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10 life lessons from Navy Seal training

I came across the video from the University of Texas 2014 Commencement address by Admiral William H McRaven in which he describes his training and draws ten life lessons.  The story is engaging, and while the lessons out of context sound odd, they make sense in the way he puts it together.  Yes, I am aware that this is 9 months old and that others have commented on it when it was first published.  I liked it enough to post again.

  1. If you want to change the world, start of by making your bed.  
  2. If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.
  3. If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart. Not the size of their flippers.
  4. If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie (failing) and keep moving forward.
  5. If you want to change the world, don't be afraid of the circuses. 
  6. If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacles head first. 
  7. If you want to change the world, don't back down from the sharks.
  8. If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moments.
  9. If you want to change the world, start singing when you are up to your nose in mud.  
  10. If you want to change the world, don't ever, ever ring the bell.

He also summarizes in the last minute with what these mean: 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, you can change the world.  [I slightly modified the above from the full text of his address.] 

Source: Glenn Alleman's often informative blog and his post on What is a Team?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70]

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