As we celebrate Memorial Day, I’m reminded of a recent news highlight about one of our military heroes, Admiral McRaven, who opened up about life and war in his new book “Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations”.
In his 37 years as a Navy SEAL, Admiral William H. McRaven (retired) commanded countless
missions, including the raid on the Pakistan compound of Osama bin Laden.
His qualities as a warrior were highlighted by his gifts as a storyteller when his 2014 commencement address at UT Austin–about personal responsibility and what it takes to make a difference in the world and led to the bestseller, “Making a Bed.” Here are some excerpts from that speech:
“Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack–that’s Navy talk for bed.
‘It was a simple task–mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that we aspired to be real warriors, tough battle-hardened SEALs; but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
‘If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made–that you made–and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
‘If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” Pretty powerful words!
I was taught early on that making my bed was a non-negotiable requirement since Mom valued orderly cleanliness (not easy on a dairy farm) but she was paying it forward by how she was raised. So as a result, admittedly, I’ve taken this task for granted, however, since my nursing career and through this reporting I’ve learned numerous additional benefits of routine bed making:
Reduced Stress — A decluttered bed makes for a decluttered space. A decluttered space makes for a decluttered mind. A decluttered mind makes for a decluttered life–and so on…
Cultivates Mental Discipline–The fact that we don’t want to do it (insert whine) is the perfect reason TO do it. It’s a simple and meaningful task that can remind us that we can do things that are good for us even if we don’t feel like it. Overcoming a mental challenge in the morning sets us in good stead to tackle the other challenges of the day.
It’s A Mindfulness Exercise – Mindfulness is about focusing on the present task at hand. Most of us spend so much time in our heads, spinning about the next thing we have on our list, this act of bed-making provides an opportunity to slow things down.
Creating a Retreat: In this seemingly chaotic lifetime, we dream about collapsing onto our mattress and curling up in our sheets to gain comfort and serenity in our bed at home that is already made, waiting for us–what’s not to love!
Try it only for a month! You don’t even need to be a 100 percent-er. You’re not going to be punished if you miss a day—in fact, missing a day is often exactly the thing the tips most people into becoming committed bed-makers. If, after a month, you don’t think it’s worth it, then don’t do it anymore. But you won’t know if it is or isn’t until you give it a whirl. But remember Warriors–progress, not perfection!