Hello My Friend!
It’s a common belief that personal change and development require huge changes in daily habits, thoughts and behaviors. Don’t believe it. Major life transformations CAN and often do begin with small but significant changes in daily behavior and thought habits. Like a small drop creating larger and larger circles.
Reflect on your life for a moment – in order to accomplish a goal or achieve a great desired outcome, did you have to make gigantic changes in your daily routine? Maybe it felt that way to you at the time and perhaps it eventually was a tremendous change in lifestyle and mindset. But was your first step gigantic?
Often, a tremendous personal transformation can be triggered by the smallest change in behavior. Now it is true that the commitment to change has to be big but, the action steps can be small… and significant.
When I asked clients and friends the question above, serious thought had to be given because most had not even thought about what came before their major behavior/thought changes. When they thought about it 9 out of 10 confessed that the precipitating events were usually rather small adjustments made with a focused and total commitment to positive change.
Here are some of the “small” changes that brought about major personal development and transformation for me and those I asked:
1. 30 minute change in bedtime and/or waking time (less than 30 would have a major impact too!)
2. Organizing a handbag or briefcase…(Which led to a closet, which led to an office, which led to an organized life!)
3. Drinking 3 more glasses of water each day
4. Eliminating one toxic food item from diet
5. Making one 30 second phone call (that’s been put off for a long time) to say “thank you” or ‘thinking of you” weekly
6. A random act of kindness each day – this takes far less time than you might think
7. Writing goals ( and listing action steps for each goal) for the day/week/month/year (or, any of your desired goals)
8. Writing a daily ‘to do’ list instead of having it in memory
9. Drinking one glass of water FIRST thing in the morning
10. Stretching for 5 minutes before and after exercising
11. Putting a daily time limit on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.,) presence
12. Saying a prayer of gratitude before bed-time and as you rise
13. Remembering things to be grateful for…each day, throughout the day
14. Changing a daily commute – just drive/walk/travel home a different way from time to time (or any routine of choice)
15. Walking, sitting or exercising out in nature – often
16. Reading an inspirational book or scripture 10 minutes per day – in the morning
17. Eating dinner before the sun goes down [OK for many this is not so small! :-)]
18. Hanging up/putting away clothes every day for one week
19. Spending 10 minutes clearing your desk/work space at the end of work day, for one full week
20. Labeling all files, managing favorites
21. Giving away what is not being used
22. Smiling – consciously and intentionally until it’s natural
23. Being still a few minutes in the morning and during the day…just being still, quieting all thoughts
24. Breathing deeply using the diaphragm often throughout the day
25. Listening to one inspiring piece of music every day ♫♫♫
26. Telling someone about your daily and weekly goals – being accountable
27. Saying a powerful affirmation out loud and with sincere passion – every hour, every day for 3 days
28. Reducing caffeine, sugar and other stimulants
29. Eating dinner with your family, sitting at a table
30. Reducing TV viewing – reading or conversing with loved ones instead
31. Saying “I love you” regularly to your loved ones
The list can go on and on…of these small changes that have MAJOR impact. Any one of these tiny changes can lead to tremendous personal growth and excellent success habits. I know, they are not “tiny” if you have a mental block to that particular activity. It’s all a matter of perspective: change your thoughts and change your life.
In creating habits that help attention to detail and starting small lead to bigger and better daily habits. This is fertile ground for creating major habits that help…help you to be your highest and best self, and all those you are trying to serve.
So select any one of these small adjustments and try it for a few days. Just try it on and see how it fits. If it doesn’t have the impact you are hoping for after at least 5 days, then try another.
Depending on what you are attempting to develop, the perfect small change is on this list. Look through it with an open mind and heart.
And if you have a small change that has unleashed major benefits for you, please let me know about it.
If you would like to receive free email coaching on creating a new success habit of your choice, every day for 21 days, sign up here!
Have a wonderfully magnificent day!
All love and success,
∞♥∞