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Admiral William H. McRaven's inspiring storiesâfor kids! | Skipper the seal becomes a Navy SEAL in this delightful picture book adaptation of Make Your Bed. | Skipper the seal shows young readers what it means to be truly heroic in the picture book adaptation of The Hero Code. |
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William h. mcraven.
Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy Retired) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed and the New York Times bestseller Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations. In his thirty-seven years as a Navy SEAL, he commanded at every level. As a Four-Star Admiral, his final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. After retiring from the Navy, he served as the Chancellor of the University of Texas System from 2015 to 2018. He now lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Georgeann.
Admiral William H. McRaven is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed and the New York Times bestsellers Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations and The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived. In his thirty-seven years as a Navy SEAL, he commanded at every level. As a Four-Star Admiral, his final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. After retiring from the Navy, he served as the Chancellor of the University of Texas System from 2015 to 2018. He now lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Georgeann.
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Customers find the writing quality great, riveting, and elegant. They also find the content inspiring, true to life, and applicable outside the military. Readers describe the writing style as concise yet effective, direct, simple, and able to integrate their own life experiences. They mention the book is short to the point and really small.
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Customers find the book a great read, with an incredible man and journey. They also say the points behind his speech are breathtaking and well received. Readers also mention the book is inspiring and easy to read, and not jargon-laden.
"...and do the small things that help relax, encourage you, and feel more positivity by accomplishing the little things in life. Highly recommend!" Read more
"...I've given away several copies. It's inspiring, an easy read, and life impacting ." Read more
"...similar bite sized pieces of advice, only written in a beautifully, elegant , and graceful style. I apparently much prefer a hammer to a harp...." Read more
"...Beautiful book, highly recommend !" Read more
Customers find the book inspiring and sound advice that can be used while they're in the military. They also say it's great for getting the message across and that the underlying motif of hope is evident. Readers also love the honesty and stories, and say it runs true to life.
"...you to stay organized, and do the small things that help relax, encourage you , and feel more positivity by accomplishing the little things in life...." Read more
"...There are so many words of wisdom about life , grit, determination, respect, and honor... Ideals and lessons often lost and/or missing from our world..." Read more
"...I've given away several copies. It's inspiring , an easy read, and life impacting." Read more
"This book was very well written and runs true to life . I really feel it's a must read for any young person. It's a quick easy read and very enjoyable." Read more
Customers find the writing style simple, direct, and easy to read. They also appreciate the candid and unfiltered bite-sized pieces. Readers mention that the book is inspiring and quick, and they are able to integrate their own life experiences with Admiral McRaven's lessons.
"...The simple messages encourage you to stay organized , and do the small things that help relax, encourage you, and feel more positivity by..." Read more
"...The audio version is also fantastic , delivering these impactful stories/messages in the author's own words and inclination...." Read more
"...I've given away several copies. It's inspiring, an easy read , and life impacting." Read more
"...Written by a retired Navy Admiral and SEAL commander, I thoroughly enjoyed the candid and unfiltered bite sized pieces of wisdom based on the..." Read more
Customers find the book very short, with just over 125 pages. They also say it's simple but contains wonderful messages.
"...I've really like this small but profound book ." Read more
"...This book, although not very long , is just right and helping me understand things and be encouraged to think differently and get out of my own head..." Read more
"...Buy and enjoy this short but powerful book . Five stars." Read more
"Make Your Bed by Admiral William McRaven is a short , meaningful book that emphasizes the importance of simplifying things in life and taking a..." Read more
Customers find the book to be a great gift. They also say that every word in the book is a gift.
"This book is such a great gift ...." Read more
" Awesome gift for youngsters and young adults . I've given away several copies. It's inspiring, an easy read, and life impacting." Read more
"This is such a good book. It would make a great graduation present . I have recommended this book to many people." Read more
"This was the best graduation gift I could have found...." Read more
Customers find the book emotionally invested, touching, and motivating. They also say it lifts them up and puts them in a better place.
"...This is honestly the first book that made me shed tears as I read it ...." Read more
"5 stars! I very much enjoyed this book. I thought it was quite poignant that the author focused on the fact the little things build to the big things..." Read more
"...Nevertheless, it is no less motivational especially since it can give you a quick lift if you know someone who needs it...." Read more
"...Written with a humble sincere heart, these are touching stories ...." Read more
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Do you want to learn about Admiral McRaven and the 10 lessons from Make Your Bed ? How can you apply these Navy SEAL lessons to your own life?
In 2014, McRaven organized his strategies into 10 life lessons for his commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin. In Make Your Bed by Admiral McRaven, there are 10 lessons to you and expands on the experiences that formed them.
Keep reading to learn more about Admiral McRaven’s 10 lessons.
Military life is often exhausting, terrifying, and emotionally challenging. You have to be strong and disciplined to make it through the rigors of training and war. Admiral William H. McRaven, a retired Navy SEAL with 37 years of experience, faced many challenges during his career. He found strategies along the way that helped him through the difficult times. Many of these strategies resulted from his experiences as a SEAL-in-training and a Navy officer.
In 2014, McRaven organized his strategies into 10 life lessons for his commencement address at his alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin. Make Your Bed by Admiral McRaven provides 10 lessons to you and expands on the experiences that formed them.
The first of Admiral McRaven’s 10 lessons is: start your day with one successful task completed, such as making your bed, and you will find the motivation to tackle others. When you make your bed first thing in the morning, you start the day with purpose and confidence. You will feel a sense of pride, and that same pride will greet you at night when you come to your made bed. This type of satisfaction will wash the dayâs struggles away and prepare you for tomorrow.
McRaven learned the importance of a made bed during his training as a SEAL cadet. A perfectly made bed represented McRavenâs discipline. He started each day receiving acknowledgement from his superiors that he had fulfilled his duties successfully. This acknowledgement greeted him at the end of each day, and he went to bed proud of himself. When McRaven was recovering from a life-changing injury later in life, making his bed became a symbol of his determination to get better and desire to keep leading a productive life .
Life is full of struggles. Going through hard times alone is much more difficult than relying on the help of others to get you through. You need people you can count on to help navigate lifeâs difficult moments. The same is true for achieving success in life. The more others support you, the stronger and more confident you become.
McRaven learned the importance of teamwork as a SEAL-in-training. He and his unit of cadets were required to carry an inflatable raft everywhere they went and row it for miles through the choppy ocean water. When one of them was unable to perform to a high standard, the others pitched in to fill the void. They all remained successful because they helped each other when times were tough. Because of this experience, McRaven was more willing to accept the help of others after his injury and not just recover physically, but emotionally and professionally as well.
Everyone has more to them than what youâre able to see. You must look beyond skin deep to a personâs heart. You must reserve judgement and prejudice until you get to know who a person is. Even the meekest person can do great things, so value people for their character, not their appearance.
McRaven made the mistake of judging two men as being less suitable for the SEALs than he was because of how they looked. McRaven was tall and muscular, whereas these men were short and scrawny, respectively. Both men surprised him by showing courage in dangerous situations, and McRaven realized he misjudged the amount of heart they had because of what they looked like.
Itâs easier to assume the world is against you than it is to admit that sometimes life just isnât fair. But at the end of the day, you are the only person responsible for determining your fate. Donât complain and fall back on misfortune as an excuse for why you canât be happy. When you face disappointment, take the hits and move forward in whatever way you can.
McRaven learned that sometimes life is unfair when one of his training instructors punished him for no reason. The instructor believed that understanding the randomness of misfortune was necessary for McRaven to face the challenges of the Navy. When this same instructor had an accident years later that paralyzed him, McRaven saw how important this lesson really was. The instructor never complained that life was unfair. He accepted what had happened and moved forward with the life he still had.
When you fail, you can cower with defeat and give up, or you can use failure to push yourself harder and grow stronger. Learn from your mistakes . Donât be afraid of trying again. If you can persevere through the consequences of failure, you will be better prepared for other difficult challenges that lie ahead.
One day, McRaven and his swim partner performed poorly on a two-mile swim. As a consequence, they were relegated to the Circus, a two-hour grueling endurance test at the end of the day for all the cadets whoâd somehow failed. McRaven and his partner were exhausted the next day and failed again during the regular training. This cycle went on for days, but instead of giving up, they tried harder. The extra exercise made them stronger, and they rose to the top of the class.
If you live in fear of failure , struggle, or humiliation, you will never do what is necessary to achieve your goals or reach your potential . If you play it safe and limit your actions to mitigate failure, you will never know what youâre made of. You must be willing to push yourself to the limit to achieve something great. Dare greatly in life and receive great rewards.
McRaven couldnât beat the SEALs obstacle course at first because he was afraid of hurting himself on one obstacle. Instead of sliding down a hundred-foot zipline head first, he used the safer but less efficient feet-first technique. He knew the only way to pass the course was to take a risk. When he finally went head first, he crossed the finish line in record time.
Courage is a powerful emotion. With courage, you can surmount any obstacle. With courage, you can stand up to any bully. Without it, you place yourself at the mercy of life and the actions of others. You have the courage inside of you to stand up to forces of oppression. If you want to accomplish your dreams, you must look inside and call up your courage.
McRaven had to find his courage when he was required to complete a four-mile ocean swim in the dark. He was afraid of the sharks that lived off the coast, but becoming a SEAL was too important. He dug deep and found the courage to keep swimming and face whatever challenge he faced in the water.
There will be many moments in life when your spirit gets crushed and you lose hope for the future . These are the moments in which you must search for the best version of yourself. You must rise to the challenge of moving forward with strength and dignity. In the darkest moments, do what must be done to show the world your best, and you can survive anything.
McRaven experienced plenty of opportunities to find strength during dark times. But witnessing the behaviors of various soldiers after losing a member of their units taught him the most about integrity. After paying their respects, service members must push past their pain and grief and remain firm during combat. McRaven was always inspired by the way these soldiers were able to keep fighting after tragedy.
Admiral McRaven’s lesson 9 says that with hope, you can move mountains and give those suffering a reason to keep moving forward. Raise your voice during dark times to inspire those around you. Be the one who makes a difference in someone elseâs life by giving them hope for the future. It only takes one person to show someone that tomorrow will come.
McRaven and his fellow trainees were stuck in the cold, wet mud for a whole night during Hell Week, a week of the most grueling activities. All the men were exhausted and close to giving up. But then one of the men started to sing, and he inspired others to start singing . Together, they raised their voices and inspired each other to make it through the night.
Life is full of moments in which the odds of success seem so small, you canât imagine ever winning. Throwing in the towel seems like the most logical thing to do. But when you reach the precipice between quitting and continuing, hold steady and take another step forward. As long as you keep moving forward, your life will be in your control. If life is going to beat you, make sure you go down fighting.
When McRaven started SEAL training, he was one of 150 cadets. That day, their commander showed them a bell. He said over the next six months, he was going to push the cadets to their limits and make their lives living hells. If they ever couldnât take it anymore, they could ring the bell three times. Many cadets would ring the bell over the next six months, but not McRaven. He stood proud with 32 other cadets at their training graduation.
Although Admiral McRaven’s 10 lessons are founded in the culture of the military , McRaven believes each one of us can use them to get through the challenges of our lives. If you follow Admiral McRaven’s 10 lessons, you can learn to live a more positive, productive, and meaningful life.
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Hannah graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English and double minors in Professional Writing and Creative Writing. She grew up reading books like Harry Potter and His Dark Materials and has always carried a passion for fiction. However, Hannah transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018 and now enjoys sharing travel guides and trying to inspire others to see the world.
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The “Make Your Bed” speech by US Navy Admiral, William H. McRaven, outlines the importance of doing the little things like making your bed, embracing the fears of life, taking risks, facing bullying, respecting others, and changing the world for generations to come.
00:00 – “Start Off By Making Your Bed”
00:46 – “Don’t Back Down From The Sharks”
01:45 – “Measure a Person by The Size of Their Heart not By The Size of their Flippers”
03:01 – “The Power of Hope – The Power of One Person”
Thank you Admiral William McRaven for your moving speech and thank you Goalcast.com for amplifying his message by creating this video. This content was not created by Boulder Crest Foundation or our partners. It has been added to our PTG Resource Library given the value it provides for our PTG community.
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By Tim Taliaferro in 40 Acres on May 17, 2014 at 9:18 pm | 145 Comments
Because we can’t improve upon perfection, and because it’s silly to try and summarize a speech that should be read in full, we present the full copy of Admiral William McRaven’s May 2014 Commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin. McRaven, BJ ’77, Life Member and Distinguished Alumnus, is the commander of U.S. Special Operations and led Operation Neptune Spear , which resulted to the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Remarks by Naval Adm. William H. McRaven, ninth commander of U.S.Special Operations Command
University-Wide Commencement
The University of Texas at Austin, May 17, 2014.
President Powers, Provost Fenves, Deans, members of the faculty, family and friends and most importantly, the class of 2014. Congratulations on your achievement.
Itâs been almost 37 years to the day that I graduated from UT.
I remember a lot of things about that day.
I remember I had throbbing headache from a party the night before. I remember I had a serious girlfriend, whom I later marriedâthatâs important to remember by the way– and I remember that I was getting commissioned in the Navy that day.
But of all the things I remember, I donât have a clue who the commencement speaker was that evening and I certainly donât remember anything they said.
SoâŠacknowledging that fact—if I canât make this commencement speech memorableâ I will at least try to make it short.
The Universityâs slogan is,
âWhat starts here changes the world.â
I have to admit–I kinda like it.
Tonight there are almost 8000 students graduating from UT.
That great paragon of analytical rigor, Ask.Com says that the average American will meet 10,000 people in their life time.
Thatâs a lot of folks.
But, if every one of you changed the lives of just ten people– and each one of those folks changed the lives of another ten peopleâjust tenâthen in five generationsâ125 yearsâthe class of 2014 will have changed the lives of 800 million people.
800 million peopleâthink of itâover twice the population of the United States. Go one more generation and you can change the entire population of the worldâ8 billion people.
If you think itâs hard to change the lives of ten peopleâchange their lives foreverâyouâre wrong.
I saw it happen every day in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A young Army officer makes a decision to go left instead of right down a road in Baghdad and the ten soldiers in his squad are saved from close-in ambush.
In Kandahar province, Afghanistan, a non-commissioned officer from the Female Engagement Team senses something isnât right and directs the infantry platoon away from a 500 pound IED, saving the lives of a dozen soldiers.
But, if you think about it, not only were these soldiers saved by the decisions of one person, but their children yet unborn– were also saved. And their childrenâs childrenâ were saved.
Generations were saved by one decisionâby one person.
But changing the world can happen anywhere and anyone can do it.
So, what starts here can indeed change the world, but the question isâŠwhat will the world look like after you change it?
Well, I am confident that it will look much, much better, but if you will humor this old sailor for just a moment, I have a few suggestions that may help you on your way to a better a world.
And while these lessons were learned during my time in the military, I can assure you that it matters not whether you ever served a day in uniform.
It matters not your gender, your ethnic or religious background, your orientation, or your social status.
Our struggles in this world are similar and the lessons to overcome those struggles and to move forwardâchanging ourselves and the world around usâwill apply equally to all.
I have been a Navy SEAL for 36 years. But it all began when I left UT for Basic SEAL training in Coronado, California.
Basic SEAL training is six months of long torturous runs in the soft sand, midnight swims in the cold water off San Diego, obstacles courses, unending calisthenics, days without sleep and always being cold, wet and miserable.
It is six months of being constantly harassed by professionally trained warriors who seek to find the weak of mind and body and eliminate them from ever becoming a Navy SEAL.
But, the training also seeks to find those students who can lead in an environment of constant stress, chaos, failure and hardships.
To me basic SEAL training was a life time of challenges crammed into six months.
So, here are the ten lessonâs I learned from basic SEAL training that hopefully will be of value to you as you move forward in life.
Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Viet Nam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed.
If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rackârackâthatâs Navy talk for bed.
It was a simple task–mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle hardened SEALs–but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.
By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.
If you canât do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is madeâthat you madeâand a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.
During SEAL training the students are broken down into boat crews. Each crew is seven students–three on each side of a small rubber boat and one coxswain to help guide the dingy.
Every day your boat crew forms up on the beach and is instructed to get through the surfzone and paddle several miles down the coast.
In the winter, the surf off San Diego can get to be 8 to 10 feet high and it is exceedingly difficult to paddle through the plunging surf unless everyone digs in.
Every paddle must be synchronized to the stroke count of the coxswain. Everyone must exert equal effort or the boat will turn against the wave and be unceremoniously tossed back on the beach.
For the boat to make it to its destination, everyone must paddle.
You canât change the world aloneâyou will need some help– and to truly get from your starting point to your destination takes friends, colleagues, the good will of strangers and a strong coxswain to guide them.
If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.
Over a few weeks of difficult training my SEAL class which started with 150 men was down to just 35. There were now six boat crews of seven men each.
I was in the boat with the tall guys, but the best boat crew we had was made up of the the little guysâthe munchkin crew we called them–no one was over about 5 foot five.
The munchkin boat crew had one American Indian, one African American, one Polish America, one Greek American, one Italian American, and two tough kids from the mid-west.
They out paddled, out-ran, and out swam all the other boat crews.
The big men in the other boat crews would always make good natured fun of the tiny little flippers the munchkins put on their tiny little feet prior to every swim.
But somehow these little guys, from every corner of the Nation and the world, always had the last laugh– swimming faster than everyone and reaching the shore long before the rest of us.
SEAL training was a great equalizer. Nothing mattered but your will to succeed. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status.
If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.
Several times a week, the instructors would line up the class and do a uniform inspection. It was exceptionally thorough.
Your hat had to be perfectly starched, your uniform immaculately pressed and your belt buckle shiny and void of any smudges.
But it seemed that no matter how much effort you put into starching your hat, or pressing your uniform or polishing your belt buckle— it just wasnât good enough.
The instructors would find âsomethingâ wrong.
For failing the uniform inspection, the student had to run, fully clothed into the surfzone and then, wet from head to toe, roll around on the beach until every part of your body was covered with sand.
The effect was known as a âsugar cookie.â You stayed in that uniform the rest of the dayâcold, wet and sandy.
There were many a student who just couldnât accept the fact that all their effort was in vain. That no matter how hard they tried to get the uniform rightâit was unappreciated.
Those students didnât make it through training.
Those students didnât understand the purpose of the drill. You were never going to succeed. You were never going to have a perfect uniform.
Sometimes no matter how well you prepare or how well you perform you still end up as a sugar cookie.
Itâs just the way life is sometimes.
If you want to change the world get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.
Every day during training you were challenged with multiple physical events– long runs, long swims, obstacle courses, hours of calisthenicsâsomething designed to test your mettle.
Every event had standardsâtimes you had to meet. If you failed to meet those standards your name was posted on a list and at the end of the day those on the list were invited to—a âcircus.â
A circus was two hours of additional calisthenicsâdesigned to wear you down, to break your spirit, to force you to quit.
No one wanted a circus.
A circus meant that for that day you didnât measure up. A circus meant more fatigue– and more fatigue meant that the following day would be more difficult–and more circuses were likely.
But at some time during SEAL training, everyoneâeveryone– made the circus list.
But an interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list. Overtime those students— who did two hours of extra calisthenics– got stronger and stronger.
The pain of the circuses built inner strength-built physical resiliency.
Life is filled with circuses.
You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core.
But if you want to change the world, donât be afraid of the circuses.
At least twice a week, the trainees were required to run the obstacle course. The obstacle course contained 25 obstacles including a ten foot high wall, a 30 foot cargo net, and a barbed wire crawl to name a few.
But the most challenging obstacle was the slide for life. It had a three level 30 foot tower at one end and a one level tower at the other. In between was a 200 foot long rope.
You had to climb the three tiered tower and once at the top, you grabbed the rope, swung underneath the rope and pulled yourself hand over hand until you got to the other end.
The record for the obstacle course had stood for years when my class began training in 1977.
The record seemed unbeatable, until one day, a student decided to go down the slide for life– head first.
Instead of swinging his body underneath the rope and inching his way down, he bravely mounted the TOP of the rope and thrust himself forward.
It was a dangerous move–seemingly foolish, and fraught with risk. Failure could mean injury and being dropped from the training.
Without hesitation– the student slid down the rope– perilously fast, instead of several minutes, it only took him half that time and by the end of the course he had broken the record.
If you want to change the world sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.
During the land warfare phase of training, the students are flown out to San Clemente Island which lies off the coast of San Diego.
The waters off San Clemente are a breeding ground for the great white sharks. To pass SEAL training there are a series of long swims that must be completed. One– is the night swim.
Before the swim the instructors joyfully brief the trainees on all the species of sharks that inhabit the waters off San Clemente.
They assure you, however, that no student has ever been eaten by a sharkâat least not recently.
But, you are also taught that if a shark begins to circle your positionâstand your ground. Do not swim away. Do not act afraid.
And if the shark, hungry for a midnight snack, darts towards youâthen summons up all your strength and punch him in the snout and he will turn and swim away.
There are a lot of sharks in the world. If you hope to complete the swim you will have to deal with them.
So, If you want to change the world, donât back down from the sharks.
As Navy SEALs one of our jobs is to conduct underwater attacks against enemy shipping. We practiced this technique extensively during basic training.
The ship attack mission is where a pair of SEAL divers is dropped off outside an enemy harbor and then swims well over two milesâunderwater– using nothing but a depth gauge and a compass to get to their target.
During the entire swim, even well below the surface there is some light that comes through. It is comforting to know that there is open water above you.
But as you approach the ship, which is tied to a pier, the light begins to fade. The steel structure of the ship blocks the moonlight–it blocks the surrounding street lamps–it blocks all ambient light.
To be successful in your mission, you have to swim under the ship and find the keelâthe centerline and the deepest part of the ship.
This is your objective. But the keel is also the darkest part of the shipâwhere you cannot see your hand in front of your face, where the noise from the shipâs machinery is deafening and where it is easy to get disoriented and fail.
Every SEAL knows that under the keel, at the darkest moment of the mission– is the time when you must be calm, composedâwhen all your tactical skills, your physical power and all your inner strength must be brought to bear.
If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment.
The ninth week of training is referred to as âHell Week.â It is six days of no sleep, constant physical and mental harassment and– one special day at the Mud Flatsâthe Mud Flats are area between San Diego and Tijuana where the water runs off and creates the Tijuana slueâsâa swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you.
It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that you paddle down to the mud flats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing cold mud, the howling wind and the incessant pressure to quit from the instructors.
As the sun began to set that Wednesday evening, my training class, having committed some âegregious infraction of the rulesâ was ordered into the mud.
The mud consumed each man till there was nothing visible but our heads. The instructors told us we could leave the mud if only five men would quitâjust five men and we could get out of the oppressive cold.
Looking around the mud flat it was apparent that some students were about to give up. It was still over 8 hours till the sun came up–eight more hours of bone chilling cold.
The chattering teeth and shivering moans of the trainees were so loud it was hard to hear anything– and then, one voice began to echo through the nightâone voice raised in song.
The song was terribly out of tune, but sung with great enthusiastic.
One voice became two and two became three and before long everyone in the class was singing.
We knew that if one man could rise above the misery then others could as well.
The instructors threatened us with more time in the mud if we kept up the singingâbut the singing persisted.
And somehow– the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little tamer and the dawn not so far away.
If I have learned anything in my time traveling the world, it is the power of hope. The power of one personâWashington, Lincoln, King, Mandella and even a young girl from PakistanâMallahâone person can change the world by giving people hope.
So, if you want to change the world, start singing when youâre up to your neck in mud.
Finally, in SEAL training there is a bell. A brass bell that hangs in the center of the compound for all the students to see.
All you have to do to quit– is ring the bell. Ring the bell and you no longer have to wake up at 5 oâclock. Ring the bell and you no longer have to do the freezing cold swims.
Ring the bell and you no longer have to do the runs, the obstacle course, the PT– and you no longer have to endure the hardships of training.
Just ring the bell.
If you want to change the world donât ever, ever ring the bell.
To the graduating class of 2014, you are moments away from graduating. Moments away from beginning your journey through life. Moments away starting to change the worldâfor the better.
It will not be easy.
But, YOU are the class of 2014âthe class that can affect the lives of 800 million people in the next century.
Start each day with a task completed.
Find someone to help you through life.
Respect everyone.
Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but if take you take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up–if you do these things, then next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today and— what started here will indeed have changed the worldâfor the better.
Thank you very much. Hook ’em horns.
Photo by Gage Paine.
Tags: 2014 commencement , Admiral McRaven , texas exes , william mcraven
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âŠover the last few months as the weather grew colder and the days got shorter I found myself having a hard time accomplishing all of the daily goals I set for myself the night before. Then I watched a video which gave me a blue print on how to begin each day on the right foot. Believe it or not it all starts with Making Your Bed!
While perusing YouTube as I sometimes do I came across a video of the 2014 University of Texas commencement speech delivered by U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven. Taking inspiration from the university’s slogan, “What starts here changes the world,” he shared the ten principles he learned learned during Navy SEAL training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves and the world for the better.
The ten principles Admiral McRaven highlights are:
But the first and most important principle is start off each day by Making Your Bed!
Admiral McRaven points out that it is important to start your day with a completed task. Life can be hard and filled with anxious moments and requires a sense of of structure. Starting each day with a small accomplishment such as making your bed will give you the desire and motivation to tackle the day’s larger tasks. A morning that starts with a made bed demonstrated discipline, shows attention to detail and is a small accomplishment to set up many larger ones. Also if everything that happens to you after that is rough, there is nothing better to provide hope for the next day than coming home to a made bed!
If you are interested in seeing Admiral McRaven’s full speech you can by clicking here . You can also purchase his book titled “Make Your Bed” by clicking here . I hope you reading and always remember to Make Your Bed!
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If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that ...
Former Navy SEALs Admiral William H. McRaven's most powerful and motivational speech: Make your bed every morning with Big English Subtitle. This speech was ...
The general theme of his 'make your bed speech' is that anyone can change the world; all you need is the courage to do it. ... But every morning, we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that we were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle-hardened SEALs ...
Watch and get inspired by Admiral William H. McRaven's inspiring 2014 commencement address at University of Texas at Austin. This event occurred on May 17, 2...
Lesson #1: Make Your Bed Every Morning. Starting your day off by completing a task will initiate your momentum to do the next task, and then the next, and so on. It will give you a sense of accomplishment that you will want to continue to feel throughout the day. If you can't complete a small and mundane task each morning such as making your ...
Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the ...
It was a simple task, mundane at best, but every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. Admiral McRaven: ( 05:13 ) It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that we were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle-hardened SEALs.
Watch Admiral McRaven's inspiring and motivational speech on how making your bed can change your life and the world. Learn from his wisdom and experience as a Navy Seal and a leader. This video ...
If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.
The Man Who Led the Bin Laden Mission Teaches You How to Make Your Bed. Admiral William H. McRaven tells us about the foundation for a productive day, the bounce-a-quarter test, and how to get a ...
US Navy Admiral, William H. McRaven, delivers a speech about the importance of doing the little things like making your bed, embracing the fears of life, and changing the world for generations to come. Transcript: If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the ...
US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven delivers one of the Best Morning Motivational Speeches for Success you will ever hear. Inspired? Get McRaven's bestsellin...
Based on a Navy SEAL's inspiring graduation speech, this #1 New York Times bestseller of powerful life lessons "should be read by every leader in America" (Wall Street Journal). If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day.
The first of Admiral McRaven's 10 lessons is: start your day with one successful task completed, such as making your bed, and you will find the motivation to tackle others. When you make your bed first thing in the morning, you start the day with purpose and confidence. You will feel a sense of pride, and that same pride will greet you at ...
The "Make Your Bed" speech by US Navy Admiral, William H. McRaven, outlines the importance of doing the little things like making your bed, embracing the fears of life, taking risks, facing bullying, respecting others, and changing the world for generations to come. ... 00:00 - "Start Off By Making Your Bed" ...
As McRaven said in his speech to grads: "If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day ...
More Goalcast stories RIGHT HERE! Check out...đ https://youtu.be/Bg_Q7KYWG1g đđ https://youtu.be/xFr0FKnaLDk đMake Your Bed speech - US Navy Admiral,...
Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. "The idea of making the bed is it's the same sense of discipline," he says. "It's the same sense that you're ...
If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that ...
It was a simple task-mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle hardened SEALs-but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
"Make Your Bed" by Admiral William H. McRavenThis speech was delivered as the commencement address to the graduates of The University of Texas at Austin on ...
If You Want to Change the World, Start Off by Making Your Bed - William McRaven, US Navy AdmiralMake Your Bed speech - US Navy Admiral, William H. McRaven, d...
Admiral McRaven points out that it is important to start your day with a completed task. Life can be hard and filled with anxious moments and requires a sense of of structure. Starting each day with a small accomplishment such as making your bed will give you the desire and motivation to tackle the day's larger tasks.