*This post was written a few months ago but I felt it fitting to post on this first day of 2023 when fresh starts are on the forefront of everyone’s mind.

I’ve made my bed every day since January 3rd. Now to you, that might seem meaningless, but to me, it’s one of the most important steps I’ve ever taken. I know there are many out there who are conditioned to make the bed daily. It’s part of their morning routine. It might be part of yours, too. But it was never part of mine. Ever. I did not make my bed growing up. I did not make my bed through my college years. I did not make my bed through 20 years of marriage. It’s never been something I’ve done. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a made bed. Love it. I love how it makes a room so much calmer. I love how it makes every space seem cleaner. I love how a made bed makes me feel. I just never prioritized it in my life. There were too many other pressing issues that, understandably, took precedence in my limited brain space. And that was okay. If you are a non-bed maker, there’s no judgment here. I see you and I get you. You’re in a safe space. But I changed that recently and the impact of that one tiny change has been monumental. 

This year has brought some significant change in my life. I felt like I was spiraling often and I couldn’t ground myself. There was so much newness and a lot of transition. There were also some really hard days. So while I didn’t set any New Year’s Resolutions this year, I did vow to do one good thing for myself each day. I didn’t set any parameters around what that good thing would be, just that it was good for me and lifted me for a second.

On morning one I made my bed. It felt good to see it throughout the day each time I passed it, like I had already accomplished something. So on morning two, I did it again. And then again. And again. And again. For 215 days my bed has been made. It was such a small thing, but it felt so big to me. There were many days when I did much more than just that one good thing. Some days I worked out and ate healthy and socialized and drank a lot of water and checked off my entire to-do list. But some days, when things felt pretty low, making my bed was it. The only good thing I did. But I did it. And when I thought about that made bed, that one good thing, I felt pretty proud of myself. That one good thing allowed me a small victory, and maybe it will do the same for you. Because on days when things feel really heavy, that small victory can be something you cling to. 

So, want to make your bed with me? Want to give that “one good thing” idea a try? The beauty is it can be anything. It can be something as simple as making sure the dishwasher is unloaded each day or drinking 8 more ounces of water; it can be daily journaling or walking a mile or remembering to put on sunscreen or giving someone a compliment. It can be taking a 5-minute time out for you to breathe or meditate or remembering to take your daily vitamins or finally using that phone to make an outgoing call to your best friend (that’s a seemingly archaic function smartphones are still capable of, did you know?). It can be whatever task, large or small or anything in-between, that makes you feel good. And it can be consistently the same task or you can mix it up daily. The goal is one. One good thing. 

And you know what’s crazy about that tiny morning chore that takes me about a minute? It has empowered me. It makes me feel capable to take on more, to set a few bigger goals for myself. It has had such a positive domino effect in my life. I hope, if you join me and fill your life with one good thing every day, it does the same for you.