THIS WILL CHANGE YOU! Navy Seal Admiral William H. McRaven [MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH]

Summary

In this inspiring commencement speech, a former Navy SEAL reflects on his graduation from UT 37 years ago and imparts valuable life lessons from his SEAL training. He emphasizes the importance of small daily tasks like making your bed, teamwork, resilience in the face of failure, and the power of hope. Encouraging the class of 2014 to embrace challenges and persevere, he envisions their potential to positively impact 800 million lives, illustrating that what starts with them can indeed change the world.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The commencement speaker reflects on his graduation day, emphasizing the importance of personal memories over the details of the event itself.
• 🌟 The speaker highlights the University of Texas slogan 'What starts here changes the world', suggesting that the actions of the graduating class can have a significant impact on the world.
• 🔢 The script illustrates the potential for exponential influence by suggesting that even a small change can affect millions of lives over generations.
• 💪 The speaker shares personal experiences from military service, emphasizing the power of individual decisions in life-or-death situations.
• 🤝 The importance of teamwork is underscored through the metaphor of a boat crew needing to work together to navigate through challenging waters.
• 🌈 The script advocates for diversity and inclusion, showing that a team of 'Munchkin' SEAL trainees, despite their size, outperformed others due to their determination.
• 👔 The concept of perseverance is conveyed through the story of SEAL trainees enduring uniform inspections and the 'sugar cookie' drill, highlighting the need to accept imperfections.
• 🏋️ The 'circus' in SEAL training serves as a metaphor for life's challenges, teaching the importance of resilience and strength gained through overcoming failure.
• 🤺 The script encourages taking risks and thinking creatively, as demonstrated by a SEAL trainee breaking the obstacle course record by going down the slide headfirst.
• 🦈 The story of dealing with sharks during underwater training symbolizes facing fears and adversities head-on without backing down.
• 🌌 The need for calm and focus in the darkest moments is illustrated through the experience of conducting underwater attacks in the pitch dark beneath a ship.
• 🎵 The power of hope is exemplified by the story of trainees singing in the mud flats during 'Hell Week', showing that unity and hope can make difficult situations more bearable.
• 🛎 The 'bell' in SEAL training represents the option to quit, and the speaker advises the graduating class to never ring the bell, symbolizing the importance of never giving up.

Q & A

How many years has it been since the speaker graduated from UT?

It has been almost 37 years since the speaker graduated from UT.

What significant personal event did the speaker mention from the day of their graduation?

The speaker mentioned having a serious girlfriend on the day of their graduation, who they later married.

What did the speaker forget about the commencement speaker at their graduation?

The speaker does not remember who the commencement speaker was or anything they said.

What is the university slogan that the speaker admits to liking?

The university slogan is 'What starts here changes the world.'

According to the speaker, how many people does the average American meet in their lifetime?

The average American meets 10,000 people in their lifetime, according to ask.com.

What is the potential impact of the class of 2014 on the world, as described by the speaker?

The speaker suggests that if each graduate influences ten people, and those people influence ten more each, in five generations the class could have changed the lives of 800 million people.

What is the significance of making your bed every morning, as taught in SEAL training?

Making your bed every morning gives a sense of accomplishment, encourages further task completion, and reinforces the importance of doing the little things right.

What is the importance of teamwork in SEAL training, as illustrated by the boat crews?

Teamwork is crucial; everyone must paddle in sync to get through the surf zone, emphasizing the need for collective effort to achieve goals.

What lesson did the 'Munchkin crew' teach about measuring a person's worth?

The 'Munchkin crew' demonstrated that success is not about physical size but about the will to succeed, teaching to measure a person by the size of their heart, not their flippers.

What is the purpose of the 'sugar cookie' drill in SEAL training?

The 'sugar cookie' drill is meant to teach trainees that sometimes no matter how hard they try, they may still face failure and discomfort, and they must learn to move forward despite it.

What is the significance of the 'circus' in SEAL training?

The 'circus' is an additional two hours of calisthenics for those who did not meet the standards, designed to test endurance and resilience, teaching that failure is a part of growth and strength building.

What does the 'slide for life' obstacle represent in SEAL training?

The 'slide for life' represents a challenging obstacle where innovation and risk-taking can lead to breaking records and achieving success in unexpected ways.

What is the key message about facing 'sharks' in the world, as shared by the speaker?

The key message is to not back down from challenges or threats, symbolized by sharks, and to confront them with courage and determination.

What does the 'under the keel' experience during ship attack missions teach SEALs?

The 'under the keel' experience teaches SEALs to be calm, composed, and to utilize their tactical skills and inner strength during the darkest and most challenging moments.

What is the significance of 'Hell Week' in SEAL training?

Hell Week is a grueling six-day period with no sleep and constant physical and mental challenges, designed to test the limits of endurance and the will to persevere.

What did the singing in the mud during 'Hell Week' demonstrate about the power of hope?

The singing in the mud showed that even in the most difficult circumstances, hope can unite people, make hardships more bearable, and bring them closer to overcoming challenges.

What is the寓意 of the 'bell' in SEAL training, and what does it represent?

The 'bell' represents the option to quit SEAL training at any time. It symbolizes the choice to give up when faced with extreme adversity, and the importance of never ringing it to achieve one's goals.

What final advice does the speaker give to the class of 2014 about changing the world?

The speaker advises the class of 2014 to start each day with a task completed, find support in others, respect everyone, understand that life is unfair and full of failure, take risks, face challenges head-on, help the less fortunate, and never give up.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Commencement Reflections and the Ripple Effect of Change

The speaker reflects on their graduation from UT 37 years ago, recalling the headache from a party, a serious girlfriend who later became his wife, and the Navy commissioning. They humorously admit to forgetting the commencement speaker but emphasize the insignificance of that detail compared to life's meaningful moments. The speech acknowledges the potential of the graduating class to change the world, suggesting that if each graduate influences ten people, the cumulative effect over generations could reach 800 million people. The speaker uses personal military experiences to illustrate how individual decisions can have far-reaching impacts, encouraging the graduates to believe in their power to change the world.

05:05

🛏️ The Discipline of Making Your Bed and Teamwork in SEAL Training

The speaker shares ten lessons from his SEAL training, starting with the importance of making your bed to instill discipline and a sense of accomplishment. This small act sets a positive tone for the day and emphasizes the significance of attention to detail. The narrative then shifts to teamwork during SEAL training, where students are divided into boat crews and must work in unison to navigate challenging surf conditions. The story of the 'Munchkin crew' demonstrates that success is not about size or strength but about determination and unity. The speaker underscores the value of collaboration and respecting everyone's contribution.

10:07

🏊‍♂️ Overcoming Adversity and Embracing the 'Sugar Cookie' Experience

The speaker discusses the harsh realities of SEAL training, including the relentless physical challenges and the 'sugar cookie' drill, where trainees must roll in the sand after failing uniform inspection. This experience, though uncomfortable, teaches resilience and the acceptance of imperfection. The 'circus', a punishment for not meeting standards, paradoxically builds strength and endurance in trainees. The speaker encourages embracing these challenges as they forge character and prepare individuals for life's difficulties.

15:10

🦈 Facing Fears, Innovating, and the Importance of Hope

The narrative continues with the story of a student who breaks the obstacle course record by taking risks and innovating, symbolizing the need for courage and creativity to overcome challenges. The speaker talks about the fear of sharks during night swims, advising to stand your ground rather than flee. The story of 'Hell Week' highlights the power of hope and camaraderie as the trainees sing to endure the cold and pressure to quit. The speech concludes with a message to the graduating class, urging them not to ring the bell of surrender, to take risks, face bullies, lift others, and never give up, promising a better world for future generations.

Keywords

💡Commencement Speech

A commencement speech is a formal address delivered at a graduation ceremony. In the context of the video, the speaker reflects on his own graduation day and uses the platform to impart wisdom and life lessons to the graduating class, emphasizing the potential impact they can have on the world.

💡Change the World

The phrase 'change the world' is a central theme of the video, suggesting the idea that individual actions can have a significant and far-reaching impact. The speaker illustrates this concept by discussing the potential for the graduates to influence millions through a ripple effect of personal interactions.

💡Navy SEAL Training

Navy SEAL training is a rigorous and demanding program designed to prepare elite special operations forces. In the video, the speaker draws on his experiences from SEAL training to convey lessons about perseverance, teamwork, and overcoming adversity, which are applicable to the broader theme of effecting change in the world.

💡Sugar Cookie

In the script, 'sugar cookie' refers to a punishment in SEAL training where a trainee, failing a uniform inspection, must roll in the sand while fully clothed. This term is used to illustrate the idea that sometimes, despite best efforts, one may still face setbacks or humiliation, but it is crucial to continue moving forward.

💡Circus

A 'circus' in the context of the video is an additional two hours of calisthenics given as punishment for failing to meet physical standards. It symbolizes the challenges and failures one may encounter, and the importance of resilience and not giving up in the face of adversity.

💡Mud Flats

The 'mud flats' represent a particularly grueling part of SEAL training where trainees endure long hours in freezing, muddy conditions. This serves as a metaphor for the extreme challenges one may face and the need for determination and unity to overcome them.

💡Hell Week

Hell Week is a notorious part of SEAL training, characterized by six days of no sleep and constant physical and mental stress. It exemplifies the peak of endurance testing and is used in the video to emphasize the importance of pushing through the most difficult moments to achieve one's goals.

💡Ring the Bell

In the video, 'ring the bell' is a metaphor for quitting or giving up. It refers to an actual bell in SEAL training that trainees can ring to end their participation. The speaker uses this concept to encourage graduates to never give up on their goals, no matter how challenging the circumstances.

💡Teamwork

Teamwork is a recurring concept in the video, highlighted by the necessity of synchronized paddling in boat crews during SEAL training. It underscores the importance of collaboration and mutual support in achieving collective goals and making a difference in the world.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties and is a key theme in the video. The speaker discusses the importance of building inner strength and resilience through overcoming the physical and mental challenges of SEAL training, which is directly related to the broader message of personal growth and world change.

💡Hope

Hope is presented as a powerful force in the video, with the speaker noting its ability to inspire and unite people in the face of adversity. The singing in the mud flats is an example of how hope can provide comfort and motivation, aligning with the overall message of the potential for positive change.

Highlights

The commencement speaker humorously admits to not remembering his own commencement speaker, emphasizing the importance of personal experiences over speeches.

The speaker reflects on his graduation from UT, mentioning a headache, a serious girlfriend, and a Navy commission, but not the commencement speaker.

The concept of 'What starts here changes the world' is introduced as the university slogan and a central theme of the speech.

A hypothetical scenario is presented where each graduate influences ten people, potentially changing the lives of 800 million people over five generations.

The speaker shares personal military experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan to illustrate the profound impact one person can have on many lives.

The idea that changing the world can occur anywhere and by anyone is emphasized, encouraging graduates to believe in their potential.

Ten lessons from basic SEAL training are promised to be shared, offering practical advice for life derived from the speaker's military experience.

Making your bed every morning is presented as the first lesson, symbolizing the importance of starting the day with a completed task.

The necessity of teamwork is highlighted through the boat crew exercise, showing that individual success is often a collective effort.

The 'Munchkin crew' story demonstrates that success in challenging environments is not determined by physical size but by determination and teamwork.

The importance of perseverance is underscored through the 'sugar cookie' drill, teaching that failure is part of the process.

The 'circus' is introduced as a metaphor for life's challenges, where additional effort can lead to unexpected strength and resilience.

Innovation and risk-taking are encouraged through the story of a student breaking the obstacle course record by going down the slide for life headfirst.

The 'sharks' metaphor is used to convey the inevitability of facing fears and overcoming obstacles to achieve goals.

The need for calm and focus in the darkest moments is illustrated through the experience of swimming under the keel of a ship.

Hell week and the mud flats experience are shared to demonstrate the power of hope and unity in the face of extreme adversity.

The 'bell' is introduced as a symbol of quitting, with a message to never give up, no matter the challenges faced.

The speech concludes with a call to action for the graduates to start their journey of changing the world for the better, emphasizing the potential impact of their actions.

Transcripts

it's been almost 37 years to the day that I graduated from UT I remember a

lot of things about that day I remember I had a throbbing headache from a party

the night before I remember I had a serious girlfriend who I later married

that's important to remember by the way and I remember I was getting

commissioned in the Navy that day but of all the things I remember I don't have a

clue who the commencement speaker was and I certainly don't remember anything

they said so acknowledging that fact if I can't make this commencement speech

memorable I won't least try to make it short so

the university slogan is what starts here changes the world well I've got to

admit I kind of like it what starts here changes the world tonight there are

almost 8,000 students or there more than 8,000 students graduated from UT

so that great paragon of analytical rigor ask.com says that the average

American will meet 10,000 people in their lifetime 10,000 people that's a

lot of folks but if every one of you changed the lives of just ten people and

each one of those people change the lives of another 10 people and another

10 then in five generations 125 years the class of 2014 will have changed the

lives of 800 million people 800 million people think about it

over twice the population of the United States go one more generation and you

can change the entire population of the world eight billion people if you think

it's hard to change the lives of ten people change their lives forever you're

wrong I saw it happen every day in Iraq and

Afghanistan a young army officer makes a decision to go left instead of right

down a road in Baghdad and the ten soldiers with him are saved from a

close-in ambush in kandahar province Afghanistan a noncommissioned officer

from the Female Engagement Team senses that something isn't right

and directs the infantry platoon away from a 500-pound I Edie saving the lives

of a dozen soldiers but if you think about it not only were those soldiers

say by the decisions of one person but their children were saved and their

children's children generations were saved by one decision one person but

changing the world can happen anywhere and anyone can do it so what starts here

can indeed change the world but the question is what will the world look

like after you change it well I'm confident that it will look much much

better but if you'll humor this old sailor for just a moment I have a few

suggestions that may help you on your way to a better world and while these

lessons were learned during my time in the military I can assure you that it

matters not whether you ever served a day in uniform it matters not your

gender your ethnic or religious background your orientation or your

social status our struggles in this world are similar and the lessons to

overcome those struggles and to move forward changing ourselves and changing

the world around us will apply equally to all I've 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 a long torturous runs in the soft

sand midnight swims in the cold water off San Diego obstacle 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 lifetime of

challenges crammed into six months so here the 10 lessons I learned from basic

SEAL training that hopefully will be of value to you as you move forward in life

every morning in SEAL training my instructors who at the time were all

Vietnam veterans which show up in my barracks room and the first thing they

do is inspect my bed if you did it right the corners would be square the covers

would be pulled tight the pillows centered just under the headboard and

the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack 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 we 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 made

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 and by the end of the day that one task

completed will have turned into mini task completed making your bed will also

reinforce the fact but the little things in life matter if you can't do the

little things right you'll never be able to 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 so if you want to change the world start off by making your bed

during seal training the students during training the students are all broken

down into boat crews each crew is seven students three on each side of a small

rubber boat and one Coxon to help guide the dinghy

every day your boat crew forms up on the beach and is instructed to get through

the surf zone and paddle several miles down the coast in the winter the surf

off San Diego can get to be eight to ten feet high and it is exceedingly

difficult to paddle route through the plunging surf unless everyone digs in

every paddle must be synchronized to the stroke count of the coxswain everyone

must exert equal effort or the boat will turn against the wave and be

unceremoniously dumped back on the beach for the boat to make it to its

destination everyone must paddle you can't change

the world alone you will need some help and to truly get from your starting

point to your destination takes friends colleagues the good will of strangers

and a strong Coxon to guide you if you want to change the world find someone to

help you paddle over a few weeks of difficult training my seal class which

started with 150 men was down to just 42 there were now six boat crews of seven

men each I was in the boat with the tall guys but the best boat crew we had was

made up of little guys the Munchkin crew we called him

no one was over five foot five the Munchkin boat crew had one American

Indian one African American one Polish American one Greek American one Italian

American and two tough kids from the Midwest

they out paddled out ran and out swam all the other boat crews the big men and

the other boat crews will always make good-natured fun of the tiny little

flippers the munchkins put on their tiny little feet prior to every swim but

somehow these little guys from every corner of the nation in the world always

had the last laugh sewing faster than everyone and reaching

the shore long before the rest of us SEAL training was a great equalizer

nothing mattered but your will to succeed not your color not your ethnic

background not your education not your social status if you want to change the

world measure a person by the size of their heart not by the size of their

flippers several times a week the instructors would line up the class and

do a uniform inspection it was exceptionally thorough your hat had to

be perfectly starched your uniform immaculately pressed your belt buckle

shiny and void of any smudges but it seemed that no matter how much effort

you put into starting your hat or freshen your uniform or polishing your

belt buckle it just wasn't good enough the instructors would find something

wrong for failing uniform inspection the student had to run fully clothed into

the surf zone then wet from head to toe roll around on the beach until every

part of your body was covered with sand the effect was known as sugar cookie

you stayed in the uniform the rest of the day cold wet and Sandy

there were many a student who just couldn't accept the fact that all their

efforts were in vain that no matter how hard they tried to get the uniform right

it went unappreciated those students didn't make it through training those

students didn't understand the purpose of the drill you were never going to

succeed you were never gonna have a perfect uniform the instructors weren't

going to allow it sometimes no matter how well you prepare or how well you

perform you still end up as a sugar cookie it's just the way life is

sometimes if you want to change the world get over being a sugar cookie and

keep moving forward every day during training you were

challenged with multiple physical events long runs long swims obstacle courses

hours of calisthenics something designed to test your mettle every event had

standards times you had to meet if you failed to meet those times those

standards your name was posted on a list and at the end of the day those on the

list were invited to a circus a circus was two hours of additional calisthenics

designed to wear you down to break your spirit to force you to quit no one

wanted a circus a circus myth that for that day you didn't measure up

a circus meant more fatigue and more fatigue meant that the following day

would be more difficult and more circuses were likely but at some time

during seal training everyone everyone made the circus list but an interesting

and interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list over

time those students who did two hours of extra calisthenics got stronger and

stronger the pain of the circuses built inner

strength and physical resiliency life is filled with circuses you will fail you

will likely fail often it will be painful it will be discouraging at times

it will test you to your very core but if you don't if you want to change the

world don't be afraid of the circuses at least twice a week the trainees were

required to run the obstacle course the obstacle course contain 25 obstacles

including the 10-foot wall a 30-foot cargo net a barbed wire crawl to name a

few but the most challenging obstacle was the slide for life

it had a three level 30-foot tower at one end and a one level Tower at the

other in between was a 200-foot long rope you had to climb the three tiered

Tower and once at the top you grabbed the rope

swung underneath the rope and pulled yourself hand over hand until you got to

the other end the record for the obstacle course had stood for years when

my class began in 1977 the record seemed unbeatable until one day a student

decided to go down the slide for life headfirst instead of swinging his body

underneath the rope and inching his way down he bravely mounted the top of the

rope and thrust himself forward it was a dangerous move seemingly foolish and

fraught with risk failure could be an injury and being dropped from the course

without hesitation the students slid down the Rope perilously fast instead of

several minutes it only took him half that time and by the end of the course

he had broken the record if you want to change the world sometimes you have to

slide down the obstacles headfirst during the land warfare phase of

training the students are flown out to San Clemente Island which lies off the

coast of San Diego the waters off San Clemente are a breeding ground for the

great white sharks to pass SEAL training they're a series of long swims it must

be completed one is the night swim before the swim the instructors joyfully

brief the students on all the species of sharks that inhabit the waters off San

Clemente they assure you however that no student

has ever been eaten by a shark at least not that they can remember but you were

also taught that if a shark begins to circle your position stand your ground

do not swim away do not act afraid and if the shark

hungry for a midnight snack darts towards you then summons up all your

strength and punch him in the snout and you will turn and swim away there are a

lot of sharks in the world if you hope to complete the swim you will have to

deal with them so if you want to change the world don't back down from the

Sharks as Navy SEAL is one of our jobs is to conduct underwater attacks against

enemy shipping we practice this technique extensively during training

the ship attack mission is where a pair of sealed divers is dropped off outside

an enemy harbor and then swims well over two miles underwater using nothing but a

depth gauge and a compass to get to the target during the entire swim even well

below the surface there is some light that comes through it is comforting to

know that there is open water above you but as you approach the ship which is

tied to appear the light begins to fade the steel structure of the ship blocks

the moonlight it blocks the surrounding street lamps it blocks all ambient light

to be successful in your mission you have to swim under the ship and find the

keel the centerline and the deepest part of the ship this is your objective but

the keel is also the darkest part of the ship where you cannot see your hand in

front of your face where the noise from the ship's machinery is deafening and

where it gets to be easily disoriented and you can fail every SEAL knows that

under the keel at that darkest moment of the mission is a time when you need to

be calm when you must be called when you must be

composed when all your tactical skills your physical power and your inner

strength must be brought to bear if you want to change the world you must be

your very best in the darkest moments the ninth week of training is referred

to as hell week it is six days of no sleep constant physical and mental

harassment and one special day at the mud flats the mud flats are an area

between San Diego and Tijuana where the water runs off and creates the Tijuana

sloughs a swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you it is on

Wednesday of hell week that you paddle down in the mud flats and spend the next

15 hours trying to survive this freezing cold the howling wind and the incessant

pressure to quit from the instructors as the Sun began to set that Wednesday

evening my training class having committed some egregious infraction of

the rules was ordered into the mud the mud consumed each man till there was

nothing visible but our heads the instructors told us we could leave

the mud if only five men would quit only five men just five men and we could get

out of the oppressive cold looking around the mud flat it was apparent that

some students were about to give up it was still over eight hours till the Sun

came up eight more hours of bone-chilling cold a chattering teeth

and the shivering moans of the trainees were so loud it was hard to hear

anything and then one voice began to echo through the night

one voice raised in song the song was terribly out of tune but sung with great

enthusiasm one voice became two and two became three and before long everyone in

the class was singing the instructors threatened us with more time in the mud

if we kept up the singing but the singing persisted and somehow the mud

seemed a little warmer and the wind a little tamer and the dawn not so far

away if I have learned anything in my time traveling the world it is the power

of hope the power of one person the Washington a Lincoln King Mandela and

even a young girl from Pakistan Malala one person can change the world by

giving people hope so if you want to change the world start singing when

you're up to your neck and mud finally a seal training there's a bell a brass

bell that hangs in the center of the compound for all the students to see all

you have to do quit all you have to do to quit is ring the bell ring the bell

and you no longer have to wake up at five o'clock

ring the bell and you no longer have to be in the freezing cold swims ring the

bell and you no longer have to do the runs the obstacle course the PT and you

no longer have to endure the hardships of training all you have to do is ring

the bell to get out if you want to change the world don't ever ever ring

the bell to the class of 2014 you are moments away from graduating moments

away from beginning your journey through life moments away from starting to

change the world for the better it will not be easy but you are the

class of 2014 the class that can affect the lives of 800 million people in the

next century 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 you take some risks step up on the time through the toughest faced

down the bullies lift up the downtrodden and never ever give up if you do these

things the next generation and the generations

that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today and

what started here will indeed have changed the world for the better thank

you very much fucking horns