Rising Every Time
From Rock Bottom to SEAL Team
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
– Thomas Edison
To all the incredible mothers out there, today we celebrate you. Your love, strength, and sacrifices shape all of us lucky enough to call someone we love “mom.” Your impact is immeasurable … whether you're guiding, supporting, or simply being present. Thank you for your grace, love, and care—through all our ups and downs.
Rising Every Time
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life
The darkest hour is just before dawn. This month is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time when we collectively acknowledge the struggles many face in silence. We all likely know that feeling—when giving up seems like the easiest choice. It's a temptation that seduces us in moments of doubt and exhaustion. The expression “giving up is easy” is more than a saying; it's a reality we each confront. It begins innocently: abandoning a challenging homework assignment, skipping a tough workout, or walking away from a difficult game. But unchecked, this pattern can evolve into surrendering on things that truly matter—relationships, career aspirations, personal health, or even more tragic cases.
This message is important today. We're witnessing an unprecedented mental health crisis, with alarming rates of depression and anxiety, particularly among young adults. The CDC reports that in 2023, more than 1 in 3 high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness—a statistic that should concern everyone.
There are certainly many causes creating these alarming statistics, and hopefully many cures. One is teaching and practicing resilience. Just as athletes learn that championships aren't won by talent alone but through persistence when muscles burn and lungs ache, we can develop mental fortitude to combat life's challenges.
Extraordinary examples of perseverance can be found all around us. This week I want to share the incredible journey of Adam Brown, a Navy SEAL whose inspiring life story provides perspective of what's possible when someone refuses to surrender, even when facing unthinkable setbacks.
Adam Brown's life was marked by challenges most of us will never face and he chose to never quit. His path to becoming an elite Navy SEAL wasn't a straight one, and it was anything but easy. Adam had a troubled past that differed from most SEALs:
Being introduced to crack-cocaine by a girlfriend
Developing an addiction to meth and crack-cocaine
Being convicted of theft
Hitting rock bottom, even stabbing himself in the neck before being found lying on a crack house floor
Facing the choice of rehab or jail – and choosing rehab
Marrying his love and starting a family, only to relapse
Joining the armed forces as a way to escape addiction
Brown had many opportunities to give up on himself, his family, or his life. Yet, he didn't. He had a chance at redemption, thanks to the belief of a few key people in his life. Despite a history that would have disqualified most people, Brown became a Navy SEAL, one of the most elite groups in the world.
But even becoming a SEAL didn't make his life easy. Adam Brown faced:
A knife wound to his right eye during training – but he kept going
Losing his right eye completely and retraining to shoot with his left eye
A freak accident that mangled his right hand, resulting in the loss of several fingers, forcing him to switch to shooting with his left hand
Despite all these obstacles, he never quit. His focus remained on serving others and showing resilience, no matter the personal cost. One of his final acts before dying in a mission at age 36 was to collect and donate 500 pairs of shoes for Afghan youth in need. To Brown, life was about service and resilience.
Adam Brown's extraordinary journey shows that while giving up is always an option, it's never our only option. His life stands as a testament that our past doesn't dictate our future—that redemption is possible even from the darkest places. His story reminds us that even when we feel we've reached our breaking point, we always have the capacity to try just one more time. And tomorrow always brings a fresh start and new opportunities.
Brown’s SEAL teammate described it this way: “Adam was a warrior who never showed weakness. But his greatest strength wasn't physical—it was his ability to get up one more time than he was knocked down.”
What if we approached our challenges with the same determination that Adam Brown showed throughout his life? Our greatest strength isn't in never falling—it's in rising every time we fall. Let's prioritize self-compassion while at the same time finding ways to support those who are struggling.
“There is no failure except in no longer trying.”
– Elbert Hubbard
Connecting this quote to the story. The quote captures Adam Brown's relentless resilience. He refused to give up despite overwhelming challenges, showing how failure only occurs when we stop trying.
Chasing Influence tip: Strength does not come from avoiding adversity, rather by embracing it and pushing forward when others might quit.
If you enjoyed this story, a series of three Chasing Influence workbooks is available. Stories are accompanied by discussion questions and answers. Each workbook contains 33 lessons to use with any team.
Updates on Chasing Influence
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life is available in Kindle, softcover, hardcover, and audiobook editions.
For additional resources, links to podcast appearances, and other Chasing Influence news, click here.
©Troy Urdahl, 2025