Admiral William H. McRaven’s Life Lessons
During Dave Sather’s most cherished weekly event, Friday breakfast tacos, we were discussed a presentation he was preparing for his students at Texas Lutheran University. The topic was advice on securing a first job after graduation, something artificial intelligence is making harder every year for all majors. Dave and I started listing ways students can rise above the competition.
I immediately thought of Admiral William H. McRaven’s 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas, which he later expanded into the New York Times best-seller “Make Your Bed,” a book I read and then required my 16-year-old daughter to read. McRaven gave those graduates 10 life lessons, each drawn from his experience in the SEALs. Here they are, paired with what I have experienced in my own military and professional life.
Make your bed. In basic training, life is not easy, by design. Waking up to reveille, with drill instructors yelling and chairs being thrown, was not an ideal start to the day. . But our beds had to be made, so tight you could bounce a quarter off them. That first task of the day set the tone for everything that followed. Get the first task right and the next one comes easier.
Find someone to help you. I landed a coveted human intelligence position with the Defense Intelligence Agency, but I was a terrible writer. Fortunately, a civilian peer in my office was a nationally recognized scholar and Notre Dame graduate. I asked her for help. Red lines and corrections throughout each report. Then, finally, none. Recognize you cannot go through life alone; we all need teamwork.
Measure the heart, not status. In graduate school at Columbia University, most of my classmates were experienced financial professionals. One was not. That did not stop her. She outworked every student in the cohort, including me, and was later voted Student Marshal, the one graduate in the program honored for grades, leadership, and community work. Value people for their character and grit, not their credentials.
Accept that life is not fair. I left the military after 10 years with a bachelor’s degree, confident I would land a job immediately. I did not. I applied to every federal, state, and local opening in Texas. Crickets. So I created a LinkedIn account and started networking. Shortly after, Charles Schwab offered me a position in Austin. That same week, two federal agencies finally called to schedule interviews. Life can be unfair and tough. Push through without complaining.
Embrace failure. After 9/11, I wanted the most dangerous job in the military, so I chose Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). I attended the preliminary school in San Antonio. Of the 20 candidates hoping to move on to the joint-service EOD school in Florida, only three were selected. I was not one of them. I failed. I was given the chance to pick another career field and chose geospatial intelligence, where I eventually tied for the top score in the most academically demanding block of the school. Use failure to grow stronger.
Slide head first. In 2017, I was an advisor in the San Francisco Bay Area. I missed Texas, and the cost of living was hard on my family. On the BART train home after a long Friday, I texted my wife, Cassie: “We are going to move to Cuero.” My loving and supportive wife (originally from Cuero, so no bias at all) agreed. We moved, taking a 70 percent pay cut and arriving with no network in wealth management. It worked out. Take calculated risks and dare greatly when facing obstacles.
Face down sharks. Earlier, as a junior advisor in the Bay Area, I was the unofficial advisor who dealt with aggressive clients. On one occasion, an angry man came in and started yelling at our female staff. I confronted him, brought him into the conference room, and handled him. Stand your ground and do not show fear to bullies. Others depend upon your leadership.
Be your best in dark moments. Twenty years ago, my close friend and I switched missions in Taji, Iraq, so he could be there for a junior soldier’s promotion in Baghdad. He took my mission and was killed when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle. I was distraught, but the mission to defeat the insurgent IED network continued. So did I, with even more zeal, in dedication to my friend. Perform at your absolute highest level when things look bleakest.
Start singing in the mud. While I was taking forensic photographs of an IED blast site in Taji, an insurgent fired a rocket-propelled grenade over our heads. I dropped everything and ran for cover behind our armored Humvee. My colleague landed next to me, both of us wide-eyed with fear. He took out a cigarette and lit up, and we both started laughing. Offer hope to those around you in hard times.
Never ring the bell. This may be McRaven’s most important lesson. Persevere through every trial, and never quit. Do yourself a favor and read Cuero native Roy Benavidez’s Medal of Honor citation.
For high schoolers, college students, and new graduates: the world is hard, and the job market may be tougher than the one I faced or your parents’ generation faced. Focus on discipline, resilience, and teamwork. Never quit. You will find success.
Joe Olive, CFP®, MPS, is a 10-year Air Force veteran who works as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® with Sather Financial Group, a fee-only strategic planning and investment management firm. He holds a master’s degree from Columbia University.
