Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven

1. Start Your Day With a Task Completed

McRaven teaches us to begin our day with a small win, like making beds.

This straightforward task provides a sense of pride and encourages us to accomplish more daily jobs.

As McRaven puts it

"This simple act of making your bed gives you hope, and symbolizes your discipline and determination to get better."

2. No Person is an Island

The essence of this lesson is the power of community.

Despite our independence, we need others to navigate life's ups and downs.

McRaven points out:

"We shouldn’t feel like we need to navigate life’s tough times by ourselves."

3. Accept That Life's Not Fair

This lesson emphasizes the need to acknowledge and accept life's injustices.

McRaven advises:

"We don’t have to like this reality, but we have to accept it, and know that we only cause ourselves more suffering if we stay on the blame train."

4. What Doesn't Kill You Will Only Make You Stronger

McRaven posits that failure builds resilience. He states:

"Failure makes us stronger. It’s a hard truth that no matter how hard we try, we’ll all face failure at some stage."

5. Dare Greatly

To reach our potential, we must sometimes take risks.

McRaven advises:

"If we always play it safe and continuously try to mitigate potential struggle, humiliation, or failure, we will find it hard to reach our potential."

6. Make Courage Your Friend

Courage helps us overcome obstacles and achieve our goals.

As McRaven poignantly states:

"Hold onto courage and keep swimming."

7. Rise to the Occasion

Our darkest moments often reveal our profound strength. McRaven urges:

"It’s always worth remembering that there will be moments in life where our spirit feels crushed, and it’s these moments that call on us to search for the best in us."

8. Give People Hope

McRaven emphasizes the power of hope, stating,

"We can also inspire hope and be strong for others."

9. Never, Ever Quit

Perseverance is a central theme in McRaven's lessons.

He notes:

"If you want to change the world, don’t ever, ever ring the bell. If you do quit, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life."

10. True Leaders Must Learn From Their Failures

Finally, McRaven underscores that authentic leadership entails learning from failures.

He believes leaders should use their failures as lessons and stepping stones to success.