Who is Jocko?
John Gretton Willink, or commonly known as "Jocko" Willink, is a former United States Navy officer who served in the Navy SEALs as the commander of SEAL Team 3's Task Unit Bruiser. Willink fought in the battle against the Iraqi insurgents in Ramadi and was awarded with the Silver Star and Bronze Star medals, and promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander. After retiring from the army, Jocko has become an American author, podcaster, and a motivational speaker who has inspired millions of people with his story. Willink co-authored the books Extreme Ownership and The Dichotomy of Leadership with fellow retired SEAL Leif Babin, and co-founded Echelon Front, a management consulting firm who provides leadership courses, strategic advising and workshops, with a mission of building and training high-performance winning teams.
Discipline Equals Freedom
SEAL Team 3 Task Unit Bruiser, one of the highly decorated special operations units in the Iraqi War, was led by Jocko with a mantra of "discipline equals freedom". Willink believes that by developing and sticking to routines, soldiers can free themselves to focusing on mission in front of them, and not worry about protocols. After the military, Jocko realised that his philosophy was applicable to normal civilians, which prompted him to create his company Echelon Front. Willink eventually wrote his new book, "Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual", which gave readers an insight into his daily routine.
Get up when the alarm rings
Jocko wakes up at 4:30 in the morning and goes straight away into a body workout, which revolves around a four-day split of pull, push, lift and squat. Willink said that the real discipline starts when the alarm rings, and when it does, you shouldn't think about it, don't rationalize anything, don't press the snooze button, and don't bargain for five more minutes. Just simply get up when your alarm goes off. Jocko also does a few sprints, kettle bells, core training and burpees, which he explained on a Tim Ferriss podcast.
Waking up early is a millionaire-habit
In a five-year study of hundreds of self-made millionaires, it has been found out that nearly 50% of these people woke up more than two hours before their work day actually began. According to Thomas Corley, author of "Change Your Habits, Change Your Life", waking up early to get things done gives you more control over your life. It also gives people a sense of confidence knowing that they have already achieved a lot while others are still in bed, which sorts of gives them a feeling of accomplishment. Jocko says that anyone has the capacity to become a morning person, and that having the discipline to wake up early isn't something that people are born with, but it's something that people decide to do.
Skipping breakfast
After Jocko's intense body workout, he'll then go to a few spots at the San Diego beaches for a surfing session, before reporting to his office to work on his numerous projects. Jocko primarily works at his leadership and management consulting company, Echelon Front, and then prepares for his weekly Jocko Podcast with his producer, a fellow Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner called Echo Charles. Jocko said that he reads all the time, preparing for his podcast episodes, including being at airports, planes, before going to sleep, while eating lunch or dinner. The former SEAL commander also skips breakfast, and will have his first meal of the day comprised of steak, chicken and salad around lunch time.
Echelon Front
Most of Jocko's day is spent working with Echelon Front clients either remotely or in-person, and assembles with his team periodically for conferences. Echelon Front has worked with clients such as Shell Oil, Citi Bank, and a few Major League Baseball organizations. Most of the work at his company involves developing group leadership training sessions or mentoring and coaching individual clients. Willink spends a chunk of the morning on conversations with clients at his office, on the phone or over email, and travels weekly for consultations.
The Jocko Willink Podcast
Jocko has built a cult-like following on his podcast, using his no-nonsense accountability brand, which helps people in the personal development space. The Jocko Podcast has over 1 million followers, which he said was inspired by his time with Joe Rogan, who encouraged him to start a podcast. Willink's podcast has a black and white theme, which gives listeners the grainy and hardened effect of Jocko's voice, making the experience unique and motivational. Jocko has managed to turn his rigorous post-military routine into a successful career, rewarding him with a huge net worth of $6M dollars.
Living life on the FAST lane
In a Success Magazine interview, Jocko told journalists that although his diet is comprised of whole foods, he naturally has a sweet tooth and keeps chocolate chip cookies, and sometimes even drink chocolate milkshakes in the office. He said the he loves them and because he works super hard, he deserves to have a little treat from time to time. Jocko is also a practitioner of fasting, claiming that he does 24-hour fasts regularly, and 72-hour fasts every three months. While fasting, he said he still does everything that he normally does as if he were eating, and still trains super hard.
Jocko has his own tea
Jocko who normally goes for tea instead of coffee, decided to create his own brand of tea, which sold a lot to podcast fans. He also partnered with Origin USA, getting his own branding into the company's athletic gears, martial arts uniforms and health supplements. Jocko spends his afternoons managing his product partnerships and on writing a book. Any spare time that he has in the afternoon will be spent at researching for his podcast episodes, claiming that he needs to read a lot to have the right outlook on his podcast discussions.
The day ends with family time and guitar tunes
After a full day at work, Jocko jumps to his next workout sessions, which is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Victory MMA, which he co-founded with his friend, Dean Lister. Jocko said that he's been practising the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for 30 years, since he was introduced to it the 90s. Jocko winds down the day by spending quality time with his wife and four kids through steak and vegetables at dinner, and playing some guitar tunes. Before Willink goes to bed at 11 in the evening, he checks his calendar, writes his to-do list, and lays out his training gear ready for the next day.
Comentários