This post is all about the best Navy SEAL motivational books.
United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) teams “are the U.S. Navy’s primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command” according to SealsWCC.com.
Further, the Navy’s website states that “it takes a special kind of person to qualify for this role, and if you do, you’d better be ready to prove it with your smarts, strength and willingness to march head-on into impossible situations.”
The Navy’s website also states that strong candidates for Navy SEAL positions have good study and learning habits, mechanical skills, and should be in excellent physical condition.
Strong candidates should also be mature, possess self confidence, and possess the ability to work under stressful conditions.
Through rigorous tests and training that challenge their mental and physical toughness and abilities, only a few are able to earn the title of Navy SEAL.
Once initiated, Navy SEALs carry out the nation’s most dangerous and most difficult combat missions.
This blog post holds the many books written by and about Navy SEALs. In these books, you will find tips on what it takes to become a Navy SEAL, as well as valuable personal development and life lessons that can be applied to your everyday life.
If you’re looking for the best inspirational books and best sellers about the Navy SEALs, especially when it comes to motivation, keep reading!
Top 20 U.S. Navy Seal Motivational Books
Here are the best Navy SEAL motivational books.
Navy SEAL Books
1. Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson
Lone Survivor is about famous Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. According to Amazon, Marcus Luttrell was part of a 5-man operation tasked with documenting “the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to have a small army in a Taliban stronghold” near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in 2005.
Marcus Luttrell was the only Navy SEAL to return from that mission. This book is about his story of survival, and became an instant New York Times bestseller.
2. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Another New York Times Bestseller, “Extreme Ownership”, is about two former Navy SEALS of SEAL Team Three: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
When they returned from combat, they started a company called Echelon Front, with a mission to relay the leadership lessons they had learned in their experience as Navy SEALs to civilians.
Now, the two of them help teach the most premier lessons on leadership development to businesses and organizations nation-wide, and the leadership skills they teach are in this book, too.
3. Service: A Navy SEAL at War by Marcus Luttrell
This is a follow-up book by Marcus Luttrell in which he describes war stories of heroism that he experienced alongside fellow soldiers.
According to Amazon, Marcus Luttrell “reflects on what it really means to take on a higher calling, about the men he’s seen lose their lives for their country, and the legacy of those who came and bled before.”
4. Navy SEAL Mental Toughness: A Guide To Developing An Unbeatable Mind by Chris Lambertsen
If you want to set and reach personal goals, and refine your mental toughness and self confidence, this is the book for you.
This book shows you methods that Navy SEALs use to do the same, and how you can take these methods and apply them to your personal life.
Topics covered in this book include lessons you can use from BUD/S and Hell Week, how to sustain excellence, how to silence fear, and ultimately how to become an extraordinary person.
5. The Operator: Firing the Shots That Killed Osama Bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior by Robert O’Neill
Another #1 Bestseller, The Operator is about Rob O’Neill’s 400-mission career as a Navy SEAL.
In the book, O’Neill discusses his involvement in helping rescue Marcus Luttrell (author of Lone Survivor as noted above), Captain Richard Phillips (whose capture by Somali pirates later inspired the movie “Captain Phillips” with actor Tom Hanks), and how he fired the shots that killed Osama Bin Laden.
6. Facing Your Fears: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Coping With Fear and Anxiety by Don Mann
Don Mann is a motivational speaker and former Navy SEAL who leverages techniques learned in the Navy to help people overcome their every day fears and anxieties.
If you need help identifying your fears, embracing them, and/or letting them go, this is the book for you.
7. Leave No Man Behind: The Untold Story of the Rangers’ Unrelenting Search for Marcus Luttrell, the Navy SEAL Lone Survivor in Afghanistan by Dr. Tony Brooks
If you are fascinated by the story of Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell, then you will love this further account by Tony Brooks.
An Army Ranger at the time, Tony Brooks goes into detail about the rescue mission of Marcus Luttrell and how the military truly lives by the statement “no man left behind”.
8. Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown by Eric Blehm
Fearless is the story of Adam Brown; a kid who got mixed up in the wrong crowd growing up, but ultimately decided to try his hand at becoming a Navy SEAL.
Not only did he become a Navy SEAL, but he sacrificed his life for the United States, eventually leaving this earth in 2010.
This book is the story of the brave and fearless Adam Brown.
9. Saving Bravo: The Greatest Rescue Mission in Navy SEAL History by Stephan Talty
What happens when an American aviator Lt. Colonel Gene Hambleton, who knows tons of confidential information about the U.S. Military that enemies would love to know, crashes behind enemy lines during the Vietnam war?
The Navy SEALs go to work to save him. However, this rescue mission is unique in that Navy SEAL Thomas Norris moves across enemy lines with his Vietnamese guide, Nguyen Van Kiet, and they attempt to save Lt. Colonel Gene Hambleton on foot.
Passing discreetly through enemy lines, Thomas Norris and his guide eventually come upon Hambleton. This is the story of Hambleton’s survival.
10. No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen
In “No Easy Day”, Navy SEAL Team Six operator Mark Owen takes you through his experience of the day that Osama Bin Laden was killed.
If you want a detailed account of what it was like to be a Navy SEAL that day, and in all the days leading up to that moment and afterward, you will enjoy “No Easy Day”.
11. By Water Beneath the Walls: The Rise of the Navy SEALs by Benjamin H. Milligan
If you’ve ever wondered how the Navy SEALs came to be, “By Water Beneath the Walls” contains their origin story.
It’s pretty interesting to think that the U.S. Navy (the branch of the military that is responsible for patrolling oceans) managed to develop the world’s most badass combat team, the Navy SEALS.
To learn how the Navy SEALs evolved, you’ll want to grab this book.
12. Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
“Can’t Hurt Me” is about the life story of David Goggins. David Goggins is a former Navy SEAL, ultra-marathoner, inspirational speaker, and much more.
He had very humble and tough beginnings (including physical abuse), but he managed to transform his mindset and his life through grit, determination, and hard work.
You will be inspired by David Goggins and his life story – especially if you are someone who wants to become a Navy SEAL but you’re not sure if you can do it.
13. Never Finished by David Goggins
Never Finished is the follow up to David Goggins’ first book, “Can’t Hurt Me”.
In this book, retired Navy SEAL David Goggins does a deep dive into the philosophies and strategies that he used to overcome childhood trauma and his own self-defeating inner voice to become who he is today: a highly decorated, successful, accomplished individual with a successful military career.
14. Raising Men: Lessons Navy SEALs Learned from Their Training and Taught to Their Sons by Eric Davis
An Amazon bestseller in Naval Military History, “Raising Men” is written by former Navy SEAL Eric Davis and a few of his former colleagues.
This book is about what it takes for fathers to have meaningful relationships with their sons, and how those same fathers can raise wonderful men, using lessons learned from the U.S. military.
This book would be a great gift for a father who is both interested in the U.S. Navy and being a great dad.
15. SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper by Howard E. Wasdin
In this book, former Navy SEAL Howard Wasdin recounts his experience as a Navy SEAL starting from the very beginning: Navy SEAL training.
16. Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life by Brent Gleeson
Navy SEAL instructors often tell students to “embrace the suck”. If you want to become a Navy SEAL, you have to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
This book is a guide on how to overcome adversity. It will teach you how to overcome obstacles, remain focused on your end goal, and control what you can control.
If you want to become more resilient and strong, you’ll want to read this highly-rated book.
17. Defend Us in Battle: The True Story of MA2 Navy SEAL Medal of Honor Recipient Michael A. Monsoor by George Monsoor
“Defend Us in Battle” is a book written by George Monsoor, former Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor’s father.
In 2006, Michael A. Monsoor and two other SEAL snipers were sitting on a rooftop in Ar Ramadi, Iraq when a grenade was thrown at them by their enemy.
Instead of saving himself, Michael A. Monsoor “threw himself onto the live grenade, shielding his fellow soldiers from the immediate explosion. Michael died thirty minutes later, having made the ultimate sacrifice” according to Amazon.
This book, then, is a beautiful biography about the life of Michael A. Monsoor as written by his father, and is about how Michael A. Monsoor prepared his whole life to perform this selfless act.
18. How Leadership (Actually) Works: A Navy SEAL’s Complete System for Coordinating Teams by Larry Yatch
In this book, Larry Yatch takes the powerful leadership principles learned from his 10 year Navy SEAL career to teach others how leadership actually works and how to be better leaders.
Now a business consultant, Larry Yatch spreads his toughest leadership lessons with the business world.
19. Hell Week and Beyond: The Making of a Navy SEAL by Scott McEwen
According to Amazon, “of the 18 months required to become a Navy SEAL, one week will cause over half of the trainees to quit (“ring the bell”).” That week is Hell Week.
In this book, the author Scott McEwen interviews many Navy SEALs on their personal experiences with Hell Week and about what exactly helped them make it through.
If you are someone who is thinking about training to become a Navy SEAL, you could benefit greatly from the lessons shared by SEALs that have been through Hell Week and beyond.
20. Breaking BUD/S: How Regular Guys Can Become Navy SEALs by DH Xavier
This book was almost called the “SEAL training bible”. Written by Navy SEAL DH Xavier, this book contains all of the tips and tactics you need to know to complete SEAL training.
Again, if you are someone who wants to become a Navy SEAL, this book is a must-read.
Amazing Movies About Navy SEALs
Here are the best movies about Navy SEALs.
1. Lone Survivor
The popular book mentioned above, Lone Survivor, was made into a movie! This movie is sure to have a lasting impact on you.
2. American Sniper
“American Sniper” is a book and memoir of a Navy SEAL named Chris Kyle. American Sniper the movie came out in 2015 and is loosely based on that book.
According to Wikipedia, “the film follows the life of Kyle, who became the deadliest marksman in U.S. military history with 255 kills from four tours in the Iraq War, 160 of which were officially confirmed by the Department of Defense.”
It stars Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle and is directed by Clint Eastwood. American Sniper is personally one of my favorite movies of all time!
2. Zero Dark Thirty
Zero Dark Thirty is about Navy SEAL Team Six’s successful mission to find and kill Osama Bin Laden. This is a fascinating movie about strategy, teamwork, and victory.
This is also an awesome movie that I highly recommend.
Final Thoughts
Is there a motivational Navy SEAL book that you plan on reading soon? What are the best books on this list, in your opinion? Let me know in the comments!
This post was all about Navy SEAL motivational books.
Other posts you might like:
Top 13 Funny And Motivational Keynote Speakers
133 Motivational Quotes To Wake Up Early
125 Positive And Motivational Workout Affirmations
125 Powerful Leg Day Motivation Quotes
