Admiral William H. McRaven gave a commencement speech at the University of Texas several years ago. In the speech, he shared that starting each day by making your bed can help change the world. He argued this initial completed task provides you with a sense of pride and sets a standard for further accomplishments throughout the day.
It’s easy to brush this off as “military speak,” however, having a set routine can yield both negative or positive results depending on our focus.
My father was a smoker for most of his life. Having started in his early teens, he smoked until the day he died over fifteen years ago. One of the first things he’d do in the early morning was to light up his first cigarette, which would be followed by many others until the entire pack was consumed by days end. Being young, I had no idea how addictive cigarettes could be but I knew it wasn’t a routine I wanted to carry forward into my adult life.
Rather than lighting up a cigarette, I chose to go for a run or head to the gym for an early morning workout. A negative habit and/or addiction by a parent provided a template for a path I wanted to avoid. Thankfully this was my choice and I didn’t become addicted to this or any other substance. Others aren’t so lucky. One cigarette leads to two or three and before you know it, the routine is embedded into your daily life.
Freedom of choice is a beautiful thing but it can be dangerous if we’re not careful. Choosing to have a stack of pancakes every morning rather than a healthier alternative may have health impacts down the road. Heart disease, diabetes and an unhealthy weight are just a few of the potential side effects. Establishing a different routine and sticking with it could prolong your life, happiness and ability to move freely with less pain and health problems.
Like many men in their early fifties, my hair is not only thinning but there’s a growing spot on my head where hair used to be. The proverbial bald spot upon my dome has been growing little by little over the years. Although I’ve used thickening shampoos for awhile now, I had no idea if they were actually doing anything given the fact that I can’t see in the back of my head. A friend recently commented that my bald spot looked, “better” and “less noticeable.”
A daily routine that I’ve stuck to religiously over the course of six years is paying dividends, or so it seems.
Speaking of dividends, having a good routine can be very beneficial when it comes to money as well. Rather than spending any extra money you have on items you can most likely live without, having a weekly/bi-weekly/monthly routine to save and invest it instead will allow your future self more freedom of choice. Putting aside as little as $10 per week adds up to almost $500 a year, not exactly chump change.
The routines we establish today may seem insignificant at first, but over time they can become the foundation for the life we ultimately lead. Whether it’s making your bed, exercising instead of smoking, choosing a healthier meal or putting $10 into savings, small decisions repeated consistently can add up to something much bigger.
We may not always control what life puts in front of us, but we do have a choice in how we respond—and sometimes the smallest routines can make the biggest difference.
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Patrick Byrne lives in Tega Cay with his wife and two daughters. After 25 years working for a Big 4 bank, he retired to pursue his passion for writing. Additional articles and content can be found on his blog (reverian1776.blogspot.com) and freethepeople.org.
Patrick can be reach via email at [email protected]
