Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual

Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual. Jocko Willink. 2020. 238 pp.

Back Cover

Jocko Willink's methods for success were born in the SEAL Teams, where he spent most of his adult life, enlisting after high school and rising through the ranks to become the commander of the most highly decorated special operations unit of the war in Iraq. In Discipline Equals Freedom, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Extreme Ownership describes how he lives that mantra: the mental and physical disciplines he imposes on himself in order to achieve freedom in all aspects of life. Many books offer advice on how to overcome obstacles and reach your goals—but that advice often misses the most critical ingredient: discipline. Without discipline, there will be no real progress. Discipline Equals Freedom covers it all, including strategies and tactics for conquering weakness, procrastination, and fear, and specific physical training presented in workouts for beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes, and even the best sleep habits and food intake recommended to optimize performance. 

Within these pages discover the keys to becoming stronger, smarter, faster, and healthier. There is only one way to achieve true freedom: The Way of Discipline. Read this book and find The Way.

In 3 Points

1. The discipline is the key to achieving freedom in all aspects of life.
2. Willink stresses the importance of extreme ownership, encouraging individuals to take full responsibility for their actions. 
3. The book emphasizes structured routines, mental toughness, and the connection between discipline and freedom as essential elements for personal and professional success.

Who Must Read It

If you want to start changing your life for the better, this is for you.

Summary + Notes

PART 1: THOUGHTS

• The way of discipline. There are no shortcuts. There is no easy way. There are no hacks. There must be discipline: Stronger. Smarter. Faster. Healthier. Better.
• Why. I have to be ready. What drives me? The men that are no longer here.
• Where does discipline comes from? From within. Make the decision. Make the commitment. Embrace discipline: Self-discipline. 
• Overcoming procrastination. Start here and now. Stop thinking about it. Stop dreaming about it. Start doing it.
• The person you can control. The only person you can control is you. You want to be: Faster. Stronger. Smarter. More humble. Less ego.
• Mind control. Impose what you want on your brain: Discipline. Power. Positivity. Will.
• Weakness. I'm weak, but I don't accept weakness. I fight to be just a little bit better than I was yesterday.
• Stress. Gain perspective. Detach. Solve the problem. Embrace the stress. Use stress to make you better.
• Destroyer mode. Balance emotions and logic. If one fails, rely on the other: I won't stop.
• Until the end. You can’t relax until the entire mission is complete. Be alert. Be ready. Be relentless.
• Application of discipline. Discipline calls for strength and fortitude and WILL.
• Questions. Gain knowledge. Question everything. And most important: Question yourself and answer truthfully.
• Fight. Fight against weakness. Against fear. Against time. Against decay. FIGHT BACK.
• Compromise. Find the common ground. Merge different approaches. Bridge between people. Reach agreements. Never compromise your principles.
• Default aggressive. Be proactive. Be ready. Be preemptive. Aggression as an internal character trait. The unstoppable fighting spirit. The will to win.
• Nature vs. nurture. It is not about nature or nurture: It is about choice. Decide to make yourself. It is never too late to make that choice. 
• Fear of failure. Don't be afraid of failure. Be afraid of immobility. Get up and go. Take the risk. Take action.
• The warpath. Prepare for the battle. Hone your skills. Acquire knowledge. Practice your movements. Keep your discipline.
• Sugarcoated lies. Stand your ground. That is not food. You don't need any of that junk.
• Bad instincts. Do not listen when an inner voice says: you can back off, you can rest. Do not listen. Get up and fight.
• Not feeling it. Fuck motivation. You do it anyway. Get it done.
• Regret. The things I could have done differently or learned sooner. The only thing valuable in regret is the lesson you learned. Learn.
  
• Focus. Don't lose track of the long-term goal. Embed that long-term goal in your mind. Do something about it. Every day. However small or insignificant that step might seem—take it.
• Hesitation. Doubt is the enemy, allows the moment to pass, the opportunity to be lost, the enemy to get the upper hand. Overcome that moment: The Waiting. Go. Move. Take the action.
• Draw fire. You cannot stop the destiny. Step up. Absorb the impact. Draw fire. Stand and fight.
• Good. Is something wrong: Good. We have the opportunity to figure out a solution. You are still alive. Accept drawbacks. Recalibrate. Re-engage. Go out on the attack.
• Death. How blessed we are to have another day: To learn. To grow. To laugh. To live. Live for those who don’t have the opportunity. Let us live to honor them.
• Every day. Every day is a beginning. A new shot at life. Struggle without mercy. Don't stop. 
• No more. Excuses, easy ways, floating around, weakness. Now is the time for strength.
• Motivation. Don’t count on motivation. Count on Discipline. Make yourself do it. Accomplish.
• Me versus me. I try. And I try. And I try again. Determination and will and discipline to be: Better. Faster. Stronger. Smarter.
• Remain vigilant. We are defeated one tiny, seemingly insignificant surrender at a time. Be on guard. Hold the line.
• Fear. Fear is normal. What should you do? Step aggressively toward your fear. Be aggressive. Take action. Now. 
• Darkness. The storm is coming. Don’t let it consume you. The Darkness cannot extinguish your light. Your determination. Your will. Fight on.
• Overwhelmed. Murphy’s Law. Do not let them bring you down. Fight harder. Assess the problems. Decide. Attack. 
• Negativity. Ignore and outperform. Keep working. Keep focused. Outwork and outperform every last one of them.
• Hold the line. Get better. Grow and learn and develop. Do not surrender any ground. Live in defiance of the weakness and in rebellion against the decay.
• Begin. In the beginning: Rise. Take action. Get up and go.
• Engage. Do not give in. Fight. 
• Laughter wins. Life is tough. But it gets a lot easier when you are laughing at it. Laugh at them. Laugh at you.
• Binary code. Binary decision making: Yes or no. Ask the question. You know the right answer. Make the right decisions.
• Detach. Detach from yourself. Detach from your ego. Detach from your emotions. Detach from your perspective. To be better and do better: Detach.
• Self-sabotage. You aren’t scared to win. You are scared to work. Work, don't be lazy. 
• Excuses. You know you could do more. You know you could give more. You know you could work harder. You know you could be more. Stop lying to yourself. All your excuses are lies. 
• How are you doing? It doesn’t matter how I feel. I am going to do what I am supposed to do.
• If it makes you happy. Short-term happiness result in long-term misery. Do what challenges you. Don’t do what makes you happy. Do what makes you better. 
• Planning. Having a long-term strategic plan is smart. But remember, you don’t get any closer to your goals while planning. Make sure to move toward your goals every day.
• Countdown. Regardless of what you have accomplished, sometimes you are sent back to zero and have to start all over again. Do not rest on your laurels. Do not think you have done enough. Today the count is zero. You have to earn your seat at the table. GET AFTER IT.
• Feel fine. How do you feel? Only one response is acceptable: I Feel Fine. When you said those words, you started to believe them.
• Bad scenarios. Defeats, other than death, are psychological in the end. Never give up. Life, like combat, can be overwhelming. Berserker mode: Charge and turn things around.
• Vacuum. Do not allow leadership vacuum. Take charge. Do what you know you should do.
• Comfort ambush. Do not allow yourself to ambush you with comfort. Stay vigilant. Stay on the path. 
• Don't negotiate with weakness. Shut your inner voices down. Make them pay for speaking up.
• Menial tasks. If you have things to do, do them. Do them hard. Knock them out. So you can move on to bigger and better things.
• Action you. Take action. Move forward. Strive and toil.
• Scorched earth. No plan B. No other way out. No alternatives. No reserves. Don’t hesitate. Go.
• Internal dialogue. Plan your dive. Dive your plan. Shut off your mind and let your body do the work. Come up with a plan and stick to it.
• Lets find out. Implement unmitigated daily discipline in your life. Let's find out what will happen.

PART 2: 

ACTIONS

• Physical training. Train.
• Sleep. Go to bed earlier. Get up earlier. 
• Get tired.
• Turn off your screens.
• Read.
• Get up earlier.
• Do it every day.
• Power naps. Less than 20 minutes.
• Martial arts. JiuJitsu. Boxing. Muay Thai. Wrestling.

FUEL: FEEDING THE MACHINE

• Balance. Equilibrium in your physiology. Eating and exercising.
• Adiction to sugar. Stop eating sugar.
• Fuel. Paleo diet 100% rule. Avoid carbs. Stay clean.
• Fasting. Don't eat. Don´t fall for it. You are not starving. 

REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE: INJURY PREVENTION AND RECOVERY

• Stretching. Daily. Stick to your routine.
• Dealing with injuries and illness.
• Do what you can. Do something. Get after it.

APPENDIX: THE WORKOUTS

• Warm up. Get the blood flowing.
• The basics. Pull. Push. Lift. Squat.
• Road warrior workouts.
• Explore. Keep looking. Keep experimenting. Keep getting better.

Action-List

 

1. Wake up early
2. Work out
3. Try fasting