Rating: 
Summary: Much of the same available elsewhere-Mostly pep talk
Review: This book is a rehash of other, mostly new age-type of self help books. I can't identify too much in here which looks like it might be genuine SEAL-type training. I understand that veterans of the SEALs are not suppose to reveal how they are actually trained, for obvious reasons. Instead, what we get in the book is mostly Eastern thinking, down to the yin-yang symbol at the heading of each chapter. I suppose that it stands to reason that the author would have such a bias, since he majored in Eastern philosophy. But, I am not sure that thinking really dominates SEAL training of the present period. This problem reveals itself in what I would consider an incosistency in thinking between current or popular advice and his SEAL training. He stresses a diet of fresh fruits an vegetables, and other "pure" foods, which he calls the "commando diet." Nevertheless, he also says that when SEALs went to certain areas that they adapted to the diet of that area. Very few areas of the world have such variety of fruits and vegetables, year-round(except maybe very warm, but temperate climates). We in the United States can get an abundance of these items because of our transportation systems and high technology. He says that the reason that Himalayans live to a long ripe age is because of a diet of fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, they have so little in that regard because not much grows there due to the severity of their climate. What ever grows there, has to be preserved, so there is a lack of freshness, abundance and variety in that region. I think he needs to rethink this point. Another thing that bothers me is his integrity. He claims he has 12 years of being a SEAL. Now he was born in 1968, went to college and then joined the Navy. Say he would be 21 at the time, 1989. He publishes this book in 2000. He could not have had 12 years in the SEALs. Moreover, by the time he publishes this book, he has already been a speaker for sometime, I guess for at least a few years and published an earlier book. Something doesn't jive here. He could have been a SEAL, but not for that long. Finally, there are some useful things here, including quotes from famous people. The nutritional information you can get better and current ideas somewhere else. Same thing goes for the fitness section. Self discipline section seems to have been borrowed from other self-help books. Overall, the book is not put together in a coherent fashion to be truly helpful. The Richard Machowitz book is better and I get the sense that he is a real SEAl.
Rating: 
Summary: Can change you life
Review: We know what we have to do to have a better life, but too often we don't know how to get it. We're distracted by the "follow your bliss" mind-set and forget that if something is worth having, it's worth working for. I used to think I had no self-discipline, but this book helped me realize that we all have it; it is a skill that can be honed. Being the cheapskate I am, I borrowed the book from the library. After I checked it out for the 4th time, I realized it was worth purchasing. I re-read sections now and then for re-enforcement. Janke isn't the most eloquent writer, but that's a plus in this book. You're not getting a bunch of pretty words -- you're getting hard hitting and practical advice on how to take control of your life. While some of it may be fairly commonplace, the way he presents it -- relating it to his experiences as a Navy Seal -- makes is very powerful.
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