Book Review: “Make Your Bed” by William H. McRaven

“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed” Admiral William H. McRaven

This is the first lesson given in the book Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven. After serving for almost four decades in the United States Navy, Admiral McRaven compiled the ten most important life lessons that he had learned and wrote about them in this book.

A quote directly for the book that perfectly summarizes all of these lessons is the following: “Remember… Start each day with a task completed. Find someone to help you through life. Respect everyone. Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often. But if you take some risks, step up when times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden, and never, ever give up – if you do these things, then you can change your life for the better… and maybe the world!” (McRaven p. 103-104).

Make Your Bed is not any average self-help book. It is a collection of meaningful stories and experiences and the lessons learned from them. After reading this book, I have made many changes to my life that I wish I could have made sooner. It is never too late to learn from the lessons given in the book. I would truly suggest this to anyone who is tired of the standard self-help book and looking for something new.