MAKE YOUR BED: LITTLE THINGS THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE ...AND MAY BE THE WORLD BY ADMIRAL WILLIAM H. McRAVEN - A REVIEW

 

 

I love the opening as it straightforwardly presented the entire concept of the book. A sense of discipline which could easily be transferred to other segments of the day. More remarkably was the notion that making your bed isn't an opportunity for praise, but it's expected of you. This therefore creates a sense of personal responsibility and not looking for attention or praise for the job ordinarily expected of you.

 

As a Muslim, I believe if one could have consistency in observing Subh prayer on time (usually observed at dawn), it could serve as making one’s bed physically and spiritually and could definitely proliferate one’s discipline status. It will provide the necessary discipline needed for that day and instill a spiritual connection that’s vital for that day. This is in agreement of prophet Muhammad SAW hadith which says, “Whoever prays Fajr is under the protection of Allah, so do not fall short with regard to the rights of Allaah, for anyone who does that, Allah will seize him and will throw him on his face into the Fire of Hell.” (Muslim 657)

 

In chapter two, Never Go It Alone; the author provides a lesson on team work, and more importantly networking. That in your life, you need people at every point, and when you have the right ones, they'll not just be there for you, but will inspire you to do more. It furthers highlights the limitation of being a human is, that we are not immune to tragedy which could happen anytime and anywhere. How prepared would you be for such inevitabilities? A silent call for reflection!

  

The author, in chapter three simply highlighted that heart is the alpha and omega as far as resilience and determination are concerned, not the body size. One cute expression that captured my attention was, "SEAL training was always about proving something. Proving that size didn’t matter. Proving that the color of your skin wasn’t important. Proving that money didn’t make you better. Proving that determination and grit were always more important than talent.”

The subsequent chapter was about the unfairness of life. It's a point to ponder that despite all the ingredients, one may not achieve the desired outcome. Yet, that shouldn't be an excuse to kill the dreams and hopes with excuse, complaints and blames. These attitudes of excuses, blames and complaints must be as far from one as possible. Prepare for the inevitable and drive through against all odd. The complaints and blames change nothing. He gave a touching story of Moki Martin, who despite been the best among the SEAL, yet he ended up on wheelchair due to a bicycle accident and not once, blame, excuses were his words. He ended the chapter with a beautiful quote; thus, "Don’t complain. Don’t blame it on your misfortune. Stand tall, look to the future, and drive on!"

 

Nobody's immune of mistakes and that causes failure, yet it shouldn't signal the end of the road but serves as motivation to be the best and give it in your best. Another lesson was for risk taking, calculated and thoughtful ones of course. The author affirms that life is a continuous struggle and therefore fear of failure, making a mistake or embarrassment shouldn't deter you from reaching your full potentials. In fact, life experiences proved that one reached their full potentials, many at times, when they pushed the limits citing numerous examples from his military career. But the most striking part of this was the motto of British Special Air Service (SAS) thus; "Who Dares Wins." He argued that we should all approach life with such philosophy to enable us to unlock our potentials.

 

And then standing up against the bullies is a great chapter that symbolized bully as a metaphor of any obstacle who dares to stand between your goals. He identified courage as the main ingredient that could singlehandedly defies any mishap that seeks to block your way. He exemplified that in narrating how they swam across an ocean with potential man-eater sharks. He proved that the nobility of his goal to become SEAL instilled a courage that even these sharks could never make him to back down. Such singular yet powerful quality (of courage) will tremendously help one navigate through his journey successfully.

 

"Hope is the most powerful force in the universe. With hope you can inspire nations to greatness. With hope you can raise up the downtrodden. With hope you can ease the pain of unbearable loss. Sometimes all it takes is one person to make a difference." Said the author which captured the lengthy chapter he dwelt on hope. He narrated the tragedy that befell men especially in military career from the internal struggle to quit the training to the inevitable sacrifice in the service and affirmed that it's only hope that keeps the spirit alive.

 

This book will truly be a great material to learn about the provisions and training superficially of course, surrounding the career of SEAL, as the author used real time experiences to support the arguments. One might end up admiring and pursuing career in the military, who knows? Though, I personally find mentioning that Saddam Hussein did not make his bed while he was US prisoner in Iraq under the care of the author as uncalled for. He had been a head of state for decades with staff meant for that and by the way, he was toppled and imprisoned, the circumstance was not normal.

"Quitting never makes anything easier.” In fact, the author argued that most of the times people quit, end up regretting such decision for their entire life, especially in monumental decisions, like career. He further sandwiched hope in the context of endurance and that being self-pity hardly brings any help. Most astounding example was their SEAL training session when 150 of them gathered in the first day for the six months toughest experience of their life; yet only 33 were on the same ground having successfully completed the course.

 

Despite the rollercoaster of events, experiences. Life learnt lessons, one powerful message stands tall and will wrap up this review with it.

"Life is full of difficult times. But someone out there always has it worse than you do. If you fill your days with pity, sorrowful for the way you have been treated, bemoaning your lot in life, blaming your circumstances on someone or something else, then life will be long and hard. If, on the other hand, you refuse to give up on your dreams, stand tall and strong against the odds—then life will be what you make of it—and you can make it great."

 

13th January, 2025