I’m not so crazy about change. But change comes in many forms for all of us.
Many people assume that meaningful change begins when they decide to become a different person. In reality, lasting change often begins in a much simpler way. It can start by changing the routines and habits that shape our everyday lives.
I know this from experience. Small adjustments to our environment can have a remarkable effect on our behavior.
It can be simple, little things. Like keeping healthy food where it is easy to see will encourage better eating. Or that doom scroll. Turning off unnecessary phone notifications reduces distractions. Having a notebook open and ready makes it easier to begin writing or planning.
I learned this simple rule from someone I met in Minnesota about 21 years ago. She used to say, “It will only take two minutes.” She meant that if a task takes two minutes or less, we should just do it now. Easy peasy. It keeps everything manageable.
None of these changes is dramatic. At all.
That is exactly why they are so effective. We aren’t depending on some super willpower. We don’t have to wait until we feel motivated. We don’t have to wait for some magic wand to come along and make change possible.
You see, these little things make good decisions easier to make. They will work on ordinary days. On those days when we are tired, busy, or distracted.
Improving our lives does not always require major life changes. Often, it comes in the small.
Little things that help us become the person we hope to become.
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“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” — Vincent van Gogh
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“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” — Robert Collier
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“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” — Mark Twain
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“Well begun is half done.” — Attributed to Aristotle
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