Post #26 Small Steps; Large Result

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa

Some know the story of the one who thought they were the ugliest duckling; not like the others. Turned out to be a baby swan who grew big & beautiful. Don’t know what that one was thinking anyway; I couldn’t find any picture of an ugly cygnet (baby swan).

Worn out by an ambitious New Year’s Resolution? There is another way. Don’t give up; create some baby swans. Start with even really small goals; maybe imperfect ones. More manageable, do-able; less resistance & less daunting. Easier to ‘make it happen’; to achieve & maintain small goals. Gain some momentum & then grow & perfect the ‘swan’ step by step. We might write a list of many small steps that may lead to the same large result. Celebrate progress along the way (no matter how big or small).

Is already written about losing weight & getting fit with this “many baby steps” strategy. I’m not going to rewrite about those particular goals (it’s well trodden ground). Here are 3 different examples:

1.  Having New Year or Winter doldrums around now? Try making a small change/changes, like: a schedule change; the order of your daily tasks; picking an alternate route to walk or run; buying a colourful new t-shirt; trying brand new meal choices; etc. You can’t know if this may help, unless you try it. (If lacking energy & there’s a lack of sunshine where you live: if you don’t already take some Vitamin D supplement; maybe check into that factor too.)

2.  One very simple interpretation of the Butterfly Effect = “the idea that small things can have a big impact” & we often can’t predict what that impact will be (sometimes a good impact). One action unlikely to make a bad end result: being kind to other living beings whenever possible. & If you believe in karma, giving kindness to other beings may result in kindness received from yet other being(s); a happy thought.

“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop

Interesting calculation: If each person interacts directly with ~ 1,000 others during their lifetime (sounds possible) & some of those friends/acquaintances each have a separate 1,000 friends/acquaintances. Potentially then via 4 degrees, you might possibly influence ‘1,000 x 1,000 x 1,000 x 1,000’ = a total of billions of people? I wonder if that can be possible.

3.  ‘This Little Light of Mine, I’m Gonna Let It Shine’. Creating many ripples by taking positive action. I have read that a person who was “feeling negative about herself … decided to try a new way. She began sticking anonymous positive messages written on post-it notes in public places, writing phrases such as ‘you are beautiful’ & ‘you can do it’. 1000s of notes have now been posted all over the world”. Called Operation Beautiful, it “inspires humans to feel better about themselves & pass the message on…”. Where I live, one can buy post-it notes at discount/dollar stores…

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” – Margaret Mead
(What if we join them?)

Let’s remember, this doesn’t mean that your end goal needs to be small. Adult swans are Big. So:
“No matter how small you start, always dream big” – Stephen Richards