Brad Flurry

Want to Change the World: Make Your Bed

Posted on June 24, 2015

Every year around May and June, I am routinely intrigued and sometimes entertained at the number of celebrity commencement speakers at universities across our country.   Some commencement speeches are dull, some are grandiose, and some get made into Top 40 hits.  But some, some are truly motivational.  Last year was one of those moments.

In 2014, the University of Texas at Austin invited Admiral William H. McRaven to share his philosophy of leadership with the recent graduates.  At the time of his remarks, Admiral McRaven was serving as the head of the U.S. Special Operations Command.  Before commanding all of our nation’s most elite warriors, McRaven, a Navy SEAL for 36-years, had been at the tip of the spear in the war on terror since 2001. He had commanded a squadron in the legendary Naval Special Warfare Development Group, better known as SEAL Team Six, and even oversaw the planning and execution of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.  On this day, he choose to share ten lessons learned from basic SEAL training.  Although all were compelling I found lesson #1 especially convicting.

Lesson #1:  “If you want to change the world….Make Your Bed”

McRaven shared that how every morning in basic SEAL training, his instructors would show up in his barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was his bed.

McRaven elaborated, “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 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.”

McRaven’s statement may sound a little far-fetched, but his advice is undoubtedly worth considering: if you want to make an impact on a large scale, you have to be comfortable making it on a small scale too.

This made me wonder: As a parent and spouse, how often do I overlook the importance of the small mundane tasks.

Do I spend more time planning for a great trip or vacation but neglect the blessing of an early afternoon off with the kids?

Do I shoot for the moon on my wedding anniversary but totally miss the target on scheduling regular date nights?

Do I overlook the importance of the hours I have today while focusing on my 5 year plan?

Like Admiral McRaven, I too am convinced that we all need to be reminded that success in most parts of our life revolves around doing the simple things really well.

Do you want to have an impact on this generation…start by making your bed!

(After making your bed, I highly recommend reading the other 9 leadership lessons McRaven presented that day http://news.utexas.edu/2014/05/16/admiral-mcraven-commencement-speech)