The news cycles have been just too grim to address these days, even if it is Lent. Below is a motivational speech given by Admiral McRaven several years ago. In it, he applies lessons he learned in US Navy Seal training to create a blueprint for success in life. It's well worth a quarter hour of your time to watch.
As a cheat sheet, below are the ten rules the good Admiral explains in the video:
1. Start each day with a task completed: make your bed.2. Find someone to help you through life.3. Respect everyone.4. Life isn't always fair; move forward.5. Don't be afraid to fail often.6. Take risks.7. Face down the bullies.8. Step up when times are tough.9. Lift up the downtrodden.10. Never give up.
Admiral McRaven's "Change the World" Address
As a more in-depth treatment of his rules to change the world, Admiral McRaven wrote a book based on the first rule. You can find Make Your Bed at bookstores and online.
Since childhood, I've followed that rule. I can't say that I've changed the world. But it's certainly true that a neatly made bed awaiting me at the end of many miserable days always seemed an oasis of calm in a sea of chaos. Making my bed has proven to be worth the effort, so I'd say Rules 2 through 10 can be trusted, too.
If the Admiral's ten rules can possibly change our sorry world, they are all definitely worth a try.
