Can Making Your Bed Change the Direction of Your Life or the World?

Retired Admiral William McRaven wrote a book titled Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World. I have frequently touted the same philosophy. Just ask my girls. By doing this one simple thing every morning, we can say that we have accomplished one thing today. If nothing else, we can begin the day with a small accomplishment and work our way towards bigger and more important accomplishments.

When we feel down or oppressed in life, doing little things can help to clear the way for realizing and accepting that we can take control of the direction of our life. This morning, for example, I was feeling a little sad and didn't feel much like doing anything except crawling back into bed and feeling beaten. The only way out of this was to get up and make the bed. Step one. Don't they say that things often begin with baby steps?

Then off to the kitchen to find some sustenance, even though my appetite has dissipated with the onset of my sadness. But I pulled out the blueberries, washed them, and set them aside to drain. Second accomplishment of the day! Then I grabbed the yogurt container and scooped some into a bowl. Yeah! Another accomplishment. I pulled out the box of granola and began to playfully sprinkle some over the yogurt. Voila! Yet another small accomplishment. The drained berries were next to plop onto the top of the concoction. Still another small accomplishment! All of these smaller and seemingly insignificant accomplishments have now led up to the big success of creating a nutritious breakfast! Really not so insignificant actions after all...

All of our actions are important. Now they may not obviously change the world. Or can they? Hmmm. Food for thought... So what if my one success of the morning turned into something so significant that things around me, somehow under my influence, formulated into a beacon of change? What if I had not gotten out of bed and continued to cradle my sadness? What ifs don't make things happen. We do. So up and out of bed, a nutritious breakfast working to make me feel a little better. And out the door to make a difference in someone's life. All because I chose to make a difference in my life. Who can tell the sphere of influence of this one decision?

Change comes from a choice to act. Sometimes we need a little help to make these changes flow out from ourselves and into the world. It is never a sign of defeat or weakness to seek out assistance. Rather, the opposite. It is a sign of strength and wisdom to have others working with us. McRaven has described that life can resemble a boat on the high sea. We can usually choose the direction of the boat with our paddle. But in rougher waters, we will require assistance. If we seek out the right people in the right numbers, we can move our boat to shore. We can make a difference. We can change our life, and maybe the world. 

Our successes can be determined by a simple choice that we make to get out of bed--to take the steps to achieve small accomplishments that will hopefully lead to huge successes in our lives. And possibly effecting societal change or even making the world a better place. Now go make your bed, the world awaits!