One of the most important lessons I ever learned about excellence came during Marine Corps boot camp. The lesson was simple:

I graduated boot camp as the second-highest shooter in my platoon of approximately 100 recruits. That is no small accomplishment — not because I was somehow standing apart from everyone around me, but quite the opposite. Every recruit in that platoon received the same instruction. The same training. The same Primary Marksmanship Instructors. The same opportunity. And I was one of them.

The Environment

At the time, I wasn't Nicholas Baucom, founder of Two Marines Moving. I was Recruit Baucom. Every recruit in that platoon wanted the same thing — to earn the title Marine, to succeed, and if we're being completely honest, to keep moving forward. Nobody wanted to get recycled into another platoon. Nobody wanted to spend extra time on Parris Island.

The fastest way off Parris Island was simple: do what they tell you.

These were motivated young men who had voluntarily chosen one of the most demanding paths available to them. Disciplined. Competitive. Determined. Capable. It was an honor simply to be among them. In many ways, I wasn't standing among competitors. I was standing among future Marines who were all pursuing excellence together.

The Marine Corps Marksmanship System

I grew up in Tennessee and had fired firearms before. But what the Marine Corps taught me about marksmanship was on an entirely different level. Marine Corps rifle qualification is not simply about shooting. It's a process.

It begins with an entire week of academics, instruction, dry firing, and rehearsal before most recruits ever load a live round. We learned:

• —Sight alignment
• —Sight picture
• —Trigger control
• —Breath control
• —Natural point of aim
• —Shooting positions

Then we rehearsed. Over and over again. We conducted dry-fire exercises hundreds of times. Probably thousands. We spent hours in the prone position staring through iron sights at silhouette targets painted onto barrels. Minutes felt like hours. When you're trying not to move, not to flinch, and barely even breathe, time slows down in a way that is hard to explain. I can still remember it.

The Result

When qualification was complete, I had earned the designation of Expert — the highest rifle qualification level a recruit can achieve. Within that highest tier, I finished as the second-highest shooter in my platoon.

That achievement did not happen because I was some naturally gifted marksman. I wasn't. The Marine Corps had been creating excellent shooters for decades before I arrived at boot camp. The expertise was already there. The system was already proven. The instructors knew exactly what they were doing.

And here's the lesson that stayed with me.

• —I did not try to reinvent the wheel.
• —I did not try to impress the instructors.
• —I did not try to create my own marksmanship doctrine.
• —I listened.
• —I followed instructions.
• —I trusted the process.
• —I executed.

My job was not to redesign a proven system. My job was to learn it, trust it, and execute it. So I did. And the results followed.

The Principle That Applies Everywhere

Over the years, I have realized that the same principle applies far beyond a rifle range. It applies to leadership. It applies to entrepreneurship. It applies to sales. It applies to moving. It applies to life.

Most excellence is not mysterious. Most excellence comes from:

• —Learning proven fundamentals
• —Following simple instructions
• —Remaining disciplined
• —Executing consistently

The world is full of people trying to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes the better path is learning from people who already know what works. The Marine Corps taught me that lesson. More than two decades later, I still use it every day.

Whether we are training Moving Professionals, serving clients, building systems, improving technology, or growing Two Marines Moving, the principle remains the same.