“If you want to change the world, then start by making your bed.” (Admiral William H. McRaven)
I woke up this morning running late and the last thing I wanted to do was take 30-seconds to make my bed.
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Maybe you’ve been right there with me struggling between listening to that pesky little bed-making devil on one shoulder and that cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness angel on the other shoulder.
After all, that bed is just going to get messed up again that night, anyway, who will ever see it?
But then, I remembered a text message I got from a former player of mine. She was in medical school and she just wanted to let me know that she still thought often about my talks on making the bed. I used to emphasize how making the bed would be your first victory of the day and collecting enough of those little victories would allow you to “Win the Day.” This player told me how she made the bed each morning because of those pep talks I gave. That small task gave her a sense of accomplishment and helped develop the daily discipline she needed going through the rigors of medical school.
So, I made my bed this morning. #PlayersMotivatingCoaches
Admiral William H. McRaven has a famous speech at the University of Texas commencement ceremony in which he talks about the importance of making the bed. His thoughts on the matter are very similar to what I used to share with our players.
“… 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. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”
As a side note, early in my coaching career, I was essentially making no money and I lived in a “three-room” apartment. There was a kitchen, bathroom, and a living/bedroom. I had a bed that folded out of the wall. When I wanted to make that bed, I just folded it back up into the wall. Not only did I solve the bed-making issue, but I just converted that space from a bedroom to a living room. It was like the El Camino of rooms. But I digress!
Anyway, making the bed might seem silly but so much of our success in life is about doing the little things over and over again.