At Project Be You, we want our students to grow up knowing that they can change the world in whatever they do, even with the small things like making their bed each morning before leaving the house.
We instill in our students that the little things matter in life and that by having better productivity at the start of their day, they are now set up for success in the rest of their day. This gives our students the sense of taking charge.
“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” – William H. McRaven. The momentum gained from completing that first task of the day pushes our students toward the next and, by the end of the day, they’ll have a completed list. By doing the same every day, they allow for a thousand successful days ahead.
According to the author of “The Power of Habit,” Charles Duhigg, keystone habits such as making your bed each morning lead to “a greater sense of well-being and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.” Something that, of course, we like to teach our students so they can learn to be more independent. The Small habits in their daily lives will build up to create a better lifestyle overall because each good decision leads to another. Daily good decisions can even make you feel better, too. “And if, by chance, you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made…a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. (McRaven)”
Using McRaven and Duhigg’s philosophies, we encourage our students to start with the small things because the small things matter. Each small act is a building block to the bigger things. Because of the success of the small things, our students will be able to make a huge difference in their lives and the lives of their peers with the big things.
*Below helped with obtaining information:
https://www.thespruce.com/reasons-to-make-your-bed-every-day-350511
William H. McRaven’s Speech at University of Texas at Austin, 2014 –
https://youtu.be/X6ux4rhvTTs
Some books to check out for more on the topic:
“The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg & “Make Your Bed” by William H. McRaven