“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 it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”
This is an excerpt from a speech given by the commander of the forces that organised the raid to kill Osama bin Laden, U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McCraven.
Growing up, I was the kind of person who always wanted everything to be in the right place. At a certain point, my ‘more creative’ friends weren’t eager to have me over at their house because it meant that we would dedicate the first 30–45 minutes putting the place in order.
Some ten Years ago, I developed a 10-year plan as to what my life would be and 10 years down the line, I have had to review, re-calibrate and re-strategize. Has it all gone according to plan? Hell no but I have realized that I am not too far away from the original goal.
Some are of the opinion that we should lead live without much planning and thought, and just face the day as it comes but I am yet to see success stories that support such theories. Those who have been able to achieve some amount of clout, from the art to the sciences, have attested to the fact that it made a whole lot of sense to have a vision.
I do not think that it is a herculean task to have a vision, the real task lies in setting plans to achieve the visions that we have. These plans need to be set from a global perspective to a localized one. If we do not make our days count, we certainly wouldn’t have amazing years.
In the first place, we do need to dedicate time each day to re-energize ourselves. We need to relax well. Relaxation could be having a drink with friends, working out with mates, grabbing lunch with acquaintances or dinner with family. During these moments, it is pertinent that we take time to bond physically, intellectually and emotionally with each other. We must remind ourselves about the importance of the family/friend moments. Paraphrasing the words of Anthony Brandt, ‘things may change us, but we start and end with family and friends.’
You must protect your mental space during the day. In today’s world, there is an overload of information and emotions. Hence, we must create for ourselves a balance. In as much as we try to be the shoulders for our friends and family to lean on, we must try to maintain a positive atmosphere in our workplaces, academic environment and family environment. We shouldn’t hesitate to get rid of negative vibes after having made efforts to improve the situation. We must know when to quit and begin again. The blind cannot lead the blind, to be able to help people and improve mental spaces positively, we must in the very first place take care of ours.
Having taken measures to build a positive atmosphere for the day and putting in place a relaxation plan, we must then take on the day with all the gusto we can muster.
Having a defined bed-time certainly does a lot of good. Recent research has shown that it is not just about getting enough sleep but about being consistent. An assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural science at Duke University School of Medicine made the following remarks based on a study she led: “ The more irregular these sleep patterns, the higher the risk for obesity, hypertensions and elevated blood sugar and the higher the projected risk of developing heart diseases over the next decade’. We may see these issues as inconsequential for young people but if we fail to take care of our health now, we would certainly pay a heavier price in the future. Recently, we see how a lot of young people fall ill with grave illnesses and these aren’t issues that suddenly erupt. Among all the hustle and bustle, we must remember that HEALTH IS PARAMOUNT. Without good health, you cannot hustle and without good health, you can rapidly become poor, especially in a developing country with proper health insurance.
After a good night’s rest, it is important that we get up when we have decided to. If we are able to command our body at that point, it is more likely that we will be able to pull through the rest of the tasks. If you wake up late, you would probably catch the bus late, get to work/school late and you will see yourselves spending the whole day trying to catch up with every other thing.
DISCIPLINE.
This word summarises everything. Be disciplined enough to have a plan for your live. A 5-year plan, a 1-year plan, a monthly or weekly plan but most importantly, a daily plan. Be disciplined to follow through your plan and you would be amazed at the result.
