PDF Summary:Make Your Bed, by William H. McRaven

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This habit became important later in McRaven’s life. When 9/11 happened in 2001, McRaven was stuck in a hospital bed at home after a parachuting accident. It was maddening for him to be convalescing when his country was beginning its fight against terrorism. He was eager to recover and get back to work. The first thing he did when he was finally able to get up was make the hospital bed. This act symbolized his return to normalcy after his injury and his readiness to move forward.

McRaven’s life as a soldier was often difficult. In a time of war, service members die, the work is hard and taxing, and the threat to your life is ever-present. It is difficult to stay focused and hopeful at times, but he always found solace in the simple task of making his bed. And in his often ugly world, the pride that action gave him was everything.

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McRaven was sent into a spin and continued to plummet toward the ground. He tried to deploy his parachute to straighten out, but the ropes were tangled around both legs. The parachute caught air and ballooned above him, pulling his legs rapidly in different directions. His pelvis detached and damaged the muscles in his stomach and back.

After surgery, in which he received a titanium plate in his pelvis and a stabilizing screw in his spine, he was confined to the hospital bed at home for two months. He became depressed and wallowed in self-pity. He’d always believed he was physically fit enough to be impervious to injury. He’d proven as much several times during dangerous situations in combat, such as prematurely detonated bombs or sinking submarines.

Fortunately, his wife took care of him and reminded him who he was. She refused to let him wallow or complain, and he slowly started to feel like himself again. Still, the likelihood that the Navy would reinstate him after his recovery was small because of his physical alterations. But his boss worked around the system and helped him get reinstated into the SEALs.

McRaven knows that the only reason he made it through that...

... The other experience was when McRaven was visiting the SEAL training grounds as a hopeful. He was waiting to meet with the recruiting officer when he saw a lanky, hippie-looking man loitering outside the recruiter’s office. McRaven felt sorry for the man. Someone had clearly given the man false hope that he could be a SEAL.

Halfway through McRaven’s meeting, the recruiting officer called the lanky man into the office. He introduced him to McRaven, stating that this man was the last recipient of the SEAL Medal of Honor for his valiant actions during Vietnam. McRaven was amazed to learn that this man was a hero. He’d gone into enemy territory to rescue two soldiers and taken a bullet to the face. He recovered from his injury and was now a member of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue squad.

Both of these instances taught McRaven never to judge someone by their appearance. Despite both of these men appearing weak and unsuitable for the SEALs, both had the heart of two men and had accomplished amazing feats.

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When McRaven was fully covered with sand, including inside his pants and boots, Moki asked him if he knew what he’d done to deserve it. McRaven didn’t know. As an explanation, Moki said that sometimes life isn’t fair. McRaven was going to learn this lesson sooner or later, and it may as well be today.

At the time, McRaven believed this was just part of training and another cruel aspect of life as a cadet. But a year later, he realized the importance of that lesson and the strength required to live under its influence.

Lieutenant Moki collided with another bicyclist at 25 miles per hour one morning during a ride along the coast. He was paralyzed from the waist down and had limited use of his arms. For a man like Moki, this injury should have devastated him, for it essentially ended his life as he knew it.

Instead of complaining and giving up, Moki took the life he still had and made something new for himself. He became a painter, had a family, and organized a triathlon event for SEALs. He was able to push forward because he knew that sometimes life is just unfair. You can either accept it or spend the rest of your life resenting the world.

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This lesson came in handy years later when McRaven was fired from his SEAL team command post. He’d tried to implement changes to how the team operated, and his bosses didn’t approve. He was demoted and transferred to another SEAL regiment. Everywhere he went, the other officers looked at him like a failure. McRaven thought about quitting, but he didn’t. He used the failure to push him to work harder.

Eventually, he was able to prove himself as a strong and capable SEAL leader again. He was even given his own team after a few more years and later became the head of all West Coast SEAL teams. The decision to learn from his mistakes not only saved his career but also helped him reach heights he may not have felt compelled to work for otherwise.

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McRaven gave the orders to conduct a Black Hawk rescue mission in broad daylight. It would be an incredibly daring and risky mission with no element of surprise. But he trusted the abilities of the Black Hawk forces and knew they trusted their own. McRaven watched the mission from his headquarters. The helicopters dropped into the small compound efficiently and were able to raid the buildings and save the hostages within minutes.

McRaven believes in the British Special Air Service’s motto, “Who Dares Wins.” This motto helped him during both of the above experiences. He believes everyone should use this motto when approaching their lives.

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This courage in the face of a formidable enemy helped McRaven later when he was put in charge of supervising Saddam Hussein after he was captured. Even in captivity, McRaven saw the power Hussein held over the Iraqi leaders who came to admonish him. McRaven knew the only way to diffuse this bully’s power was to take it away. McRaven ordered his men to isolate Hussein and refrain from speaking to him. They were not to show fear or defer to him in any way.

Thirty days later, Hussein was a changed man. He had lost his arrogance and tyrant demeanor. The courage of the American soldiers had stripped him of his power and neutralized his threat. The Iraqi government found their courage to try Hussein, the man who’d ruled for decades under a reign of fear, and find him guilty of crimes against humanity.

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McRaven never forgot those words over his career. And he saw this sort of behavior in many men and women over the years. Most notably, he was always awed by the strength these service members showed after one of their own was killed in combat. They would take part in the ramp ceremony, in which the casket was draped in the American flag and placed on a plane to be taken home.

After paying their respects, these men and women had to rise above their grief and go back to combat and fight another day. They couldn’t let the darkness overcome them. They knew their fallen soldier wouldn’t want them to give up. This type of strength in the face of their darkest moment was inspiring and showed McRaven what it meant to be your best in the darkest hour.

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A trainee next to McRaven started climbing out of the mud. McRaven tried to stop him, but the pull of warmth and rest was too strong. Then, out of nowhere, someone started singing. It was a common song, and soon each trainee joined in. The instructor tried to shut the singing down. He insulted the class leader for his conduct and threw out a slew of threats. But the men kept singing. The trainee who’d started to climb out resettled next to McRaven.

The instructor smiled and went back to the fire. The singing had brought the men together and given them hope. If one of them could find the strength to sing during this horrendous moment, they could all find the same strength and survive the night. And they did.

McRaven saw a similar effect at Dover Air Force Base years later. The worst day of casualties the American military suffered in the War on Terror took the lives of 38 SEALs and Army soldiers. All of the families were waiting for the arrival of the bodies, and the atmosphere was grim. McRaven had attended many fallen warrior ceremonies, but he still felt incompetent in assuaging the family members’ suffering.

On this day, he watched as one man, Marine Lieutenant...

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One of the most significant examples of this refusal to give up came from a young soldier who’d stepped on a mine his first week in combat. McRaven visited him in the Afghanistan hospital and saw that the 19-year-old boy had lost both his legs and suffered massive burns to the rest of his body.

The boy couldn’t speak, but he knew sign language. Using a reference sheet, McRaven was able to hold a small conversation with the soldier. Before the boy drifted back to sleep, he signed four words: I will be okay. A year later, McRaven saw the young man standing with prosthetic legs. He was in uniform and back in the fold of his unit. He was joking around with fellow soldiers and looked every bit as okay as he promised he would be.

McRaven knew this young man refused to quit, even when faced with several medical procedures and months of rehabilitation. He stayed strong and stayed the course, and he made it through to the other side.

How to Approach Life and Change the World

Put all of these lessons together to use as a mode of operation for how to change your life for the better. Remember:

• Begin each day with an accomplishment.
• Ask for help when you need...