Mandatory read for new college grads

[widgeon13]

Admiral McRaven's commencement speech at University of Texas should be mandatory for everyone, not just college grads. I've only copied one tenth of the speech, the rest is well worth the read.

SEAL commander offers 10 life lessons in commencement speech | FOX5 San Diego

AUSTIN, Texas –The commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command shared 10 life lessons learned as a Navy SEAL during a commencement speech at his alma mater.

U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven gave the address at the University of Texas at Austin, last week. He supported each lesson with stories from his years as a Navy SEAL, beginning with his basic SEAL traininng in Coronado.

This transcript of his remarks is courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin:

I have been a Navy SEAL for 36 years. But it all began when I left UT for Basic SEAL training in Coronado, California.

Basic SEAL training is six months of long torturous runs in the soft sand, midnight swims in the cold water off San Diego, obstacles courses, unending calisthenics, days without sleep and always being cold, wet and miserable.

It is six months of being constantly harassed by professionally trained warriors who seek to find the weak of mind and body and eliminate them from ever becoming a Navy SEAL.

But, the training also seeks to find those students who can lead in an environment of constant stress, chaos, failure and hardships.

To me basic SEAL training was a life time of challenges crammed into six months.

So, here are the ten lesson’s I learned from basic SEAL training that hopefully will be of value to you as you move forward in life.

Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed.

If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack—rack—that’s Navy talk for bed.

It was a simple task—mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle hardened SEALs—but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.

If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.

By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.

If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.

And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.



Read more: SEAL commander offers 10 life lessons in commencement speech | FOX5 San Diego

[scottmandue]

I posted the video to my facebook page.

Mind you I have never been in the military but a great message for all of us.