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1.58k reviews for:
Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World
William H. McRaven
3.65 AVERAGE
1.58k reviews for:
Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World
William H. McRaven
3.65 AVERAGE
My brother referenced this book when he came back from bootcamp. Not a bad read but not for me.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Make Your Bed is a quick yet impactful read, sharing ten pieces of advice over ten concise chapters. While you could easily look up these principles in a summary, Admiral McRaven does an excellent job of illustrating them through personal stories, making the lessons more engaging and memorable.
I found this book to be more inspirational than I had expected, and its emphasis on making small changes to improve both your own life and the world around you really resonated with me. The book’s insights left me motivated, and I plan to revisit it to pull out specific action items before returning it to the library.
Some of the stories, particularly those involving war injuries, were a bit graphic and difficult to read. However, McRaven always steers them toward a positive perspective, reinforcing resilience and perseverance. While many of the lessons may be familiar, I can promise that at least one will challenge you—if you’re truly honest with yourself.
The book is written from a military perspective, but it largely avoids politics, making it accessible to a wide audience. One section I didn’t connect with as much was the speech included at the end—I found myself skimming it, as it seemed more like a way to tie everything together rather than adding much new insight.
The book is written from a military perspective, but it largely avoids politics, making it accessible to a wide audience. One section I didn’t connect with as much was the speech included at the end—I found myself skimming it, as it seemed more like a way to tie everything together rather than adding much new insight.
Lastly, this book piqued my curiosity about the people mentioned in it, leading me down a bit of a rabbit hole as I researched some of their stories.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely—especially if you're looking for a short, motivating read that might just inspire a meaningful change in your daily habits.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
I was kindly gifted this book by the mother of a dear friend and fellow student at my high school graduation. Ironically, I unpacked it after returning home as I was sat on my bed that I had not made before leaving the house earlier that day.
Overall, this is a very easy read and generally motivational, though admittedly nothing that I have never heard before. I must admit, though, that after reading this book, I want to make an effort to make my bed in the morning.
The one thing I got caught up on is the patriotism and glorification of the US military. This is, of course, to be expected from a Navy admiral and I can't blame him for that. I just personally am someone that has no reservations in my critique of the US military and the entire concept of American patriotism. That being said, I don't think McRaven is a bad person by any means. For a military man, I think he has a great amount of discipline and humility that I can only respect and envy. I simply think I am not his target audience. Perhaps that is why I somewhat struggled with being inspired by this book.
Removing McRaven's ten lessons from the military context and instead applying them into everyday civilian life, however, much can still be learned – this was, I assume, McRaven's intent with this book and speech, after all. It is not addressed exclusively to troops, but to anyone aiming to change their life and perhaps even the world.
I was especially moved by chapters Eight: Rise to the Occassion and Nine: Give People Hope, where McRaven speaks of his experience with casualties in the military. Though I have never personally dealt with the loss of a loved one, death is something that resonates each and every one of us.
A chapter that kind of bothered me was chapter Four: Life's Not Fair–Drive On!. I think we can all agree that sometimes, shit happens and we gotta move on. That's not the message that bothers me. The one that does is the idea that our background doesn't determine our future. "It is easy to say that where you were raised, how your parents treated you, or what school you went to is all that determines your future. Nothing could be further from the truth," McRaven says in this chapter. Of course your background doesn't define you and you can find great success in life in spite of disadvantages in your past, but they certainly impact you. A couple times in the text, McRaven argues that race, ethnicity, orientation, gender, religion, etc. does not matter. Again, I would disagree. I think this colourblind perspective is outdated and we need to recognise the importance in our differences. Yes, the world is unfair, and yes, shit just happens sometimes. But other times, there are systemic injustices that ensure certain groups of people are disadvantaged. And rather than getting over it and keeping going, I think it is more important to encourage young people to fight against these injustices.
I don't believe McRaven is completely ignorant to this, and I believe he would likely agree with me if I were to have a conversation with him about this. But in a book targeted at young adults who aim to change the world, seeing an old, straight, white, American man fail to address these injustices, claiming that our backgrounds don't matter, is somewhat tone deaf. That is my one fundamental problem with this book.
In conclusion, if you are someone who's in need of a concise guide of some good life lessons, I would give this book a shot. It is a quick and easy read and perhaps easier to get through than some convoluted self-help book. I don't think any of the tips in this book are unheard of or revolutionary, but it's charm (for some) is that it is told through the perspective of a military man. As someone who is not particularly impressed by the military, I am maybe not the target demographic. However, I do think that these lessons translate well into civilian life. If you are interested in reading some military anecdotes, this book may be for you! I think McRaven is an admirable man, not for his service (I am not someone who grants respect to people simply for serving in the military – and I know this will make a lot of people mad), but for his discipline, humility, and determination to have a positive impact on the world.
Overall, this is a very easy read and generally motivational, though admittedly nothing that I have never heard before. I must admit, though, that after reading this book, I want to make an effort to make my bed in the morning.
The one thing I got caught up on is the patriotism and glorification of the US military. This is, of course, to be expected from a Navy admiral and I can't blame him for that. I just personally am someone that has no reservations in my critique of the US military and the entire concept of American patriotism. That being said, I don't think McRaven is a bad person by any means. For a military man, I think he has a great amount of discipline and humility that I can only respect and envy. I simply think I am not his target audience. Perhaps that is why I somewhat struggled with being inspired by this book.
Removing McRaven's ten lessons from the military context and instead applying them into everyday civilian life, however, much can still be learned – this was, I assume, McRaven's intent with this book and speech, after all. It is not addressed exclusively to troops, but to anyone aiming to change their life and perhaps even the world.
I was especially moved by chapters Eight: Rise to the Occassion and Nine: Give People Hope, where McRaven speaks of his experience with casualties in the military. Though I have never personally dealt with the loss of a loved one, death is something that resonates each and every one of us.
A chapter that kind of bothered me was chapter Four: Life's Not Fair–Drive On!. I think we can all agree that sometimes, shit happens and we gotta move on. That's not the message that bothers me. The one that does is the idea that our background doesn't determine our future. "It is easy to say that where you were raised, how your parents treated you, or what school you went to is all that determines your future. Nothing could be further from the truth," McRaven says in this chapter. Of course your background doesn't define you and you can find great success in life in spite of disadvantages in your past, but they certainly impact you. A couple times in the text, McRaven argues that race, ethnicity, orientation, gender, religion, etc. does not matter. Again, I would disagree. I think this colourblind perspective is outdated and we need to recognise the importance in our differences. Yes, the world is unfair, and yes, shit just happens sometimes. But other times, there are systemic injustices that ensure certain groups of people are disadvantaged. And rather than getting over it and keeping going, I think it is more important to encourage young people to fight against these injustices.
I don't believe McRaven is completely ignorant to this, and I believe he would likely agree with me if I were to have a conversation with him about this. But in a book targeted at young adults who aim to change the world, seeing an old, straight, white, American man fail to address these injustices, claiming that our backgrounds don't matter, is somewhat tone deaf. That is my one fundamental problem with this book.
In conclusion, if you are someone who's in need of a concise guide of some good life lessons, I would give this book a shot. It is a quick and easy read and perhaps easier to get through than some convoluted self-help book. I don't think any of the tips in this book are unheard of or revolutionary, but it's charm (for some) is that it is told through the perspective of a military man. As someone who is not particularly impressed by the military, I am maybe not the target demographic. However, I do think that these lessons translate well into civilian life. If you are interested in reading some military anecdotes, this book may be for you! I think McRaven is an admirable man, not for his service (I am not someone who grants respect to people simply for serving in the military – and I know this will make a lot of people mad), but for his discipline, humility, and determination to have a positive impact on the world.
Make Your Bed" by Admiral William H. McRaven is an inspiring and straightforward book filled with life lessons drawn from his experiences in the Navy SEALs. McRaven emphasizes the power of small actions, like making your bed every morning, and how they can lead to greater discipline, resilience, and success in life. Each chapter is a valuable reflection on perseverance, teamwork, and facing adversity with courage. This book is a quick but powerful read that reminds us that small, positive habits can have a big impact. A must-read for anyone looking for motivation and practical wisdom to improve their life.
Best Wishes From
Author - [a:PINTU SAW|32774639|PINTU SAW|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1740471621p2/32774639.jpg]
Book - [b:NOBODY HELP YOU CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS|228750201|NOBODY HELP YOU CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS|PINTU SAW|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1741200959l/228750201._SY75_.jpg|239714278]
Best Wishes From
Author - [a:PINTU SAW|32774639|PINTU SAW|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1740471621p2/32774639.jpg]
Book - [b:NOBODY HELP YOU CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS|228750201|NOBODY HELP YOU CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS|PINTU SAW|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1741200959l/228750201._SY75_.jpg|239714278]
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
hopeful
fast-paced
I listened to the audio book version of this in a few hours. Overall, great writing with inspiring take aways that anyone can apply to daily life.
This is a very short book, but the author still manages to repeat some of his stories several times. In one case he ends the story by addressing "the graduating class of 2014," which makes me wonder if this is simply a collection of recordings from several speeches he's given, thrown together into a tiny book with barely any editing.
This book is read by the author. He has a stereotypical military voice, which would be terrible for narrating anything except military stories. So in this case it works.
The stories could be useful for inspiring the listener to have more grit and persevere, so feel free to give it a shot.
A note I thought amusing: this book is 1 hr and 53 minutes long. Audible also has a "Summary of Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life. And Maybe the World" book that is 1 hr and 15 minutes long, which seems completely unnecessary. Ah well.
This book is read by the author. He has a stereotypical military voice, which would be terrible for narrating anything except military stories. So in this case it works.
The stories could be useful for inspiring the listener to have more grit and persevere, so feel free to give it a shot.
A note I thought amusing: this book is 1 hr and 53 minutes long. Audible also has a "Summary of Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life. And Maybe the World" book that is 1 hr and 15 minutes long, which seems completely unnecessary. Ah well.
A few life lessons learned during SEAL training and numerous special task missions that also apply to all walks of life. Simple lessons like making your bed well to staying strong during the darkest moments of life. Very inspirational.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced