“Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent finished.” Exodus 39:32
Admiral William H. McRaven has an incredible message that has lit up the internet. The most seen one was from when he delivered the commencement address in May 2014 to the graduates of the University of Texas. He is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command. The speech’s theme was this: “If you want to change the world, make your bed.” He wrote a book three years later called “Make Your Bed.” The speech and the subsequent book were profound. How can making your bed each morning change the world? Here is his premise: “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day, that one task completed will turn into many tasks completed.”
If you start your day with a task completed, it will motivate you to do another. Motivation does not magically appear, and neither does discipline - two things’ Admirals are pretty good at living and encouraging in their subordinates. I believe motivation is a component of discipline and making your bed is a small piece of something called “Laddering Up.” Laddering up is basically asking, “What are the best possible results of doing something?”
Making your bed - making the room look good, following through on any task, completing tasks, developing a lifestyle of finishing tasks, etc. If you discipline your lifestyle, habits, and goals, motivation develops and continues. McRaven suggests that the simple task of making your bed can have a ripple effect, inspiring you to tackle bigger challenges and approach them with a similar mindset of determination and attention to detail.
There is a similar theme I see in the Bible. Philippians 2:14-15 “Do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people, you shine like stars in the world.” So, make your bed, including getting rid of the sheet ripples.
