I don't see myself as mentally incapable for the position I'm looking at. My main hurdle is a physical one, and that just takes time and discipline. Diet, exercise, rest. I'll go where they send me and I won't quit.
Injuries happen to everyone though- the weakest and the strongest. If that happens- Lick my wounds. Capitalize off knowledge gained from failure. Try again.
This is EXACTLY what I am talking about. From your "first post" thread intro, you want to be an Army SF guy, and you're not in the military currently. I want you to take this at face value only- but you're on the outside looking in, my friend. You have no clue what it mentally takes to be where you want to go. I hope you're bristling at that statement, because you're motivated. But I also hope there is a sting of truth. Because it's true- you know what you know from books, second hand knowledge, and stories. You don't even have the benefit of working for/with an ODA, because you are currently involved in Academia, and not the Profession of Arms.
What happens when you go to selection or the Q course, have a couple of bad days in a row, and you find yourself outprocessing and looking for a job in the Big Army? Cause I could be wrong here, but I am pretty sure that Special Forces doesn't sign your paycheck- the United States Army does. So when you say "lick your wounds", what do you mean? Cook? Cop? Intel? Infantry? Cause you aren't getting a shot again, at least not right away (in most cases).
The reason I ask is this- I didn't make it my first time. It took me 5 years and an entirely different career in the AF to end up being a PJ. I know a lot of guys that took the "hard way" in different branches of service, and they were completely unprepared because they thought "my main hurdle is a physical one, and that just takes time and discipline. I won't quit." Hey man, I dig it, and that's all well and good- and it's also piss-poor planning.
So I will ask again, because you didn't answer my question-
what is your backup plan if you don't make it? Because, regardless of whatever T-Shirt slogan you may have read, failure most certainly IS an option my friend.