This week I listened to an ebook, written and narrated by Admiral William McRaven (RET) called Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World.
McRaven shares 10 of the most valuable lessons that he learned as a US Navy SEAL including:
1. Start your day with a task completed. (Like making your bed.)
2. You can’t go it alone. (You need people in your life to get through the tough times.)
3. Only the size of your heart matters. (Passion and perseverance trumps talent.)
4. Life’s not fair, drive on. (No complaining, no blaming.)
5. Failure can make you stronger. (Learn from the things that did not go as expected.)
6. You must dare greatly. (Risks - don’t be afraid to take them.)
7. Stand up to the bullies. (Courage is needed.)
8. Rise to the occasion. (Sometimes you’ll lose someone very important to you…nothing you do can change the situation. Be your best in this dark moment.)
9. Give people hope. (Hope helps people to persevere.)
10. Never, ever quit. (Don’t give up!)
All of the lessons McRaven identified resonate with me - as I am sure they would with others who have had a bit of life experience. The situations that I face in my day-to-day life are not nearly as extreme as those of a US Navy SEAL, but they can cause significant disruption in my life. In order to adapt to changing situations, I try to change the way I think about the situation and change my routines in order to adapt.
If you're not much of a reader,
this book is also available through Audible, an online platform that creates audio versions of novels.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, our society has been confronted with abrupt changes in the way we work and the way we connect with friends, family, neighbours and community. Our usual way of doing things, connecting with others and coping with stressors in our lives have been upended. Social isolation and not knowing what the future holds can be challenging and it looks as though things are not going to go back to ‘normal’ anytime soon… We have to adapt.
Many thanks to Admiral McRaven for reminding us about these important life lessons - and that we have the resources within us to adapt to this new COVID-19 situation. The way we frame our thinking about our life situation is half the battle. Then aligning our daily routines with the way that we think supports positive change and effective adaptation.
Corinne Visscher