Do You Need to Make a Change?
If you are like me, you may look at your life and think, “Something has to change.” But sometimes when we decide to make changes in our lives, we start out with the BIG things.
For example:
- Trying to lose 50 pounds.
- Going back to school full time.
- Cleaning the entire house.
- Buying a gym membership.
- Going to church 3 times a week.
All of those things are good, but often times we bite off more than we can chew and we find ourselves failing instead of succeeded. Disappointed instead of proud.
Perhaps we have been trying to do too much too quickly. I propose the concept of making several small changes instead of one or two big ones. Think about what you want to accomplish or how you want to feel. What small changes can you make to jump start that?
Let’s say you want to get into an exercise routine to get fit or lose a few pounds. Do you need to pay for a gym membership? No. You could start small and do 10 sit ups every day. Or take a 10 minute walk every day. That in and of itself may seem like it won’t do much to get you to your goal, but in reality it is setting you up for success.
After a while the small things you are doing become motivation to take on more. Incorporate more positive changes into your life.
Another example is saving money. That is something I usually have a hard time with. But this past January, I decided to do something different. I made a point to put a certain dollar amount into a savings account every time I get paid. It’s not a lot, but I have been able to do this routinely and it encourages me to add even more when possible. It’s nice to see the amount grow. This isn’t a big change, but a small one that is making a positive impact on my life.
What Small Positive Changes Can You Make?
Here are just a few suggestions. I’d love to hear your ideas.
- Make a point to be extra kind to at least one person every day.
- Clean one surface before you go to bed.
- Take a 5 minute walk daily.
- Save all of your pocket change in a jar each night.
- Set time for prayer or meditation.
- Eat one extra piece of fruit or veggie daily.
- Sing in the shower.
- Make a list of to-do’s for the day. Check off when completed.
- Substitute water for one of your other daily drinks.
- Send a thoughtful text or email to a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Do this monthly.
- Go to church or bible study weekly.
These are just a couple of simple, positive habits that can help better or enrich your life and even give you an improved outlook on life.
I think that you are right that in order for us to accept big changes in our lives we need to start with smaller steps first. It’s a lifestyle and we are creatures of habits so we can’t go from eating burgers, drinking coke, and watching 4 hours(or more!) of tv a day to drinking tea, meditating, and eating quinoa the very next day. It takes patience and practice. Great post!
Very nice and motivating article. All the points you mentioned are so correct . We all push too much to make the positive change overnight but rarely we find success. Small change and discipline is the key to achieve big goals in long term.
Progress not Perfection has been my motto all year!
Love this! I absolutely agree that it is so much more effective to focus on smaller goals than bigger ones. Smaller ones are easier to grasp and get a handle on and eventually lead up to your big goal! Thank you for sharing!
Great read! I found the article very motivating in these times when things have pretty much become stagnant. Making small changes daily and being persistent is what finally leads to success.