Admiral McRaven Speech: Top 10 Key Takeaways

By Hemanta Sundaray

PostedJune 18, 2025

You're sitting in a graduation ceremony, ready to celebrate your achievement and move forward into the "real world." Then a battle-tested Navy SEAL Admiral takes the stage and delivers wisdom that cuts through all the typical commencement platitudes.

Admiral William McRaven's famous University of Texas commencement speech isn't just another "follow your dreams" talk. It's a masterclass in resilience, leadership, and world-changing mindset, distilled from 36 years as a Navy SEAL and six months of the most grueling military training on Earth.

The speech's central premise is staggering. If each of the 8,000 graduates changes just 10 lives, and those people each change 10 more, within five generations they'll have impacted 800 million people. But McRaven doesn't just inspire with big numbers; he provides a practical roadbook for making that impact real.

Here are the 10 life-changing lessons from Basic SEAL training that can transform how you approach challenges, setbacks, and your potential to change the world.

1. Make Your Bed Every Morning

The Lesson: Start each day by completing one simple task perfectly.

McRaven's instructors demanded flawless bed-making every morning: corners square, covers tight, pillow centered. It seemed ridiculous for aspiring warriors, but the wisdom runs deep. When you accomplish the first task of your day, you build momentum. One completed task leads to another, then another. By day's end, that single made bed has multiplied into many completed tasks.

More importantly, making your bed reinforces that small details matter. If you can't handle the little things correctly, you'll never master the big ones. And after your worst days, you'll return home to a bed you made: a tangible reminder that tomorrow offers fresh possibilities.

2. You Can't Change the World Alone

The Lesson: Find people to help you paddle through life's storms.

In SEAL training, boat crews of seven students had to navigate through 8-10 foot surf off San Diego. Every paddle stroke had to be synchronized; every person had to give equal effort, or the boat would capsize. No individual heroics could overcome the power of the ocean: only coordinated teamwork.

Your biggest goals require the same approach. Whether you're launching a startup, fighting for social change, or building a career, you need friends, colleagues, mentors, and sometimes the goodwill of strangers. Find your crew and learn to paddle in rhythm with them.

3. Judge People by Their Heart, Not Their Appearance

The Lesson: True strength comes from within, not from obvious advantages.

The most successful boat crew in McRaven's class was nicknamed the "Munchkins": no one over 5'5". This diverse group of men from different backgrounds consistently out-paddled, out-ran, and out-swam the crews filled with tall, physically imposing men. The bigger guys would joke about the Munchkins' tiny swim fins, but these "little guys" always finished first.

SEAL training proved to be a great equalizer where color, background, education, and social status meant nothing. Only determination and heart mattered. When evaluating others, or yourself, look beyond surface-level attributes to find the real measure of strength.

4. Accept That Sometimes You'll Be a "Sugar Cookie"

The Lesson: Life isn't always fair, but you must keep moving forward anyway.

No matter how perfectly the students prepared for uniform inspection, instructors would find something wrong. The punishment was becoming a "sugar cookie": running into the surf fully clothed, then rolling in sand until completely covered. You'd spend the rest of the day cold, wet, and miserable.

Some students couldn't accept this apparent injustice and quit. They missed the deeper lesson: sometimes life will treat you unfairly regardless of your preparation or performance. The goal isn't to avoid these moments but to develop resilience when they inevitably occur. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and keep pushing forward.

5. Don't Be Afraid of the Circus

The Lesson: Extra hardship builds extraordinary strength.

Students who failed to meet physical standards got "invited to the circus": two hours of extra calisthenics designed to break their spirit. Everyone dreaded the circus, but eventually everyone made the list. Here's what happened to the frequent circus attendees: they got stronger. The additional pain built both physical resilience and mental toughness.

Life will test you repeatedly. You'll fail, often painfully. But each failure that doesn't break you makes you more capable of handling the next challenge. Instead of fearing difficult periods, recognize them as strength-building opportunities.

6. Take Calculated Risks to Break Through Barriers

The Lesson: Sometimes conventional approaches keep you stuck at conventional levels.

The Slide for Life obstacle had stood unbeaten for years. Students would swing underneath a 200-foot rope and inch their way across hand over hand. Then one brave student decided to mount the top of the rope and slide down headfirst: dangerous, seemingly foolish, but dramatically faster. He shattered the record.

Innovation often requires abandoning safe, proven methods for uncertain but potentially transformative approaches. When you're stuck at a plateau, consider whether you need to metaphorically go headfirst down the rope.

7. Stand Your Ground When Facing Sharks

The Lesson: Don't retreat from intimidating opponents — face them directly.

SEAL trainees had to complete night swims in waters inhabited by great white sharks. The instructors' advice was counterintuitive: if a shark circles you, stand your ground. Don't swim away. Don't act afraid. If it attacks, punch it in the snout and it will retreat.

Life is full of sharks: people and situations that seem threatening and powerful. Your instinct might be to avoid or appease them, but often the most effective response is confident, direct confrontation. Bullies, whether in boardrooms or playgrounds, typically back down when met with strength rather than fear.

8. Stay Calm in Your Darkest Moments

The Lesson: Your greatest challenges require your greatest composure.

The underwater ship attack mission required swimming over two miles in complete darkness, finding the ship's keel where machinery noise was deafening and disorientation likely. This was the mission's most critical and difficult moment. Success required bringing together all tactical skills, physical power, and inner strength while remaining completely calm.

Your darkest professional and personal moments demand your highest level of performance. Job loss, relationship crisis, health scares all require your greatest composure. Panic and emotional reactions make bad situations worse. Train yourself to become more composed under pressure, not less.

9. Give Others Hope Through Your Example

The Lesson: One person's courage can transform everyone's experience.

During Hell Week's mudflat exercise, trainees were buried up to their necks in freezing mud for eight hours. The instructors offered release if just five people would quit. As hypothermia set in and students were ready to break, one voice began singing. Despite being terribly off-key, others joined in. Soon the entire class was singing; somehow the mud felt warmer and dawn seemed closer.

One person's decision to maintain hope and spirit in impossible circumstances changed the experience for everyone. When you're surrounded by negativity, discouragement, or despair, your choice to remain positive doesn't just help you: it can save others.

10. Never, Ever Ring the Bell

The Lesson: Quitting becomes a habit; persistence becomes your identity.

In the center of the SEAL training compound hung a brass bell. Any student could ring it at any time to quit: no more 5 AM wake-ups, no more freezing swims, no more obstacle courses, no more suffering. All you had to do was ring the bell.

The bell represents every moment in life when continuing seems impossible and quitting seems reasonable. These moments define who you become. Each time you push through instead of giving up, you build the identity of someone who doesn't quit; each time you ring the bell, you make ringing it again more likely.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It

Admiral McRaven's speech isn't just about military training: it's about developing the mindset and habits that allow ordinary people to create extraordinary change. The students he addressed had the potential to affect 800 million lives, but only if they applied these lessons consistently.

The beauty of McRaven's advice is its accessibility. You don't need special talents, connections, or circumstances to make your bed, help others paddle, stand up to bullies, or refuse to quit. These are daily choices available to everyone.

The world needs changing, and it starts with individuals who've trained themselves to handle adversity, lead others through difficulty, and persist when persistence seems impossible. The question isn't whether you're capable of world-changing impact. McRaven's math proves you are. The question is whether you'll develop the disciplines and mindset to make that impact real.

Start tomorrow morning. Make your bed. Find someone to help you paddle. And whatever you do, don't ring the bell.