Little Steps

As this year draws to a close, I feel a mix of emotions, don’t you? Gratitude for all the blessings I’ve received. Sadness over the passing of loved ones. Concern over the seemingly unsolvable situations in the world. Regret over things done or left undone. Overwhelm regarding things yet to do.

I can’t do anything about some of those things, but I know from previous experience that if I’ll declutter my personal spaces, I’ll feel much more hopeful and function more efficiently as I do the things I can do. 

However, even improving my workspace seems a daunting task. But the day I vowed to sort and file the accumulated items in my “to be done” stack, I came across a 3x5 card on which I'd scribbled these words several months ago: “find little ways forward.”

As I dealt with the stack, I said to myself, Think about what runners do. When they’re running a marathon (26.2 miles) or a shorter distance, they do it one step at a time. Step by step, from start to finish, they stay on the course marked out for them. They know that each step brings them closer to the finish line. They don’t lollygag around or quit. They don’t look back. They look ahead, eager to reach the finish line. That’s what I’ll do in regard to sorting this stuff and to finishing important projects that I’ve set aside for far too long.

Encouraged by that insight, I’m feeling less overwhelmed and more determined than ever to find little ways forward in the New Year. I hope you are too.

Little Changes

Need to make some changes? I certainly do—lots of them. SIGH. Thus, I often feel overwhelmed to the point of giving up--or never starting at all.

Thankfully, I found encouragement today while reading a couple of emails from Nick Stephenson in which he says that even a 1% change each day will yield a 100% improvement in only 72 days (thanks to compound growth).

I’m no math genius, but I do know that one percent of anything isn’t much! For example, if I’m currently averaging 1000 steps a day, taking only 10 additional steps today, and just a few more than that the next day, and so forth, will eventually enable me to reach my step goal.

Another example: Years ago, a friend said, "Every night I remove all the coins from my pockets and place the money in a jar. By Christmastime, I've saved over $700."

Marla Cilley (aka FlyLady) also recommends taking “baby steps.” She says, "If your house is a mess and/or your life is in chaos, shine your sink every night before going to bed. Even that one small action step will motivate you to make other little changes." As we work toward reaching our goals, let's keep this FlyLady quote in mind: "We seek progress, not perfection."

All the folks mentioned above have learned that little changes, done consistently, do make a difference. We don’t need to “do the math” for every change. All we have to do is take a few more action steps toward various goals each day. We can do that! So...let’s get going!

And though you started with little,

you will end up with much.

~Job 8:7, NLT