Advice from William H. McRaven When your son or daughter starts their day, they might think about all that they have to accomplish that day, and it might feel overwhelming, impossible even. Being a student can seem like a full time job and a half. And it’s especially challenging because teenagers are still learning organization and planning skills. According to Admiral William H. McRaven, making today a success all starts with making your bed. “If you make your bed...you will have accomplished the first task of the day” So how does your child tackle the seemingly insurmountable list of things to get done for the day. By starting! It’s easy to get analysis paralysis when you have a lot to do, especially when those things are challenging. Start small, and nothing is smaller than making your bed! Getting that one thing done means you start off the day with a success. Your child has a space that is a little more ordered. They check one thing off the list, which creates momentum to check another thing off. “If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right” “Ok, so the bed is made. What does that have to do with the history paper I have to write?” That history paper is a series of small steps, perhaps even smaller than making a bed. Steps like -Open your book. -Take out a piece of paper and a pencil. -Read a paragraph And so on. Making the bed reminds us that the big successes we want in life are made up of innumerable small successes. Success for your day might be spurred on by the symbolic success of making the bed. Success on a chemistry assignment is spurred on by the success of taking the book out of the locker and putting it in a backpack. “If by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made” Some times, no matter their intentions or efforts, your child is just going to have a bad day. Coming home and seeing a well ordered space (or at least, their bed) is a reminder that they can succeed at something (even if it is as trivial as making their bed). It’s a reminder that they are doing the small things right, and, over time, doing the small things right will lead to success. It’s a small victory, but it’s a victory. It's a small bit of order in a day that might have been full of chaos. It's a small amount of control over a day that seemed completely out of control. I think there is something powerful about the act of making a bed. It’s a big, dominating piece of furniture in your child’s personal space, and it's order or disorder can make a big difference on the energy in the room. That said, there are lots of ways to have successes at the start of the day, like: -When the alarm goes off in the morning, count to 5, and get up immediately! No snooze -Go for a run first thing in the morning -Eat a healthy breakfast rather than junk -Write your plan for the day in your planner What does your son or daughter do to start their day off strong? Check out the full commencement speech here -Vince