Hi Online Book Clubbers!

How was the first book of 2020 for you? Did you stay on track?! Hope you’re continuing on with me, for the second book of the year, but 6th book of our online book club!

Here are some questions to get the conversation started for the most recent book club selection.

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Living with a SEAL by Jesse Itzler

1. The whole premise of Itzler’s experiment was to “get off autopilot” and “change routine” and step outside of his comfort zone. Do you think his experiment was a good way of doing that? In what areas do you need to get off autopilot? How would you go about doing that?
2. SEAL talks about how the temperature is what you say it is; if you think it’s cold, then it’s cold. What are your thoughts on this concept and the power of the mind?
3. The day after their first run together, Itzler was made to do 100 pull-ups, in whatever way he was able to complete them – they didn’t leave the gym until they were done. How did you feel about that moment – was it too intense, was it impressive, was it inspiring?
4. Jesse Itzler often talks about how he is building his “life resume” and he briefly touches on this in his book. What does this term/concept mean to you?
5. In between the crazy workouts, and the bits of wisdom from SEAL, Itzler shares stories about business – his time in the music industry, his jet business and other endeavours, and his wife, Sara Blakely’s, business (Spanx) – did you like these stories being mixed in?
6. Sara and Jesse appear to have a strong relationship and one that has a lot of patience and respect. What did you think about their relationship and even Sara’s willingness to go along with this experiment that uprooted lots of her life, as well as Jesse’s?
7. Important Question: Are you stealing any of these workout ideas?
8. Throughout the book there seemed to be a lot of interest from co-workers and friends about what Jesse was doing this for. What did you feel the reason behind this was (considering this was the most extreme workout regiment/concept he could have gone with)?
9. It was briefly discussed, yet very powerful, when Sara Blakely’s view of money was expressed – in short, she said that if you were a good person before money, you could be an even better person after money (more charitable and giving), but if you were a bad person before money, you could be an even worse person after money (more selfish and narcissistic) – what was your take on this view? Do you see any differences between Itzler and SEAL in regards to money?
10. SEAL talked about how his New Year’s goals were to “be better tomorrow doing the same things he did today.” What were your thoughts on this? How do you feel about setting goals and the different ways in which to do that?
11. Itzler lives what one would call a life of luxury, and SEAL lives what one would call a life of simplicity. How do you feel about their lives on different ends of the spectrum? Which one appeals to you more and why?

This was a fun, quick, easy read. I laughed out loud many times at the things SEAL would say and do without any warning – such as the burpee test in the middle of Itzler’s office – his constant swearing was humorous to me, but I could see how it would get old for some (I would be curious to hear people’s thoughts on this). I love Itzler’s concept of a life resume; what a beautiful way to live one’s life and such a great perspective to hold…our lives are truly what we make them. SEAL definitely showed us that our limits are more than what we say they are and that we can always push ourselves beyond those limits. I loved the juxtaposition of the lives Itzler and SEAL lived, and how Itzler learned from SEAL not only how to train his body, but also how to train his brain. There were some great life takeaways in this book, while also being entertaining! I’m giving this book 3.5/5.

Thanks for joining in on Book Club #5! Stay tuned for #6 coming right up.