william mcraven make your bed speech

Admiral McRaven “Make Your Bed” Commencement Speech Transcript

Admiral William H. McRaven gave a commencement speech at the University of Texas often referred to as the “Make Your Bed” speech. It’s considered one of the best and more inspirational commencement speeches. Read the full transcript of McRaven’s May 19, 2014 speech right here at Rev.com.

Admiral McRaven: ( 00:00 ) Thank you very much, thank you. Well, thank you president Powers, Provost Fenves, deans, members of the faculty, family and friends, and most importantly, the class of 2014, it is indeed an honor for me to be here tonight. 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 00:59 ) So acknowledging that fact, if I can’t make this commencement speech memorable, I’ll at 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 are 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 change the lives of just 10 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 01:59 ) Think about it, over twice the population of United States go one more generation and you can change the entire population of the world. 8 billion people. If you think it’s hard to change the lives of 10 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 10 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 IED saving the lives of a dozen soldiers. But if you think about it, not only were those soldiers saved by the decisions of one person, but their children were saved and their children’s children, generations were saved by one decision, one person.

Admiral McRaven: ( 02:59 ) 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 might 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’ve 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 03:53 ) 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 are the 10 lessons I learned from basic SEAL training that hopefully will be a value to you as you move forward in life.

Admiral McRaven: ( 04:44 ) Every morning in SEAL training, my instructors who were at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they do is inspect my bed. If I did it right, the corners would be square, the covers would be pulled tight, the pillow 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 05:13 ) 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 many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter.

Admiral McRaven: ( 05:51 ) If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. And if by chance 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 in a boat crews. Each crew is seven students, three on each side of a small rubber boat and one cox and to help guide the dinging. 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 8 to 10 feet high and it is exceedingly difficult to paddle through the plunging surf unless everyone digs in.

Admiral McRaven: ( 06:45 ) 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 Goodwill of strangers and a strong coxswain 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 with little guys, the munchkin crew, we called them. No one was over five foot five.

Admiral McRaven: ( 07:42 ) 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 outran and out swam all the other boat crews. The big men in the other boat crews would 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 08:38 ) 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’re put into starching your hat or pressing your uniform or polishing your belt buckle and 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 a sugar cookie.

Admiral McRaven: ( 09:22 ) You stayed in the uniform the rest of the day, cold, wet, and Sandy. There were many of 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 on appreciated. 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 going to 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 metal.

Admiral McRaven: ( 10:15 ) Every event had standards times you had to meet. If you fail 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 met 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 surfaces were likely, but at sometime during SEAL training, everyone, everyone made the circus list. But an interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list. Over time those students who did two hours of extras, calisthenics got stronger and stronger. The pain of the circuses built inner strength and physical resiliency. Life is filled with circuses.

Admiral McRaven: ( 11:15 ) 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 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 contained 25 obstacles including a 10 foot wall, a 30 foot cargo net, a barbwire 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 12:10 ) The record seemed unbeatable until one day a student decided to go down the slide for life head first. 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 head first.

Admiral McRaven: ( 12:52 ) 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 of San Clemente are a breeding ground for the great white sharks. To pass SEAL training there are a series of long swims that 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 of 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 are 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 he 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 14:02 ) As Navy SEALs, one of our jobs is to conduct underwater attacks against enemies shipping. We practiced this technique extensively during training. The ship attack mission is where a pair of SEAL divers is dropped off outside an enemy Harbor and then swims well over two miles underwater using nothing but a DEF 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 streetlamps. It blocks all ambient light. To be successful in your mission, you have to swim under the ship and find the keel, the center line, and the deepest part of the ship.

Admiral McRaven: ( 14:56 ) 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 or 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 calm, where 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 15:38 ) 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 mudflats. The mudflats are an area between San Diego and Tijuana where the water runs off and creates the Tijuana slews, a swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you. It is on Wednesday of hell week, which you paddle down in the mudflats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive this freezing cold, the howling wind and the incessant pressure to quit from the instructors.

Admiral McRaven: ( 16:12 ) 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 until 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 mudflat 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, chattering teeth and shivering moans of the trainees were so loud, it was hard to hear anything.

Admiral McRaven: ( 16:54 ) 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, a 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 17:51 ) Finally, in SEAL training there is a bell. A brass bell that hangs in the center of the compound for all the students to see. 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.

Admiral McRaven: ( 18:33 ) 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 times, you’re the toughest face 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, hook ’em horns.

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The Full Admiral McRaven Speech Transcript

O n May 17, 2014, Former Admiral William. H. McRaven advised the graduates of the class of 2014 at the University of Texas. He served in the Navy for many years.

The former Admiral McRaven’s speech is very motivational, and the whole purpose of the speech is to show that anyone can change the world. In his speech, he gives ten suggestions on how anyone can see the world.

Article Topics

What is the theme of admiral mcraven speech.

The general theme of his ‘make your bed speech’ is that anyone can change the world; all you need is the courage to do it. He also explains how giving up isn’t an option no matter what you’re going through. Eventually, it will pass, and you will win.

Admiral McRaven also explains how it isn’t necessary to change everyone’s lives for the world to change. All you need is to change the lives of only a few people, and the generations to come will feel the effect. You would have changed their entire lineage’s lives.

Watch and Listen to this motivational video of the Admiral McRaven Speech on YouTube

What advice did navy admiral william.h.mcraven give in his commencement address and well known 'make your bed speech'.

• Make your bed . Making your bed means that you’d have accomplished the first task of the day. It might seem small and mundane, but even after a long miserable day, at least you’ll come back to a made bed.
• Find someone to help you paddle . You can’t change the world on your own; you need a support team, people to cheer you up and help you change the world. We all need help.
• Measure a person by the size of their heart, not their flippers’ size . The physical aspects of who someone is don’t necessarily make up for a lot. What’s on the inside is what matters the most.
• Get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward . Sometimes the universe just doesn’t recognize your efforts no matter how much you’ve put in. This shouldn’t make you lose hope, get over it and keep pushing.
• Don’t be afraid of the circuses . Some situations will wear us down, but they are meant to strengthen your resolve by the end of the day.
• Sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first . Even in the hardest of situations, you have to take a risk and face your problems head first. Sometimes that’s the only way to win.
• Don’t back down from the sharks . Sharks are obstacles that you might face in your journey. Even when those obstacles show up, don’t back down. That’s the only way you’ll win.
• If you want to change the world, you must be the very best in your darkest moment . During the darkest moments, it gets hard to see what lies ahead, but be hopeful because, after that darkness, there can only be light.
• Start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud . In your darkest moments, be the person who stands up and gives others hope. Giving others hope will mean preventing them from giving up during those difficult moments.
• Don’t ever ring the bell . Ringing the bell is the easiest thing to do. But for you to succeed in life, you will have to assume that giving up isn’t an option, and that’s when you can concentrate on winning.

The Full Admiral McRaven Speech

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, whom I later married (that’s important to remember, by the way), and I remember that 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 will at least try to make it short.

The University’s slogan is, “What starts here changes the world.” I’ve got to admit. I kind of like it. “What starts here changes the world.”

Tonight there are almost 8,000 students (there are more than 8000) graduating from UT. So, that great paragon of analytical rigor, Ask.Com, says that the average American will meet 10,000 people in their lifetime. 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 changed the lives of another ten people,(just ten people) then in five generations 125 years, the class of 2014 will have changed the lives of 800 million people.

Eight hundred 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 10 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 non-commissioned officer from the Female Engagement Team senses that something isn’t right and directs the infantry platoon away from a 500-pound IED, saving the lives of a dozen soldiers.

But, if you think about it, not only were those soldiers saved by the decisions of one person, but their children were saved. And their children’s children were saved. 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 am confident that it will look much, much better. But if you will 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 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 lifetime of challenges crammed into six months.

So, here are the ten lessons I learned from basic SEAL training that hopefully will be of value to you as you move forward in life.

1. Make your bed

Every morning in SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room, and the first thing they would do is inspect my bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square; the covers would be pulled tight, the pillow 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 make 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. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will 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.

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.

2. Find someone to paddle with

During SEAL training, the students are broken down into boat crews. Each crew is seven students — three on each side of a small rubber boat and one coxswain to help guide the dingy. 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 8 to 10 feet high, and it is exceedingly difficult to paddle 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 goodwill of strangers, and a strong coxswain to guide them.

If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.

3. Measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers

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 the little guys (the munchkin crew we called them) no one was over about 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 in the other boat crews would 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 and the world, always had the last laugh, swimming 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, and not your social status.

If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.

4. Get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.

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 starching your hat, or pressing your uniform, or polishing your belt buckle — it just wasn’t good enough. The instructors would find “something” wrong.

For failing the uniform inspection, the student had to run, fully clothed into the surf zone, and 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 a “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 effort was in vain. That no matter how hard they tried to get the uniform right, it was 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.

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.

5. Don’t be afraid of the circuses.

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 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 meant 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 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 want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses.

6. If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.

At least twice a week, the trainees were required to run the obstacle course. The obstacle course contained 25 obstacles, including a 10-foot high wall, a 30-foot cargo net, and 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 training in 1977. The record seemed unbeatable until one day; a student decided to go down the slide for life head first. 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 mean injury and being dropped from the course. Without hesitation, the student 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 obstacle head first.

7. If you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks

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, there are a series of long swims that must be completed. One is the night swim.

Before the swim, the instructors joyfully brief the trainees 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 are 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 summon up all your strength and punch him in the snout, and he 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.

8. Be your very best in the darkest moments.

As Navy SEALs, one of our jobs is to conduct underwater attacks against enemy shipping. We practiced this technique extensively during training. The ship attack mission is where a pair of SEAL 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 their 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 a pier, 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 is easy to get disoriented and you can fail.

Every SEAL knows that under the keel, at the darkest moment of the mission, is the time when you must be calm when you must be composed — when all your tactical skills, your physical power, and all 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.

9. Start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud

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 area between San Diego and Tijuana where the water runs off and creates the Tijuana slues, a swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you.

It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that you paddle down to the mudflats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing cold mud, 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 — just five men — and we could get out of the oppressive cold. Looking around the mudflat, 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.

The chattering teeth and 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, 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 — Washington, 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 in mud.

10. Don’t ever, ever ring the bell.

Finally, in SEAL training, there is a bell. A brass bell that hangs in the center of the compound for all the students to see. All you have to do to quit is ring the bell.

Ring the bell, and you no longer have to wake up at 5 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 and be out.

If you want to change the world, don’t ever, ever ring the bell.

Why does Admiral McRaven say to make your bed?

He emphasizes making your bed first thing in the morning because by doing that, you have accomplished your first task of the day. Making your bed means; you have already won something even before you’ve begun. And even if your day ends up being not perfect, at the end of the day, you will come back home to a well-made bed to rest on.

Making your bed in the morning will give you a sense of pride and accomplishment and help you get through the day. Having accomplished your first task in the morning will give you the encouragement needed to accomplish the other tasks ahead of you, making it not just one task but a couple of others that followed.

When did Admiral McRaven make his speech?

Admiral McRaven, the ninth U.S. Special Operations Command, made his speech at the University of Texas commencement on May 17, 2014.

Final Words

The Admiral’s speech is the most memorable speech ever given due to the amount of wisdom and advice. It is an encouragement to everyone that making a change in the world doesn’t require much except for will and drive. Never giving up is a very great tool that he shares multiple times in his speech.

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Luke Ocean is a writer, self-proclaimed bio-hacker, wellness advocate and yoga expert. Luke grew up on a small ranch in Montana and enlisted in the Navy to study and become a cryptologist. He later graduated from the US Naval Academy with a Minor in Mandarin and a Bachelor's of Science for General Engineering and a Major of English Literature. Luke's interests and career span multiple industries and various disciplines.  Luke resides in San Antonio and is a Certified Yoga Instructor, a student of Zen Buddhism, practitioner of Holistic Psychology and has completed his CYT-200 and is studying for his 300-hour yoga teacher training.

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MAKE YOUR BED

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Make Your Bed Speech: Summary and 5 Lessons

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One thing that every 2014 graduate of the University of Texas has in common is that they were able to witness one of the most empowering and inspirational commencement speeches of our time.

Given by former Navy SEAL, Admiral William H. McRaven, this inspiring 20-minute speech offers timeless lessons that anyone can apply to their own life to overcome challenges, be more successful, and change the world.

Table of Contents

What Did Admiral McRaven Say in His Famous Speech?

In his speech, McRaven recognizes that while every person may be different, all of our struggles as humans are similar to each other. So while listeners may not be able to relate specifically to Admiral McRaven’s career in the Navy, his message is universal.

McRaven starts by focusing on the schools motto, “What starts here changes the world.” The motto in itself relays the message that graduating from the University of Texas is just the beginning of what’s to come.

Students graduate with the knowledge they have gained from their professors and peers, but once they leave, they have to apply those lessons to the real world.

No matter what career path you have chosen, you are sure to face challenges. You may decide that some are too big to overcome or too complicated to deal with.

However, McRaven uses UT’s motto to call people to action. Don’t settle for how things are or how they have always been if they can be improved. Make an effort today to create a change in the world.

Throughout the rest of his speech, McRaven recounts his life as a Navy SEAL following his own graduation from the University of Texas and the ten most important lessons that he learned from his initial six months of basic training.

You can view the full speech here:

This speech touched so many people that it led to the publishing of McRaven’s #1 New York Times Best Seller, Make Your Bed .

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World

But what insight did Admiral McRaven gain during his time in the Navy and how can those lessons be implemented into everyone else’s life?

In this article, I will delve into the five biggest lessons that you can take away from this commencement speech to help you change the world, and I will reveal what Admiral McRaven is really telling people when he says to make your bed .

Lesson #1: Make Your Bed Every Morning

Starting your day off by completing a task will initiate your momentum to do the next task, and then the next, and so on. It will give you a sense of accomplishment that you will want to continue to feel throughout the day.

If you can’t complete a small and mundane task each morning such as making your bed, you can’t expect yourself to be able to complete more complicated tasks moving forward.

If you end up having an unproductive or otherwise negligible day, you will still come home and be reminded that you completed that one task, which can instill hope that you will have a better or more productive day tomorrow.

In your life, the small task that jumpstarts your day may not literally be making your bed. But the point is to find one task that you can make into a habit that will slowly start to get to the root of a problem you’re facing or inch toward a goal for which you’re reaching.

As long as you accomplish this task every day, you will be starting off on the right foot. Set this task up as a routine, so no matter what, this one thing gets completed every day.

Make sure the task you choose is meaningful to you and your team. While tucking in sheets may not feel meaningful to you, as a Navy SEAL heading to bed after a long day of training, a neatly made bed would provide meaningful comfort and a sense of reward.

What task do you do every day that provides value when all is said and done? Identify a task that you derive a clear value from when you look back at your previous state.

Lesson #2: You Can’t Change the World Alone

In McRaven’s speech, he describes rafting through the tall waves of the sea at night with three rowers on each side of the boat and one guide at the bow.

Apply this idea of team work to your life. You will always work with people who have various talents, but you need a balance of skills and abilities in order to succeed. Like Admiral McRaven, you want to be able to balance out those who can work at a faster pace with those who take more time, but produce high-quality work.

In order to make a difference, you also need to have the support of friends, family, co-workers, and others who share your vision. You need a strong team of people behind you to help you along your way.

This means it is important to nurture as many relationships as you can throughout life to ultimately be successful and to always recognize the role that other people played in your triumphs.

In turn, be willing to help out others who are on your team. Don’t prevent other people from learning or growing by keeping a task to yourself. Instead, be a leader and help your team along by encouraging everyone to grow and preventing just one person from taking on the entire load.

Consider your strengths and the progress your team could make together if you shared your expertise with them.

Lesson #3: Perfection Doesn’t Exist

While in training, Admiral McRaven underwent uniform inspections by his instructors, which he (and his fellow students) would fail on every occasion, no matter how hard they tried to prepare for it.

The instructors would always find something wrong with the students’ efforts, which would result in them having to endure a grueling run into the water, fully clothed, and a roll through the sand before spending the rest of the day in their dirty uniform.

Those who couldn’t accept the fact that their labor went unappreciated were the ones who didn’t make it through training. They were trying to reach a level of perfection that doesn’t exist.

People who focus on perfection hold unattainable standards for themselves and are overly concerned with how others perceive them. They don’t see mistakes as being an opportunity for growth , but rather a sign of failure.

Because of this, perfectionists rarely realize their full potential. Admiral McRaven’s advice here is to get over your failures and move on.

Lesson #4: Don’t Be Afraid of the Challenges That You Face

Whether it is a failure of some sort, an obstacle that you have to overcome, or an unexpected turn of events, don’t be afraid to face the things that try to break you down on your path to success.

Realize that these hurdles are most often opportunities to gain strength and resilience, which will make success more likely in the end.

Everyone will face challenges at times that may even make you want to quit. However, recognizing your ability to fight through these tough times will help you advance past subsequent barriers as your strength continues to multiply.

Furthermore, prepare yourself for the possible challenges you may face by doing small things each day that will make challenges in the future seem less intimidating.

For example, if you have a personal goal of reducing expenses , how often are you taking the time to review your spending ? How are you preparing yourself to face an unexpected bill? You have to take little steps to help make any potential challenges more approachable, no matter what line of work you’re in.

Lesson #5: Be Your Best In Your Darkest Moments

One thing that is certain is that you will face dark moments during your life. You will experience the death of a loved one and other events that leave you questioning the future. It is often difficult to imagine your life improving during these testing times.

While you may feel like you’ve lost the hope of deriving joy from life again, it is during these most difficult times that you dig deep inside yourself and bring out your best self.

Moving forward despite your feelings of helplessness will give you the necessary chance to come out on the other side and begin your journey of healing.

During these times, focus on the things you have rather than the things that you need. Capitalize on your strengths to help you get through these dark moments and remember that you have more inner strength than you will probably ever realize.

Final Thoughts on the Make Your Bed Speech

While few people have first-hand experience enduring the infamously difficult training that is required to become a Navy SEAL, Admiral McRaven offers lessons in his commencement speech that are universally applicable.

Everyone can relate to his message that even if you work as hard as you possibly can, you will still face failure at times. The key to being successful and changing the world, however, is to keep getting back up.

You have a choice each time you fail to either quit or find a lesson from the failure and move on. In order to change the world, you have to never, ever give up .

And if you're looking for more small habits that can change your life forever that only take five minutes or less to complete, watch the video below:

Connie Mathers is a professional editor and freelance writer. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Social Work. When she is not writing, Connie is either spending time with her daughter and two dogs, running, or working at her full-time job as a social worker in Richmond, VA.

Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals .

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Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World Hardcover – April 4, 2017

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• Print length 144 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date April 4, 2017
• Dimensions 5.35 x 0.95 x 7.4 inches
• ISBN-10 1455570249
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing; 1st edition (April 4, 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1455570249
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1455570249
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.35 x 0.95 x 7.4 inches
• #2 in Motivational Self-Help (Books)
• #2 in Success Self-Help
• #2 in Personal Transformation Self-Help

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About the authors

Admiral william h. mcraven.

Admiral William H. McRaven is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed and the New York Times bestsellers Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations and The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived. In his thirty-seven years as a Navy SEAL, he commanded at every level. As a Four-Star Admiral, his final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. After retiring from the Navy, he served as the Chancellor of the University of Texas System from 2015 to 2018. He now lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Georgeann.

William H. McRaven

Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy Retired) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed and the New York Times bestseller Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations. In his thirty-seven years as a Navy SEAL, he commanded at every level. As a Four-Star Admiral, his final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. After retiring from the Navy, he served as the Chancellor of the University of Texas System from 2015 to 2018. He now lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Georgeann.

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Admiral William McRaven | One Person Can Change The World: The Power Of Hope

The “Make Your Bed” speech by US Navy Admiral, William H. McRaven, outlines the importance of doing the little things like making your bed, embracing the fears of life, taking risks, facing bullying, respecting others, and changing the world for generations to come.

00:00 – “Start Off By Making Your Bed”

00:46 – “Don’t Back Down From The Sharks”

01:45 – “Measure a Person by The Size of Their Heart not By The Size of their Flippers”

03:01 – “The Power of Hope – The Power of One Person”

Acknowledgements

Thank you Admiral William McRaven for your moving speech and thank you Goalcast.com for amplifying his message by creating this video. This content was not created by Boulder Crest Foundation or our partners. It has been added to our PTG Resource Library given the value it provides for our PTG community.

About the Authors

Explore more, trauma, resilience, and posttraumatic growth in frontline personnel, w.e henley | invictus, jim collins | the stockdale paradox, give strength & hope to those who serve.

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Make Your Bed

Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World

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By Admiral William H. McRaven

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Based on a Navy SEAL’s inspiring graduation speech, this #1 New York Times bestseller of powerful life lessons “should be read by every leader in America” ( Wall Street Journal ).

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.

On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university’s slogan, “What starts here changes the world,” he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better.

Admiral McRaven’s original speech went viral with over 10 million views. Building on the core tenets laid out in his speech, McRaven now recounts tales from his own life and from those of people he encountered during his military service who dealt with hardship and made tough decisions with determination, compassion, honor, and courage. Told with great humility and optimism, this timeless book provides simple wisdom, practical advice, and words of encouragement that will inspire readers to achieve more , even in life’s darkest moments. “Powerful.” — USA Today

“Full of captivating personal anecdotes from inside the national security vault.” — Washington Post

“Superb, smart, and succinct.” — Forbes

• Mind, Body, Spirit
• Personal Growth
• "Should be read by every leader in America... [MAKE YOUR BED] is a book to inspire your children and grandchildren to become everything that they can. It is a book to discuss with your executive leadership team as a spur to meeting shared goals. Most of all, it is a book that will leave you with tears in your eyes." Wall Street Journal
• "Full of captivating personal anecdotes from inside the national security vault...McRaven's lessons, like his commencement speech, extend far beyond his bed-making. He devotes the 10-chapter book to lessons about moving beyond failure, standing up to bullies and giving others hope." Washington Post
• "McRaven...has taken the genesis of what he learned during SEAL training and his nearly four decades in Navy Special Operations into a thin, powerful book." USA Today
• "Exquisitely simple...superb, smart, and succinct ideas." Forbes

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Start Off by Making Your Bed: Translating Military Lessons to Entrepreneurship

Martha Miller Director, Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation

Arlington, Virginia

Oct. 9, 2019

Keynote Remarks to the National Veteran Small Business Coalition

It is an honor to meet with you this evening. Thank you to your co-chairs Scott Semple and JD Sullivan for the invitation to speak with your organization and begin the conversation on how our office can support each of you, who have transitioned from active service to active job creation. I am honored to be serving as the first Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). I want to encourage a candid discussion, which means I need to give the obligatory disclaimer that the views I express today represent my own and not necessarily those of the Commission or staff. [1]

Let me start by saying thank you for all that you have done and all that you continue to do for our country. The flag in front of my agency flies because of each of you.

Veterans are near and dear to my heart, with my entire family cheering (and bombarding with phone calls) my first cousin who just returned this month from his third and final tour of duty with the Navy. Now that he is back with phone reception, there is no shortage of cousins, aunts, and uncles who want to hear his voice again and ask a hundred questions he cannot answer.

Introducing the Office with the Longest Name

I understand other speakers you hear from often bring a different perspective than I will, either discussing their grant budgets or procurement departments. Our new office, as you will soon learn, was created to support you, as small businesses, in making sure that the rules through which you raise capital from investors work well.

One thing that should ring familiar to you in the military: long names and long titles. Our office, the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, bears the longest title of any office in the SEC, which I liken to the importance of our mission.

Taking a few steps back, our office was created by bipartisan legislation that had broad support across the aisle. That broad support stems from the impact small businesses have in creating jobs, fostering innovation, and creating wealth for families across the country. Veteran-owned businesses alone employ over 5 million individuals and generate over $1 trillion in receipts annually. [2] That is an incredible economic impact.

As the regulator of the capital markets, the SEC has a large impact on how and from whom businesses find investment capital. The agency hears a lot from companies who are very sophisticated and have a dedicated government relations staff, but we don’t hear as often from smaller businesses. Our advocacy office was created to be a megaphone for small businesses and their investors, from start-up to small cap, and everyone in between. We amplify small business owners’ voices within the SEC and within the broader regulatory landscape to positively impact policy.

I don’t need to tell you that small businesses and their investors are looking for the most efficient way to raise the capital they need. We also understand one size does not fit all. As veterans and small business owners, you each bring valuable perspective that lawmakers and regulators need to hear.

General George S. Patton has many famous quotes (most of which involve language I will not repeat in front of a microphone). One in particular resonates with the role of our office: “No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.” General Patton knew that we need field perspective to make the best decisions, and our office seeks to bring small business market place perspective to the securities regulatory world.

Borrowed Lessons from Admiral McRaven

One of my favorite speeches reminds me why veterans often make such successful entrepreneurs. [3] Admiral William H. McRaven’s well-known commencement address given at the University of Texas in 2014 outlined lessons he learned from Basic SEAL training. [4] As I am sure all of you know, McRaven is not only our retired U.S. Navy Admiral who last served as the ninth commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011-2014; [5] he is also a former “Bull Frog,” which has to be my favorite military title. [6]

The Basic Training lessons described by Admiral McRaven are analogous to many of the challenges entrepreneurs face growing and scaling their businesses and accessing capital. So tonight, I will be borrowing heavily from the wisdom of Admiral McRaven and applying his ten lessons to you as business owners and to our office as your champions.

• If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. This is perhaps the most famous line from Admiral McRaven’s whole speech. Making your bed to perfection each morning is a reminder that if you do the little things right, it makes the big things possible. It is a lesson I personally have taken to heart. For entrepreneurs, it is a reminder that managing the details of your business with integrity and precision opens doors to new customers and investors. Cutting corners, whether hospital corners or taking shortcuts in your business, often leads to a longer and more arduous path ahead.
• If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle. A synchronized boat working together can manage the surf, including the tall swells off the coast of California during training. Like having a cohesive crew paddling, having investors in your “boat” who share your vision and goals matters. It is important to find investors who are a good match for your company, meaning they understand your business, have the right risk profile, and share your long term interests. With the right team supporting your business, including our office as your advocate, you can paddle through the inevitable difficult waters together.
• If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers. Training is referred to often as a “great equalizer” where your will to succeed, not your size, determines your success. As a country, we should value entrepreneurs not be based on their current size or scale, but on their drive, growth and potential. [7] Small businesses create a majority of new jobs—almost two-thirds of net new jobs post-recession. [8] In our office, we recognize that entrepreneurs and the investors that support those entrepreneurs carry the load of our country’s economic growth, and we want you to have the capital tools to be successful.
• If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward. Admiral McRaven describes how during training, the instructors would find some flaw with a student’s uniform during inspection and make him get cold, wet, and sandy. His point is that sometimes, no matter how prepared you are, you end up as a “sugar cookie” covered in sand. Every business faces challenges and can learn from this lesson in resiliency. It is about how you move forward that counts. Much attention lately has been fixated on the companies that have grown into “unicorns” (or businesses with billion dollar private valuations). I would love to see just as much coverage of the “phoenixes” who rise from the ashes, or sugar cookie dust, and breathe new life into their companies following trials and challenges. Each of you as veterans are uniquely trained to move past what others may view as a failure, which is key to being a successful entrepreneur. That strength is likely why veteran-owned businesses represent over 9% of all U.S. businesses, greater than the proportion of Americans who serve. [9] Being a sugar cookie does not hold you back.
• If you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses. I’ve heard many friends lament the “circus” of training, entailing hours of additional calisthenics if your instructors decide you do not measure up that day. The instructors often use it as a tool to break down the weak. However, for those that stick with training, over time the circuses build up inner strength and physical resiliency. The same exercise is often experienced by businesses. Sometimes investors and the market demand circuses, and other times your advisors demand it. Lean into the circuses and learn from them. Get stronger. That’s what makes our market system the best in the world: we demand the best from our businesses.
• If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first. Admiral McRaven recounts how an obstacle record stood for years until a bold trainee decided to go down the rope head first—literally flipping the norm (and himself) on its head. That is innovation in action. Small businesses are often more willing to innovate and change the course to achieve an advantage against larger companies. Records are broken and innovations are created by those with the incentives to do more with fewer resources. Veteran entrepreneurs are using their personal experiences and technical training from military service to start, grow, and scale their businesses—with many of you specifically crediting your experience making decisions in time and resource-constrained environments. [10] Here at the SEC, I’m often asked how we are innovating. Generally your regulators are not sliding down any obstacle courses head first, but we are pushing to create new ways for you to engage and access resources from us. For example, this summer we rolled out short videos telling you how new rulemakings might affect your business in plain English, minimizing the lawyerisms and technical jargon as possible. [11] I am always open to learning of new ways we can more effectively engage and inform, and I would love your feedback on how we are doing.
• If you want to change the world, do not back down from the sharks. Basic trainees are directed to swim off the San Clemente Island coast, a breeding grounds for great white sharks. In preparation for encountering sharks during the night swims, trainees are taught how to stand their ground and defend themselves. Speaking for my own instincts, there’s zero part of me that would be prepared to challenge a shark darting towards me by punching him in the snout in the absence of significant training and preparation. Running a successful business requires planning for the unexpected moments so that you can stand your ground in the face of the most daunting obstacles, whether that be your own operational challenges or the emergence of competitors ready to claim your market share. Know how you will overcome them. Anticipate them. Many of the best investors in small businesses are successful because they know how to help the businesses in which they invest succeed in the face of the “sharks” of the world. That circles back to the earlier point: ensure you have the right partners in your boat.
• If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment. As part of training for underwater attacks against enemy ships, trainees practice swimming under the keel in the pitch black dark with no map, where getting disoriented and failing is not an option. Instead of swimming in the dark with your business, our office wants to equip businesses and their investors with a map to be successful and reach your destination. Importantly, before you go swimming—or to make a terrible securities lawyer joke, test the waters [12] —it’s important that you are equipped with the resources you need to navigate successfully. In addition to the SEC’s wonderful resources for investors, such as Investor.gov , we’re working on new educational content that can serve as a compass for those without a deep background in securities to navigate compliance complexities when raising capital.
• If you want to change the world, start singing when you are up to your neck in mud. Basic trainees spend a day in a swampy patch of freezing cold mud, which engulfs their bodies. Like many elements of training, most recognize it as a weed out event. Admiral McRaven recounts how, on the brink of giving up, one trainee started to sing with enthusiasm, and eventually everyone else started to sing along. One person’s enthusiastic (and off-pitch) singing gave the entire group hope and the will to persist. Small business investors often say that they don’t invest in companies, they invest in founders; specifically, in founders’ vision and will to succeed. I believe that supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs remains a bipartisan and nonpartisan issue because each of you spark hope, and we as a country have hope in the future that you are building.
• If you want to change the world, do not ever, ever ring the bell. Admiral McRaven’s final point hits home: one ring of the bell, and all of the hardships of training can be over. You can quit with one ring. But the military teaches you to never, ever quit, and training weeds out the quitters. When asked about her success in graduating as the third female to complete U.S. Army Ranger School, Major Lisa Jaster said: “There is no quitting, I can’t have quit in me. There was never an option to stop, there was never an option to quit.” [13] It is no wonder to me why so many veterans go on to found successful companies. [14] Rather than hit a wall, you figure out a way to climb it or tear it down just like you were trained to do. However, on this point my advice on bells differs from McRaven’s. I hope that one day you will consider ringing the bell, albeit a different one: the opening bell. With the right tools and framework for raising capital, you should have every opportunity to take your company to the highest of heights, including ringing the opening bell as a new public company.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower once said “neither a wise nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.” I am grateful for each of your service to our country through our armed forces, as well as for how you have each committed to becoming job creators stoking the engines of tomorrow’s economy. Far from lying on the tracks, each of you are actively conducting the train forward. The best part of my job is learning from thought leaders like each of you and then helping to tell your stories. I look forward to switching into the far more exciting part of the program for me and my team, the Q&A, where we get to hear from you. Again, thank you for your service and for the opportunity to speak with you this evening.

[1] The Securities and Exchange Commission disclaims responsibility for any private publication or statement by any of its employees. This speech expresses the author’s views and does not necessarily reflect those of the Commission, the Commissioners, or other members of the staff.

[2] See Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy, “Veteran-owned Businesses and their Owners – Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners” (Apr. 2017), available at https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/435-veteran-owned-businesses-report.pdf (“SBA Veterans Report”).

[3] See Nyasha Y. Boldon and Rosalinda V. Maury, Bridging the Gap: Motivations, Challenges, and Successes of Veteran Entrepreneurs (Operation Vetrepreneurship Series, Interim Report) (Nov. 2017), available at https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/OperationVetrepreneurshipBRIDGING-THE-GAP_Motivations-Challenges-and-Successes-of-Veteran-EntrepreneursINTERIMACC.pdf .

[4] Full copy of the speech was published by UT News on May 16, 2014 at https://news.utexas.edu/2014/05/16/mcraven-urges-graduates-to-find-courage-to-change-the-world/ . The video of Admiral McRaven’s address has been viewed over 9 million times on YouTube, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70 .

[5] See United State Navy, “Biography of Admiral William H. McRaven” (June 3, 2015), available at https://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio_ret.asp?bioID=401.

[6] The “Bull Frog” is the title given to the longest serving Navy SEAL still on active duty. See United States Navy, “Longest Serving Navy SEAL Passes on Legacy Title” (Aug. 26, 2011), available at https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=62407.

[7] See, e.g. , Recent opinion article by the CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Wendy Guillies, “Entrepreneurs create most new jobs: Why aren't we talking about them?,” The Hill (Sept. 23, 2019), available at https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/462606-entrepreneurs-create-most-new-jobs-why-arent-we-talking-about-them .

[8] Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, “The State of Capital Access for Entrepreneurs: From Barriers to Potential” (Feb. 5, 2019), available at https://www.kauffman.org/-/media/kauffman_org/entrepreneurship-landing-page/capital-access/capital_access_lab_exec_summary_final.pdf .

[9] See SBA Veterans Report .

[10] See Boldon and Maury.

[11] See https://www.sec.gov/page/oasb-videos .

[12] For more information on the SEC’s recent testing the waters release, see https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2019-188 .

[13] CBS News, “Third female Army Ranger on graduating: ‘There’s no quitting’,” (Oct. 16, 2015), available at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/third-female-army-ranger-on-graduating-theres-no-quitting/ .

[14] See SBA Veterans Report .

Opinion How do we want America to be?

We have the opportunity to continue to be viewed as exceptional.

William H. McRaven is a retired Navy admiral.

My mother was a member of the Greatest Generation. Born in 1921, she was raised on a small farm in East Texas. She went to church every Sunday. Her family struggled through the Great Depression. Her brother went off to fight World War II in the Pacific, and she found lasting love with a fighter pilot from that war.

She believed in American Exceptionalism — not in the power of our military or the strength of our economy, but in the values that shaped the nation. She often told me stories of great acts of courage, sacrifice and integrity, stories rooted in American history. Stories that would frame my understanding of our national character.

She loved the story of John Adams, who despite withering criticism defended the British soldiers who shot and killed several rioting civilians during the Boston Massacre in 1770 . She praised the jurors who found the soldiers — who had been harassed and assaulted by the crowd — not guilty of murder charges. She extolled their fairness as essential to the American character.

Then there was Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who treated a defeated Robert E. Lee with grace and compassion at Appomattox; Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who worked to rebuild Japanese society during the post-World War II occupation of Japan; Secretary of State George C. Marshall and his plan to reconstruct a devastated postwar Europe; the Berlin Airlift ; and many other examples of the American character.

Growing up in the segregated South, my mother was not naive about our nation’s faults, but she always believed in our better angels. She believed that America was exceptional because there was goodness in our hearts, goodness that transcended our hatreds, goodness that brought us together in the worst of times, goodness that showed the world that despite our internal strife and political divisions we could rise above it all and be the best version of ourselves. This was what made America exceptional.

Now, a former president has been convicted by a jury in New York, and we have a choice to make. We can show the world that we are still exceptional and continue to lead the international community with integrity and pride, or we can prolong the onslaught of crassness, vulgarity, pettiness and righteous indignation and descend into national mediocrity, where there is nothing of value worth emulating.

I have been a vocal critic of the former president, but I took no joy in seeing him found guilty. He was the president of the United States. My president. Whether I liked him or not, he had been elected by the people, the American people — your neighbors, your colleagues, your friends and your family. If we are going to continue to be viewed as exceptional, then it is time for both sides to lay down their rhetorical arms and find a way to rise above.

On the left, stop the gloating, the ugly memes, the public rants, the late-night roastings and the political vitriol. On the right, respect the legal verdict, support the jurors, fly your flag with honor and find a way to bridge the political divide. There are thoughtful, reasonable, genuinely good men and women on both sides. Let them speak for America.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of Earth.” It is up to us — all of us — to decide whether this is that place and time. Whether this is where we stand together and show the world that we can rise above, that we are exceptional, that my mother was right — that our goodness can transcend our hatreds and bring us together even in the most challenging of times.

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