Make Your Bed in the Morning Speech in Writing
O n 17 May 2014, I was asked to give a speech at the graduation ceremony of my alma mater, the University of Texas. I chose to tell them the 10 lessons I had learned during my 34-year career as a navy SEAL. I hope you enjoy them rather more than they did.
1 Start off by making your bed
The barracks at basic SEAL training is a nondescript building in Coronado, California. Rooms are spartan, with a simple steel bed on which there is a mattress, two sheets and a grey blanket. Every morning, we would have to make our beds. If the task wasn't done properly, we would be sent on a 10-mile run. Making my bed taught me the importance of getting my day off to a good start. Years later, when we finally captured Saddam Hussein in Iraq, I was intrigued to notice that he had never made his bed. It's that kind of laziness that can lead to the downfall of any dictator.
2 Find someone to help you paddle
During my SEAL training, we had to learn to paddle a boat in a crew of seven. Sometimes, one of the recruits was a bit tired so we didn't go as fast as the other boats and the officers would make us all do 500 press-ups when we got back to the beach. This taught me the meaning of team work. And also to never get in a boat with someone I thought was a bit of a loser.
3 Measure a person by the size of their heart
Just because you are small, it doesn't mean you are a failure. The guy with the biggest flippers is not always the man you want next to you in a crisis. During one mission behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, I got stuck inside a tight tunnel. Fortunately, I was with a man who was only 5ft tall. He was able to run for assistance. Saddam Hussein had big flippers.
4 Get over being a sugar cookie
In all of SEAL training, there was no worse punishment than being coated in wet sand like a sugar cookie and not being allowed to wash for three weeks. One morning, after I had successfully completed an exercise, the instructor told me to roll in the sand. "Do you know why you are a sugar cookie?" he asked me. I replied that I didn't. "Because life is unfair," he said. This taught me that life was unfair. Get over it. Shit happens. So what if you lose a leg in a car accident? At least, you've got one good one left.
5 Don't be afraid of the Circus
The Circus was a brutal session of callisthenics that broke many SEAL recruits because they were afraid of it. I wasn't afraid of it so it didn't break me. If you're frightened, you lose. Saddam Hussein was afraid of the Circus.
6 Be prepared to jump
In SEAL training, we had to find the quickest way of getting down from a 60-metre tower. I consistently failed this test by using the zip wire. It was only when I was prepared to throw myself off head first that I passed. The multiple leg fractures I incurred were more than worth it. Sometimes you just have to show initiative.
7 Don't back down from the sharks
One of the more hellish exercises we had to endure as SEALs was a 15-mile swim through waters infested with great white sharks. Although we lost several good recruits that night, the rest of us got to experience what it felt like to get lucky. Saddam Hussein never went for a swim with sharks.
8 Be your very best in the darkest moments
At night, it is often hard to see what you are doing. During these hours, it is important to be the very best you can be. Always remember that while you are alive you are not yet dead.
9 Start singing when you are up to your neck in mud
During SEAL training, we were often made to bury ourselves in mud for weeks at a time. Singing helped to keep our spirits up. So make sure you join a choir. Being in a choir gives you hope. Saddam Hussein was never in a choir.
10 Don't ever ring the bell
At Coronado, there was a bell that SEAL recruits could ring to signify they wanted to give up and watch TV. I never rang that bell. Ringing a bell, even on a bicycle, is a sign of weakness. Saddam Hussein rang the bell three times a day.
Digested read digested: Don't be as Sad as Saddam.
Make Your Bed in the Morning Speech in Writing
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/30/make-your-bed-little-things-change-life-maybe-world-admiral-william-mcraven-digested-read
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