How to achieve greatness: 10 life lessons from a Navy SEAL

This is the commencement speech given at the University of Texas at Austin, by Admiral McRaven, a video that is rapidly going viral on the internet. He provides 10 life lessons based on his experience as a Navy SEAL. I am summarizing them here, in my own words. 

1. Start small. Take small steps toward your goal. Small accomplishments build up your pride and courage into enabling you to achieve greater things over time.
2. Great things are never achieved alone. Ask for, and accept, help from others, friends and strangers alike.
3.  At the end of the day, all that matters is your "will to succeed". Background and prior training/advantage pale in comparison to willpower.
4. Accept that, despite the quantity and quality of preparation and performance, failure is sometimes unavoidable. This is a fact of life.
5. Use failure as your motivation to improve. Do not be afraid of ridicule either, build up your resilience from the inside. A stronger tree is able to counter stronger winds.
6. Challenge norms and be brave enough to take risks.
7. Do not escape from challenges or problems. Face them headfirst. Be brave, counter your fears. Do not let a challenge or resistance stop you.
8. Keep your calm even in the darkest moments, when you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel.
9. Hope can work wonders. Never give up hope. Hope can unite the world. With hope, we can change the world.
10. If you want to achieve greatness, do not give up. Persist.

If you would like to read the transcript, it is available here.

I hope this encourages you to push forward in your life! We can all achieve big things. It is simply a matter of how much we want to. =)

Have a good weekend, everyone!