In 2010, to launch GORUCK, I drove to 48 states with Java, whose loyalty knew no bounds and that was what got me through. I blogged about the trip daily with words and pictures and it felt like the story was entirely ours: the people I met, anyone who read any word, and friends who were rooting for me from afar, most of whom told me later it felt like watching a slow dance with certain failure - “but also kinda fun.”
The years have passed, and we’ve gotten better at selling stuff — more than the zero I sold that summer wasn’t hard to beat! — and I’ve gotten more removed. I rarely ask random strangers what’s the best place to eat your last meal in this town, or if you only had one night here, what would you do? I feel much farther away from the front lines, and I love the front lines the most. This is my conflict.
The past few years, really starting in the pandemic, I’ve said no to almost everything that involves a plane flight or is a conference or a rubber chicken dinner. I barely lead any events anymore (lawyers we didn’t have back then are happy about this now), I don’t write nearly as much as I’d like, and most of what I do write is in emails about work stuff - boring. I feel called to share more, but I rarely do because influencer status is over-rated. But I do miss the direct connections.
A few things:
GORUCK was never called McCarthy, and that was important to me. I come from a storied Regiment that favors what you do for others, and HOW you do it. I am a very small piece in that — no more, no less, no matter what GORUCK does.
My family is my #1 priority - I married the girl of my dreams and am so lucky I did, our kids are at great ages, and I don’t want to miss a thing. I could make more money if I skipped practices and never made lunches and if I was on the road all the time. What I can never get back is the time with them, though, and I want our kids to know who we are. On my deathbed, I’ll think about them.
I’m storing up the time at home now, as I am planning a big push in 2026, coming to a city near you. I’m writing a book on rucking (signed a deal with Harper Collins) and it will get a large push into the zeitgeist. I’ll be on tour all over, rucking from podcasts to bookstores to airports to the next town, rinse and repeat. As the Challenge was Fight Club with Rucksacks, so this may turn into Fight Club (with wrapped knuckles lol) with Rucksacks (and books).
Our kids have gotten a lot better at traveling, and Emily is (almost) always a big fan of bringing the kids, so don’t be surprised if you see me out there with all of us in tow, heart full of love and the same desire I had way back when to make a difference in the world. Some evolution, but some things are meant to stay exactly the same, forever and ever.
