Every Little Bit Helps
publication date: Oct 6, 2009
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author/source: Maisie Sleeker
By Maisie Sleeker, HHP, HLC 2
 “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” -Lao Tzu The term “self-improvement” is really just a euphemism for change, and lets face it – change can be daunting, overwhelming, and outright frightening. Some days we wake up full of energy and enthusiasm, ready to take on whatever the Universe throws at us, and other days it can be hard to even look at life with a positive perspective. But I’ve found that whenever I get overwhelmed it helps to take a step back, slow down a bit, and remind myself that “every little bit helps.” Doing just one thing, no matter how little it is, whether it be resisting that chocolate chip cookie, remaining silent when I feel like complaining or getting up early when I feel like sleeping in – not only takes me closer to my goal, but really makes a big difference in my mood and energy level. We all want to improve our lives in one way or another, whether it’s losing weight, getting a better job, deepening our spiritual practice or having healthier relationships with those we care about. Sometimes we have one specific goal in mind, and sometimes there are two, three, four, or even more aspects of our lives that we would really like to improve, each areas with multiple goals and improvements we want to make. This can be overwhelming, so it can be helpful to take a break from pressuring yourself to complete big tasks, and cut yourself some much-needed slack. People often jump headfirst into making a change without taking into account how helpful these small differences in their routine can really lead to big changes, and help ease them into those changes slowly. When we race to complete a goal or make a life-changing improvement, the discomfort of the new behavior can often be so uncomfortable that we just give up, thinking its much easier and more comfortable to go back to our old ways of eating unhealthy, thinking negatively, etc. These small, one-time actions build confidence and momentum, so that the next time you are faced with the temptation to repeat an undesired old behavior pattern, you can remind yourself that you resisted last time and felt great about yourself for doing it. CONCLUSION It’s not always overcoming the big hurdles in life that leads to positive change and self-growth, but sometimes just taking one step, even if its a baby step, can help you push past self-limiting barriers and help pave the way to personal achievement. So when you hit that plateau in your life where it feels like you are not making the gains that you were before, just remind yourself that every small step towards your goal gets you that much closer. About the Author  Maisie Sleeker is the Executive Director of the Self Improvement Association and the Editor-in-Chief of Self Improvement Magazine. Maisie is a certified Holistic Lifestyle and Nutrition Coach as well as a yoga practitioner and uses her training and experience to inspire others to strengthen their mind, body and spirit. You can contact her by email at Maisie@sia-hq.com |