Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual

Jocko Willink was a Navy SEAL for two decades. And he wasn't any run-of-the-mill Navy SEAL (I don't think such a thing even exists, actually). Willink rose to become the commander of his unit—Task Unit Bruiser—which, beside sounding incredibly intimidating, was "the most decorated Special Operations Unit of the Iraq War." Since his retirement, he has used his hard-won, literally battle-tested lessons in leadership and management to teach others, and has written a number one New York Times bestseller, Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, on the topic. (He also has a popular podcast and children's book to his credit, because he can.) I'd say that, once you've been to war at the head of the most elite fighting force in human history, writing a New York Times bestseller is easy. But nothing in life is easy, and that is his lesson number one:

People look for the shortcut. The hack.

And if you came here looking for that: You won't find it.

The shortcut is a lie. The hack doesn't get you there.

The internet is full of hacks and workarounds to life. In his new book, he tries to set us straight with the message that:

There is only hard work, late nights, early mornings, practice, rehearsal, repetition, study, sweat, blood, toil, frustration, and discipline. DISCIPLINE. 

THERE MUST BE DISCIPLINE.

I've had the new book, Discipline Equals Freedom, here on my desk for the last week, and at least three people have walked by and said: "Whoa… what is that?" Here it is:

And, that's not it. Check out this profile:

You can see why it stands out. The pages aren't just black, either. Each is a black-and-white photograph with the text in white. I like to think of the amount of ink used on this book as a metaphor for the relentless amount of determination Jocko Willink pours into his life every day. And it pours out of him here onto the page, providing inspiration and instruction for getting up and getting after it every day yourself.

It is a book about getting control of your mind to get control of your body, and ultimately getting control over every aspect your life. It is about putting in the work, and a game plan for doing so (including an appendix with a physical workout routine). But it is also deeply, and directly, philosophical. Consider his thoughts on something most wouldn't think would figure in a book like this—laughter: 

Discipline Equals Freedom is a series of meditations, both mental and physical. It is a training manual for the mind and the body, with lessons on martial arts, working out, eating right, and getting strength from weakness. It is, according to Jocko Willink, in this relentlessness, in this competence, that you will find freedom. And there is one thing at the heart of it all: discipline. (And, perhaps, a lot of ink.) 

We have 20 copies available.