Advice On MARSOC A&S

[is friday]

Hey guys, this will be my second go-around as per Freefalling's suggestion.

This is my introduction post which explains a bit about my backstory, (it's long).
http://www.shadowspear.com/vb/threads/first-post.9518/page-4#post-144358

What I'd like to concentrate on in this thread is the following...

I went to A&S back in January/February. I made it all the way through but was a "non-select". I am going back and want to seek to fill in the holes of my "game" in the meantime through some mentorship/advice.

Perceived Holes In My All-Marine Concept:
1.) I don't have outstanding attention to detail. This is one of the things covered in my counseling at the end of A&S. I would like to improve this with any tips. Obviously I know that I just have to nut up and grind when I set to it.
2.) I would like to introduce more "selling" to my leadership style. I was told to check out some "salesman approach" books. Anyone have any good examples of this that I can set to studying?
3.) Physically, I'd like to explore some good routines for improving my swim time. I understand the run/swim/run idea, but I'm not sure how to step up my swim game other than following the prep guide.

Goals Involved with Special Operations:
1.) Much like my pursuit of martial arts, I think of myself as a mold of clay that I constantly wish to improve. I think an environment with other like-minded individuals that always wish to strive to that next level is where I want to be.
2.) I am interested in a specifically combat-oriented MOS. I was strongly considering Recon or something like Forward Observer (they are quite different I know,) but at the same time I wanted to go a step above. The worst that can happen is non-selection!
3.) If I'm going to make a career out of this Marine thing, I can think of no better place to be for the long haul. The "big boy attitude" is very appealing. Obviously, that means I'd have to crack down and accept the responsibility that comes with the "hands off" approach.

I asked Freefalling if it would be appropriate to respond to some of the posts made in the other thread and was given the green light. If I miss your question or statement I don't mean to avoid it--if you'd like clarification on something involving my backstory/intentions here I'd be more than happy to answer as best I can.

Pistol_Pete:
I hope my intro post covered most of the grey area you wanted to explore. If there's another topic or something you'd like broken down in further detail please let me know. I don't take the term "POG" very seriously (as I think it shouldn't be,) and try to have a bit of humor about life in general--so dealing with the ups/downs brings out a less serious side of me.

We take a lot of boys with rough pasts and turn them into men of character. A lot of my best Marines had failed at some earlier endeavor or had made some sort of mistake that haunted them. A man who has been knocked down oftentimes will work twice as hard to get back on his feet. When I was a rifle platoon commander I was given former criminals, Marines who had received numerous Non-Judicial Punishments or Courts Martial. My platoon sergeant and I trained them until their backs almost gave out and their feet burned but by the time we got to Baghdad I wouldn't have asked for any other Marines. Marines who have something to prove will usually out perform the Marines who have always succeeded at everything they have attempted.

I agree. I don't consider myself perfect by any means and I always have room for improvement--but I do consider myself light years ahead of where I once was. I'm unbelievably thankful of the Marines for giving me a second chance and I have done what I could to prove myself worth the risk the Corps took on me. I won't really go into why I think I'm a good Marine or any of my accomplishments because it's not relevant--plus it's somewhere in the rules that "no one cares". :)

amlove21:
I'll try and take your advice to heart about being a professional, thank you. That is definitely an area of mine that could use some attention. I get kind of lax on some topics/situations.