Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life
- Downloads：7792
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-07 17:21:26
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Brent Gleeson
- ISBN：0306846349
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Artyom E
，
Seeing how one of my New Years resolutions was “get more disciplined”， I decided it was only right that I start the year with a book on this topic。 The title caught my eye: specifically because before I’ve read “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and I knew what to expect from a book written by an ex-SEAL。Does the book offer some new， ground-breaking information？ Barely。 Does it outline its premises in a quick to grasp manner with almost instant applicability？ Absolutely。 Additionally， you will Seeing how one of my New Years resolutions was “get more disciplined”， I decided it was only right that I start the year with a book on this topic。 The title caught my eye: specifically because before I’ve read “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and I knew what to expect from a book written by an ex-SEAL。Does the book offer some new， ground-breaking information？ Barely。 Does it outline its premises in a quick to grasp manner with almost instant applicability？ Absolutely。 Additionally， you will find specific manuals at the end of each chapters for fostering the right mindset for developing discipline。 。。。more
Amyschwarz
，
Lots of good stuff， a bit overwhelming and I could have done without some of the vulgar language。 Feels like it cheapened the message a bit。
Cav
，
"Do not pray for an easy life， pray for the strength to endure a difficult one。"—BRUCE LEE"If you can’t fly then run， if you can’t run then walk， if you can’t walk then crawl， but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward。"—MARTIN LUTHER KING JR。Embrace the Suck was a great short read。 I've been on a bit of a mindset kick recently， so naturally， I bumped this one to the top spot in my "to read" queue when I came across it。Author Brent Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran， award-winning en "Do not pray for an easy life， pray for the strength to endure a difficult one。"—BRUCE LEE"If you can’t fly then run， if you can’t run then walk， if you can’t walk then crawl， but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward。"—MARTIN LUTHER KING JR。Embrace the Suck was a great short read。 I've been on a bit of a mindset kick recently， so naturally， I bumped this one to the top spot in my "to read" queue when I came across it。Author Brent Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran， award-winning entrepreneur， Forbes contributor， and the author of TakingPoint: A Navy SEAL's 10 Fail Safe Principles for Leading Through Change。 Brent Gleeson: The book opens with a bang， as a high-energy foreword， written by the man himself; David Motherfuckin' Goggins is delivered。 Gleeson and Goggins went through SEAL training together （more on this below）。 Gleeson follows up Goggins and delivers a powerful introduction。 Great stuff！The rest of the writing here was also very well done。 Gleeson writes in a straightforward， matter-of-fact manner that will ensure this one holds the reader's attention effectively。The formatting of the book was also well done。 At the end of every chapter， Gleeson includes a summary of the points talked about， and adds an additional "Questions to ask yourself" commentary。The book also contains many excellent quotes; from both contemporary， as well as historical figugures。 I'll drop a few of the more choice ones here。"The first and best victory is to conquer self。。。"—PLATOAt it's heart， Embrace the Suck is a philosophy。 In a theme that emerges over and over again in the books I've read on mindset and mastery， you must become comfortable with being uncomfortable。 Things will not always go your way; as a rule。 You must persevere， and adapt。 Resilience is key。Gleeson writes on the definition of resilience early on: "We break the definition of resilience into three categories:1。 Challenge: Resilient people view difficulty as a challenge， not as a paralyzing event。 They look at their failures and mistakes as lessons to be learned from and opportunities for growth。 In our words， they embrace the suck better than others because they lean in。2。 Commitment: Resilient people are committed to their lives and goals。 They have a compelling reason to get out of bed in the morning。 They are not easily deterred or distracted by “opportunities” that are unrelated to their desired outcomes。3。 Control: Resilient people spend their time and energy focusing on situations and events that they have control over。 And because they put their efforts where they can have the most impact， they feel empowered and confident。Further to the above point and writing， Gleeson drops this great quote: "Nothing great in this world comes without a little bit of adversity。 Nothing amazing happens inside our comfort zones。 Whether we are talking about getting a promotion， nurturing a challenged marriage， mastering a sport， building or saving a small business， navigating a pandemic， battling disease， dealing with the loss of a loved one， raising children， or hunting terrorists， a little bit of suffering will always be attached。 That’s why the things we love and work hard for are deeply rewarding。 My hope is that this book will provide you with the ammunition and inspiration necessary to embrace the suck， keep fighting， and live an extraordinary life。"Carol S。 Dweck's concept of a "fixed vs growth mindset" is also mentioned by Gleeson early on: "In the midst of chaos， there is also opportunity。"—SUN TZUAs mentioned earlier， Gleeson also touches on the famous SEAL BUD/S training here。 He was part of Goggin's Boat Crew 2 （"Can't Hurt Boat Crew 2！"） during BUD/S Hell Week， where you effectively don't sleep for almost an entire week。 During their BUD/S training， a close friend of the author's actually died。 Yes， died。 Jesus。。。The cold ocean exercises， near-drowning， the running in the soft sand， and the endless carrying of heavy boats are also all mentioned by Gleeson。 He talks about the mental and physical challenges of the training， and the temptation to ring the famous bell， and return to comfort。Many different modalities and tools for the reader are presented throughout the book。 Here Gleeson introduces his "Embrace the Suck Five-Step Root Cause Analysis mental model": And his "Taming Temptation Tiger mental model": "You have power over your mind—not outside events。 Realize this， and you will find strength。"—MARCUS AURELIUSGleeson closes the book with a short list of maxims employed by the SEAL teams， but not before dropping this excellent quote: "The point is， we’re all going to have to sing our death song someday。 What will the words of your song be？ What mark do you want to leave on the world？ What do you absolutely not want to regret on the day you pass？ Will you reflect back and realize you didn’t take many risks and stayed safely in your village？ Or will you know that you left everything you had on the battlefield of life？The choice is yours。。。"********************I'm admittedly a huge fan of books written by， or about elite military units; in general， and the Navy SEALs; specifically。 So， I guess I went into this one with high hopes。 I am happy to report that it did not disappoint。 It was a very well-written and presented book。 I'll likely reread it shortly， to make sure that I fully absorb the material。An easy recommendation， and a 5-star rating。 。。。more
Kourtney
，
Good easy read with reminders on how to make the most of your life and work， along with great Seal stories。
Abra Kurt
，
Testosterone-fueled self-help isn't for everyone - and isn't usually my thing， either - but I liked this book。 Gleeson's Navy SEAL combat veteran status earns him a bit of bravado leeway with me， and ultimately his writing is more substance over style。 The "leave your comfort zone" and "change your mindset" mantras are familiar ones， but Gleeson gives them a somewhat fresh take with his 3 Ps （Persistence - Purpose - Passion） and 3 Cs framework （Challenge - Commitment - Control） - and quite a few Testosterone-fueled self-help isn't for everyone - and isn't usually my thing， either - but I liked this book。 Gleeson's Navy SEAL combat veteran status earns him a bit of bravado leeway with me， and ultimately his writing is more substance over style。 The "leave your comfort zone" and "change your mindset" mantras are familiar ones， but Gleeson gives them a somewhat fresh take with his 3 Ps （Persistence - Purpose - Passion） and 3 Cs framework （Challenge - Commitment - Control） - and quite a few F-bombs - I warned you。 As someone who has weathered a lot of challenges over the past year， I don't think I'll ever embrace his "pray to God to make it worse" tip， but I did add a few new resilience-building and reframing strategies to my repertoire - both as an overcomer of adversity and as a practicing integrative life and wellness coach。 For those who appreciate the tough love approach to navigating difficulty， I recommend it。 A true "extraordinary life" consists of much more than the lessons in this book， but if the suck is embraced， you'll be at least halfway there。 。。。more
Nicole Kline
，
My heart was finally ready for this pull up your big girl panties and move on kind of advice！ Even though I am a woman and I have never been in the military， the stories about the navy seals and from the authors own story were very relatable。 I have not stopped thinking about this book since I finished it。 It gave me the encouragement and step by step process to live in the midst of hard circumstances。 My new motto， “embrace the suck”！！！
Jim
，
A clear concise discussion and guide to shaping how one faces adversity and reaches goals in their life。 Always interesting to see the common threads that are similar in all of the books written by former special operators。 An easy read that is worth the time investment and could be revisited over and over for a refresher。
Cassandra
，
The first part was a 2-star for me。 As it progressed there were some 4-star chapters。 Overall a 3-star read。 If you have read other Navy Seal books （I have）， a lot of what was in here was in other books。 Same stories， same advice， etc。 I just wanted something new。 A couple of gems but overall nothing new。
Jeffrey Cunningham
，
Life lessonsThis book drives me everyday。 I start going of course in my life， I reread this book。 I read from it to my Grand children and my wife's young cousin everyday。 I want them to have a full life。 Life lessonsThis book drives me everyday。 I start going of course in my life， I reread this book。 I read from it to my Grand children and my wife's young cousin everyday。 I want them to have a full life。 。。。more
RaquelK
，
I really enjoyed reading and re-reading this book。 It is practical and it reminds me of what our generation has gone through。 I was in San Diego at the same time Gleeson was going through Basic Training but the challenges I faced were nothing compared to what our servicemen and women went through with the onset of the Iraq/Afghanistan conflict。
Marie
，
Challenge yourself。Avoid negativity。Clearly define your goals and list any potential obstacles while removing roadblocks to your success。Master self discipline through acknowledging your weaknesses by creating simple new habits。
Sarah G
，
Pretty standard hard ass guy telling you to stop being such a soft little weeny。 But hey sometimes we need it。
Mark "Lefty" Holencik
，
This is on the reread list。
Jason Robinson
，
Kindle。 Summaries of many books I’ve already read。
Tammy
，
Loved this book！！ I will listen to it again！！ Just a warning for my friends the author loves the F bomb and you’ll see it about 25 times a chapter。
Sharon
，
This seemed like a good book to add to our collection as we all navigated our way through some tough times in 20/21。 Brent Gleeson， former Navy Seal， believes that by embracing the uncomfortable parts of life， we will become more resilient and less likely to succumb to adversity。 He tells many a great story of people doing just that， including his own journey and story becoming a Navy Seal。 Lots of how to information and for people looking for a way to navigate tough times this book may help。
Chris Wilby
，
All about how to deal with life and get on with it。 Find your own way and take on the unexpected。
Joshua Douglas
，
Absolutely Incredible If there is any book you need in order to re-orient your mind， then this is the one。 The understanding of discipline here could help in leading you to true freedom in life。
Michael
，
（Aud） I'd say this is an above average self-help book with below average war-stories - so if that's what you're looking for， move on。 A book about embracing the suck， while we're in the middle of a pandemic， might seem like unnecessary self punishment。 On the other hand it was a great reminder that this minor inconvenience we're experiencing right now will eventually resolve itself and what then？ Back to normal？ How was normal working for you？ It's an opportunity and Gleeson gives you a plan you （Aud） I'd say this is an above average self-help book with below average war-stories - so if that's what you're looking for， move on。 A book about embracing the suck， while we're in the middle of a pandemic， might seem like unnecessary self punishment。 On the other hand it was a great reminder that this minor inconvenience we're experiencing right now will eventually resolve itself and what then？ Back to normal？ How was normal working for you？ It's an opportunity and Gleeson gives you a plan you can follow。 With no BS。 Thank you sir。 。。。more
JDK1962
，
While I like this， and think there's lots of good advice here， I would throw out one caveat。 Many of his （and Goggins's） stories are about embracing the suck in discovering physical limits--specifically in SEAL training--and he references the saying that when your brain is telling you to stop， that means you're at about 40%。 Sometimes that's true， and puking at the end of a workout might be a reasonable consequence。。。but sometimes when your brain （or body） is telling you to stop， it's because yo While I like this， and think there's lots of good advice here， I would throw out one caveat。 Many of his （and Goggins's） stories are about embracing the suck in discovering physical limits--specifically in SEAL training--and he references the saying that when your brain is telling you to stop， that means you're at about 40%。 Sometimes that's true， and puking at the end of a workout might be a reasonable consequence。。。but sometimes when your brain （or body） is telling you to stop， it's because you're at 110% and your brain is trying to save your life。 He mentions his Hell Week ending a day early because their leader John dies in the pool， doing a difficult swimming evolution with pneumonia。 David Goggins （who wrote the foreward， and is an extreme athlete） writes in his own book on getting rhabdomyolysis during an event （not a joking matter。。。an athlete died here at the Boulder Ironman in 2015 of rhabdo）。 Plus， especially when you hit your 50s or beyond， pushing it really hard can have you embracing the suck of literally months of chronic pain and recovery， waiting for tendons or other bits with limited blood supply to slowly heal。 So maybe exercise some judgement before jumping off a cliff to embrace the suck on something with limited upside utility and a really huge potential downside。But embracing the suck on getting out of and staying out of your emotional comfort zone to realize your goals？ Go for it。 Develop self-discipline and good habits？ Hell yeah。 。。。more
Jaime Gacitua
，
Fun read！ Same good nuggets for life and the stories about the seal missions are amusing。 But the book is not well written。
Michael
，
Good refresher。
Karis
，
The kick in the butt I needed。
Alison Strandell
，
I give it 4。5 stars。 （Warning: LANGUAGE in this book。） But I LOVE this self-help， inspirational book。 It boils down to this， in his words， not mine: Push the boundaries of your comfort zone。 Achieve loftier goals。 Be more consistent。 Build resilience。 Bounce back faster。 Get over stuff that doesn't matter。 Spend less time and money on pointless crap。 Remove toxic haters standing in your path。 Hang out less with Temptation Tiger （page 185）。 My dad/whole family have been into these military motiva I give it 4。5 stars。 （Warning: LANGUAGE in this book。） But I LOVE this self-help， inspirational book。 It boils down to this， in his words， not mine: Push the boundaries of your comfort zone。 Achieve loftier goals。 Be more consistent。 Build resilience。 Bounce back faster。 Get over stuff that doesn't matter。 Spend less time and money on pointless crap。 Remove toxic haters standing in your path。 Hang out less with Temptation Tiger （page 185）。 My dad/whole family have been into these military motivational books， and it did NOT disappoint。 I highly recommend this one。 。。。more
John
，
This is not a bad book， it's just that it doesn't really provide anything that the other books of this ilk have already provided。 It's a solid book for anyone who is not wanting to dig deep into Goggin's book due to it's prolific use of profanity， but if that's the case， suck it up buttercup and read the damn book。 It's a nice piece of the puzzle， but it's a familiar piece and not particularly filling。 This is not a bad book， it's just that it doesn't really provide anything that the other books of this ilk have already provided。 It's a solid book for anyone who is not wanting to dig deep into Goggin's book due to it's prolific use of profanity， but if that's the case， suck it up buttercup and read the damn book。 It's a nice piece of the puzzle， but it's a familiar piece and not particularly filling。 。。。more
Brent Kassing
，
Love it！Great book that describes so much of what was already in my head。 Go take in the world。 Don’t cower and let take on you。
Will Riordan
，
Simply fantastic。 An inspiring read！
Pamela Reband
，
Clear and precise directions to achievement along with some great stories。 Worth a read or two or three。
Jordan
，
Phenomenal book！ Very different approach than other books written by Navy Seals。 If you are looking for story after story like No Easy Day， this is not your book。 I would liken it more to No Hero， but with more outlines how to apply the principles being taught。 One of my new favorite books。 Embrace the suck！ Do something everyday！ In the absence of orders， take charge！ A book to apply not just read。 Scribd
Jordan Dailey
，