When we have something big to accomplish we don’t like the idea of starting small. Small feels, well, small. And if we’re after a big thing it feels counter-productive.
We want to take a flying leap not a little hop.
I know that’s been true for me in the past. However, I’ve found that most times that “flying leap” becomes counter-productive.
When we “bite off more than we can chew,” we end up choking on it.
Starting small is powerful because it’s sustainable. Then after starting small we can add more “little by little”.
The power of small and little can do amazing things in our lives.
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. —Zechariah 4:10
PERSPECTIVE
Starting small and little by little aren’t new principles but we often neglect them because of our perspective.
We understand and nod our head in agreement with these popular phrases:
- Little things mean a lot
- Good things come in small packages
- It’s the little things that matter
- Little things add up…
When we hear those lines about small and little things we tend to have a narrow view.
We think about doing something nice for someone, and how it makes them feel good.
We focus on the littleness, the smallness.
It’s cute.
We go aww.
We feel all warm and fuzzy.
Which is fine, at times.
However.
When we have a problem, a big task or goal in front of us we see an elephant, a mountain.
Elephants and mountains are huge.
When we focus on the hugeness of a problem, issue, task, or goal we view little by little and small as impotent and ridiculous.
Changing how you see small things and little by little will empower you.
There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time. —Desmond Tutu
THREE THIEVES
Starting something requires a certain amount of faith. Little by little requires a certain amount of patience.
Three things will attempt to steal those from you.
- Fear
- Hopelessness
- Impatience
Anytime we want to step into new territory fear shows up.
When we don’t see the power of starting small, or taking steps of little by little, hopelessness paints an ugly picture.
When we are unwilling to start small, and yield to the process of little by little we become impatient.
Fear, hopelessness, and impatience are thieves. They will rob us of the certain victory starting small, and little by little can provide because we will give up before we even begin.
What is the remedy? Love. It drives out fear, feeds hope, and fosters patience.
Knowing you’re loved and loving yourself will empower you to stop the three thieves.
Character is built little by little, over days, weeks, months, and years, with thousands of small and seemingly insignificant acts of discipline.— Matthew Kelly
IF THEY CAN, SO CAN YOU
I first saw the power of small beginnings and little by little in an article in Prevention magazine. In their 2001 issue, they wrote: “Do Just One Thing: and beat the TOP 10 HEALTH THREATS”. I was intrigued. Just ONE thing??
It was a bold statement. But they had examples and testimonials to prove it.
- Patti LaBelle who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1994
- Willard Scott who suffered panic attacks on the air
- Bill Parcells who had open-heart surgery
- Della Reese who had an aneurysm
- Kathie Hagenah who weighed 300 pounds.
They all had a big problem. But they all took action, tapped into the power of little by little, and overcame.
Kathie’s story is particularly profound.
Kathie was not just overweight. She was grossly overweight. At her annual physical, her doctor gave her strange and powerful advice. Instead of getting on her case about what she weighed or her habits he asked her if she would be willing to start small.
Would she be willing to “give up one bad habit a year”. Just one.
Kathie chose giving up sitting on the couch to start taking walks on a nearby trail. Little by little it became routine. After the walking became routine she trimmed food portions until that became routine.
Just two little things she did opened her eyes to the power of little by little. This motivated Kathie to start adding good habits in the same manner.
Over the course of 3 years, Kathie lost 110 pounds. She knows it’s a permanent thing because it’s based on lifestyle changes, not quick fixes.
Once you have tasted the power of small beginnings and little by little you’ll believe in it.
You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t say ‘I’m going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that’s ever been built.’ You don’t start there. You say, ‘I’m going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid. You do that every single day. And soon you have a wall. —Will Smith
WAYS I HAVE DONE IT
ONE
How much exercise is “enough”? If you go searching online you’ll find a variety of answers.
I dismissed them years ago in favor of the principle of little by little. Even when a “friend” challenged me saying doing a little won’t do anything. She was wrong.
I felt so strongly about the little I was doing, I shared it in my interview with NABBW when I released my first book.
I have an exercise routine I do first thing every morning to wake up, stretch and strengthen my upper body and back. I started it many years ago and have added things as I find them useful. It isn’t elaborate or really very strenuous and it isn’t uncommon for me to do part of it with my eyes closed and in the dark before I am totally awake.
Seriously – I started small with just 5 minutes daily.
Little by little I added a new exercise and now I’m up to 15 minutes. I still do them in the same manner. They are my wake up routine. I do them even on vacation because they’ve become a part of me.
I understand this kind of routine isn’t preparation for a triathlon. But that never was my intention.
I don’t want to run a marathon or be in a triathlon. I want to be healthy, strong and live a long life.
TWO
Ten years ago I started using hand weights every day.
I started small with one-pound weights. Then I added five-pound weights, then ten pounds, then 15, and now last year I added 20-pound weights. Each one added little by little.
Recently I hurt my back and couldn’t pick up my weights. But I applied this same principle to get better. I practiced good self-care by putting heat on it and going to the Chiropractor. Little by little it got better and little by little I started using my weights again. In less than 3 weeks I was back to my normal routine.
THREE
I have a daily practice of spending time with the Spirit of Grace that I call my quiet time.
It was hard to start at first when I had little kids. Life can be hectic and busy for not just moms, but anyone.
What did is I started small with just 5 or 10 minutes a day. Then as I could I added more little by little.
Now I spend quite a bit a time with him and love it.
I get up early just to spend time with him every day. Even on vacation, or on a business trip because I can’t imagine it any other way.
FOUR
In 2019 I had a new mountain—cleaning my house. I used to enjoy it but being an author, coach, and speaker takes a lot of time. Cleaning my house became a daunting task that wasn’t getting done.
I started small with the practice of doing just one thing to clean my house every day.
It worked great….for a while.
When it started to not work anymore it was time for a new start.
We started small by hiring a company to come and clean a few key areas 2x a month. So far that is still working.
But if we need to add little by little, we will.
We can accomplish a lot when we’ll start small and then add little by little.
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. —Confucius.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO START?
- Need prayer? As I said I love spending time with the Spirit of Grace – prayer is a favorite of mine. Let me know how I can pray for you in the comments.
- Need help to love yourself enough to start – go here.
- Need help to give yourself grace for the process go here.
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