, I’ve watched Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger at least 147 times…

…at least!

So it got me thinking about some of the most important lessons I learned while in the Army. 

A day of testing…

So I was having a beer the other night, relaxing and decompressing after a long, but fulfilling week. I was going through some emails, scrolling Facebook and generally chilling out.