Don Roulo is the CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Life Quest. He is a life, career and business coach as well as a Certified 48 Days Workshop Facilitator. He travels nationally and internationally to conduct business and career training as well as marriage and family workshops.

By DON ROULO

I recently listened to a fantastic speech on YouTube by Admiral William McRaven. Admiral McRaven gave the commencement speech at the University of Texas at this year graduation. He is a graduate of the University of Texas and a 37-year officer of the Navy Seals. This is the kind of man who knows a thing or two about success and leadership. 

Admiral McRaven gave a 10 point list of how to change the world. I loved each and every point, but I decided to share my thoughts on his first point. He said if you want to change the world – make your bed. As a matter of full disclosure, my bed is not made every day, but it does give me a goal.

I believe most people have the inner desire to leave a legacy or change the world in some way. As I work with clients and talk with people it seems we come to a point where they ask, “What can I do to change the world?” I now have a new great answer – make your bed! How does making your bed change the world?

There are three simple, yet profound lessons you can learn from how making your bed will help you change the world. First, when you make your bed you are completing a small task which gives you a feeling of pride and accomplishment. Once you start our day with this feeling, it leads to wanting to continue that feeling throughout the day.  You complete one small task, which leads to another, then another, then another, then another. To change the world, do the things which bring you a feeling of pride and accomplishment.

The second great lesson of how making your bed can help you change the world is that it shows you have to do the little things in life to make the big things happen. I think all of us know the military does not miss even the smallest of details when it comes to a properly made bed. The corners have to be perfect and a quarter should be able to bounce off the top. Seemingly small or little things do not mean they are unimportant or insignificant. Any great accomplishment is made up of little accomplishments. To change the world, make sure you value and do the little things right because they will add up to great things.

There is one final lesson we can learn from how making your bed will help you change the world. You are going to have some bad days in life. There is no way around it. Plans don’t always go the way you thought they would go. In your personal and professional life there will be days when you feel like you did a 100 yard dash in a 90 yard gym – you hit the wall going full speed.  When you have those kinds of days you are eventually going to come home and want to go to bed.

You will want to crawl into bed to rest and let the cares of the day fade away. At this time, you will face two options. You will look at a messy, unkempt bed, much like the day you just had. Or, you can crawl into a clean, inviting and relaxing bed because you made it look that way before you left early in the morning. To change the world, make sure to get rest and let the cares of that day fade away.

To change the world – make your bed!

About the Author

Don Roulo is a life, career and business coach as well as a Certified 48 Days Workshop Facilitator. He travels nationally and internationally to conduct business and career training as well as marriage and family workshops.

As a business consultant, he has written business plans and worked to market products or services as well as organizing financial statements for investors. Because of his success in the sales and business arena, Don has been blessed with the opportunity to train, motivate and inspire others. His passion is to motivate and equip people to find their passion and achieve their goals and God given destiny.