Nothing starts big⇣
And this will still apply even if you are a “Happy Sexy Millionaire”, “the President’’ or “the Queen” — when you wake up, you won’t magically land in the bathroom or your workplace until you actually get out of bed first. It’s a gradual process; one which we often undermine or somehow seem to not register its significance.
On the contrary, if you have a magic wand to SPELL “abra-ca-dabra” so as to disappear, then maybe I shouldn’t have included you in this somewhat true but generalised statement. Even still, the steps in creating this magic to disappear will require you to:
- Set your intention
- Lift a wand
- Recite the spell
- Actually Disappear (action)
This is a bit like manifestation but I don’t mean the highly popularised & media enriched version of, “just visualise…and then it will appear!” I’m talking about manifestation in steps from setting the intention first, visualising it as though it is done and then the most important part being, taking the proactive steps in following up on the set intention(s) with action(s) on HOW you are going to acquire what you are manifesting for.
Regardless of your views and/or beliefs, be it scientific, magic, realistic and/or spiritual to name a few, it’s all a step-by-step process and you have to start somewhere! On that note, let’s get into some of the incredible impacts starting small makes:
Point 1
The expert was also once a beginner: This point made me recall the viral meme along the lines of “Lebroooooon James, Lebron, Lebron, Lebroooon James”. I’m sorry, I just had to do that and I know it’s not as funny typed out as it is spoken, or maybe it’s my dry sense of humor BUT, we can’t deny that he has reigned and continues to reign in basketball.
One thing I admire is the fact that he echoes that it doesn’t happen overnight! For every goal he has scored for his team, he’s also missed many times and so the keywords I’d like that you take away are:
- Little steps
- Practice
- Repetition and
- Consistency
A couple of weeks ago, I listened to the Diary of a CEO Podcast by Steven Bartlett who invited Matthew Syed as a guest and one of the memorable things I took away from their talk was that talent is simply not enough. This very point on“the expert was once a beginner” follows along the same pattern meaning that, regardless of whether or not Lebron James has a natural talent for basketball, he won’t have gotten to this stage without waking up each day to practice.
He is only able to excel in this field with practice and taking small actions each day to prepare him for a game. The same applies even if you are an engineer, a public speaker or you work at a desk — it’s the small things you do that add up just like how we hear people at the top of their game say, “don’t be mistaken, it’s taken me 10years to perfect an act that I can now do so confidently and within a couple of minutes” — and I get it!
Point 2
Analogy on trees being first seeds or roots and then they transform: I’m sure we’ve all marvelled at how gigantic some trees are when we go for a walk in the park or somewhere out in nature at least once in our lifetime. These trees standing on unshakeable foundations (root) first started out as just a seed and/or one root and then they soar over time.
Seed → Scale → Transform
To grow, you must allow yourself the time to fully mould and transform whatever you are working on (including yourself) into its/your full potential. Our fullest potential continues to change as we evolve — for instance, you may not want the same things you wanted at age 16, now that you are 28 & so, it’s important to highlight that time also plays a part in starting small too.
Point 3
Creates space for a learning opportunity: If you are trying to set up a business or wanting to practice mindfulness, it all starts on a blank slate. The only way the slate can look somewhat full is by learning. Here, you are able to prepare, make mistakes, do and redo until you have reached a level with which you are content.
But even still, as humans we find that one learning opportunity leads to another and if we take Jeff Bezos’ ‘Amazon’ for example; it first started as a bookstore and eventually became a platform that sells more than just books. I believe this is a great example that shows that the reality of Amazon today is counter-intuitive and almost always, if not all, great things do indeed start small.
The same applies to many of us living our own unique and individual experiences starting on one thing that leads us to another that’s completely different. I also believe it’s easier to handle small losses and shift your focus when something you have started doesn’t seem to be the right thing for you than when you are fully immersed into one big thing. Worthwhile or not, you stand to gain an experience and that’s got to count for something, right?
Point 4
The Piggy Bank Surprise — small is just as important — every little helps: Ever been completely surprised at how much money you’ve managed to gather in your Piggy bank once it’s counted? This is indeed a very appreciative and grateful moment because it never really occurred to you that you had built up this total amountand well, it almost feels like free money!
My point here is that, with the drop of every penny, you create a change regardless of how small it may be…so it doesn’t matter how slow you go or whether you fail to put money into your piggy bank for weeks. It will still be there — visible (to you) yet constant until you make the effort in filling it to shift with the keywords being, no matter how small — every little helps.
To conclude, I’d say that drive, talent, motivation, hard work, blah blah blah are great to have BUT it’s undeniable that all of them start with small habits and changes that you implement into your lifestyle.
If you made it here today, I hope this blog has been insightful- do stay tuned for my next blog — Overlooked factors in making a Positive Change for your Happiness!
Thank you for reading.
Donations are always welcome but never required.
Love & Light
Amida
