Make your bed is a book about the little things in which can change your life and “maybe the world”. The book is based on a speech given by Admiral William H. McRaven in 2014 which simply stated that by making your bed every day you will have accomplished your first goal and that this will lead to you accomplishing many more goals. A video of this speech actually went viral and being the kind of guy who spends far too much time on their phone I first saw it a few years ago and I must admit that the video was very motivational. I am pretty sure it even motivated me to make my bed for maybe a week or two.
When a friend first told me they had bought the book I instantly remembered the video and had hoped that the book would be as motivational and uplifting so instantly went and bought it. I hadn’t looked the book up online I just put it in my basket and clicked “pay now”. Upon its arrival, I was very surprised at the size of the book and how this great navy seal could give his 10 life lessons in as little as 144 pages, especially as a considerable amount was simply just a transcript of the original speech. I must have been very bored that night as I had the whole book finished from front to back in under three hours including the obligatory breaks to check my Instagram feed.
To give credit where it is due the overall tone of the book was one of an inspiring nature and some of the life lessons made me think and gave me a short-term sense of purpose of which I was looking for. Despite the positive notions it often left me wanting more. It was essentially ten pages per life lesson and these would often include multiple stories which weren’t expanded on in great deal.
The best chapter and lesson was by far “start your day with a task completed” which was the chapter mainly covered in the speech delivered by the Navy Seal. It gives you as the reader a simple task which you can complete at home, giving you a sense of accomplishment which seems to be the overall aim of the book. This chapter made me feel good. Other chapters were a little bit too cliché and left me thinking “well no shit”. Chapters such as “Never ever quit” were filled with stories of these courageous men in wars such as Afghanistan never losing hope and fighting no matter the odds. These chapters were a lot harder to associate with. That being said, I did pass the book on to my mother as it is a short and simple read which has the potential to be life-changing for some people, especially during the current climate. Unfortunately for an Average Joe like me,
I finished the book less motivated than when I had watched the video.
7.0/10.
If you want to watch the video here is a link:
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