E206: If You Want to Change the World... Start by Making Your Bed

“If you want to change the world… start by making your bed.” It’s a bold statement I read in Admiral William McRaven’s #1 New York Times Bestseller: Make Your Bed. But after years of repeating this daily practice, I stand by this quote wholeheartedly…

[00:47] Growing up, my parents didn’t seem to care too much if the bed was made or not. It wasn’t something they put emphasis on.

It actually wasn’t until my early twenties that I started making my bed! At the time, I didn’t realize it would change my life.

I started this habit so long ago that the exact details are a bit foggy, but what I can tell you is that making my bed helped me mentally and emotionally when I was going through a really tough time with feelings of anxiety and depression. One of the main reasons - and I know this sounds a bit silly - was because once the bed was made, I didn’t want to get back in it, so I would have to start the day.

It was such a simple action to do, that it was worth trying out. The truth is, when you’re feeling down you lack motivation, desire, purpose, passion, and truly this was where I was at. I didn’t want to do much of anything. What I knew at the time was that I didn’t want to feel this way anymore, and making my bed was so effortless it was laughable - so I tried it out.

I also decided to measure and track this habit. Even though it didn’t seem like much at all, it quickly became an easy win to start the day!

Within a few weeks I began to notice its positive effect in my life. I recognized that I had achieved something: at the beginning of my day, I did something and I checked off a box and I had a win for the day.

This actually started to set me up for multiple wins throughout the day. It gave me the motivation to take small actions, and to set myself up for more achievements.

The impact that this has made on my life has been so incredible in the long term, and I know that it sounds really simple to make you bed — because it is — but that’s the power of habit and doing something simple everyday. It leads you to a bigger transformation!

You might have heard of the book I mentioned in the intro of this episode: Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven (subtitle: little things that can change your life… and maybe the world)

Right away, the book starts off with: “If you want to change the world… start off by making your bed.”

I am a certified Health Coach that specializes in Healthy Habits. I help people making an impact prioritize their own health and wellness, without adding to their already busy schedule, so that they can feel great in their body and show up powerfully for the people depending on them.

Part of how I help people is by working with them to create their dream life through intentional healthy habits.

It’s the small, seemingly insignificant behaviours we do every single day - just like making our beds - that help shape our identity to becoming, and embodying leaders and change-makers!

Making your bed every morning is the one constant you can have in your day. No matter what else happens, your bed is made, and when you come back home, ready to rest your head, you’re reminded of your constant, of your achievement.

You can be camping, traveling, house-sitting, wherever and still practice this habit.

I always feel a sense of pride when I see the bed made. It’s not of the same standards as Admiral McRaven with hospital corners. I’ve never tried to bounce a quarter off of it, but it’s made and time/effort was taken to make it.

Making the bed is a ritual to begin the day. And that trickles into other areas of our lives. How we do one thing is how we do everything.

In the book, Atomic Habits, Author James Clear writes: “The more you ritualize the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things.”

That’s what making your bed is; a two minute ritual that leads you to another productive behaviour, and another small win, and another.

Overtime those impactful days, those small wins compound and you are doing great things!

If making my bed every day could change my life; my attitude; my mental and emotional health… What else could be achieved through my tiny habits?

What intentions could we put into the small, seemingly insignificant behaviours that we are already doing every day to make a great impact?

[06:25] Here are some small habits many people perform every day:

Showering
Brushing teeth
Putting clothes on/changing clothes
Making/eating a meal
Drinking (water)
Unlocking/opening phones
Answering emails/texts
Daily skincare routines
Sitting down to relax on the couch

And I’m sure there are a hundred other actions we could add to that list. At first glance, this list seems pretty basic. Lots of neutral habits, meaning they don’t add any value to our day, but we need to do them, and they also don’t take away from our life either.

So what if we treated these habits like we did making our bed?

Instead of living our lives so automatically, we could shower with the intention of washing away the day before, or the staleness of sleep and start the day fresh.

We could dress in clothes that made us feel good in our bodies, our favourite items that elevated our sense of self worth.

We could take a few deep breaths before answering emails and transitioning to the next email.

Now, what if we sprinkled in a couple more 2 minute habits that did add value to our lives? Habits like:

Reading a couple of pages of a personal development book a day
Getting outside into nature for a short walk
Encouraging our positive self talk
Stretching while watching TV instead of sitting the whole time
Meditating or taking a few minutes of mindfulness before bed
Spending quality time connecting with our loved ones
Moving our bodies

It's the small habits. How you spend your mornings. How you talk to yourself. What you read. What you eat. Who you share your energy with, that will change your life.

I mentioned that our habits compound. That includes our good and bad habits. When something compounds, it’s like a snowball: it keeps building/collecting/accumulating.

Since the actions are so small, we don’t notice the changes right away, but one day we do. One day we see the transformation. This is why these small behaviours are so important.

If our good habits are compounding, this is a positive change. If our bad habits are compounding, this is a negative change. And even though the transformation seems like it happened so quickly - it didn’t. So if we want to reverse the change, we have to do so with the opposite small habits and more time.

[09:23] When I’m working with my clients, and they come to the realization that where they are now is a result of negative small decisions and actions that they’ve made, sometimes they feel discouraged. And although I deeply understand this: I have been there! It’s important to remember that positive change and progress is possible.

Together we can shift your small habits to make a big impact.

In fact, we can start today! If you want to build better habits, I have a free workbook for you! This is your step-by-step guide to creating consistent habits that matter. You know... the ones that bring you closer to the best version of yourself, and make a greater impact on the world around you.

A month from now… you can either have a month of progress OR a month of excuses why you didn’t start.

So if you want progress, head over to www.valerielavignelife.com/habits and download the free guide.

Need a new habit to start incorporating? Start with making your bed.

Because I can tell you from my own experience that making your bed can change your life, and can possibly change your world.

For myself, some of the big transformations that happened weeks, months, and years after starting and continuing this habit were:

Taking a solo trip backing packing through central america and mexico
Starting the women’s empowerment blog, turned into women’s empowerment podcast
It was creating a coaching business that helps other people create their own habits
I’ve been able to purchase a brick and mortar business, a goal I’ve had for YEARS!
Meeting myself and creating that best version of me and becoming Her
Connecting with like-minded people
It’s getting closer to my family
Meeting an incredible partner
Cultivating stronger friendships that I ever thought was possible, including some of my best friends all over the world.

And when I think back to the foggy details of when I started making my bed, I think back to that sad, unmotivated version of myself. I want to hold her and squeeze her and tell her, .”everything is going to be fine!”

And at that time I had no idea! But here I am, I’ve built a business around healthy habits – so clearly I’m very passionate about it!

Podcast Host

Valerie LaVigne

Valerie is the creator and founder of Valerie LaVigne Life and the Women's Empowerment Show. She helps busy and empowered women create healthy habits so that they can become the best version of themselves and transform their lives. Learn more about Valerie here!