Recommended Reading: What a Navy SEAL can Teach Us All
By Jeff Arnold, CEO and Chairman
After starting various companies over the last 20 years, I’ve been able to take key learnings from each venture to make the next one better. For me, that sentiment likewise was a prominent takeaway from Jesse Itzler’s new book, Living With A Seal (and his recent interview on Sharecare Radio, which you can listen to here).
For those of you who might not know Jesse, he’s a serial entrepreneur, not to mention a fitness enthusiast and marathoner who always is willing to try something new. It was in that spirit that, two years ago, when Jesse found himself at the starting line of an ultra-marathon (an event where a team of runners split up the course of a full day of running) he noticed a guy —hereafter referred to as “SEAL”—waiting to run the entire race alone. Fascinated by anyone who would attempt this feat, Jesse approached “SEAL” and learned that he was not only an ultramarathon runner and triathlete, but also an actual member of the elite Navy division his nickname suggested – and was openly referred to as “the toughest man on the planet.” Recognizing this as a kismet opportunity, Jesse promptly invited “SEAL” to move into his home to train him for 30 days, promising to do anything SEAL told him to do.
The events that follow are documented in Living With a Seal, all the while revealing some valuable life lessons. For example, during their month of training, “SEAL” consistently tells Jesse that he needs to do things differently in order to see different results. Getting stuck in a rut can be the death of innovation and improvement. Just as “SEAL” pushed Jesse to what he thought were his limits and showed him that he could actually exceed them, continuous improvement in business and health demands we push our personal boundaries, think differently and – as “SEAL” says – see a world where “NOTHING is off limits.”
As I’m making my list of resolutions for the New Year, the takeaways from Living With A Seal will be at the forefront of my mind.
