As a child my mother insisted we make our beds. It was a chore we were expected to do every day. My young self thought it was stupid…after all, you are just going to get back in it in a few hours, right? It turns out my mother was right (wasn’t she always!) But I never really figured out why until recently.

Today, every morning, I make my bed. It is one of the first things I do after arising. You should as well. Here’s why.

It isn’t an “I told you so thing”. Making your bed serves several purposes:

1. You make sure you accomplish at least one thing every day. The bed is made. You can check that one off your list. No matter what else happens the rest of the day you got at least one thing done.

2. You have taken control of your environment. We can’t do anything about the weather or climate change or the seasons but this part of my environment I can control. No matter how old you are you can make your bed.

3. It tells your inner self that you are important and valued. This is the most important reason. You got something done, you took control, but most importantly you say to yourself: “I am important and having my inner sanctum, the place where I spend so many hours of my life, the place where I expect my body to heal and rejuvenate, is important enough to keep neat and orderly. This place deserves my respect and I honor it in this simplest of ways.”

Let’s be honest how long does making your bed really take? If it takes me 5 minutes, I probably wasted 3 of them. It never takes me very long. It is a task I can’t fail at unless I just don’t do it. And, when I go to bed in the evening, my space is neat and orderly. My sleep can be deep and restful as my inner self has been respected and honored.

Make your bed. It’s important.

Namaste

John Mariotti
www.crossfit-odyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
Follow me on Facebook!
And now on Instagram…john.mariotti too!