Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual

Discipline Equals Freedom. A man's entire philosophy boiled down to 3 words. This is what is most incredible about this book. The depth paired with the brevity. At 190 pages it isn't meant to waste your time and that's why I like Jocko's writing. It has an intent and it cuts out all of the clutter. He stays disciplined even within his writing. The book is broken into 2 parts: Thoughts and Actions. Part I (Thoughts) discusses his philosophy and Part II (Actions) discusses physical conditioning (diet, stretching, etc.). There is also a bonus appendix with very, very detailed workouts for different levels of physical condition (i.e. beginner to advanced). What most impressed me about this book was Jocko's ability to discuss a topic in detail and then summarize it succinctly in one line. This is his gift and he uses it in almost every chapter. Glory in solitude. Laughter wins. Curse the warmth of the bed. All of these ideas, and others, are included in Part I (Thoughts) of this field manual. While originally reading Part I (Thoughts), I thought it was somewhat unorganized. Why is he talking about Regret then talking about Focus? However, as I kept reading I realized that Jocko was just attacking the same problem from many different angles. It was as if Jocko were rotating around his core truth (Discipline Equals Freedom) and explaining it using different perspectives. For example, how do you view Discipline Equals Freedom through the lens of stress? Through regret? Through negativity? Through positivity? It is harder to follow the structure initially, but I believe this makes the work more accessible to a wider audience. For example, I found that some chapters spoke to me more than others, and I am guessing you will feel the same way. In Part II (Actions) Jocko summarizes what actions you can take to start moving in the right direction physically. I completely agree that thinking is nowhere near enough to actually make changes in your life. You have to act, and this part discusses the practical side of acting. For example, how to wake up early, how to eat, how to work out while traveling, etc. I recommend spending as much time, if not more, on acting (Part II) as you did on thinking (Part I). While the thinking will get you engaged, the acting will keep you engaged, and this is the key to staying disciplined. In conclusion, this isn't a typical motivational book. When reading it you can tell that the author means business. He lives this lifestyle. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. His Instagram account illustrates this better than anything. 2 daily photos. One at around 4:30 AM to show he is awake and acting, and one after his daily workout. Simple, but to the point. He lives it and I hope you can take some inspiration from this book to live closer to your truth. With that being said, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book: "We are defeated one tiny, seemingly insignificant surrender at a time that chips away at who we should really be. It isn't that you wake up one day and decide that's it: I am going to be weak. No. It is a slow incremental process. It chips away at our will-it chips away at our discipline." I hope you enjoy Discipline Equals Freedom as much as I did.

Jocko Willink is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL who has inspired me to wake up early, which has been a game changer for my life. Jocko posts a photo of his watch on Twitter every morning when he wakes up at 4:30 a.m. I am not getting up that early, but I'm now waking up at 6 a.m. every morning, including weekends, which has amped up my daily productivity significantly. Jocko's Discipline Equals Freedom is the book that motivated this change for me. I'll share 7 great things about Jocko and this book below. 1. Navy SEALs are tough, obviously. I'm probably the opposite of a Navy SEAL. I wouldn't have made the cut. However, somehow Jocko's intensity has encouraged me greatly. Jocko believes that waking up early and exercising is the transformational habit for your day. I believe him. I've been what you call a "night owl" for most of my life. I'm now waking up early consistently. Apparently a Navy SEAL can still motivate me here in my 40s. :) 2. Jocko believes in the word GOOD, even when things do not seem good on the surface. I'm sure this is some sort of Navy SEAL training Jedi-mind trick, but it works. It's taking life head on and all that it brings you. And some good can be found in whatever it brings you. The Stoic philosophers approached life this way as well. They encourage us to embrace whatever life brings our way. "Embrace it all." 3. Discipline Equals Freedom is split into three parts: 1. Thoughts, 2. Actions and 3. Workouts. Jocko appropriately spends the first part of the book focusing on how important our thoughts are. We need to achieve discipline in our thoughts before we can hope to achieve discipline in our actions. This reminds me of Jim Collin's quote from his epic book, Good to Great, where he advocates for: "Disciplined People with Disciplined Thoughts taking Disciplined Action." Discipline your mind before you attempt to discipline your life. 4. Jocko advocates that we all exercise daily. It doesn't have to be lifting weights daily, but some activity every day and ideally first thing in the morning to get your blood pumping. It could be a walk. It could be a run. He does advocate for some strength training in the book, which I agree with. Jocko does have a number of daily exercise regimens detailed in this book that range from Beginner to Advanced. Most of these exercises can actually be done at home and don't require a gym. 5. Jocko writes about his passion for the martial art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in this book. I have never done a martial art, but his advocacy for learning how to defend yourself by knowing a martial art is compelling. I am now motivated to find a self defense class that my whole family can take together. 6. I first learned about Jocko thanks to a terrific podcast interview Tim Ferriss had with Jocko about his first book, Extreme Ownership: How Navy SEALS Lead and Win. (I'll be writing a review of this book soon. Stay tuned.) This podcast interview from 2015 was actually Jocko's first public interview ever. It is terrific. 7. Jocko served our country for 20 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL. He is a veteran and a hero. I thank him for his service to our country and thank him for his new mission of service to motivate and train civilians like me.

I love and appreciate this book. Firstly I want to clarify that this books is more of a daily devotional rather than a book filled with hard information or personal stories. The subtitle is "field manual" for a reason, it's set up in short topics to be read daily and fill the reader with inspiration and motivation for some things that are common sense yet difficult to follow, or occasionally deep and insightful and worth meditating on. The last third of the book is tools and programs to workout and practicing what Jocko is preaching. Discipline has become a core value in my life; seeking God, practicing martial arts, losing 100+ lbs/working out regularly, and pursuing a very difficult career path has naturally revealed to me that discipline is freedom, so when I saw the title and the awesome book design, I knew I had to have it. It has become a tool in my life, because although I value discipline, we all drop the ball sometimes. This book has motivated me to pick myself back up on rough days, go harder in ways that matter, and bring order to my life when things start to get too slack. The lessons learned from adopting the mentality that Discipline Equals Freedom is ultimately priceless.

I've read all the three, most famous U.S. Navy seal books. Personally, I believe that discipline equals freedom is not a book that you'd want to just sit down and enjoy reading while having your coffee, its moreover a book that you're supposed to read when you feel that you don't want to continue doing your work. I highly recommend you to put it on your desk, and open any random page and start reading when you feel like lying in bed and leaving everything for 'tomorrow'

Der Autor bezeichnet dieses Büchlein als "Field Manual" - hier eher ein kleines Handbüchlein, in dem er die wesentlichen Lehren und Erkenntnisse aus seiner Tätigkeit bei einer amerikanischen Spetzialeinheit sehr gut zusammengefasst. Es st sozusagen der komprimierte, eingedampfte und um ein paar neue Aspekte ergänzte Inhalt des BUches "Extreme Ownership" das Jocko Willink mit einem Co-Autor geschrieben hat. "Discipline equals freedom" ist an sich ja schon eine sehr interessante Aussage, weil das rechtzeitige Planen, frühe Aufstehen und richtige Organisieren von Dingen die Freiheit für Selbst-Vorankommen und andere Dinge gibt. Die Führungsprinzipien sind bewährt und lassen sich vom militärischen Bereich sehr gut in die Welt der Projekte und des persönlichen Vorankommens übertragen. Dieses Buch ist *sehr groß* gedruckt, weshalb sich die einzelnen Seiten auch sehr gut als Motivationskärtchen zum Aufhängen eignen (Vorsichtig rausschneiden bitte). Zielgruppe: Ich glaube, dass dieses zusammengefasste Büchlein etwas für die Leserinnen und Leser ist, die bereits jetzt unter Organisationsdruck und Zeitproblemen leiden. Es enthält zudem einige Ernährungstipps und wie Sie die Gesundheit durch weniger an Fast Food und mehr an gutem Essen steigern sollten. Wenn Sie (noch) nicht tief in die Welt der Entstehung der Führungsprinzipien eintauchen möchten und das Geschriebene erst mal verstehen und als Anleitung "sacken" lassen möchten. Das abschließende Kapital enthält zusätzlich einige Vorschläge für ein effektives Workout. Und die vertiefende Lektüre dann später lesen möchten oder werden. Mit sehr guten Englischkenntnissen sollten Sie sich an dieses Buch wagen. Wer mehr Lesezeit pro ausgegebenem Euro haben möchte, der sollte sich sozusagen die ursprüngliche Langversion ISBN 9781250183866 aus dem Angebot von Amazon gönnen.

Disciplines Equals Freedom, le titre du livre peu paraître flou mais en réalité Jocko à travers son livre veut vraiment nous faire comprendre que : la liberté est le fait d'avoir le pouvoir sur soi. Faire ce qu'on a dit que l'on allait faire, tenir sur la durée dans ses engagements, faire face aux situations compliqués car elles arriveront etc. Ce livre est un condensé de notions fondamentales pour exceller dans la vie et dans tous les domaines. Je le recommande chaudement. (La version audio est incroyable aussi, donc pour les plus curieux vous la trouverez sur Youtube).

Ideaal als je opzoek bent naar motivatie voor het sporten. Hij verteld de (harde) waarheid. Daarbij zitten achterin goede workouts voor beginners tot aan govorderden. Het boek oogt ook heel mooi, blijft wel lastig open liggen.

A must have to reach greatness !