Jocko Willink – Fight Hard

English major and Navy SEAL. podcaster and author, Jocko Willink has faced all kinds of problems from every angle. In this no-holds-barred speech, he shares no-nonsense know-how to tackle the challenges you face in everyday life.

Transcript:

Pretty easy, sometimes, to feel beaten. That doesn’t mean give up.

In fact, it means the opposite. It means it’s time for you to fight harder, to dig in. It means it’s time for you to go on the warpath.

That starts with one of the fundamental laws of combat leadership: Prioritize and execute. What’s the biggest problem? What’s causing the most stress? Family? Okay. Sit them down. Explain where you are at; Be blunt, be up front, and then give them the simple plan of how you’re gonna get things on track. Don’t sugar coat it. You give it to them straight.

Next, you got some late payments. Call those creditors up. Explain to them what’s going on. Set up some kind of a minimum payment plan so you can start making some progress and get them off your back.

And then you got your job. You’re falling behind at work. Talk to your boss. Face it. Tell him that you’re gonna step up your game. Tell him you’re gonna be at work early, you’re gonna be at work late, you’re gonna be at work during lunch, you’re gonna be where ever you need to be whenever he needs you to be there. Tell him you’re gonna get after it. Tell him that you’re 100% committed to supporting him and the company and the mission.

And then you get started. Let me tell you right now. It won’t be easy. It will be hard, because life is hard. That’s what life is. These challenges, these challenges that you face, they’re gonna do their best to take you down. Do not let them. Stand up. Dig in. Line up those problems and confront them. Face them. Fight them. Do not let them bring you down.

In fact, in fact, let those challenges raise you up, let them elevate you. Let their demands and their trials make you stronger. Let the adversity you face today turn you into a better person tomorrow.

So in the future you look back at these struggles and you say to them, “Thank you. You made me better.”