Small Changes

Small changes add up.  Little by little, bit by bit.  

Suppose you start waking up 30 minutes earlier each day.  It’s a pain in the rear at first.  But gradually you find that you like having the extra time in the morning.  Soon you’re looking for ways to extend it further.  You start going to bed sooner, adjusting the bedroom to maximize your sleep, and eating dinner earlier.  You start tackling your most important projects first thing in the morning. Next thing you know, a simple intention (wake up earlier) has transformed the way you engage with your entire day.

Suppose you’re accustomed to listening quietly during meetings, and speaking when called upon. But one day you decide you’re going to speak up, just a little bit more than yesterday.  Then you do it again, and again, for multiple days in a row.  It’s uncomfortable, for sure, but each day it gets a little bit better.  Next thing you know, you’re seeking out other meetings to participate in.  You’re calling your own meetings. You’re leading meetings that include your boss and their peers.  Before long, meetings are no longer an event to be endured, but a critical part of what makes you a successful leader.

Small changes matter.

Because they’re relatively easy to begin.

Because they add up.

Because they build momentum. 

And because they open the doors to possibilities that you haven’t even considered.

What small change, if begun right now, and repeated most days, would have a profound effect 3 months from now?  And if you can climb that mountain, what do you imagine you might be able to see, from standing on that peak?