023: Mark Owen | How He Learned “Tough”

Mark Owen was one of the SEALSs on the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden.  He revels in the gritty life. He prefers not the sugar cookies taken with tea, but the variety Navy SEALs dole out--soldiers moistened and rolled in beach sand and made to tolerate it the rest of the day. This is the kind of discomfort Owen loves, that forges men. Find out what molded him through his rugged childhood in the extremes of Alaska. He's mastered getting through tough times and his secret is surprisingly simple. Find it in this episode and get on the fast track to grit.

Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com


Lessons:
1. The only easy day is yesterday.
2. Break difficult tasks to one bite at a time and prioritize. The greater the pressure, the smaller the bites.
3. Be all in all the time. Do what you're doing in the moment the best you can.
4. Put everything in perspective. If you've done it before, you can do it again.


Panel Notes:
Joe Desena: Who jumps into ice cold water in third grade in Alaska and then starts his own fire to make sure he can handle himself? Mark Owen, that's who- one of the men who took out Bin Laden. Obviously there's lots of controversy around the book he authored, but even with those questions looming, it's always very interesting to learn about someone who accomplished such a massive task in front of the entire world.


Sefra Alexandra: I recently met Kevin Maurer co-author of "No Easy Day," while working at the Global SOF Foundation Symposium for Col. Nye. The attendees were the elite of the Special Operations community and viscerally familiar with the adage that, "the only easy day was yesterday." Matt hails from the great state of Alaska, where he was raised being comfortable with being uncomfortable. His tactics to accomplish any goal: "break it down into one bite at a time!"