Small Wins, Big Momentum
September 14, 2025
Reflect
In his famous commencement address at the University of Texas, Admiral William McRaven spoke about the lessons he carried from Navy SEAL training. One of the first tasks each morning was deceptively simple: make your bed.
At the time, it felt trivial. Yet McRaven came to understand its deeper meaning. Making the bed meant beginning the day with a win. It created a foundation of discipline and momentum that carried into every challenge that followed. And when the day was grueling, the act of returning to a neatly made bed was a reminder that progress had been made.
But McRaven’s speech carried another lesson just as powerful. During a punishing training exercise, the cadets were forced to spend hours standing neck-deep in freezing mud. Morale collapsed. Then, one voice began to sing. Soon others joined in. The song did not change their circumstances, but it changed their perspective. Hope and courage spread, and the group endured.
McRaven told the graduates, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” Yet his deeper message was this: resilience is built in the smallest actions — the order of a made bed, the defiance of a single voice in the dark, repeated until they shape something extraordinary.
Implement
Choose one simple, repeatable action that can become your “bed-making” habit this week.
It might be reviewing your priorities each morning.
It might be writing one sentence in a reflection journal.
It might be sending a daily note of encouragement.
Then ask yourself: what is one way you could “sing in the mud” for others? Maybe it is sharing encouragement in a tough meeting, bringing optimism into a challenging project, or being the voice that steadies the room.
Commit to one personal habit and one moment of encouragement this week. Both are small, but both build momentum.
Strengthen
Success is rarely built on dramatic leaps. It comes from steady steps repeated with discipline. That was Admiral McRaven’s core message: you change the world by starting with something as simple as making your bed.
Watch Admiral McRaven’s 6-minute commencement speech clip to see how he brings this lesson to life.
Elevate
Resilience is not born in extraordinary moments. It is forged in the ordinary ones, repeated with courage and purpose. One small act of discipline and one voice of hope can change everything.
Momentum Insight
McRaven’s story reminds us that discipline and hope go hand in hand. AI can help you strengthen both by designing practices that keep you steady and by offering new ways to encourage others.
Try this:
“Acting as my resilience coach, design three five-minute practices I can use this week to build consistency and keep perspective during challenges. For each, explain how it strengthens both me and the people I lead.”
Then refine your results by pushing further:
“Make these practices more creative.”
“Adjust for someone who travels often.”
“Suggest one practice that encourages my team, not just myself.”
The lesson is simple. AI is not a vending machine. It is a thought partner. The more you guide it, the more useful and meaningful its suggestions become.
Next week: The Power of Grit: Comebacks are built on persistence, not perfection.
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