make your bed by admiral william h mcraven

Still, he argues that one of the best lessons you can learn is that life isn’t fair, and it’s how you respond to life that truly counts. McRaven qualifies his assessment, conceding that some people remain sugar cookies despite hard work. He bluntly terms people who give up “sugar cookies” and explains that during Navy SEAL training, cadets who ignore basic commands or forget their duties are told to roll in sand until it covers their entire body, like a sugar cookie. In his fourth aphorism, McRaven tells readers to toughen up and persevere even when pressure mounts or situations seem hopeless. McRaven’s third aphorism turns to the treatment of others he suggests that the only productive way to evaluate someone is by their compassion. You can have one or even multiple life partners, romantic or not it is only important to remember that success is contingent on interlocking social networks. McRaven then analogizes life to a body of water that we must traverse and tells his readers to find a partner to help paddle.

The simple habit of making one’s bed as a planned and successful activity sets the day off on the right path, cultivating a mindset of positivity and order that carries over into the rest of one’s life. His rationale is that though spirituality and faith can endow individuals with resilience and peace, simple actions like making your bed form a kind of praxis that cumulatively contributes to human flourishing. McRaven begins his book with an aphorism about starting small, or “making your bed,” to change the world.

Make your bed by admiral william h mcraven