Book Buzz

USSSA BOOK BUZZ

I love reading motivational books. For swim school owners, managers, teachers, or anyone who needs to be motivated to workout, this is the book for you!

BY JEFF PURCHIN

OWNER 5 CITIES SWIM SCHOOL CALIFORNIA

We all work hard everyday. We get into a routine. We get stressed at times and we put the hours in. It’s so important to do some kind of physical activity everyday.

I work out everyday. It’s a habit for me. Reading this book however, made me feel like I needed to up my game! I am reviewing “Living with A Seal” by Jesse Itzler. It’s hilarious and inspiring. This is a true story of a very successful entrepreneur who needed to get his butt kicked while working out. He is the co-founder of Marquis Jet, the worlds largest prepaid private jet card company which he and his partner sold to Berkshire Hathaway. Jesse then helped pioneer the coconut water business with a company called Zico Coconut Water. That company was eventually acquired by the Coca-Cola Company. He has done so much more. He is one of the owners of the NBA team The Atlanta Hawks. Jesse has always been in good shape. He just wanted to go to a different level. He wanted to be challenged by the best so he hires an actual Navy Seal for 31 days. The Seal moves into Jesse and his wife’s home.

The month he hired the Seal was a December in New York City. You are talking about twenty inches of snow and strong winds. Airports were closed. Trains were delayed. City buses abandoned. None of this stopped the Navy Seal to get a workout with Jesse multiple times a day and at all hours.

Every day at anytime with no warning the Navy Seal would get Jesse up and work out. Every workout was different, challenging and sometimes seeming impossible to accomplish.

As the month continued on, the workouts would get tougher and even more challenging. The Seal’s perspective with workouts is it does not have to be fun. It has to be effective. As Jesse continues throughout the month he definitely experienced this.

The Navy Seal communicates to Jesse is that if the workouts don’t suck, we don’t do it. He also emphasized that if you want to be pushed to your limits you have to train to your limits. At times the Seal would come right into Jesse’s bedroom in the middle of the night (his wife sleeping next to him) and he would wake Jesse up and say, “Let’s Go!” He never wants Jesse to feel comfortable!

During the month the Seal would follow Jesse to out of town business meetings, and any activities he would be doing .

How I can relate to this book is if you can see yourself doing something, you can do it. If you can’t see yourself doing something, usually you can’t achieve it. This book had some good humor and kept me inspired. The challenges he put Jesse through were crazy. He put Jesse through a lot of difficult training. The harder the training, the more courage it took and the satisfaction he derived from it. This book teaches about how you only have one shot in life and you should find out what you are made of.

I highly recommend reading this inspiring book. I loved it. I have purchased this book for friends and have always received great reviews.

Jeff Purchin started his first swim school in Los Angeles at the age of 19 in 1979. In 1984 founded the 5 Cities Swim School in Arroyo Grande California. He has been a member of the Swim School association for 31 years. Served on the board of directors twice plus serving on a lot of different committees. Is married to Melissa and has two children Jaron and James. In 1981 earned a under graduate degree in Business / Recreation from San Diego State University.

JOHN SPENCE WILL BE SPEAKING AT THE 2022 NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN MAUI, HAWAII! REGISTRATION AND DETAILS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE USSSA WEBSITE!