Some people have a knack, because of their own life experience, of being able to impart universal lessons that resonate with us.
Admiral William McRaven’s Commencement Address to students of the University of Texas at Austin in 2014 is one of those moments. This speech is well worth listening to.
“if you change the lives of just ten people and those ten people do the same; then after 5 generations you will have changed the lives of 800 million people”.
Small decisions make a difference and what you do will echo down history, so you might as well do things right. We all share the same struggles, it’s how we deal with them that matters.
Start by making your bed.
Ten life-lessons learnt from Nay seal basic training.
1. Make your bed. If you accomplish the first task of the day well, then the rest of the day has a better chance of going well. Do the little things right!
2. Paddle as a team. You can’t change the world on your own. Find someone to help you.
3. Don’t discount the small guys. Measure a person by the size of their heart and their commitment.
4. You will never be perfect. Keep moving forward.
5. Life’s not fair and you will fail often. Don’t be afraid to fail.
6. The rope slide. Sometimes you have to go for it; take risks
7. Don’t back down from the sharks. Face and confront your fears head on.
8. The Darkest moments. It is in your darkest moments that you will need to be your best.
9. Hope. One person can change the world by giving hope. Lift up the down-trodden
10. Don’t ring the bell. Never quit.
This resonates so well with everything I’ve read and experienced, but even though we know that they’re true, it isn’t always easy to do stick to them when you’re under pressure.