Small Changes to Great Effect
Have you ever decided to make some big change in your life? Was there something you were not happy with, so you decided to “turn over a new leaf”? Did you spend a huge amount of your time and energy into trying to change that which you didn’t like?
Deciding to turn over a new leaf can bring a rush of enthusiasm
For many people, major changes in life begin with a huge rush of enthusiasm. Sometimes this can work but too often, we can find that the initial burst of energy – being poured into making these monumental life changes – slowly drains away. Many people discover that gradually, as the focus of energy dissipates, they find themselves sliding back into those same habits and patterns which they are trying to escape from. This can be an extremely frustrating experience!
In today’s fast paced world, most people want instant results.
Many people believe that any effort put into creating any sort of change needs to show some very fast results or they will lose interest and give up in the despair of “nothing’s happening, so why bother?” This usually results in lots of effort and energy expended for little, if any, lasting result. The truth is…
It’s the little things you do every day that will make a big difference!
The most difficult to change habit and the most insurmountable problems are both the inevitable result of the sum of all of your day to day experiences. Just as the internet is made up of millions of different computers all linked together to form a massive field of information, so too is your life built out of millions of interconnected memories and experiences.
Life is continuously being built out of tiny pieces of time
One small action connected to the next, and each one of these tiny pieces of your life, combine into the whole web of who you are. Many years ago, a wise man in India who was living in some very troubled times wrote down these words:
Carefully watch your THOUGHTS, for they become your WORDS.
Manage and watch your WORDS, for they will become your ACTIONS.
Consider and judge your ACTIONS, for they have become your HABITS.
Acknowledge and watch your HABITS, for they shall become your VALUES.
Understand and embrace your VALUES, for they become YOUR DESTINY.
Mahatma Gandhi
Each day brings slight and subtle changes. No matter how ingrained your habits are, no matter how deeply entrenched you are in your routines, at the close of every day you will be a little bit different from who you were that morning. The amazing thing is that you have the power to consciously decide in which direction you want that difference to be moving towards. One of the best known Chinese proverbs says:-
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao Tsu
On any given day the changes you make don’t have to be huge, earth shaking events. Simply decide what it is that you want, and then take small, conscious steps on a daily basis. It’s one of life’s paradoxes that sometimes the fastest way to make major, lasting, changes is to take things slowly. Just a daily series of steps repeated daily towards a conscious direction.
So tomorrow as you go through your day, look at every action you do, no matter how small, take a note of every person you encounter, from parents and children, bosses, workers, shopkeepers, strangers… everyone. At the end of each encounter ask yourself “In which direction am I moving? What will be the result of these actions repeated many times?”
For ultimately, at the end of our lives, all we will be left with is the journey. It will be the time spent on becoming what we are that will make up our lives. So make the most of each precious moment, and remember:
The little things you do every day really can make a huge difference!
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Bob Brotchie is a counsellor, mindset consultant and creator of "Conscious Living by Design"™. He writes for Anglia Counselling, is featured on various other websites and introduces us to many guest writers all covering topics related to mental health and wellbeing.
Bob provides bespoke counselling services to individuals and couples in the privacy and comfort of a truly welcoming environment at his Anglia Counselling company office, located near Newmarket in Suffolk, England. Bob also provides professional online counselling, for local, national, and international clients. The therapeutic models offered are bespoke to the client’s needs, especially those in receipt of 'childhood emotional neglect' (CEN), whilst integrating a mindful approach to psychotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles. For clients experiencing trauma and/or phobia, Bob offers EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing).