How to Become Reliable Like a US Marine in 5 Easy Steps

US Marines are known around the world as honorable, reliable, and capable individuals in every respect. This doesn’t just come from the grueling training that every Marine has to go through; it also comes from the personal code of ethics that Marines inevitably pick up before they graduate boot camp.

Unfortunately, many of us have a tough time being reliable, whether it’s making our appointments on time, fulfilling all of our family or work obligations, or even completing assignments.

Want to become as reliable and consistent as the best US Marines? Follow these 5 habits and practices and you’ll see results in no time:

5. Practice Good Habits

For starters, make sure that you practice good habits consistently, every day, such as making your bed, maintaining good hygiene, and keeping up to a solid fitness routine so you stay healthy and physically capable.

Good habits can build upon one another and gradually forge you into a more reliable, dedicated individual that can tackle any challenge that’s placed before you.

4. Don’t Make Excuses

Similarly, stop making excuses for things that you fail or obligations that you don’t fulfill. It’s all too easy to make an excuse for why you were late or why you didn’t complete an assignment, for example.

But your friends, family and your colleagues will respect you more if you simply take responsibility for your failure and strive to do better next time.

Want reliability? Shoulder the burden of blame so you’re motivated to make improvements.

3. Cultivate Inner Leadership

All Marines are leaders in more ways than one. For you to become more reliable in your workplace or social network, you’ll also need to become more of an inner leader.

What’s that? Inner leadership is the practice of staying true to yourself and never letting the opinions of others affect what you do or say. While it’s important to obey your superiors, whether it’s at work or in the Marine Corps, you should never do so unthinkingly.

In many ways, cultivating inner leadership is about cultivating personal responsibility. You’ll need more personal responsibility in your life if you want to become more reliable.

2. Nurture Confidence

A confident person is someone who’s more likely to fulfill all their obligations. Nurture confidence as you gain it in your everyday life, which should start to come naturally as you practice good habits and complete more difficult challenges.

Granted, you shouldn’t become overly cocky or arrogant. Instead, be confident in yourself and your abilities and you’ll feel less like dropping your obligations or promises when the going gets tough. Instead, you’ll think to yourself, “I can do this. I can meet my goal.”

1. Always Do Things to the Best of Your Ability

Lastly, the Marines teach each new recruit that a partially done job is not done at all. You should extend this philosophy to everything in your life, from your schoolwork to your family relationships to your performance at your workplace. Always do the best job you can, period.

If you do things to the utmost of your abilities, you’ll become a more reliable person and your work, study, or hobby results will be higher quality, as well. It’s a win/win.

Now, just as it always has been and always will: It’s up to you. Will you let your reliability step up to the plate, or continue to let yourself and others down? 

If in doubt, channel your inner Marine. They wouldn’t leave a stone unturned when it comes to being solid, and neither should you. 

Thanks for reading, 

Justin | MME Contributor