Drownproof: A Guest Post by Andy Stumpf

Retired Navy SEAL Andy Stumpf shares practical lessons and valuable wisdom he learned during his extensive military career. Read on for an exclusive essay from Andy on writing Drownproof.

A motivational guide to success and leadership based on the author’s experience as a Navy SEAL.

I wish I could say that I dreamt of writing this book, Drownproof for years, but I wouldn’t be telling the truth.  I resisted writing this book because I served in a community that I am still in awe of, surrounded by people who were my heroes, and I did not think I had anything to add to the volume of work already produced and written by its members.  Only after years of gentle pushing from colleagues, friends, and family, did I arrive at a place where I thought I had something to offer.

Drownproof is not a book of war stories, this is not a hero’s journey.  This book is the collection of the most powerful principles and tools that were taught and refined in my 17-year Special Operations career, often through the lens of my own personal failures and shortcomings.  These tools and principles are not the creation of the SEAL Teams or modern military, they have been passed down from warfighters for generations for one reason and one reason alone, they work.  The mistake is to believe that they only “work” or apply to military operations. 

I did not know what to expect on the first day of writing as I sat in front of an open laptop and blinking cursor on a blank document.  I had heard horror stories of the challenges and difficulties of writing a book, but to my relief, I found the process to be cathartic and empowering.  I did not set minimum word standards per day, I simply wrote when I felt inspired to do so, and when I felt like I had something of meaning to say.  Some days I could write 500 words, sometimes I took a week off, and some days 5000 plus words poured into the keyboard.

I have one goal, and one goal alone with this book.  Impact.

I am aware that best seller lists are the “gold standard” for success as an author, but not for me.  Success for me will be measured by hearing from you, the reader, after you are able to apply something you found in Drownproof to your own life, navigating your way through something that perhaps you thought you could not survive, or achieving something that perhaps you thought was impossible. 

This book could easily have contained 10, or 12, or even 16 “lessons,” but I started with the ones that have had the greatest impact on my personal and professional life.  They will not replace the hard work that you are still going to have to do, and they will not make anything “easier,” but they can make things more digestible and survivable.  The final outcome will be determined by your effort, and how effectively you wield the tools.

The water is the most unforgiving medium on earth, and that is where the title Drownproof comes from.  Survival precedes thriving, and that is where we all must begin the journey.

I will see you all out there in the oceans of life.

Andy