Make Your Bed Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

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Brief Summary

Admiral William H. McRaven took the skills and perspective he gained from his Navy SEAL basic training and applied it to all aspects of his life. With the ten lessons that teach individuals how to foster human connections, build on small achievements, eliminate superficial judgment, learn from failed attempts, practice risk-taking, enjoy being challenged, stand strong, and understand the unfairness of life itself, he believes that everyone can reach success.

About the Author

Admiral William H. McRaven is a retired US Navy Four Star admiral who last served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014. From 2015 to 2018, he served as the chancellor of The University of Texas System. He served from 2008 to 2011 as commander of the Joint Special Operations Command and from 2006 to 2008 as commander of the Special Operations Command Europe. He was the first director of the NATO Special Operations Forces Coordination Centre. He retired from the US Navy on August 28, 2014. He served more than 37 years in service. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. He holds a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

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Key Insights

In Navy SEAL training, there is a focus on ten lessons that teach individuals how to foster human connections, build on small achievements, eliminate superficial judgment, learn from failed attempts, practice risk-taking, enjoy being challenged, stand strong, and understand the unfairness of life itself.

The book, “Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World” by Admiral William H. McRaven is a rewrite of a commencement speech that was given by the author to the class of 2014 at the University of Texas at Austin.

“I realized that the past failures had strengthened me, taught me that no one is immune from mistakes. True leaders must learn from their failures, use the lessons to motivate themselves, and not be afraid to try again or make the next tough decision.”- William H. McRaven

McRaven emphasizes the ten important lessons by sharing his own experiences of military training, showing how it helped to create the person he is today.

Make Your Bed Every Morning

Making your bed is the first of the ten lessons. This simple task is an accomplishment that sets up individuals to build upon it throughout their day.

“Making my bed correctly was not going to be an opportunity for praise. It was expected of me. It was my first task of the day, and doing it right was important. It demonstrated my discipline. It showed my attention to detail, and at the end of the day it would be a reminder that I had done something well, something to be proud of, no matter how small the task.”- William H. McHaven

Many studies suggest that by starting with a small achievement in the morning, before doing anything else, ensures that you will keep striving to success throughout the day. This small task doesn’t have to be literally making the bed, it could also be washing the dishes, sending an email, or working out. It could be anything that sets your intentions for the day.

In “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, he calls these daily habits, “keystone habits.” These are small habits that actually make a huge impact on an individual’s life. It is a habit that inspires other good habits to follow.

For example, exercising is a keystone habit because other healthy habits tend to follow such as healthy eating and not smoking.

Keystone habits can also be thought of as daily victories. There are the “small wins” that inspire and lead to “big wins.”

Don’t Quit

Because of his military training, McRaven began to understand the importance of not giving up in life and always following through. McRaven, through training, gained ultimate willpower.

Until recent years, willpower has been thought of to be a trait that we are simply born with. But in, “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, the author sheds light on studies from the ‘80s that argue that willpower is something that can actually be learned.

Around the year 2000, studies began to perceive willpower as a resource that can be temporarily drained, but that can be inflated once again.

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