Book Review: The Code. The Evaluation. The Protocols. Striving To Become An Eminently Qualified Human. By Jocko Willink with Dave Berke and Sarah Armstrong

With Covid going on around us, it is easy to become complacent with the status quo and not continue with the daily routines we were doing before Covid. We start waking up later, not working out, eating comfort food, and all around relax our demeanor. This book is a short read to put into perspective the path we are walking down.

The authors put daily aspirations into a code, a set of rules to live your life by to be the best person you can be. The authors lay out each code and discuss each one to fully explore the meaning behind each code. These codes are based in moral and civic behaviors, all of which are admirable.

After these codes are laid out, the authors show how you evaluate yourself against each code while understanding some might not be applicable to everyone based on occupation or circumstance. That is the major benefit of this book, it can be adapted to any person while still maintain the integrity of the code.

The end of the book sums up protocols for what to do in certain circumstances. The author, Jocko Willink, emphasizes several times in his podcast, The Jocko Podcast, the lack of procedures to go through when a serious event occurs. As a single person who also has single friends, the one that sticks out to me was what to do when you break up with a significant other. I have seen loved ones make bad decisions in relationships because emotions were too high or there is a huge emotional investment made in the partner. The authors lay out clearly what to do in the event of a breakup with no bias towards any person involved. Another protocol the authors discuss is what to do when a loved one dies. I teared up reading this part as I recently lost someone close to me. Every family and culture has ways of mourning the lose of a loved one but this protocol puts a great light on how to process your loss in a thorough way.

This book is an excellent read, especially during Covid where is it easy to lose focus on your goals. The authors effectively communicate the importance of making progress everyday instead of perfection every day.