Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can
Change Your Life...And Maybe the World
About the Author:
William Harry McRaven (born November
6, 1955) is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who last served as
the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command from August
8, 2011, to August 28, 2014. From 2015 to 2018, he was the chancellor of The
University of Texas System. In addition to his duties as COMSOCEUR, he was
designated as the first director of the NATO Special Operations Forces
Coordination Centre (NSCC), where he was charged with enhancing the
capabilities and inter-operability of all NATO Special Operations Forces.
Summary of Book:
This book is based on speech delivered
by a retired United States navy four-star admiral in University of Texas of
Austin to students who were graduating on that day. This video went viral and
you may have seen this on YouTube and this video have changed many people life.
This video is so much logical and powerful that you will think how this simple
advice can change someone’s life. He has provided ten lessons in this book
which can be followed if you have determination to rise.
1. Start your day with a task completed
2. You can’t go at it alone
3. Only the size of your heart matters
4. Life’s not fair—drives on!
5. Failure can make you stronger
6. You must dare greatly
7. Stand up to the bullies
8. Rise to the occasion
9. Give people hope
10.
Never, ever quit!
When McRaven was in basic seal
training team they have perform one task every morning perfectly and without
fail and that was making their bed. Every morning their instructor visit and
have a judge if they have done their task right, if one wrinkle on bed is found
then that commander got punishment to
get wet and cover their whole body with sand, this punishment was known as sugar
cookie. Why McRaven advised in this book to do your bed when you are up? We
have to understand this. Usually an average person will wake up and use their
mobile for 10 mins or so and then go to washroom, brush their teeth and make
their breakfast, there are low percentage of people who take care of their bed
after waking up. When you do your bed it becomes you have done one task
completely and successfully and because of which you got a momentum to complete
pending tasks and work. This one task when continued will make you more disciplined. This is first lesson told by McRaven and when
you are performing this task you should be proud of yourself and do it perfectly
and this task will also determine how your day will go.
“Doing something
you don’t feel like doing because you know this is good for you is known to be
discipline.”
In navy
training if commander does not perform his task then he has to become sugar
cookie but sometimes instructors tell those commander also to become sugar
cookie if they have done their task correctly and successfully. One day McRaven
was also punished by his instructor Mookie Marten one day but he did his task successfully.
After finishing his punishment he came back to his instructor for inspection,
Instructor asked him you know why I told you to become sugar cookie after all
you have performed your tasks successfully. McRaven replied “No I don’t know”,
his instructor replied you have to understand life is not fare and if you will
learn this early it will be beneficial for you.
McRaven
also discussed when he was part of one of the most difficult and toughest military
training named “Hell week”. In hell week commanders are tortured in every
possible way, they have to perform toughest exercises and work, and they are not
allowed to take more sleep in this week. In this training one of the toughest parts
is “Mud flats”. In Mud flats they have to go in very thick mud which will stick
to your body and create situation in which you can’t even move, they have to be
there for a whole day. In day time it was quite fine but when sun shades and it
became freezing cold due to which commandos lose their motivation to complete
their task. At that time instructor visit to play mind games by saying if you
all want I can end this task now only and you can enjoy fire with chicken soup
if 5 commanders say he want to surrender. All of them were too tired and exhausted
that they started to think about this offer, at the same instant commander beside
McRaven stood up and went to surrender but someone started singing a song loudly
which was familiar with all of the commander, one by one all of them started to
sing and that commander who went up to surrender returned to his place and
started singing. Instructor came and started scolding to stop this song but
them was unstoppable but after few minutes he started singing along them and
was smiling because commanders have learned lesson of hope. In tough time even
if a single person stand up and give some hope then everyone around him get
motivated.
McRaven
also shared that when they were joining seal team they were 150 commanders,
their instructor told them you are in US’s toughest military training, most of
them will quit and I will go to any extent to make you quit this training, I
will embarrass you, push you, break you to find best commanders. On final graduation
day only 33 commanders were graduated and on this day McRaven realised one of
the most important lesson he have learnt was to never quit. Once McRaven was in
hospital in Afganistan to meet a soldier who got injured in a war, this
situation was normal for him as he was taught that in a war you should never become
too much emotional because by this you will lack taking effective decisions,
but on that that scene made him cry, he saw a young soldier who was only 19
years old and because of blast he lost both of his legs, he was so much in pain
but when he saw McRaven he told him in sign language “I will be okay”. After a
year McRaven saw that young soldier again standing on his prosthetic legs and challenging
on of his friend in pull up challenge. This reminds McRaven most important lesson “Never Quit”.
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