Start off by Making Your Bed: 10 Lessons To Meet Life’s Challenges From A Retired Admiral

Start off your day by making your bed first, is a great advice from William McRaven, a retired admiral of the United States Navy Seal. He served with high distinction in the navy for 37 years and fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.

With such responsibilities, there is no doubt that man has great life lessons to share. In his book “If You Want to Change Your Life… start by Making Your Bed”, McRaven shares ten personal experiences that shaped his life.

Each is simple advice, but one that can make a difference in the long run.

1. Start your day with a task like making your bed

Discipline is a way of life for those in the military, and this discipline extends to even the most minor things, like making your bed every morning.

If you have made your bed well, you will not be praised; you are expected to do so.

Life is full of ups and downs, and there is not much you can do to prevent them, but sometimes, just making your bed can get you started.

Making your bed is a simple thing to do. It’s about doing the little things right. It’s about starting off your day correctly. These lessons are essential for every walk of life, but especially for younger folks just getting started on their journey.

Making your bed sets the tone for the day. Accomplishing that one small task gives you a small sense of accomplishment, making it easier to tackle the next slightly larger task, and the next, and the next…

2. Never forget that your success depends on others

After a parachute jump that almost cost him his life, McRaven learned a vital life lesson: the importance of teamwork and being able to count on someone who helps you keep going.

During his convalescent period, his wife changed her bandages and took care of him. Without his support, McRaven would likely have died of depression and self-pity.

Likewise, people with whom he had made friends reached out to him on the road to recovery and helped him reintegrate SEAL despite all obstacles.

Everyone is going through a difficult time in their life when they need the support of someone who believes in them. We cannot ignore it because we are social animals down to the marrow.

3. Measure people by the size of their hearts, not by their appearance

The best crew in a SEAL class was made up of short men, and the other taller men made fun of.
However, these little men outperformed all the other members. One of the men, who was just over five feet tall, was once dismissed by the instructor, who told him that he was too small to brave the waves.

‘Measure a person by the size of his heart – the guy with the biggest flippers is not always the man you want in a crisis’

This sailor ended up becoming one of the first recruits to finish swimming.

In another incident, the author noticed a small, fragile man in the hallway. He thought he was an ordinary civilian, but this man was Tommy Norris, a Vietnam veteran and the last recipient of the SEAL Medal of Honor.

Never forget that your first impression should never be your last impression.

4. Stop complaining and move on

McRaven recalls that during his SEAL training, uniform inspections were an integral part of army discipline and took place several times a week.

But no matter how well you did it, the instructors would find something wrong.

As a punishment, the cadets were to run entirely clothed to the beach and roll over it until they were completely covered in wet sand, then stay that way for the rest of the day.

It’s called a Sugar Cookie.

Sometime later, a Vietnam veteran ( Martin Moki ) and SEAL officer whom the author admired had a bicycle accident.
The accident made him quadriplegic (paralyzed from the waist). Despite everything, Moki became an accomplished painter, fathered a beautiful girl and founded the Super Frog Triathlon.

He did not blame his circumstances for his condition; he chose to go ahead and do something with his life despite his circumstances.

5. Don’t be afraid of failure

In training the SEALs, the Circus ( Circus ) is the worst thing a soldier can be ordered to do. This is an additional two-hour training associated with continued harassment from veterans.

The extra training means you will be exhausted the next day and put back on the circus list, and the cycle would continue until you give up. If you refused to give in, the continuous Cirques would harden you and get you used to the rigours of training.

“True leaders must learn from their failures, use the lessons to motivate themselves, and not be afraid to try again or make the next tough decision.”

Chess is an excellent source of learning, growth and development to toughen up in the face of setbacks. Don’t be afraid of the circus. You will face it at some point.

6. Take risks

If you don’t take risks, you will never force yourself to be the best you can be. It is a lesson that the author learned very early in an obstacle course when not taking risks meant that he crossed the finish line with limited time.

The lesson served him well when in 2004, a risky situation of hostage rescue forced him to trust his instinct and that of his men to allow them to disembark in broad daylight and lead the mission.

“That obstacle course is going to beat you every time unless you start taking some risks.”

The famous British motto SAS (Special Air Service) reflects the same idea: “Who dares wins. There is always the potential for failure, but if you hold back because of it, you will never reach your full potential.

An ordinary person will only have average results. To win big, you have to take significant risks.

7. Stand up to the bullies

One of the terrifying parts of SEAL training is the night swimming out of the waters of San Clemente in total darkness with the imminent fear of being eaten by a great white shark.

McRaven couldn’t let a fear of sharks keep him from completing his SEAL training, and he used this obstacle to strengthen his courage and carry on. When the former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was captured by American forces, the new Iraqi leaders were invited to speak to him.

However, what started as a mission to intimidate him backfired when, knowing his emotional power over them, he ordered them to sit down and listen to him. Each day when McRaven visited Saddam Hussein in his cell, he was treated like an unimportant person. His emotional power was taken from him.

The bullies are the same everywhere. They gain strength by intimidating others. Like sharks, they sense fear. If you don’t have the courage to hold on, they will strike.

8. Give the best of yourself, even in the worst moments

The Navy SEALs are responsible for conducting underwater attacks against enemy ships.

The challenges of training for this mission are many: using only a depth gauge and a compass with a small green light, you expect to find the keel, the deepest part of the ship.

It is when you swim near the keel that you have to be calm and steady.

The darkest moment in a soldier’s life is when he sees another soldier die in action. It is in these tragic times that those who survive – their team, their family, their city, their country – come together to pay tribute and then move on.

Everyone has their dark moments, but at those times, we have to find in ourselves what is best for us.

9. Always be hopeful

During McRaven’s training, Hell Week was the time when there were more dropouts than at any event. The hardest part was surviving the mud race.
During this race, a SEAL instructor offered a way out of the torture for the whole class if at least five men gave up.

It was a tempting offer, and some students were ready to leave the mud when a man started to sing a popular song.
Others joined them, and those who thought of giving up went back to their places and joined the song.

Nothing that the instructor did to calm them stopped them, and the singing motivated them to take up the challenge.
During the war on terror, a helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan, killing the 38 men on board. The bereaved families were left in a state of dizziness and in consolation.

Only Lieutenant-General John Kelly was able to console them. He shared a common tragedy with them: he lost his son in battle, and he knew exactly how to give these grieving families hope for the future.

Hope is one of the strongest emotions in the world. It is the expectation of something positive with confidence. This anticipation of a pleasure to come is an excellent lever of personal and collective motivation, which can push anyone to act with renewed strength.

10. Never give up

Training for the US Navy SEAL is a gruelling six-month process that is not only physical but also a mental and emotional struggle.
After six months, there were only 33 men left at the graduation of the 151 students who had started training together.

One hundred and eighteen men had drawn the copper bell in the yard to escape the painful training and harassment that pushed to its limits.
They had resigned when the situation had worsened, and they may have regretted it all their lives.

This steadfast attitude was healthy in Adam Bates, a 19-year-old Ranger seriously injured by a landmine. McRaven visited him at the hospital, and he discovered that the youngster was covered with burns, tubes, and that he had lost both legs.

However, Bates used sign language to indicate that he would get out of it.
One year after this hospital visit, the same Ranger was standing on his prosthetic legs and challenging his teammates to participate in a pull-up contest.

It’s the kind of response that McRaven is so proud to see in soldiers. Despite all the adversity they can endure, they refuse to feel sorry for themselves.

If you let the vagaries of life depress you, life will be long and hard. But if you refuse to give up on your dreams and fight against all the odds, then life will give you what you deserve.

Never give in to your situation. There are always beautiful flowers for whoever wants to see them.