A Lesson From the Military That Still Hits Hard Today

The 7P’s That Built Me

Its more than just a motto

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Some things you pick up in the military never leave you.

Not the gear. Not the uniform. Not even the scars.

I’m talking about the mindset.

There’s one acronym I learned early on that’s been my compass ever since:

Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

The 7Ps.

It doesn’t sound fancy. And it damn sure doesn’t come from a leadership book or a feel-good TED Talk. But it’s real. And it’s raw. And it works.

The 7Ps aren’t about being perfect. They’re about being ready. About showing up like your name’s on the line — because it is. Every time.

I’ve carried that mindset with me into every job site, every hard conversation, every blind corner life’s thrown at me.

When you plan, you lead.

When you don’t, you react.

And reaction gets you run over.

I’ve seen what happens when people don’t prepare — on deployments, on projects, in life. It doesn’t end with a shrug. It ends with someone paying the price. Sometimes it’s time. Sometimes it’s money. Sometimes it’s lives.

The 7Ps remind me of this: you don’t get to blame the world for a storm if you never built a shelter.

So yeah, I plan.

Every damn day.

Because piss poor performance? That ain’t an option.