MrBallen (Former Navy SEAL): If You Feel Lost, Here's How To Turn Your Life Around In 2025!
Here are the top 10 insights from former Navy SEAL MrBallen's interview on "The Diary of A CEO" podcast that can help transform your direction in 2025.
1. Taking responsibility is transformative
Taking responsibility for your circumstances is a fundamental turning point in personal growth. John Allen's journey began when he hit rock bottom, living in his mother's basement after failing at college. The pivotal moment came when he shifted from blaming others to acknowledging his role in his situation.
This self-awareness allowed him to set achievable goals and start rebuilding his life. He describes it as a crucial mental shift: "If you want to fix this, you have to start with saying it's my fault and then do something about it." This perspective change was the foundation for all his later successes.
2. Set clear goals that deeply matter to you
Allen emphasizes the importance of setting goals that genuinely resonate with what you truly want. He recommends asking yourself what you really care about in your most private moments - your "shower thoughts" - rather than what society thinks you should value.
For him, becoming a Navy SEAL wasn't just about serving his country but also about proving himself and changing his identity from "the family failure" to someone accomplished. He explains: "Setting a goal that's consciously something you care about and working hard to achieve it organizes your whole life." This approach gives direction and purpose that random activities cannot provide.
3. Do what scares you
Facing your fears often leads to the most rewarding experiences. Allen describes this principle as "the best things in life are on the other side of fear." He points to examples like overcoming his fear of public speaking to conduct a successful live tour.
The anticipation and buildup before facing fears is typically worse than the actual experience. Allen explains that once you take action, the fear often dissipates quickly. He encourages people to recognize when fear is holding them back from something they truly want to pursue, as pushing through that fear barrier frequently leads to personal growth and fulfillment.
4. Failure provides valuable feedback
Allen's perspective on failure is refreshingly practical. He views it not as a stopping point but as a source of feedback that generates knowledge and ultimately power. This approach creates a virtuous cycle: failure provides feedback, feedback creates knowledge, and knowledge empowers better decisions.
His career path illustrates this principle perfectly. When his Navy SEAL content failed, leading to rejection from his community, he pivoted. This led him to experiment with different content types until finding success with mystery storytelling. Each apparent failure was actually redirecting him toward his ultimate successful path.
5. Unchecked boxes drive motivation
Having meaningful goals that remain incomplete—what Allen calls "unchecked boxes"—can be powerful motivators. These aspirations create purpose and direction, especially during challenging times. Allen describes how during SEAL training, his determination to prove himself kept him going through extreme physical discomfort.
After completing his live storytelling tour, Allen found himself in an interesting position where he had checked all his major life boxes. This left him searching for new meaningful challenges. He observes that people need these unchecked boxes as sources of meaning and drive throughout their lives.
6. Start moving when you're lost
When feeling directionless, taking action—even imperfect action—is better than remaining stuck. Allen references military wisdom: "When you're lost, you need to start moving. It doesn't necessarily matter which direction you move in, but you need to start moving."
This approach prevents "paralysis by analysis," where overthinking leads to inaction. Allen credits much of his success to his bias toward action rather than hesitation. For people at crossroads or rock bottom, he advises picking something that checks enough boxes to be worth pursuing rather than waiting for the perfect option.
7. Confront personal demons through open discussion
Allen's experiences with PTSD and mental health challenges taught him the importance of confronting inner demons rather than suppressing them. He found that trying to ignore difficult thoughts only gives them more power. Instead, he recommends talking about them, particularly with a therapist or trusted person.
The act of verbalizing difficult thoughts can be cathartic and healing. Allen explains: "If you begin to have those thoughts and you tell yourself, 'stop thinking about it, I don't want to deal with that,' that's a demon." Facing these thoughts directly through conversation helps process and integrate them in healthier ways.
8. Effective storytelling requires full commitment
Allen's success as a storyteller comes from his complete commitment to the narrative. He doesn't just recite facts—he inhabits the story. This level of engagement creates an authentic connection with the audience that makes even ordinary stories compelling.
Good storytelling also depends on structure and delivery. Allen emphasizes building tension before revealing the payoff rather than leading with the conclusion. He notes that unlike news reporting, which states the outcome first, effective storytelling gradually builds toward a revelation that rewards the audience's investment.
9. Find your authentic path through experimentation
Allen's career journey illustrates the value of trying different approaches until finding what truly works. His path from college dropout to Navy SEAL to content creator wasn't planned but emerged through continual experimentation and following what resonated.
His breakthrough came when he created content about mysterious stories—something he genuinely found fascinating—rather than focusing on his SEAL background. This authenticity connected with audiences far more effectively than his previous strategies. The lesson is clear: experimenting with different paths often leads to discovering where your true strengths and passions lie.
10. Timing looks like luck but requires readiness
What appears as fortunate timing in retrospect often results from a consistent willingness to take action. Allen initially attributed many of his successes to lucky timing, like posting his first viral video just as the pandemic drove people to TikTok. However, on reflection, he recognized that his readiness to act created those opportunities.
The key insight is that timing only matters when you're already in motion. As Allen puts it: "It's amazing what doors begin to open up for you if you're already on the move. If you're stationary, they don't open." His story demonstrates that seemingly fortuitous circumstances often favor those already taking initiative and remaining open to possibilities.