Summary of the Book Make Your Bed: 10 Life Lessons You Must Know

In Make Your Bed, Admiral William H. McRaven writes on important lessons he learned from the U.S. Navy SEAL training. The book provides basic yet effective prescriptions that one can use in handling life issues about accomplishing objectives.

All of McRaven's quotes are more than profound; they come from real-life events reflecting the daily experience and are quite easy to practice. This post will outline ten of the lessons highlighted in Make Your Bed and demonstrate how these will help improve your life.

10 Lessons from Make Your Bed Book 

1. Starting the Day by Making Your Bed

McRaven begins to explain how to transform your life by beginning with the simple act of making your bed. It may be a minor chore, but it creates the workflow for the entire day. It makes you feel like you have achieved something and makes you want to do more throughout the day.

Something as simple as making your bed helps learn the lesson that details are important. It bids its farewell reminding you that every action you take could make a difference in your Day. How can you handle big problems if you cannot properly deal with small ones? In this way, by starting the day with this kind of victory, you set the pace for corresponding achievements.

2. The Importance of Teamwork (Navy Students' Example)

Many activities in Navy SEAL are carried out in groups and therefore teamwork is of high importance. McRaven says that when trainees were confronted with challenging operations during their training they had best rely on their fellows. Whether navigating a boat through chop or going through obstacle courses, each trainee required his team to win.

In one's life, people require assistance from other people to overcome these challenges. Working with others means that there are people around you to support them and be supported in return. Mary has always stood by these words to mean that in life goals can only be achieved when individuals have the support of their friends.

3. The Importance of Being Humble (The Munchkin Crew)  

McRaven also tells the story of a group of short trainees, who during SEAL training, came to be called the "Munchkin Crew”. Surprisingly they were not the best physically but at the same time were also one of the most powerful and spirited of trainees. They taught all the people that beauty is not important when it comes to muscles and willpower. 

This lesson is about Humility. It is also a message of averting that we should not disregard another person based on their looks or social standing. Humility enables you to accept the talents of other people.

4. The Importance of Failure in Life (Sugar Cookie) 

If the trainees failed the uniform inspection, they had to be punished by rolling in the sand and then wearing that wet, sandy uniform for the rest of the day. The latter punishment was known as being turned into a "sugar cookie." It was truly important to note that no matter how hard the trainees strove, there were instances that it would just be a failure.

This lesson seeks to teach students and or the audience that it’s okay to fail in life. You must fail at some point in life regardless of how much effort you use to avoid it. But failure should not be setting you back. Rather it should be taken as a motivation to push on forward and ahead. Is it okay for a man to fail? Yes, but it’s not okay to fail and not learn from that failure and keep on failing.

5. Teachings in Life from Failure (the Circus)

Another example of such a procedure, which McRaven has described, is the infamous "circus" in the SEAL training. Trainees who could not meet the physical training requirements had to do more 'circus' – more exercises beyond the set standards. These additional moves should have taken them to their beaks.

Although the circus was tiring, it also made the trainees experience physical benefits. This lesson draws the understanding that failure is always a good teacher.

It also makes you better and prepares you for greater challenges in the future in life even though undergoing it might not be enjoyable every time. The harder the difficulties one encounters, the better one understands oneself and one's capabilities.

6. Taking Challenges as Opportunities to Learn (Hitting the Obstacles Head-first)  

When SEAL training was in progress, both McRaven and his team received several challenges in physical activities. Another dictated task that they all found most difficult was the Obstacle Course, which involved physical work and tested their ability to endure constant pressure.

There is no getting around the fact that the challenges simply had to be met head-on and without delays. This concept of lesson is that the opportunity lies in adversity. Do not avoid challenges when you are at a crossroads in your life.

On the contrary, it requires optimism and confidence. Just like the example of the candidate who opted to slide down the rope with his head first and ended up breaking records. What you go through in your life is always an opportunity to gain experience and to be better for it.

7. The Importance of Courage (Great White Sharks) 

One of the instructional learning experiences narrated by McRaven about lessons of fear and courage happened at night during a swim with sharks. The trainees were warned not to panic when they were close to a shark, and they should continue their swimming activity as usual when they saw it.

The subject matter of this lesson is basically about dealing with your phobias. Of course, life will put difficult and frightening situations in front of you, and you must stay brave.

Fearlessness is not the opposite of fear – it's being able to face the fear and carry on with life regardless. One of the important points that I understood from this book is that the more you exercise your courage, the stronger your courage becomes.

8. Staying Composed and Focused in the Darkest Moments

When those SEALs were in training, McRaven and his team had to do lethal missions in the water. These involved finding the ship following sounds but there was complete darkness. Getting overwhelmed was simple but maintaining calm all through was the key to winning in the lives of the survivors.

Its purpose is to give the reader some insights into how it is possible to remain calm and composed at the worst stage of life. In the confrontation of too many obstacles, one needs to maintain a balanced and stable state of mind. Fear aggravates things because it compels people to act recklessly. This way, a person doesn’t panic and can reasonably handle his problems.

9. Finding Hope in Difficult Times (Neck in Mud)

Another training ordeal that is regarded as very challenging is Hell Week where the participants are tested physically and mentally. Somewhere at the end of the book, McRaven shares an amusing story of how the trainees were put in the freezing mud for hours. It was a 15-hour part of a week-long test involving physical and mental harassment.

Given the supreme challenges, one trainee began to hum, which at least offered encouragement to the other people. A small measure of optimism is enough to change the world. It can offer you the willpower to go on when you just cannot take it anymore.

10. The Importance of Never Surrendering (Ringing the Bell)

During the training process in SEAL, sometimes one could leave the training simply by ringing a brass bell. McRaven says that those who made it were those who did not ring the bell even to the extent of immense pain during the training sessions.

Life has its challenges and escape seems like the most possible thing to do. But if you want to succeed you have to fight this, surrender is not an option in this case. Success also means the willingness to just continue to go, irrespective of the odds stacked against one.

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Conclusion

In his book Make Your Bed, Admiral McRaven shares some crucial life tips, and all of them related to making a bed can be utilized in different spheres of life. When you incorporate the general principles of this book into your everyday living, you will be equally prepared to manage challenges, interact effectively with people, and keep yourself on track. Success is not only in a great victory but in the daily improvements and progression in one's life.