Make Your Bed
BY: William H. McRaven
Chapter 1: Start Your Day With a Task Completed
if you want to change the world.. start off by making your bed
William was a navy seal and he had to start his day everyday by having a process to making his bed and putting on his uniform
it meant an opportunity, discipline, character and attention to detail
he had a parachute accident that left him in a hospital bed and when he recovered he made his bed to conquer his injury — went on to serve in the military in Iraq
some days he had little he could do to affect his outcome of the day — you search for something that can give you solace, that can motive you to begin your day, sense of pride in oftentimes an ugly world
Chapter 2: You Can’t Go It Alone
if you want to change the world.. find someone to help you paddle
story of his parachute accident where he got caught and had very bad injuries — there were many times where it came down to living or dying in his life
his wife took care of him in the hospital and friends and his boss helped him continue his career
none of us are immune from life’s tragic moments — so it takes a good team to get to your destination
your success also depends on others
Chapter 3: Only the Size of Your Heart Matters
if you want to change the world… measure a person by the size of their heart
story of the morning swim they had to do everyday as students, one student was about 5’4 and the instructor told him that he would get hurt in these large waves
student ended up in the front pack of the swim and proved that determination and grit were always more important than talent
it’s not the size of your flippers that count, just the size of your heart
Chapter 4: Life’s Not Fair — Drive On!
if you want to change the world.. get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward
a sugar cookie in the seal is known for rolling in the sand as it’s uncomfortable to have sand everywhere and wet with the uniform
he was a sugar cookie one day and the reason was — life isn’t fair and the sooner you learn that the better off you will be
the lieutenant that told him that, years later got into a cycling accident that left him paralyzed waist down and in a wheelchair
he never once complained— why me
he become a great painter and raised a child
it’s easy to blame your lot in life on some outside force
the common people and the great men and women are all defined by how they deal with life’s unfairness
Chapter 5: Failure Can Make You Stronger
if you want to change the world… don’t be afraid of the circus
they had a swim buddy in their training and if one partner fails so does the other — creates teamwork
so William and his swim buddy were doing poorly on one swim and got themselves in the circus list which is an extra 2hrs of calisthenics with non stop harassment by SEAL combat veterans
so both of them had to do extra training that day which followed more as they were tired from the previous day
however these punishments was making them stronger, faster, and more confident in the water
there was a major swim coming up that was more of a test — William and his partner ended up being first as all the extra training paid off
in life you will face a lot of circuses — but if you persevere, if you let those failures teach you and strengthen you, then you will be prepared to handle life’s toughest moments
sometimes you fall short of being the best, but never fall short of giving your best
realized past failures has strengthened him — no one is immune to mistakes
Chapter 6: You Must Dare Gently
if you want to change the world… slide down the obstacle headfirst
overcoming your anxieties and trusting your abilities to proceed with the risk
life is a struggle and the potential for failure is ever present, but those who live in fear of failure, or hardship, or embarrassment will never achieve their potential
without daring greatly, you will never know what is truly possible in your life
Chapter 7: Stand Up to the Bullies
if you want to change the world… don’t back down from the sharks
William and his swimming buddy was out on a night swim knowing that sharks are known to be in the water
their goal of being SEALs gave them courage which paved their path for them that night
it’s courage that will help you accomplish your goals
ex. Sadden Hussein, former president of Iraq was captured by U.S forces and a prisoner — new Iraqi government leader came for a visit and they were highly scared of him even in the state of a prisoner
but he was no longer important, the power has disappeared
goes to show that bullies thrive on fear and intimidation — courage is in all of us so dig deep and you will find it in abundance
Chapter 8: Rise to the Occasion
if you want to change the world… be your very best in the darkest moments
he saw a lot of soldiers pass away, everyone at the same ceremony — many people came together and took pride of the fallen soldier
at some point we will all confront a dark moment in life — in that dark moment reach inside yourself and be your very best
Chapter 9: Give People Hope
if you want to change the world… start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud
going through hell week which was a week of no sleep and endless sessions of runs, calisthenics, climbs etc
the purpose was to eliminate the weak, the challenge of the thick mud made everything harder
they had a challenge in the mud for the day, super cold and tiring then the instructor gave a choice where if 5 people quit then everyone can stop and have a hot drink and sit by the fire
one student started walking towards the fire then another but then one student began to sing, and the other students came back and united they stood — goes to show that the power of one person to unite the group gave hope
hope is the most powerful force in the universe — with hope you can inspire nations to greatness
with hope you ease the pain of unbearable loss — sometimes all it takes is one person to make the difference
Chapter 10: Never Ever, Quit!
if you want to change the world don’t ever, ever ring the bell
on the first day of SEAL training the instructor told all the students that he will make it painful and harass them until they quit — easy way out is to ring the bell 3 times then you can leave
life constantly puts you in situations where quitting seems so much easier than continuing on
if you refuse to give up on your dreams, stand tall and strong against the odds — then life will be what you make of it and you can make it great
start the day off with a task completed, find someone to help you through life, respect everyone — know that life is not fair and that you will fail often
but if you take risks, step up when times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden, and never ever give up then you can change your life for the better and maybe the world
The University of Texas Commencement Speech — May 17, 2014
university’s slogan is ‘what starts here changes the world’
they say the average American will meet 10,000 people in their lifetime — but if every one of you changed the lives of 10 people then they change the lives of another 10 people in 5 generations — 125 years — class of 2014 will have changed the lives of 800 million people
if you think it’s hard to change the lives of 10 people, you’re wrong, as one decision can make all the difference
making your bed will 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
you can’t change the world by yourself, you will need some help
your will to succeed
sometimes life ain’t fair and that’s okay, we keep growing
in life you will fail and will fail often, it will be painful, it will be discouraging but ultimately it will make you stronger
life is sometimes about risks
the power of hope is stronger than you think
create a world that generations will live in that is far better than the one we have today