Day 3 Message: Start Small, Win Big

Have you ever heard the famous “Make Your Bed” speech by Admiral William H. McRaven? It started as a commencement address at the University of Texas and has been watched millions of times because there’s something super simple and powerful at its core: if you want to change the direction of your life, start by doing one small thing right at the beginning of your day.

The idea is this: making your bed first thing every morning might seem tiny and almost silly, but it sets a tone. You start the day with a completed task. You chalk up a win first thing! That little success snowballs into more wins, another task, then another, just by building a habit of following through.

Here’s why that matters for you on your habit-making journey:

1. Small wins build confidence. Today’s world tells us that dramatic moments change everything. But science and psychology show that tiny habits, ones you repeat,  reshape how your brain thinks about yourself. Starting with something small signals to your brain, “I can do this.”
2. Early achievements create positive momentum. Getting one thing done first thing (like making your bed) gives your brain a boost of accomplishment. That energy helps you tackle the next thing, and the next, and the momentum keeps going.
3. Little things matter more than we assume. McRaven’s main point was that tiny actions create rhythm, and rhythm creates direction. The same goes for habits like your workouts, your choices at mealtime, or your spiritual practices. Each one reinforces that you follow through.

So here’s a simple challenge for today, inspired by the speech: pick one tiny thing you can do first thing tomorrow, then do it before you do anything else. It doesn’t have to be making your bed; it just has to be something you can check off early and confidently.

As I will keep reinforcing, change isn’t usually a single leap. It’s a series of small commitments that build belief. In habit-making speak, this is how change actually sticks.

Keep choosing the next tiny win today,  it really does set the whole day in motion.