Small changes make a big difference because they are sustainable. In other words, small changes are powerful. A lot of us know this and yet fall victim to the allure of quick fixes and transformation culture. Social media and even old media like magazines can play a negative role in our perception of change.
When we look at others, we see the end result, we don’t see the process. It doesn’t help that American culture tends to value the product over the process. This is true from the grades we receive in school (which are almost always on final drafts and examples of work, rather than rough drafts or discussions), to our work culture and our weight-loss transformation posts on Instagram.
In order to avoid falling prey to this, we have to understand why small changes are not only powerful but are an important key to building the life you want.
Table of Contents
- The Power of Small Changes when it Comes to Building the Life You Want
- Easy, Small Changes to Add to Your 4 Pillars
- Conclusion
The Power of Small Changes when it Comes to Building the Life You Want
Big changes are often overwhelming and challenging to maintain over the long term. We’ve all made this mistake with a new workout plan or diet. I’ve made this mistake with friendships and hobbies, too. Small changes are much more manageable, and when consistently applied, become ingrained in our daily routines.
Let’s talk about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). I enjoy martial arts, but primarily participated in Karate and Kickboxing for years. When I decided to try ground fighting, I went as often as I could for hours at a time. I only lasted two months before I started skipping a week here and there. It wasn’t that the exercise was too difficult (though, BJJ is hard). It wasn’t that I wasn’t having fun, I was.
But it was too difficult to maintain the schedule. I had to sacrifice other things to go to BJJ, and frankly, I made a lot less progress than the guy who went to class for only an hour three times a week. Over the long run, his strategy of less time all at once, but more consistency over a longer time period was more effective than me trying to learn an entire martial art as quickly as humanely possible.
In short, consistency is the bedrock of lasting transformation. Keep in mind that consistency looks a little different for all of us. We all have different interests, anxieties, and time. For some people, the goal is to take a water aerobics class.
For a lot of us, just driving to the pool, putting on a swimsuit, and leaving the locker room is a huge victory. I had a friend who would go with me to the pool and just sit in the hot tub. He really wanted to swim laps, but was too self-conscious to start right away. BUT HE STILL MADE A SMALL CHANGE. He just got there. And it was enough. After a while, he started to water walk. Then he started to swim with me. Swimming allowed him to heal from an injury and build muscle mass and endurance, something he’d been craving for years.
Small changes make a huge difference.
Small changes also reduce resistance. Resistance to change is a formidable force. Routines are safe because they are known, and large-scale overhauls can trigger resistance both internally and externally. Small changes, however, are less likely to elicit a resistance response, making it easier to overcome mental barriers and external obstacles.
I would like to say that over coming internal resistance is difficult, even with small changes. One of the best ways to do this successfully is to recognize and accept when you’re brain is trying to resist a change. Mindfulness meditation is great for cultivating this skill. By recognizing when your mind is resisting something and accepting the resistance, it’s actually easier to move past it.
Another benefit to small changes is that they allow you to witness tangible progress regularly, which boosts self-confidence and contributes to asset-based learning and growth. This increase in self-confidence will keep you motivated to continue making positive adjustments. Make sure you celebrate the progress you make to get the most out of this benefit.
Small changes also build habits, and the more consistent you are with your small change the easier it will be to maintain (our brains like habits). Try picking a day and time for your new change. Pretty soon it will be habit and you won’t even realize you’re doing it.
Easy, Small Changes to Add to Your 4 Pillars
So how do you actually get started with small changes in your life? What counts as a small change? One of the best ways to get started with small changes is to choose an overarching goal and then pick a small change that takes you a step closer to that goal. Let’s look at an example.
Say your goal is to live a healthier life. This is a huge goal and it’s not very concrete, so it would be hard to achieve. So instead of setting the goal and then trying to achieve it, think about what defines healthy living for you. Is it food? Exercise? Time with family? Choose one aspect of healthy living and set a smaller goal as your first small change. For example, maybe exercise is an important part of healthy living for you (it definitely is for me), so you decide to take a yoga class once a week.
This is much more doable than “living a healthy life,” and it takes you one step closer that bigger ideal. In the sections below, the 4 pillars will be the overarching goals, and we’ll talk about smaller changes you can implement in each of them in order to build the life you actually want to be living.
Small Changes for Personal Growth and Self-Care
When it comes to personal growth and self-care, everyone’s goals are a little different. What counts as self-care for me might be stressful for you. The Russians have an expression: “The boiling water that hardens the egg, softens the potato.”
In other words, what makes one person stronger is actually a source of stress for someone else. When you’re thinking about self-care and personal growth, try to write down a few doable things that make you more peaceful or help you recharge or help you be a better version of yourself.
Suggestion Number 1: Start your day with a small, but impactful change. Whether it’s dedicating five minutes to meditation, reading an inspiring quote, staring aimlessly out the window while you sip coffee, or jotting down what you’re looking forward to about the day, a small change to your morning routine can set a positive tone for the entire day.
Suggestion Number 2: Learn something new every week. This is a great one to do with a friend or significant other. You can text or call or talk once a week and share what you’ve learned. Learning can be anything from listening to a short podcast on a topic of interest, watching YouTube, reading the news, or learning a new word in a foreign language.
Small consistent learning adds up over time, contributing to your personal and professional growth. Plus it’s a fun way to connect with others. When you share what you learn, you tend to remember it more clearly and for longer periods of time.
Small Changes to Help You Connect with Nature
Connecting with nature makes a HUGE difference in living a longer, happier life. The World Health Organization has noted that green space in urban settings addresses issues like obesity, cardiovascular health, mental health, high crime rates, drug use, and well-being.
And they aren’t the only ones. In his special, Limitless, Chris Hemsworth explores how to live a happier, longer life and many of episodes center around the importance of nature in this process (I highly recommend this show if you have the time).
So what are some small ways you can connect more with nature?
First, incorporate short nature walks into your routine. For some of us, this looks like going to a park for lunch. For others, this looks like taking a five-minute evening stroll. One of my favorite ways to do this is to take a picture of something in nature that I find beautiful, like a pretty stone by the sidewalk or the leaves of a tree from underneath. I often use SnapChat and send Snaps of nature-related things to my husband to remind myself to enjoy nature every day. The cumulative effect of these small walks can be transformative.
Second, try bringing a bit of nature inside. This is my go-to when it’s too cold to walk. I’m particularly sensitive to the cold and don’t like going out unless I have the time to bundle up. So instead of nature walks in the winter, I spend time with my inside plants. I make sure to have plants (usually fake because I struggle to keep real ones alive) in every room and to appreciate them every day by trying to notice something new about them or by moving them to new locations.
Small Changes to Improve Your Time Management
Everyone views time a little differently, particularly people who are neurodiverse like those of us with ADHD, Autism, or Dyslexia. That means we all face different challenges where it comes to managing our time. Give these suggestions a try and modify as needed.
First, try prioritizing one task each day. It can be easy to rely on endless to-do lists, but this can be a bit overwhelming and therefore disheartening. The problem with to-do lists is that our brain views them as something linear to complete, when in reality, life is filled with a lot of little cycles.
Laundry and dishes will never actually be done because they are part of the rhythm of life. Focusing on a single task instead of a list, or viewing tasks as part of cycles and loops instead a linear concept of time, can help reduce stress about these tasks. It also helps provide a sense of accomplishment and prevents burnout. As long as you accomplish the priority for that day, everything else is a bonus.
As a mom with a toddler, my priority some days is a ten-minute workout. Other days, I just aim to take a shower. This gives me the freedom to adapt the rest of my day as needed.
Second, try some digital detox time. Set aside time each day to disconnect from screens altogether. This actually got easier for me after having a kid because I wanted to be fully present when I’m with him. I try to leave my phone in a different room as much as I can, which has both helped me connect with him and also added to my quality of life because I can just sit and be peaceful.
If you like to detox alone, try engaging in a hobby or get outside for a few minutes. My husband likes to sit on the porch or work on a car. My mother likes to clean. Everyone’s digital detox is a little different, but this small change can significantly improve your overall well-being.
Small Changes for Healthy Movement
We all know that a sedentary life is dangerous for our health and happiness, but sometimes it seems like the only options are to be sedentary or a competitive athlete or gym shark. Fortunately, this isn’t true. Healthy movement doesn’t have to be strenuous (though, it can be if you’re into that), and it doesn’t have to be time consuming. Here are some quick tips for simple healthy movement changes to add into your life.
Tip #1: Try micro-workouts. These are short bursts of physical activity throughout your day. This might mean a quick stretch, a brief walk, 5-minute standing abs, or 7 squats every time you use the bathroom. Setting a timer on your phone or connecting the micro-workouts to another regular activity (e.g. going to the bathroom), can make this an easier change to maintain and help you build new habits.
Whatever you try with your micro-workout, pick something you enjoy and something where you understand the benefits. Not everyone likes to jog and many of us don’t like swimming. I like hiking but hate distance running. However, I love ab workouts because they are short and can be done with a partner. They also protect my spine and knees, which is important to me as I age.
Tip #2: Try to be a bit more mindful with your eating habits. Making small changes to how we eat can feel scary, particularly if you have any kind of eating disorder or just struggle with food, but thinking of adding to your habits instead of taking away, can help overcome this.
Try adding some extra sips of water each hour. Or try slowing down a bit when you eat so you can savor the taste and texture of your food. Finally, you can try adding an extra serving of fruit or veggies to your day. These are subtle adjustments that aren’t about restriction, but are about enjoying the food we have, and they lead to healthier choices and healthier thoughts about food.
Don’t panic about trying to add a bunch of small changes. Start with one major goal like choosing one of the pillars or a broader goal about the life you want. Then choose one change you can make that will take you closer to that goal. And remember, we’re all different! So if the small changes above don’t float your boat, then use them for inspiration, modify them, or try something else altogether. What matters here is finding systems that work for you.
Conclusion
Small changes can help you build the life you want. They are the seeds of significant transformation. By harnessing the power of sustainability, reducing resistance, and celebrating progress, no matter how incremental, you can build the life you want one small change at a time. Don’t forget to embrace and value the process of continuous growth, and watch as these seemingly minor adjustments weave together to create a more fulfilling and purposeful life.
What are some of your victories with small changes? Let me know in the comments!