Unbreakable: A Navy SEAL’s Way of Life
Read Unbreakable: A Navy SEAL’s Way of Life Online
Authors: Thom Shea
A Navy SEAL’s Way of Life
Unbreakable: A Navy SEAL’s Way of Life
© 2014 by Thom Shea
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Published by Clovercroft Publishing, Franklin, Tennessee
Cover Photo by Jessica Trimble at Simply Serendipity Photography,
www.simply-serendipity.com
Cover and Interior Layout Design: Suzanne Lawing
Edited by Lorraine Bossé-Smith
Illustrated by Julissa Mora
Printed in the United States of America
978-1-940262-37-6
All rights reserved.
ENDORSEMENTS
The Masters of the Five Pyramids of Human Performance
P
HYSICAL
M
ASTERY
“Thom Shea is a real hero, who delved deeply into himself to dedicate himself to the most noble of goals: Human Performance. Valor is the right term for his service, courage, and true bravery.”
—D
R
. W
AYNE
A
NDERSEN, AUTHOR OF
H
ABITS OF
H
EALTH
I
NTELLECTUAL
M
ASTERY
“Unbreakable
is the raw inside story of what it is like to thrive and excel in the Margin of war. The parallels are clear in the corporate world, especially as an entrepreneur. Internal Dialogue does drive all human performance. If you want to learn what it is to succeed in the Margin while maintaining balance with a wife or significant other and family, read
Unbreakable.”
—C
ARL
S
TECKER
, C
EO
OF N
ET
P
ROFIT
A
DVISORS AND
B
ENEFITS
I
N
A C
ARD
W
EALTH
M
ASTERY
“
Unbreakable
is a treasure. Navy Seals are Americans who lead us from the front. They are the best in the world. Thom Shea and his wife, Stacy, unveil a riveting insight into exactly how they not only survived unimaginable challenges, but prospered. Their book is a riveting lesson from their hearts to their children and to all of us. Initially, people will want to read this book out of curiosity, but then they will be knocked out by its message that builds success in every category. Personally, I am so thankful for the Sheas’ clear message for all Americans and our free enterprise system.”
—L
EIGHTON
M. C
UBBAGE
, C
HAIRMAN
, S
ERRUS
C
APITAL
P
ARTNERS
, G
REENVILLE
, SC
S
PIRITUAL
M
ASTERY
“I’m a raving fan of
Unbreakable.
It not only is a powerful story of an amazing human being and his 25 years as a Navy SEAL, but it also provides a powerful self-development tool. Let Thom Shea teach you about Internal Dialogue—what you say to yourself about who you are—and how managing that dialogue can increase your goal achievement and effectiveness in life.”
—K
EN
B
LANCHARD, COAUTHOR OF
T
HE
O
NE
M
INUTE
M
ANAGER
®
AND
L
EADING AT A
H
IGHER
L
EVEL
R
ELATIONSHIP
M
ASTERY
“Thom Shea captures the key to communication in his book
Unbreakable.
He introduces the power of Internal Dialogue and its exceptional effectiveness in creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Thom Shea provides real insight and clarity with the use of his personal experiences as a Navy SEAL on the battlefield, as an athlete in extreme adventure racing, and in the privacy of his home with his wife and children. This book will be proven invaluable to anyone who wants to better themselves and the relationships in their lives.”
—T
AMARA
J
OHNSON
, MS, MFT/P
H
D
U
NBREAKABLE
: A N
AVY
SEAL’
S
W
AY
OF
L
IFE
In each word and section of this book, I have been tasked with telling my story, so should I die in combat, my children will get a sense of their father. Actually, my wife, Stacy, pleaded with me for two years to put to words
who
I am and
how
I am. Therefore, this project is not simply a day-to-day recount of all I’ve done, but rather a retelling of what I faced and what I learned in order to teach my children (and anyone interested) how to
be
the men and women who live the fullest possibilities they create for themselves. Simply put, being “Unbreakable” is creating and finding a language in yourself that will give you access to your own possibilities. Above all else, this project is a way to make up for being gone 220 days per year for twenty-five years as a Navy SEAL.
This book contains no hidden secrets. It is a painstaking study of my experiences in striving for excellence, which I share with you. I have learned what traits and habits are effective and efficient in pursuit of personal transformation in order to perform above and beyond what humans think possible.
My children … when you are ready to read
Unbreakable
and put it to use, you will recognize a pattern in each section. I wish I could tell you how to know when you are ready; however, that would truly deny you the benefit you receive by making the discovery in your own way.
When you get discouraged, when you have difficulty overcoming the obstacles draining your soul, when you try and fail, or when you feel reduced by injuries, use this book as a light to guide you through the forest. A strange thing will happen when you acquire and apply the lessons shared in this text … you will
be propelled to unfathomable success.
We cannot achieve success without first enduring countless hours of practice. While reading
Unbreakable
, you’ll learn about something I call “Internal Dialogue.” Internal Dialogue is a trait common to all successful people, whether they know it or not. In fact, the practice of Internal Dialogue is the single-most important factor in bridging your genetic gifts, passions, and dreams. I will show you how to consciously use Internal Dialogue to your advantage … even if I do not return.
It’s important to remember that Internal Dialogue is available only to those who are actively pursuing their passions. In other words, you must have something you are wildly committed to
being
or
doing
with your life. The gift of mastering your Internal Dialogue cannot be given away for free, nor can it be bought. The most dangerous or useless gift is one bought or given without being earned.
An Internal Dialogue to create an unbreakable condition will serve each of you equally well—when you are ready. Trust me on this—education has nothing to do with it.
Who am I to say that in reading this book you will know, grasp solidly, the use of Internal Dialogue? I have spent twenty-five years living and researching what it takes to overcome any obstacle in the way of success. I have survived countless overwhelming combat engagements and failures that tested and validated the use of my own Internal Dialogue to live an “Unbreakable Life.” I have personally taught 330 basic SEAL students, and 112 SEAL sniper students, testing the use of an unbreakable Internal Dialogue to perform beyond what I thought possible.
I have never known a single person who used Internal Dialogue who did not achieve remarkable success. I have never known anyone to distinguish themselves, or to survive overwhelming battles, without possession of an unbreakable Internal Dialogue. For these reasons, I conclude the experience and education gained using an unbreakable Internal Dialogue is more important, as a part of the human paradigm to create a better life, than anything one learns through the standard educational system.
As you read, your own Unbreakable Internal Dialogue will jump from the pages and stand boldly in front of you. When you are ready to use it, you will see it. When your Internal Dialogue pops out, I want you to stop and drink a Guinness for me, because it will signify the most important
turning point in your life.
Take note: I will be sharing my life for you—the facts, the failures, the “me,” so to speak. Through my eyes and experiences, I hope to convey the
who
to be and
how
to be!
Finally, I offer two suggestions: don’t fear the need to achieve anything, and never give up …
never.
All great accomplishments, all earned awards, start with an Internal Dialogue that needs to be fulfilled …
needs
to be
needed.
Shortly after we were married in 2005, Thom checked into SEAL Team Seven. Being a new member of the community, I was unsure what to expect. Everyone knows the danger involved in his line of work. I felt strongly he should put to paper the lessons he would want shared with our kids if he didn’t survive the war. I’m not talking about a farewell letter, which many of our men write to each of their children and their wives before they leave, in case they don’t survive. I’m talking about a guidebook for the rest of their lives if they should have to carry on without the strength and mentoring of a father—
their
father.
From the time I first met Thom, I saw something in him that was clearly unbreakable, somewhat un-tethered, and massively appealing. In all my broken relationships of the past, this was the one quality I had longed for, and here it was in front of me. I wanted to preserve this for our children, knowing all too well they faced the possibility of knowing their father only in stories of who he was to me and to the men he worked with in the Teams. I needed him to translate for us, especially the kids, all the things he thought were important—all the things which made him the man who made me, and our family, whole.
In April of 2009, he deployed again with SEAL Team Seven. This time, he went to Afghanistan. He was part of the first element of SEALs sent to fight in Afghanistan since the tragedy of Operation Red Wings in June of 2005. For a warrior like Thom, this represented the culmination of a career serving his nation spanning nearly twenty years. As his wife and the mother of his children, it represented an opportunity for me to find what was unbreakable in our character.
I asked Thom to chronicle these things because I wanted what every woman wants for her children: for their father to teach them the lessons only a father can teach. The things I wanted to know from my father—like how to get through the tough times in life without giving up on commitments or blaming other people. I wanted them to know at their core they have a say in their lives and can create whatever life they want. I wanted them to learn to be powerful in the face of the overwhelming challenges
life will inevitably hand them—to be generous in the face of stinginess and to be loving in the face of all the hostilities the world would present to them. I wanted them to be tough.
—Stacy Shea
We had corresponded with Thom and Stacy during his deployment in order to reach out and help a family who truly needed our help. We recognized all human beings truly need to be needed, at both the genetic/evolutionary level and during the “real life” times we all have. We were also dramatically impacted by our involvement with Thom and Stacy. After the 2009 deployment, we chaired the SEAL gala in Greenville, South Carolina, so we could give back to the men who keep us all safe and free.
—Tammy and Jerry Barber
