ellenpenleysmith's review against another edition
3.0
Personally didn't enjoy this book. I've heard great things and having listened to his stuff had expectations. This felt very much like a book for beginners, for people starting to look into personal development. Would recommend for beginners.
ben_sch's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars for unintentional comedy. This was so different from all of the other self help books written by buddhists and people who sit in chairs. This guy commanded the highest decorated Navy SEAL team, that painted comic book skulls on their uniform and had the motto "NO MERCY". If you put this guy and Carl Rogers in a room, who would win?
I'm probably going to read this again, because while the writing style is comical ("GET UP. AND. GO"), I feel like it's worth getting over the aesthetic and trying to understand his mindset a bit better. Basically he's advocating extreme vigilance, and a ?completely? tyrannical top-down control structure of behavior that gets positive feedback from beating people. In a world where there are enemies, this seems legit. My question for myself, is, do I have enemies? What am I afraid of? Jocko would advocate highlighting that to extreme importance and being vigilant against behavior leading in that direction. It's also inspiring to look at self discipline as a thing which can be practiced, although I have a lot of personal skepticism about whether that is actually desirable for me at the moment.
Has some nice workouts and such.
I'm probably going to read this again, because while the writing style is comical ("GET UP. AND. GO"), I feel like it's worth getting over the aesthetic and trying to understand his mindset a bit better. Basically he's advocating extreme vigilance, and a ?completely? tyrannical top-down control structure of behavior that gets positive feedback from beating people. In a world where there are enemies, this seems legit. My question for myself, is, do I have enemies? What am I afraid of? Jocko would advocate highlighting that to extreme importance and being vigilant against behavior leading in that direction. It's also inspiring to look at self discipline as a thing which can be practiced, although I have a lot of personal skepticism about whether that is actually desirable for me at the moment.
Has some nice workouts and such.
sprout_monster's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
I don't agree that a donut is worse that bacon and eggs. And There's a big difference between processed foods high in carbohydrates and carbohydrates from things like fruit. I hate when people demonize carbs because they're super important and even top athletes can do well on a diet with a decent amount of carbohydrates whereas restricting carbs is really unhealthy and generally fatiguing and miserable.
But the first part of the book with thoughts on discipline and life are really nice, tho maybe a bit able-ist.
But the first part of the book with thoughts on discipline and life are really nice, tho maybe a bit able-ist.
journeytothenewworlds07's review against another edition
5.0
"Get after it" will emanate through your head each day when you wake up and want to stay in bed. This book discussed how to enhance your discipline in every aspect of your life.
mathias_arvidsson's review
2.0
At the time I read Discipline equals Freedom I was in a chaotic and structureless environment and had just decided to regain some routine. I had put together a short list of tasks to do every morning. When the list was done, I would pick up this book for half an hour before getting to work.
The book starts of strong and philosophical with Jocko reflecting on discipline, procrastiation, aggression, weakness, and stress. Eventually the book transitions into more practical advice on workouts, sleep schedules, food. But really the entire book is giving you tools for the everyday battles you face, both mental och physical.
Jocko willink is incredible. His character shines through clearly in this book as hes giving you his life advice. He's fascinating, hard working, fit, intelligent, and admirable. Many people would kill to be like him. And then he drops the bomb. Hes telling us: to be like me, all you need is hard work. A bit underwhelming. No great hack for waking up early, or for focusing better, or for getting in a workout. But that is exactly the point. All of that advice is bullshit. The real way toward greatness is hard work, and that stinks. It even has hard in the name. As he points out on one of the first pages: "People look for the shortcut. The hack. And if you came here looking for that: You wont find it. The shortcut is a lie. The hack doesn't get you there". Jocko is not here to make you feel good, or give you an excuse to be lazy. Hes here to make you straigthen your shoulders and take responsibilty.
At times it sounds really stupid when he's telling you to just get out of bed, or to go to the gym even if your not feeling it. We respond with: "it is not that easy Jocko". And he says:"I know. I never said it was easy." The strength of his advice lies in its simplicity. Challenge yourself, and fight those everyday battles that keep bringing you down. I very much agree with Jocko here. We must challenge ourselves if we are to ever improve. But living like Jocko can seem impossible. Luckily he is leading the charge, showing us what is actually possible. Being living proof of his teachings. There is some solace in that.
On the flipside of some great reflections and helping you take command, it must be warned that this book is very easy to misinterpret. Jocko can seem arrogant at times. And some may take his advice to too great a length so that it becomes harmful. I see myself implementing more and more of his ideas as time goes on. The book is difficult to internalise, and simply reading the book will not make you disciplined. He even addresses this in the book on the last page, he calls on you to "Don't just read this book...The only thing that matters is what you actually do. So: Do."
My favorite part of the book was this entire idea that "There is no hack". I am so incredibly tired of all these tips online on how to get to bed on time, or sleep better or whatever. Drinking a warm glass of milk before bed will probably not fix your problems. Most of that is feel-good junk that you will try once. But it won't have any lastning impact. I am not saying those tips are useless, perhaps they do help a little. This idea however that there is a hack for everything is harmful, and it breeds laziness. It makes it seem like you never need hard work if you just do things "properly". I just hope I can be more honest to myself, and accept that sometimes I am not putting in enough effort. I need to work harder. Still best not to overdo it however. Progress will come with time.
The book starts of strong and philosophical with Jocko reflecting on discipline, procrastiation, aggression, weakness, and stress. Eventually the book transitions into more practical advice on workouts, sleep schedules, food. But really the entire book is giving you tools for the everyday battles you face, both mental och physical.
Jocko willink is incredible. His character shines through clearly in this book as hes giving you his life advice. He's fascinating, hard working, fit, intelligent, and admirable. Many people would kill to be like him. And then he drops the bomb. Hes telling us: to be like me, all you need is hard work. A bit underwhelming. No great hack for waking up early, or for focusing better, or for getting in a workout. But that is exactly the point. All of that advice is bullshit. The real way toward greatness is hard work, and that stinks. It even has hard in the name. As he points out on one of the first pages: "People look for the shortcut. The hack. And if you came here looking for that: You wont find it. The shortcut is a lie. The hack doesn't get you there". Jocko is not here to make you feel good, or give you an excuse to be lazy. Hes here to make you straigthen your shoulders and take responsibilty.
At times it sounds really stupid when he's telling you to just get out of bed, or to go to the gym even if your not feeling it. We respond with: "it is not that easy Jocko". And he says:"I know. I never said it was easy." The strength of his advice lies in its simplicity. Challenge yourself, and fight those everyday battles that keep bringing you down. I very much agree with Jocko here. We must challenge ourselves if we are to ever improve. But living like Jocko can seem impossible. Luckily he is leading the charge, showing us what is actually possible. Being living proof of his teachings. There is some solace in that.
On the flipside of some great reflections and helping you take command, it must be warned that this book is very easy to misinterpret. Jocko can seem arrogant at times. And some may take his advice to too great a length so that it becomes harmful. I see myself implementing more and more of his ideas as time goes on. The book is difficult to internalise, and simply reading the book will not make you disciplined. He even addresses this in the book on the last page, he calls on you to "Don't just read this book...The only thing that matters is what you actually do. So: Do."
My favorite part of the book was this entire idea that "There is no hack". I am so incredibly tired of all these tips online on how to get to bed on time, or sleep better or whatever. Drinking a warm glass of milk before bed will probably not fix your problems. Most of that is feel-good junk that you will try once. But it won't have any lastning impact. I am not saying those tips are useless, perhaps they do help a little. This idea however that there is a hack for everything is harmful, and it breeds laziness. It makes it seem like you never need hard work if you just do things "properly". I just hope I can be more honest to myself, and accept that sometimes I am not putting in enough effort. I need to work harder. Still best not to overdo it however. Progress will come with time.
pirate_jesus's review against another edition
4.0
Not everyone responds to different motivators in the same way. I get that. Willink just makes sense to me. A good friend gave me this book when he found I was at a very low point in my life, and it’s helped me turn a corner. What I particularly love is the advice on mindsets and workouts is applicable to so much more. D.E.F. is a post-workout-pre-study-routine staple and has secured a place in my future office. Thanks, Josh. Love ya, brother!
30daythrill's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book - but I do have some gripes about it. The whole last quarter of the book is basically a workout plan - which I really wasn't expecting. The stylistic choice of the book made it very difficult to read on a kindle, but I get what they were going for. I found the insights to be quite motivating, but nothing groundbreaking. It's a nice, short read for anyone just needing a jump start regarding motivation or some no-nonsense views on discipline; if you're new to the space.
TL;DR - It's decent. Nothing new. Due to its length, it makes it an easy read and you can carve out what you like and circle back easily, later on.
TL;DR - It's decent. Nothing new. Due to its length, it makes it an easy read and you can carve out what you like and circle back easily, later on.
eb00kie's review against another edition
4.0
One thing this does differently than other motivational books:
“Discipline equals freedom.” - not getting thinner, not getting what you want, freedom - between the political and the religious. It’s a truly clear and powerful concept to build this discipline philosophy on.
If you can’t help but love that title, the book gets even better.
“Discipline equals freedom.” - not getting thinner, not getting what you want, freedom - between the political and the religious. It’s a truly clear and powerful concept to build this discipline philosophy on.
If you can’t help but love that title, the book gets even better.
kamms's review against another edition
1.0
Substance to word count ratio is extremely low on this one.