Monument to The Merchant Marines at Battery Park City, Manhattan
He
outlined the lessons of the bed, paddle, heart, cookie, circus, obstacle,
shark, dark moment, song, and bell. Each one was a metaphor for an
important life part.
- Make your bed - Making our bed seems simple, but if we don’t do the simple things well the big things that come with time will overwhelm us and paralyze our existence. If we can get the bed part of our day right every morning, most probably we can get our lives right as well!
- Find people to paddle with you - The more paddles the better. Getting along with the team players takes time, patience and perseverance but in the long run, it’s worth an effort and it brings a great result. It will ease your paddling.
- Measure the size of heart, not flippers – It doesn’t matter how strong and handsome someone is, what matters is how big heart he has. If the person has a good heart he will do good things for the others and gain people’s trust, respect and support. Motivation seems to outperform intelligence.
- Get over being a “sugar cookie” and keep moving forward - Some days no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, things go the opposite way. Therefore we need to prepare ourselves for that bad day, a failure. A Navy SEAL trainee is ordered into the surf to get good, cold, and wet, and then to roll around on the beach until he is completely covered in fine white sand – resembling a “sugar cookie.” A Navy SEAL trainee stay that way for the rest of the day, reflect on his weekness. If case of a bad day we have to push through it and look forward to having a better day tomorrow.
- Don't be afraid of the circuses - When the Navy SEAL fail a daily physical training he has to do two hours more of additional calisthenics - designed to wear him down, to break his spirit, to force him to quit. But that extra training actually can help build strength and stamina if he don’t quit. We all live though our own “circuses” in life and they can be wearing, perplexing and often discouraging. When you do an extra work, you become stronger, experienced, and confident. Doing the minimum is not enough, we have to practice the maximum.
- Sometimes you have to slide down obstacles head first - Twice a week an obstacle course was required for McRaven’s SEAL training. One of the most feared obstacle course challenges was the “slide for life.” It was dangerous and it put the SEALs at high risk. While it’s good to be frightened, if fear paralyzes our intellect and our motivation, then we are truly lost. Sometimes we have to take that chance and “risk” it, but it needs to be with our full awareness and purpose.
- Don't back down from the sharks - The lesson 6 reminds us that fear can weaken our capacity but if we prepare to meet face-to-face with “sharks”, our response may surprise us. Attackers prefer to attack the weak not the strong. Your sharks could be physical attackers, so self-defense training can give you some confidence to avoid being easy prey. If your sharks attack you verbally, try to be adequately prepared, take a stand for yourself and others. Lock in your values and ethics.
- You must be your very best in the darkest moments - The Navy SEAL training missions require trainees to perform dangerous underwater operations in complete darkness. All of their training needs to carry them through that moment. We don’t have a SEAL training but we do have our principles, mysticism, and relationships to pull us through these darkest moments of our lives. It’s not important how do we start but how do we finish.
- Start singing when you're up to your neck in mud - The ninth week of the SEAL training (“Hell Week”) consists of six days without sleep, continual physical and mental harassment, and an woeful day at the mud. It is one of the most difficult Navy SEAL part. Often, many SEALs quit right there, but some find a way to get through it.While Admiral William H. McRaven’s group friends were up to their necks in mud, one SEAL trainee started singing and others joined him. Unity in singing was an affirmation that gave them hope. We can use your voice to transform a dark moment into hope.
- Don't ever, ever ring the bell - Any time a Navy SEAL wants to quit their training and leave, all they have to do is go up to the bell and ring it. Ringing a bell, even on a bicycle is a sign of weakness. Be tolerant, be patient, be persistent on you way to the finish line!
The Immigrants Monument at Battery Park City, Manhattan
Admiral William H.
McRaven also said:
“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 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 the next
generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than
the one we have today.”
“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 forward - changing ourselves and the world around us - will apply equally to all.”
“Changing the world can happen anywhere and anyone can do it.”
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