Jocko Podcast 517: Put Your Legs On. Zero Excuses. The Relentless Journey Rob Jones

Quick Overview

Jocko Willink and Echo Charles interview Rob Jones about his new book "Put Your Legs On," detailing his journey as a double above the knee amputee Marine combat engineer, emphasizing the internal battle against self-doubt, symbolized as a terrorist, and the critical role of maintaining an open mind to overcome adversity and pursue goals like endurance athletics.

Key Points: Rob Jones wrote the book "Put Your Legs On" to detail the internal struggles he faced, personified as a terrorist in his head, after being wounded by an IED in Afghanistan. Jones became a double above the knee amputee but immediately focused on survival, refusing a comrade's offer to be killed, stating, "I don't want to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life." Jones identified that his initial thought of wanting death stemmed from a 'closed mind' where he projected a negative future, concluding that 'the closed mind equals death' in that moment. Upon waking in the hospital, Jones's attitude shifted to 'I'm alive now. Now I still I'm I'm alive. I'm not going to die. Clearly,' leading him to focus immediately on recovery and establishing a workout program with his friend Daniel Jones. Seeing Dan Kasen, a fellow double above the knee amputee and Navy SEAL, successfully working out independently at the rehabilitation center provided Jones with crucial psychological proof that his goals were possible: "Well, if you work hard enough, you have a chance to be like that, too." Jones was interested in endurance sports and specifically looked up Paralympic rowing because the Concept2 rower was a familiar, difficult workout he enjoyed before his injury, indicating a desire to immediately pursue hard physical challenges. Jones notes that while deployed, the physical misery of combat (chafing, dysentery) was tolerable because he was operating with purpose alongside men he cared about, illustrating that framing misery can change perception.

Context: Jocko Willink and Echo Charles host Marine combat engineer Rob Jones to discuss his new book, "Put Your Legs On." Jones served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was severely wounded by an IED, resulting in his double above-the-knee amputation. The discussion focuses on the psychological warfare Jones waged against the negative self-talk and despair immediately following his injury, contrasting the physical hardships of deployment with the mental challenges of recovery and rebuilding his life as an endurance athlete and leadership instructor.