Make Your Bed: Three Lessons That Still Matter
How one small habit can reshape your mindset and your day
Hello good people. Welcome back to Read By Ed. Today I am sharing my thoughts on Make Your Bed by Admiral William McRaven. This book is titled Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life and Maybe the World. I listened to it through the Libby app, which has been a game changer for me. I used to be strictly a physical book reader, but audiobooks have really opened a new door in my routine. They let me keep learning even when I am on the move.
Before I get into my three takeaways, I want to share how I first heard about Admiral McRaven. When I worked in college football, his University of Texas commencement speech was required study material. One of the coaches I worked for spent a lot of time teaching from that speech. So when I finally got around to listening to this book, I was excited to see how the lessons lined up with what I had learned years ago.
This book is short, but it is packed with impact. Here are the three lessons that stood out the most.
1. Start Your Day With an Achievement
The first lesson is simple, but powerful. Start your day with an achievement. The book uses making your bed as the example, and this hit home for me. My dad was an Air Force veteran, rest his soul, and every single morning he made us fix our beds. Sheets tucked, pillow straight, comforter folded, everything in order. It was just part of the routine.
When I was a kid, I never understood it. One day in high school I asked him why he cared about it so much. He said, “It is the number one thing you can do to start your day. You wake up, you say your prayers, and then you accomplish something.” That stuck with me. Even now in hotels, I find myself at least straightening the bed before I leave the room.
Admiral McRaven makes the same point. When you start the day with a win, you leave the house knowing you already achieved something. If the day gets tough, you can look back and say you completed something meaningful.
2. Failure Can Teach You and Prepare You
The second takeaway is that failure can teach you. Failure prepares you for tough moments and gives you experience you will need later. In my own life, especially working in college football, I learned this firsthand. There is a saying in coaching that you are either getting fired or getting ready to get fired. I went through it. At the time it felt like failure, but looking back, it helped prepare me for moments that came later.
Failure is not final. Whether it is a relationship, school, a job, or something you tried that did not work out, failure has a purpose. It gives you resilience. It gives you perspective. It teaches you what you need to carry into the next season of life.
3. Stand Up to the Bullies
The third takeaway is to stand up to the bullies. This is something my parents taught me and something I have tried to teach my own kids. When I worked in college football, there were many times I had to stand up to people who were doing things the wrong way, even if they had power, titles, or money behind them. As someone working in player development, my purpose was to help athletes grow as people. When something went against that purpose, I spoke up.
I lost a job because of it. At one university, I was fired for standing up to someone who was bullying staff and athletes. Another university even told me that was exactly what happened. But when I looked back, I had what I call an Alonzo Mourning moment. I realized that at the end of the day, the players knew I was there for them. They knew I stood up for what was right.
Admiral McRaven speaks about this on a larger scale through his military career, but the lesson applies to all of us. Stand up to people who mistreat others. Stand up when someone expects you to say yes when you know no is the right answer. Stand up when integrity is on the line.
Final Thoughts
Make Your Bed is a small book, but the impact is real.
Three lessons that can shape your life:
Start your day with an achievement.
Let failure prepare you, not define you.
Stand up to the bullies and do what is right.
Thank you for taking the time to read this reflection. You can find the link to the book and the Libby app in my notes, and you can also find the link to my own book, The Player Development Guide, if you want to dive deeper into building impact with athletes.
Let me know your thoughts or takeaways in the comments. Have a good one, and go make your bed.