For U.S. Navy Rear Admiral William H. McRaven, it's the little things that show the Principles at UT Commencement speech - Granite Grok

For U.S. Navy Rear Admiral William H. McRaven, it’s the little things that show the Principles at UT Commencement speech

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral William H. McRaven is also the Commander of the US Navy’s SEAL special operator forces.  And a SEAL himself so he knows of what he speaks:

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.

My personal writing outlook is to take a particular current or political event and bring it back down to a given (or set of given) principles.  After all, it does tend to make things simple (and validates what we say as well).  Lots of other people do the same so it was nice to see how someone else does it:

  • If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.
  • If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.

Here are more of the points; go to BI and read the explanations for each.  Many thanks for your service, sir!

  • If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.
  • If you want to change the world get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.
  • But if you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses.
  • If you want to change the world sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.
  • So, If you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks.
  • If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment.
  • So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud.
  • If you want to change the world don’t ever, ever ring the bell.
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