Dream Big, Start Small

The key to accomplishing anything.

It’s that time of the year…

"Out on the roads, there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be."
George Sheehan

The start of a new year prompts many people to start new things or quit old things.

• Start exercising

• Quit smoking

• Lose weight

• Take up a hobby

All great things.

A new year or any obvious starting point is actually an excellent time to make changes.
 
Attempting to make those changes by creating a resolution typically fails¹. One reason resolutions fail is they aren't specific enough.

Another reason is people start too big.

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Running examples are excellent for demonstrating the power of small steps, but not everyone is a runner.

Everyone has teeth. Let’s use an example of flossing.

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Flossing Forever!

Years ago, my dentist gave me ‘the talk’ about taking better care of my teeth.

My big-picture outcome is to remain healthy in all areas of my life, which includes running and mundane things like taking care of my teeth.

His command was to start flossing daily, switch to an electric toothbrush, and schedule two cleanings a year.

Yikes!

I hated the thought of flossing every tooth each night before bed…forever!

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Enter Kaizen

Like Ikigai, Kaizen is a Japanese combination word.

Kai meaning change, and Zen meaning better

The principle of Kaizen is making small incremental changes for the better.

The personal kaizen approach reduces fear, apprehension, and feeling deprived.

For me, the fear came from the thought of doing a dreaded activity (flossing) for the rest of my life.

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Smallest possible thing

When facing a fear like this, ask yourself, what is the smallest possible thing I can commit to doing?

To start with, I committed only to buying floss and setting it on the counter where I would see it daily. This may seem silly but stick with me.

The next day I asked again…what is the smallest possible thing I can commit to doing?

One tooth. I could commit to doing one tooth.

After flossing one tooth for three days, it no longer seemed like a big deal getting the floss out and using it. I then decided I could commit to doing three teeth.

A few days of that and doing all my teeth didn’t seem like that big a deal.

I’ve been flossing now for over 20 years without fail.

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Thinking about flossing every day for 20 years seems overwhelming.

Commiting to only small things led to making the change permanent.

What change would you like to make?

How might breaking it down the Kaizen way help you drop your fear, apprehension, or feeling of being deprived?

What’s one small thing you can commit to doing to support your change?

1. Don't Do New Year's Resolutions by David Marlow, Your Daily Ikigai, Dec 10, 2022