LogFAQs > #950651364

You may have seen this commencement speech from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014:

https://youtu.be/pxBQLFLei70

The speaker is Admiral William McRaven. He draws from his experience in US Navy basic SEAL training to illustrate how small decisions and acts can have huge effects on people's lives.

This speech was so popular that he published a longer form of it into a book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31423133-make-your-bed

I'm here to testify that the simple act of reading this book and following its advice has started the process of giving my life a total make-over these past 3 weeks.

January 24th was day 1 for me. I've made my bed every day since then.

I've read a book every day since then as well. McRaven's book took 10 days at a chapter a day, then I moved on to something else.

I've woken up (and, more importantly, gotten out of bed) at 7:30 every day since day 17. Prior to that I got up around 9:45-ish or just whenever.

I've done push-ups every morning since day 18. My chest is starting to feel better and stronger and wants to keep going beyond the number I set as my initial low bar, so I've increased it a little.

None of these things on its own sounds all that life changing but the culmination of it all has made me calmer, less anxious, happier, feeling like I can do anything. I'm a bed maker now. I'm a reader now. I'm someone who works out now. I'm someone who always improves myself now.

When stuff this good happens to ya, ya just gotta tell people about it.