Gratitude Is Your Greatest Tool
The perseverance of humans in the face of adversity never ceases to amaze me. Nick Lavery, is an example of what it means to face life’s challenges with an unbreakable spirit. Nick was born and raised in Massachusetts, is an active-duty member of The United States Army Special Forces. Commonly known as the Green Berets, the Special Forces perform critical missions, including direct action, counterinsurgency, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, and unconventional warfare. In 2013, on Nick’s second combat rotation to Afghanistan, he and his Detachment fell victim to an insider attack ultimately resulting in the loss of his leg. Following a year of surgeries and initial recovery including the use of a prosthetic at Walter Reed National Medical Military Center, he returned to his unit. Refusing a military medical retirement, Nick set his sights on returning to operational status. In 2015, at the conclusion of a challenging, comprehensive assessment designed to evaluate Nick’s abilities to operate, he returned to his Detachment and was subsequently deployed once again to Afghanistan, conducting full spectrum combat operations.
Nick is considered the first Special Forces operator to return to combat as an above-the-knee amputee. Nick is currently serving as a Special Forces Warrant Officer and Assistant Detachment Commander and is widely recognized as an experienced subject matter expert in special operations, intelligence fusion, and mission planning and execution across all operational continuums. He is also the first amputee in military history to complete the Special Forces Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification course, the Special Operations Combatives Program Instructor course, and the Combat Diver Qualification course. Nick’s awards include the Silver Star, three Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, Bronze Star with “V” for valor, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medal, the OSS Society Peter Ortiz Award, the Bruce Price Leadership Award, and the Special Operations Command Excalibur Award. Nick is a warrior, leader, athlete, student, author and most importantly a husband and father of two young boys.
And now, let’s jump right into Episode 1,359 of The School of Greatness!
Some Questions I Ask:
- Why would you want to go back into combat after losing your leg?
- What does it take to be a great leader?
- What do you credit getting you through your recovery?
- How do you think you kept your emotional strength so high?
- How can people start to take full ownership over things instead of making excuses?
- How do we modify our relationship with grief and pain?
- What makes the ultimate warrior moving forward in the military and life?
In this episode, you will learn:
- The steps it takes to become a great leader.
- Why gratitude is your greatest tool to overcoming adversity.
- The significance of having a meaningful mission for your life.
- Methods you can implement to achieve any goal.
- Plus much more…
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