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Make Your Bed
Book Highlights
Title: Make Your Bed
Author: (Retd.) Admiral William H. McRaven
Genre: Leadership
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Pages: 144 Pages
Difficulty Level: Easy
Make Your Bed: Book Review
Make Your Bed by Admiral William (Retired) is a book based on 10- life lessons he experienced by serving in the Navy for 36 years. The book is a short read of about 70 pages and offers to-the-point values.
The book is inspiring and remarkable, with so many meaningful lessons. Each chapter is inspired by the author’s way of life in the Navy and shows how those small habits and lessons contributed to making such a personality.
This book was written much after his famous speech at the University of Texas when it was embraced by people in the audience with open hearts. He realized that people want to learn more about bringing order to life and finding their truest potential, so he packaged his life lessons in the book Make Your Bed.
The most basic lesson he has to offer is making your bed every day after waking up.
When you go through his argument, you’ll find logic and reasoning that you can’t possibly tackle.
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He says that making the bed in the morning says a lot about one’s discipline and sincerity. Making your bed might feel like a menial task, but here lies the actual value.
How you perceive your life gets reflected around you by your behavior. If everything is in order, such gets displayed by your surrounding. Therefore, making your bed gives you that jolt for the day to have everything in order and under your command. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and encourages you to look forward to the day to achieve more targets.
Every chapter of this book takes you on a different journey, and the simplicity of language here lets you actually live the author’s story.
I find his lessons to be very crucial for success. If you read his life lessons in isolation, you might wonder whether they have any significant impact. But when you associate them with his encounters, you will realize how small and basic values can create such a remarkable effect.
I encourage you to read Make Your Bed and discover how it can benefit your life.
Make Your Bed: Book Summary
- Every Great thing starts with a small action. Begin your day by making your bed and take control of your day.
- Things will get hard during your lifetime. Do not get dragged down by failures. Stand up to them and come out the other side victorious.
- Your real character is shown at the darkest hour. Stand your ground and give it all you have to face the challenges.
Who Should Read It?
I think people who wants to have an edge over others, become the very best version of themselves should read this book.
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Make Your Bed: Top Quotes
- If you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of circuses.
- If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest hour.
- With hope you can inspire nations into greatness.
Make Your Bed Notes
#1 Start Your Day With A Task Completed
- The first priority of the day should be to make your bed as soon as you wake up.
- Develops discipline and attention to detail.
- Helps you develop a sense of command and authority.
An excerpt from the book:
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.
#2 You Can’t Go It Alone
- You must find people in your life with whom you can share the workload to gain the maximum output.
- Return on efforts of two people will always be greater than the person doing it alone.
- Develops trust and spirit of teamwork.
- Other people help you reach the destination of life by giving you the necessary support.
#3 Only the size of Your Heart Matters
- Things will be difficult in your journey. The result will depend on how you respond to your fears.
- Any limitation of yours, is only limited to your mind. As you expand the horizon of what is possible, you find that your limitations fade away.
#4 Life’s Not Fair-Drive On!
- Life isn’t fair. The sooner you learn that the better off you will be.
- Even after facing numerous challenges, you still have to prove yourself worthy.
- Many times, luck may not seem to be on your side. Do not go and cry over the situation. Make sure to face the problems again and fight it out.
#5 Failure Can Make You Stronger
- Learn from your failures. Use them to grow.
- Make changes and motivate yourself to get on the other side of the success.
In life you will pay for your failures. 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.
True leaders must learn from their failures, use the lesson to motivate themselves, and not be afraid to try again or make the next tough decision.
#6 You must Dare Greatly
- Life will throw many unexpected circumstances when you would have to make some tough decisions.
- Take calculated risks. Do uncomfortable things. These things will help you grow.
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 pushing your limits, without occasionally sliding down the rope headfirst, without daring greatly, you will never know what is truly possible in your life.
#7 Stand Up to Bullies
- Give your 100% to every attempt.
- Be courageous in life. Courage, help you make tough decisions and get going in life.
- Dig deep inside you, and you will find it in abundance.
#8 Rise to The Occasion
- Be the very best in the darkest moments.
- Stand for your values when going gets tough.
#9 Give People Hope
- Hope helps you rise above despair, disappointment and pain.
- It allows you to envision the positives.
- Each of us has the ability to inspire others and bring out the best of them.
#10 Never, Ever Quit!
- Refuse to give up on your dreams.
- Come back stronger every time you fail. Life is hard and there are challenges much difficult.
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