Tiny steady steps can lead to big results. A few years ago, I felt so frustrated with the endless weeds that popped up in the yard. I felt like Sisyphus. I would spend three determined hours pulling as many weeds as possible and feel completely exhausted afterward but proud that I had finally tackled the task. But, seemingly within minutes, a hundred new weeds would immediately appear. Each pulled weed seemed to have created two new ones to defy my efforts. How does anyone keep their yard nice looking without paying an arm and a leg for a landscaping company? It felt like an issue that was just not solvable.
Then one day, I conceived a radically different approach. I decided to come at it from a different angle, a new paradigm. What if I did something super small but did it every day? What if I pulled five weeds per day? A laughable number, given the unrelenting force of dandelion growth I was up against. But I decided to try it for one season, from April to October.
Every morning after our kids got on the school bus, I walked back to the house and plucked my five weeds a day. Initially, it felt useless, but I stuck with it. Then over time, something powerful happened. On some days, I wanted to do more. Some days I pulled out an entire bucket of weeds. Finally, I got one small area weed-controlled. It felt great. Don’t mess with me, dandelions!
As I stayed committed to the tiny small commitment that took less than a minute to complete, it became something easy over time, and I actually enjoyed pulling weeds on some days. It became part of my morning routine. It made me feel good to get it done and stick with this tiny thing. Some days I just wanted to get back inside, and I counted out “1,2,3,4,5, and I am out of here”. But I had still stuck to my promise. It feels good to do something daily that is small and aligned with bigger aspirations in your life. It generates hope. What else can I do if it’s possible to be victorious over dandelions?
If you tried this approach, what areas of stuckness would you tackle? What might be the tiniest step you could take every day? You can start by giving one change one minute of your time every day. Do it in the morning. That is the most likely time you will stick with it and give it a try. Will you do it? If yes, please share below.
We can feel completely stuck. But with the right approach, complex things can become manageable and solvable. We need each other to find solutions that work.
As a reinvention and business coach, I help my clients get out of their own way and empower them to make the changes they have wanted to make for a long time. So reach out to me, and let’s talk about how I might be able to help you just get things done because you are tired of having them drag you down.
#change #anything is possible with the right approach #change is possible #coachingrocks