Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven

Reviewed by Beth Fillerup, Marketing Consultant

What better way to start the day than by making your bed—even in a pandemic?

According to Admiral William H. McRaven in his book, Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life… and Maybe the World, making your bed could be the difference between a mediocre day and a great one.

The book is an adaptation of the author’s 2014 commencement address to the University of Texas at Austin’s graduating class. It stresses accomplishment, teamwork, leadership, kindness, and inspiration. It’s been a book that Beth had been eagerly awaiting to become available through her local library.

The basic principle, “Start Your Day with a Task Completed,” has been one Beth's accomplished every morning by simply following the book’s title. Much like McRaven, Beth has a long-held belief that making one’s bed starts the day off right. “Perhaps it’s because I already practice this one, but it’s been easy to implement,” she laughs. For her, it's helpful to recognize completing even the smallest tasks, as doing so is a positive way to move forward throughout the day. “This small act can give you a lift at the beginning of your day and the motivation to keep the accomplishments going.”

Beyond that, there are nine other principles McRaven discusses in the book, like seeing failure as a way to strengthen oneself. One principle that Beth found particularly helpful was: “Give People Hope," as recounted in a section of the book that details the intense trials McRaven and his SEAL team members went through to join the elite squad.

“The SEALs are all made to swim in mud during a freezing night and are given the option of giving up,” she says, citing how one began singing loudly to encourage everyone to push through just as some were about to falter. “His singing gave others hope, and soon they were all singing loudly. That one really brought tears to my eyes.”

Beth absolutely recommends the book to others. “The book holds a lot of good advice offered through storytelling,” she mentions. She then identifies those who would find the content particularly valuable: “Anyone who likes the idea that they have some control of their own destiny, people who believe in hard work, and people who believe in karma” should all go grab a copy.

Beth Fillerup is a marketing consultant who works with the team at MARKETLINK. She has specialized in marketing for the AEC industry for over 30 years.