Ch05: Failure Can Make You Stronger
*These are just my thoughts and summary, all in my own words regarding this topic so I may omit some information that was taught in this book or course.
In this chapter, we learn the lesson of perseverance, to keep on going regardless of how many failures you may face.
It starts with Admiral McRaven taking us to the time when he and Marc, his swimming buddy were being punished for finishing last in the pack during the swim training in the open ocean.
The SEAL instructors expected more of them as they were going to become officers in the future in contingent to passing the training. So the officer yelled at the two, "You call yourself officers? Officers in the SEAL Teams lead the way. They don't come in last on the swims. They don't embarrass their class."
As they were performing push-ups as punishments, the SEAL instructor wrote them down to be on the Circus List. Being in The Circus was not a good thing. If you failed The Circus, the instructors saw you as a failure. For some students, it was The Circus that would cause them to quit. Admiral McRaven says, "The Circus. It was the last thing either Marc or I wanted." The Circus was basically a form of physical punishment by having them do at least two more hours of calisthenics on top of the regular training required and constant harassment from the SEAL officers that day. It was designed to help sort out the trainees who didn't have the courage, the will and the persistence to continue. The Admiral says that the students feared being in The Circus not only because of the extra physical labor that needed to be done that day, but the effect of exhaustion would last in the following day, thus they would more likely to fail the exercise standards and ultimately end up in The Circus again, thus creating a never ending loop. As McRaven and Marc ended up in The Circus day after day, they noticed that their performance in the water got better and they began to move up in the pack during the swim. So near the end of the training, a five-mile open ocean swim test was necessary. After four hours of non-stop swimming against the raging waves, McRaven and Marc reached the shores with the SEAL instructors waiting for them. Almost immediately the SEAL instructors ordered them to do more push ups. While the two were doing more push-ups after a four-hour continous swim, the SEAL instructors were harassing them again, saying that they were embarrassing the entire class. As Marc and McRaven got up, they looked backed at the sea to see if anybody was behind them and nobody was in sight. The two then suddenly realized that they were the first pair to come and the SEAL instructor shook their hands and says, "Well done, gentleman. It looks like all that extra pain and suffering paid off." A week later, Marc and McRaven gradauted the SEAL training. Admiral McRaven then concludes that, "In life you will face a lot of Circuces. You will pay for your failures. But, if you persevere, if you let those failures teach you and strengthen you, then you will be prepared to handle life's toughest moments."   
This chapter then transitions in July 1983, when McRaven was released from his SEAL squadron due to attempting to change the way his squadron was organized, trained, and conducted mission. Luckily, McRaven was given a second chance and was allowed to tranfer to another SEAL Team.
Although he could move with tarnished reputation from his fellow officers and superiors, he realized he had two option with this opportunity, either go back to a civilian life, or face through this negative perception of him. He chose the latter option to prove that he's a good SEAL officer and was deployed overseas as the Officer in Charge of a SEAL platoon. He did his best to lead his men in all kind of ways, from his attitude, to the way he worked out, and the way he carried out the missions. A couple of years later he was promoted in ranks by regaining the respect of his men until he became an Admiral. Admiral McRaven ends this chapter with, "I realized that the past failures had strengthened me, taught me that no one is immune from mistakes. True leaders must learn from their failures, use the lessons to motivate themselves, and not be afraid to try again or make the next decision... You can't avoid The Circus. At some point we all make the list. Don't be afraid of The Circus."
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Watch the Make Your Bed Speech Video!
*These are just my thoughts and summary, all in my own words regarding this topic so I may omit some information that was taught in this book or course.
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Rapid Intake Summaries: Make Your Bed
Ch01: Start Your Day with a Task Completed
Ch02: You Can't Go It Alone Ch03: Only the Size of Your Heart Matters Ch04: Life's Not Fair - Drive On! Ch05: Failure Can Make You Stronger Ch06: You Must Dare Greatly Ch07: Stand Up to The Bullies Ch08: Rise to the Occasion Ch09: Give People Hope Ch10: Never, Ever Quit! BUY THE RAPID INTAKE SUMMARIES: MAKE YOUR BED
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More from Admiral William H. McRaven   
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