Navy SEAL Admiral says "make your bed!"

One of my goals for this year was to become rich in KNOWLEDGE. I got closer to that goal by finishing the book Make Your Bed by William McRaven recently.

William McRaven served 37 years as a Navy SEAL and retired as a 4-star admiral. From his book, we learn that you need to understand these principles if you want to change the world:

1)   Start your day with a task completed. Start off by making your bed. This gives your life structure and in the event your day sucks, hope that tomorrow will be better.

2)   You can’t go at it alone. Find someone to help you paddle. If you want to achieve your goals, its takes a solid team to help you reach those goals.

3)   Only the size of your heart matters. Measure a person by the size of their heart and not by their stature, gear or other parts of their appearance.

4)   Life’s not fair – drive on! Get over being a sugar cookie (unlucky person) and keep moving forward. Don’t complain or blame others for your circumstances.

5)   Failure can make you stronger. Don’t be afraid of The Circus (intense extra workouts). You pay for your failures and they will prepare you to handle the toughest moments in life.

6)   You must dare greatly. Slide down the obstacle headfirst. Those who live in fear of failure, hardship, and embarrassment will never achieve their potential. Without pushing your limits, you’ll never know what is truly possible.

7)   Stand up to the bullies. Don’t back down from the sharks. With courage, you can accomplish any goal and defeat evil.

8)   Rise to the occasion. Be your very best in the darkest moments. Reach deep inside yourself and realize you have the power to create a brighter future.

9)   Give people hope. Start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud. Smile broadly and give the people around you hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

10) Never, ever quit! Don’t ever, ever ring the bell (sign to officially quit during SEAL training). Someone always has it worse than you do. Refuse to give up on your dreams and be strong when the odds are against you.

It was an inspiring and quick read. Many people also know William from his famous commencement speech at the University of Texas: