Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome

When I trained with the Marines, one of the mantras I heard over and over was “Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome.” It was often said to a junior Marine when they were having difficulty with something new to them or to a less than ideal situation. I also heard it from those who had just accomplished something despite the odds.

It was a mindset:

• Adapt to the current situation… regardless of what is going on, figure out what you have to do or change in order to be able to deal with it.

• Improvise to find the best way to deal with the current situation… Do the best you can with what you have, and think of different ways to use what you have at your disposal, or how to get what you need…

• Overcome the challenge and finish with a better situation… more than just surviving something, it’s becoming more and/or better than what we are before the challenge.

During this coronavirus challenge, I have seen people buy cases of toilet paper and bunker in home, ordering pizzas every day and complaining about how bored they are….

I have also seen people take the opportunity to learn new skills… a new profession, even. I have seen people take the time to improve their home, and some have been reconnecting with family and strengthening their existing relationships.

I have watched people embrace technology, learning how to videoconference and to continue to get work done. Small business owners have shifted strategies to be able serve customers without having to meet in person.

I have observed our own students, teens and more, refusing to cower to the current situation… staring setbacks in the eye, and becoming better through them.

On a personal note, if More Than Conquerors, Inc. did nothing this year other than help some teens develop that mindset, then this has been a huge success of a year!

When I see people develop this kind of mindset, regardless of their age, it motivates me to develop mine even further!

— David Green Internet Outreach