Making my bed

Even though I’ve had this book for years in my collection, I only started reading it this week. Much like “Feel the Fear, And Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D., it was a message that came into my life sooner than I was ready to receive it. And now that I’ve received it, I am grateful for the knowledge and the impact it’s made on me.

“Make Your Bed” talks about ten life lessons that Admiral McRaven learned while serving in the military. He assures his audience that you don’t need to be in the military to learn these lessons, as they are very applicable to anyone in any life situation. What I want to focus on is the first life lesson he imparts, which is the title of his book, make your bed.

What does that mean exactly? I’ve added this quote from his speech, which inspired his book, below to start things off.

“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance, you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made –that you made –and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.” From Admiral William H. McRaven’s Commencement Speech for the University of Texas in 2014.

He’s not wrong. I get a real sense of empowerment when I make my bed. In fact, on days that I’m rushing and don’t make my bed, I feel awful, unmotivated, disheveled, flustered and the vibe for the rest of my day unfolds in much the same way. One hot-mess.

There is something to be said about making your bed. Such a simple little task that can set the course for so many bigger things. Like a small ripple in the water.

I’d like to parallel this outlook with another concept. Something that I often struggle with and am working on. Does it matter what your bed looks like when it’s made? I’m talking about neatly folded to perfection and glossy magazine beautiful. A photo shoot-ready bed in a photo shoot-ready bedroom that only belongs in a house that is wonderfully designer picture-perfect. I’m not alone in my adoration for the HGTV makeover magic houses; each room a glorious (and CLEAN) haven where everything is carefully curated and arranged, and the color scheme is a well-thought-out bold but inviting splash on the walls in architectural precision. Who wouldn’t want a gorgeous, always aesthetically pleasing space that you can call home? Me (big hand wave), the answer is me. I want that.

All that I do right now, the work, the hustle, the dreaming, the ideas, is all to get me and my family settled into our forever home. And not just any forever home, a gorgeous and delectably decorated home. But if I’m fixed on what’s ahead of me, I’m not seeing the right-now. Right now may not be exactly what I want and how I want it, but there’s much to be grateful for.

That brings me back to the whole bed thing. What is a perfectly made bed? One with fluffy duvet covers, and decorative pillows all matching in a perfect hue. Is life always a perfect bed made? My bed is a simple, fuzzy blanket, some basic sheets from Amazon, and two pillows. Again, not exactly how I want it to look, but maybe that’s how it needs to look right now.

I’ve got other things to focus on that take precedence over a picture-perfect bed, or even a picture-perfect house for that matter. And isn’t the significance here that it’s made? Sometimes getting it done is better than it looking perfect. This POV has been a true test for me.

Admiral McRaven touches on many really good ways to look at life, the rest I’ll maybe explore at some point. But, today, I’m going to focus on the first step. Making my bed and how that shapes the rest of my day and every day after that. Just like my bed, I want to manage my life with simplicity (cutting out all the extra and unnecessary frills that just get in the way), and I want to always remember that I may hit some bumps along the way but taking that first step is better than not doing it at all.

A xo