"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." — Vincent Van Gogh
I was speaking with a client at the beginning of the month who explained that they felt pressure to take "massive action" for the New Year, yet had zero motivation to get started...
...They kept saying, "If I don't take massive action, nothing will change!"
Personal Development gurus, like Tony Robbins (author, coach, and speaker), encourage Massive Action (big, bold, all-in action taken relentlessly until you are successful) as the secret to success. While this can be an excellent approach for building initial momentum and disrupting existing patterns, it is not the only way for everyone all the time.
I offered another possibility.
Sometimes massive change can take place through small, consistent actions and be a better fit for your current situation. Author James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, talks about implementing micro-habits that offer exponential results by compounding over time. He explains that, if designed to be obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying, actions will be relatively easy to repeat. By creating a repeatable system that follows this model, results become a natural by-product of how you are living your day to day life.
Back to my client...after more discussion, what she realized was that the massive action she had in mind was overwhelming her and even just thinking about it was exhausting. By wanting to do it all (and perfectly), she was paralyzed, leading her to do nothing.
Together, we started breaking her ideas down into smaller pieces, and looking at how her lifestyle, daily rhythm, and internal and external environments were either helping, hurting or neutral to her vision. We looked at ways to experiment with new systems and processes to be supportive of her vision, creating an organic pull forward (and without forcing her to dig deep for uninspired motivation!).
When a large ship changes course out at sea, it can change its navigation by only one degree and, over time, change course by thousands of miles. This is what occurs with us, as we implement small changes that over time have massive results.
The famous painter Vincent Van Gogh said, "Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." I see this clearly represented in his paintings (i.e. The Starry Night, pictured above). While each little dot may not seem impactful, the sum of the parts certainly is.
In what ways can you approach your big fat goals with tiny tweaks to your process? Your life is a masterpiece, and every stroke counts...
...even the small ones!
Wanna talk it through? Let's connect.
BWell,
Rebecca
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Personal Development gurus, like Tony Robbins (author, coach, and speaker), encourage Massive Action (big, bold, all-in action taken relentlessly until you are successful) as the secret to success. While this can be an excellent approach for building initial momentum and disrupting existing patterns, it is not the only way for everyone all the time.
I offered another possibility.
Sometimes massive change can take place through small, consistent actions and be a better fit for your current situation. Author James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, talks about implementing micro-habits that offer exponential results by compounding over time. He explains that, if designed to be obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying, actions will be relatively easy to repeat. By creating a repeatable system that follows this model, results become a natural by-product of how you are living your day to day life.
Back to my client...after more discussion, what she realized was that the massive action she had in mind was overwhelming her and even just thinking about it was exhausting. By wanting to do it all (and perfectly), she was paralyzed, leading her to do nothing.
Together, we started breaking her ideas down into smaller pieces, and looking at how her lifestyle, daily rhythm, and internal and external environments were either helping, hurting or neutral to her vision. We looked at ways to experiment with new systems and processes to be supportive of her vision, creating an organic pull forward (and without forcing her to dig deep for uninspired motivation!).
When a large ship changes course out at sea, it can change its navigation by only one degree and, over time, change course by thousands of miles. This is what occurs with us, as we implement small changes that over time have massive results.
The famous painter Vincent Van Gogh said, "Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." I see this clearly represented in his paintings (i.e. The Starry Night, pictured above). While each little dot may not seem impactful, the sum of the parts certainly is.
In what ways can you approach your big fat goals with tiny tweaks to your process? Your life is a masterpiece, and every stroke counts...
...even the small ones!
Wanna talk it through? Let's connect.
BWell,
Rebecca
If you enjoyed this, please sign up for Insights In My Inbox to receive the next one delivered to your Inbox. Get More Here
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