Getting into good habits is always easier said than done. I know almost every week starts with me setting myself a new routine, that slowly vanishes as the week goes on. There is also a lot of toxic positivity in the world, where rich influencers will pop up on your social media timeline telling you how to be as successful as them or how eating more of this food will get your dream body.
But if you are someone like me, who struggles to quickly adapt to big lifestyle changes, then it’s important to understand that you may need to start making changes in much smaller bite sizes
For those of you who were not forced to watch it in school – there is a famous speech on YouTube made by Admiral Harry McRaven, a four-star admiral who served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations. He addressed the University of Texas back in 2014, his speech now has 15 Million Views on YouTube. In his speech he started by saying “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” These words are met by a laugh from the crowd, however it is what McRaven’s says next that makes this speech so famous. “If you make your bed 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 if by chance you have a miserable day you will come home to a made bed… and it will give you a sense of encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”
Of course, this piece of advice from McRaven might seem small, but it also makes a lot of sense. We should start each day by completing the small tasks like tidying your room, eating your breakfast, or even just simply getting out of bed. We all will have different challenges to overcome each day, so why not take one small step at a time?
McRaven’s speech is still used as a source of inspiration for many people on those days where we are feeling so fed up with life’s pressures. So for anyone struggling to start the day I would highly recommend giving it a watch. But if you don’t have time to, or simply forget I will leave you with one of the speeches more valuable lessons:
“If I have learnt anything in my time traveling the world it is the power of hope. The power of one person. “Remember… start each day with a task completed. Find someone to help you through life. Respect everyone. Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often. But if you take some risks, step up when times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden, and never, ever give up—if you do these things, then you can change your life for the better… and maybe the world!” – Admiral H. McRaven
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