Think Like a Navy SEAL

You are a U.S. Navy SEAL; a certified combat warrior. You are trained, equipped, and ready to roll. It is the evening before a mission. What can your commanding officer say to help you get psyched?

Here is what Lt. Commander Rorke Denver has said to his team. He spent fourteen years as a SEAL officer, and earned the Bronze Star with V for valor. He currently works at the Navy Special Warfare Center in Coronado, California, directing all phases of the basic and advanced training that prepare men for war in SEAL teams.

“Standing on the beach in a tight, quiet circle with Ro, Big D, Cams, Lope, and the others, I talked about balance…‘Before we step on that bird tomorrow and begin this campaign,’ I said, ’we need to be sure everything at home is taken care of. Your finances are in order. Your families have what they need. Nothing back there is left unsaid or undone. Where we’re going we’ll need to take care of each other. So if anyone has something that requires attention at home – bills, house repairs, kid stuff, whatever – I can help take care of it now….from here on out, we can’t be looking backwards. We have to be present every single second we are over there.’” (1)

Lt. Commander Denver is a true leader of men, and as such as offers lessons that apply to the adventure of life as much as they do to the field of battle. Chief among them is the imperative of living in the present.

Soldiers in battle must be fully engaged in the here and now; even the slightest distraction can cost them their lives. You and I may not face mortal danger in our daily routine, but negligence can still be mighty costly. We cannot afford to let unattended important business linger, because at some point it will be just too late to tend to it.

That is why the ultimate value of life insurance is considered to be peace of mind. You secure the finances of your family, your business, and your favorite charity, and then you move on. That nagging little voice inside your head that keeps reminding you to take that policy is at last quieted. You are free to engage life without worry.

(1) Rorke Denver with Ellis Henican, Damn Few: Making the Modern Seal Warrior (New York, NY: Hyperion Books, 2013) pp. 82-83