"Now" Is an Important Word. And it Starts NOW.

Summary

Jocko Podcast Summary: "Now" Is an Important Word. And it Starts NOW Release Date: January 1, 2025

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Introduction: Embracing the Present Moment

In the opening segment of the episode titled "Now" Is an Important Word. And it Starts NOW, Jocko Willink sets the stage for a profound discussion about the significance of the present moment. He emphasizes the transient nature of "now," urging listeners to seize the moment with unwavering discipline. Jocko introduces the concept of the "Deaf Reset," a program designed to instill daily disciplines that lead to long-term success.

Notable Quote:

“Now is an important word, and let me tell you, I'm going to give you a different angle on this that you may or may not have thought of before in your life.”
— Jocko Willink [00:00]

The Fleeting Nature of "Now" and the Power of Discipline

Jocko and his guest, Echo Charles, delve into the ephemeral quality of "now." They discuss how "now" is essentially instantaneous and quickly slips away, making it a critical period for action. Jocko draws parallels to high-pressure situations, comparing the discipline required in everyday life to the rigorous demands of Navy SEAL training.

Notable Quote:

“Right now it's already gone. So I'm not asking you for very much. I'm just asking you to be disciplined.”
— Jocko Willink [00:34]

Short-Term Sacrifices for Long-Term Gains

A central theme of the episode is the tension between short-term discomfort or pleasure and long-term strategic success. Jocko explains that avoiding immediate pain or indulging in short-term pleasures often leads to missed opportunities that could have significantly altered one's life trajectory.

Notable Quote:

“The avoidance of pain or the seeking of pleasure leads to a short term win, but a long term loss.”
— Jocko Willink [02:18]

Echo adds nuance by distinguishing between different motivations behind short-term decisions, reinforcing the idea that discipline involves prioritizing long-term goals over temporary feelings.

Implementing Daily Disciplines: The Deaf Reset Program

Jocko outlines the "Deaf Reset" program, a series of daily disciplines aimed at fostering mental toughness and personal growth. Key components include waking up early, hydrating, maintaining a clean diet free from sugar and processed foods, reading, writing, and performing physical exercises like burpees.

Notable Quotes:

“You're going to do 100 burpees or 10 minutes worth of burpees every day. That's kind of, kind of a necessary thing. And by the way, that's gonna change you, that will change you mentally.”
— Jocko Willink [03:10]

“Discipline equals freedom.”
— Jocko Willink [04:50]

Overcoming Challenges Through Discipline

The conversation highlights the inevitability of encountering unpleasant tasks and how discipline enables individuals to push through discomfort. Jocko shares personal anecdotes from SEAL training, illustrating how enduring short-term suffering builds resilience and transforms individuals into "machines" capable of handling adversity.

Notable Quote:

“When you do your first 10 minutes or 100 burpees, it's going to suck. And what you're gonna learn how to do is you're gonna learn how to shut off your mind and do something that sucks for 10 minutes.”
— Jocko Willink [04:00]

Echo echoes this sentiment by emphasizing the importance of consistency and the cumulative effect of daily disciplines on one's character and capabilities.

Mental Toughness: Lessons from SEAL Training

Jocko draws direct comparisons between the disciplines practiced in SEAL training and the "Deaf Reset" program. He recounts challenging experiences, such as enduring harsh conditions during training missions, to illustrate the mental fortitude required to persevere through difficult circumstances.

Notable Quote:

“We just jumped out of an airplane, landed in the ocean 12 miles off the coast of San Diego. We rode a boat, a little tiny Zodiac boat for three and a half hours. Freezing cold. You're wet when it started, by the way, It's January, it's 53 degrees.”
— Jocko Willink [04:30]

Conclusion: Discipline as the Path to Freedom

In wrapping up the episode, Jocko reinforces the core message that discipline is the key to achieving freedom and long-term success. He urges listeners to implement the daily disciplines immediately, emphasizing that even small actions taken "right now" can lead to significant personal transformation over time.

Notable Quote:

“Discipline equals freedom. Reset 2025. We start today. We start now.”
— Jocko Willink [06:00]

Jocko concludes with a compelling call to action, inviting listeners to join the Deaf Reset program and highlighting the transformative potential of committing to daily discipline.

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Key Takeaways:

• The Impermanence of "Now": Recognize the fleeting nature of the present moment and the importance of acting within it.
• Discipline Over Comfort: Prioritize long-term strategic goals by enduring short-term discomfort or resisting immediate pleasures.
• Daily Disciplines: Incorporate consistent habits such as physical exercise, healthy eating, and continuous learning to build resilience and achieve personal growth.
• Mental Toughness: Draw inspiration from rigorous training experiences to develop the ability to push through challenges.
• Discipline Equals Freedom: Understand that establishing disciplined routines leads to greater personal freedom and success in various aspects of life.

Final Thought:

Jocko Willink's episode serves as a powerful reminder that the path to excellence is paved with disciplined actions taken in the present moment. By embracing the "now" with determination and consistency, individuals can transform their lives and achieve enduring success.

Transcript

[A]

January 1, 2025. This is the first day of deaf reset. It starts now, if you know what I'm talking about. Good. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you're about to find out. It starts now. And here's what I was thinking about. Now is an important word, and let me tell you, I'm going to give you a different angle on this that you may or may not have thought of before in your life. Echo. Charles, how long is now?

[B]

How long? The duration on instantaneous.

[A]

It's immeasurably short, basically.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Right now it's already gone. So I'm not asking you for very much. I'm not asking you for very much at all. I'm just asking you to be disciplined. Now, you ever heard that thing when somebody says you got to do something that sucks? Like, but it's going to be a short amount of time. Like when someone's in an MMA fight and the corner man's like, it's five minutes. You can stand on your head for five minutes.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

They put that emphasis on it.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, fully.

[A]

Or we'd be doing something in. In SEAL training, something that was gonna. They'd say, all right, we're gonna put you back in the water. 10 more minutes. 10 minutes out of your miserable life. Meaning it's like that. Not that much time. And, hey, you can suck it up for 10. You can kind of do anything for 10 minutes. Right. So think about that. This time is going to pass. Have you ever had something pass you by and you look at it later in your life and, you know, it kind of would have changed the trajectory of your life?

[B]

Not off the top.

[A]

It's like, maybe you should have taken that job, or maybe you should have invested in that company.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, maybe you should have bought bitcoin when your brother told you about it, and it was $4 a coin.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Right. Or maybe you should have finished that class, or maybe you should have started playing an instrument. You know, you picked up that ukulele. Did you ever buy an ukulele?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, about two of them.

[A]

Okay, so good. Imagine if you did that when you were 19 or 13. You see what I'm saying? And I'm sure you were on the island. It's not like there was an ukulele's available to a brother. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

No shortage.

[A]

And right now, you know, who knows? That could have changed the trajectory of life, maybe. You know, I'm sure there's people that I Wish I would have stuck with that workout program. I wish I would have stuck with Jiu Jitsu. I wish I would have stayed on the team. What do you see what I'm saying? There's just things that you do that you let them pass and, and you can't really get them back. So I think it's very important to keep that in mind. Right. Because in most cases, what made you walk away was just the short term pleasure or the, or at a minimum, the short term avoidance of pain. Yeah, yeah, one of those two. Instead of the long term strategic win, the short term avoidance of pain or seeking of pleasure, those two are related, but they're not the same thing. Let's see you nodding your head. You know that that's a good little, little nuance to make.

[B]

Yes, sir.

[A]

But the avoidance of pain or the seeking of pleasure leads to a short term win, but a long term loss. So what I'm saying is don't let that happen. Do not let that happen. Do not avoid the shirt short term pain, do not avoid the short term pleasure to disrupt your long term strategic goals. That's what discipline is, by the way. Discipline is you absorb the short term pain, you avoid the short term pleasure. And you know that discipline in the long run is going to make you better. You know that the unmitigated daily disciplines that we follow for the deaf reset, for sure. You know that these things in the long run, they're going to give you freedom. You're going to wake up early, you're going to get after it, you're going to prioritize next year, you're going to hydrate, you're going to clean fuel, no sugar coated lies. You're gonna read, write, and you're gonna remember. And also you're gonna do 100 burpees or 10 minutes worth of burpees every day. That's kind of, kind of a necessary thing. And by the way, that's gonna change you, that will change you mentally. I promise you that when you do your first 10 minutes or 100 burpees, it's going to suck. And what you're gonna learn how to do is you're gonna learn how to shut off your mind and do something that sucks for 10 minutes. And you're not going to think about it, just going to be, you're going to turn into a machine a little bit at a time. I promise you that. I felt that last deaf reset, I felt that first freaking hundred burpees. I was like, dude, this sucks. Yeah, this just sucks. And I'm thinking about how much it sucks. Yeah, it's one thing you learn, like when you're going through basic SEAL training, you learn how to just be like, yeah, I'm doing this thing, whatever this terrible thing is, with no emotion. Just like, well, that's what we're doing. Yeah, you know, oh, we just jumped out of an airplane, landed in the ocean 12 miles off the coast of San Diego. We rode a boat, a little tiny Zodiac boat for three and a half hours. Freezing cold. You're wet when it started, by the way, It's January, it's 53 degrees. And then you get to your destination. Okay, now put on your dive rig, get in the water for four hours. It's like, it just sucks. Just the whole thing sucks.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Leif was saying something the other day. It was like, hey, everything in the SEAL team cool for like 20 minutes? Because you're like, oh, yeah, we're on a Zodiac. And 20 minutes, that's cool. And then 21 minutes. Between 21 minutes and nine hours, though, that all sucks.

[B]

Get her, idiot.

[A]

So you're going to learn that you're going to do burpees, and over time, you're going to learn that you're going to go do things that suck and that short term pain is going to be worth it. Those daily disciplines are going to give you the long term strategic success. I want you to think about that every day. Long term strategic success. That's how we think. We think long term strategic success, and then we act tactically. What does that mean? We do the thing right now. We just do it. We're not thinking about it. We're just doing it. And when you have that little voice in your head that starts rationalizing and starts debating with your discipline and starts making excuses, think about where you're gonna be in a week. Think about where you're gonna be in a month. Think about where you're gonna be in a year. And then get disciplined right now. Right now. Just decide to be disciplined right now. By the way, now is already gone. And just be disciplined for that second, for that moment. Be disciplined long enough to get away from the freaking donuts. That's how long you need to be disciplined for. Are you going to walk around with like a. A donut dangling in front of your face? No, you don't need to do that. You just need to walk away from that thing. The 10 minutes that the burpees are, you're being executed or they're being executed. You just need to be disciplined for those 10 minutes. That's it. Actually, just one burpee at a time. Just shut up and do one burpee, and then shut up and do another burpee. And tell that voice in your head to shut up because you're gonna. You're busy doing burpees. You don't have time to listen. Be disciplined right now. Alarm goes off. Get out of bed. How long does that take? You have to be disciplined for one second to get out of your freaking bed. Go to the gym. You have to be disciplined for one second to go to the gym. Start walking to the gym. And now you're gonna be in the gym. Once you're in the gym, you're freaking in the gym. Do the stupid workout. Get the task done. You wrote down a task that you said you were gonna do yesterday. Freaking do it. Be disciplined right now. Read. You said you're going to read. You said you were going to write. Do that thing you write. 10 words. Be disciplined for freaking 10 words. That's what we're doing. We're being disciplined now. Not forever, not for two hours. You're being disciplined right now. Right now. You're going to do the right thing. And when you start waving, you're going to think about where you're going to be in a. In a month. Think about where you're going to be in a year. You're going to be a different person. You're going to be a better person. That's what we're doing. Discipline. Discipline equals freedom. Reset 2025. We start today. We start now. Join [e-mail]. get the app. Win a $10,000 home gym that'll change your freaking life. It's all free. And it's actually not just free. It's freedom. This discipline will give you freedom, because discipline equals freedom. It's time to reset. 2025 starts now.