Many of you probably saw the video of Admiral William H. McRaven’s 2014 commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin.  If you didn’t, take a look.

His key message was “If you want to change the world, start off by making the bed.”

By making your bed, every day, you accomplish something. You are rewarded with immediate satisfaction, as well as coming home at night to the pleasure of a bed well made. It starts off the day with doing one of the many things you’ll need to do: some will be completed, some will feel like a small step. This one is small, complete, and solely for you.

Much of what we aspire to is accomplished by taking those small steps every day: of how we want to live, what we think we should do, and what details we pay attention to. Yes, there are huge decisions in life: what career you choose, who you marry, having kids. But most of them really get made through all the small steps leading up to that moment. So pay attention to all the small steps. And make your bed.