While these lessons were learned during my time in the military, I can assure you that it matters not whether you ever served a day in uniform. Our struggles in this world are similar, and the lessons to overcome those struggles and move forward will apply equally to all

Those are the words of Admiral William H. McRaven during his speech to almost eight thousand students from the University of Texas in 2014. I chose to start this brief article with those words because every day, more people want to improve their lives and mental health by following the advice of wise military men, and still, there are people who keep asking why a civilian should invest time of their life reading a book wrote it by military veterans?

The answer to that predicament is found precisely in the practical and empowering advice of Admiral William H. McRaven, as shared in his engaging book “Make Your Bed.” This book, which I highly recommend, offers a straightforward approach to adopting healthy and necessary habits that can significantly improve our lives on this planet. It’s not just theory, but practical steps that you can take to improve your life. Because of the high popularity of videos on the Internet and literature about self-improvement, many authors encourage people to make their bed as their first task to complete at the beginning of their daily routines. Admiral McRaven explains the benefits of completing this task in his book. I also found other valuable lessons that harmonize with contemporary psychology to find a more meaningful life with ourselves and the rest of the world.

For example, the author mentions the importance of creating purposeful relationships with other humans. This is an important lesson to remember, as we cannot deny the incredibly high sociability of our species. I also found different lessons that resonate with the concept of Antifragility (a property of systems in which they increase in capability to thrive due to stressors) developed by the author Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Although Admiral McRaven did not mention this concept at all, he gave us exciting examples that remind us that most of the time, we must accept feeling uncomfortable to achieve our aims. It was also emotional and meaningful to read the different stories of brave people he met during his military career. They are perfect examples of how life can throw us the most horrible tragedies, but we decide what kind of attitude we will adopt to face the different calamities we can find as human beings.

To conclude, “Make Your Bed” is a highly recommended book to anyone who wants to enjoy a light but profound reading about the lessons of a man built in the US Navy, but with a wise perspective about the human condition that can be applied to any person who wants to create a better life for themselves, and why not, to create a better world for everybody.