From A1C to TSgt: Operating FROM Your Goal, Not Toward It

What if we started thinking and acting from your goal, rather than toward your goal. This was a concept from the book "Be Your Future Self Now" that hit me like a ton of bricks. The idea is to have a bold, vivid, and scary goal - and operate like you're already there. It may sound dark, but once we are clear on who we need to become and what we need to do, now we can start associating pain with not making progress towards your big goal. In turn, changing your identity to become that person. This concept is simple, not easy.

This is coming from TSgt McCartney. Someone with life experience, career success, and staying power when it comes to performance. I want to play some Inception jiu jitsu and talk about A1C McCartney to hopefully have you move past the injuries, exhaustion, and loss of pride phase. We all have been on the job and faced the "trial by fire" or "I had to suffer through, so you need to as well" from the old timers. So the goal is to tell you about what I jacked up, gather lessons learned, and have your performance essentially rank up. Your future self will thank you.

A1C McCartney thought he had it figured out. You couldn't tell him shit, especially with performance (or lack thereof). Full sends, PR or ER mentality, and an untargeted ruthless competitive spirit. These might seem like benefits for a tactical athlete, but I promise you this short-sighted mentality is why so many tactical athletes have injuries "come out of nowhere", are hitting plateaus, and are faced with burnout. I lived it, and I promise you a broken or sidelined PR is not worth it.

A1C McCartney was always acting TOWARD his goals - chasing the next PR, the next achievement, always reaching for something just out of grasp. TSgt McCartney operates FROM the goal - he's already the person who values longevity, makes smart decisions, and thinks decades ahead. That shift in identity is how we level up, and make it a recurring process. 

TSgt McCartney knows better. Here are the 3 lessons that cost me injuries, exhaustion, and a lot of pride:

1 - Performance AND Longevity Aren't Enemies

I was so short-sighted. The only thing that mattered was the next PR.

TSgt McCartney would've slapped that weight off the bar (and focused on full ROM).

What he would've appreciated:

• Autoregulation over ego

• Actually taking rest days

• A conservative win over a broken body

• Nutrition that supports and fuels performance

• Sleep and stress management as training tools

These are unsexy from a traditional military mindset and not what we were taught at basic, but in my opinion, these are readiness. This is long-term planning (strategies), short-term execution (tactics) that lead towards a future self you will appreciate.

If you truly want staying power and want to be able to do this for decades, you need performance AND longevity.

2 - Prevention Over Treatment (Always)

I was treating shin splints, cranky knees, and a torched back on the wrong end of the timeline.

Instead of fixing my training (root cause), I was solving for symptoms with volume, supplements, and motivational videos.

In other words, A1C McCartney was using toughness and discipline as a mask for incompetence.

TSgt McCartney's Checklist:

• What is the least amount of training I can do that will elicit progress?

• What is the most amount of food I can eat to move in the right direction?

• How can I improve my daily standards (sleep, nutrition, stress management)?

• Am I physically and mentally ready to train, or do I need to adjust?

• Is there any signal that my body is sending me? Why?

Many of the injuries tactical athletes are faced with are a symptom, not a diagnosis. I want to be clear, answering these questions won't eliminate the risk of injuries. They will happen, especially if you're training hard.

But here's the truth: most are built long before they show up.

Shin splints, bad knees, blown backs - for the most part, they don't appear out of nowhere. They degrade under the surface while you ignore the warning signs. You're more resilient than being put in bubble wrap, but you're not invincible. The fix? Work at the right end of the time scale. Ask these questions.

3 - Your Program is Built, not Borrowed

No assessment. No baseline. Just blindly following programs that made me tired. Schedule? Responsibilities? Work hours? Didn't matter. Full send.

That's how I failed 99.9% of programs - with overuse injuries to prove it.

TSgt McCartney would've demanded clarity: What do you actually want?

• ID the stretch goal and the qualities your future self needs

• Gather data from your specific starting point (sample readiness eval here)

• Reverse engineer - long-term planning and short-term execution

• Set up frequent checkpoints to make sure you're on track

• Raise personal and professional standards. Show up. Every. Single. Day.

The "perfect" program is not found. It's built.

So What's at Stake?

Overall performance can be complicated. But, these three things are the foundation. Most people will think they're different and these don't apply to them, A1C McCartney did. And that's exactly why I went on the journey of injuries, exhaustion, and taking hits to his pride. My hope is that you don't have to endure the same.

A1C path -> Long-term liability because you masked discipline, motivation, and toughness with incompetence.

TSgt path -> Becoming your future self - The asset everyone wants on the team, staying power, and respect that was earned from getting in the ring.

Who is your future self? The one who acts FROM the goal, not toward it. The one who's already made the identity shift. You're making decisions right now that you'll either be grateful for or regret.

Rank up.