How Small Changes Can Radically Change Your Life

The Grand Canyon was formed over millions of years as the Colorado River cut through layers of rock. People who visit it today are amazed by the spectacular sights, yet this magnificent landmark wasn’t formed overnight.

The same is true of great change in your life. You won’t become the person you want to be overnight, especially if you have a long journey to get there.

Small changes have the potential to radically change the course of your life. Just like the Colorado River slowly cut into the rock to create the Grand Canyon, you can become a better version of yourself with small, consistent effort.

The Power of Small Gains

A number of images about the power of change have been floating around on social media over the last few years (pictured below). These images show how powerful small change is over time. If you only do 1% better each day, you’ll become 38 times as good at something over the course of a year.

Everyone has areas they’d like to change. Whether you want to get in shape, build a skill, or break a bad habit, never underestimate the value of positive change.

Small Changes Make a Big Difference

If you want to make large changes in your life, take the time to invest in small changes first. In time, those small changes add up to a radical improvement in your life.

Sometimes we get so hung up on the big things we wish we could do that we forget to take small, consistent action. For example, let’s consider the process of writing a novel. If you’re trying to write a novel in one sitting, you’ll quickly discover that it just isn’t possible. However, taking an hour or two to write every day can help you get your novel from your mind to the page.

This is true for any big goal or life change. Instead of waiting and wishing you had the time to get something done, take steps every day to move toward your bigger goals.

The Life-changing Power of 15 Minutes

What’s that one thing you wish you could do? If you’re like most people, there’s something spectacular you’ve always wanted to do or learn. Perhaps you want to learn a skill, become fluent in a language, or write a novel.

All these things can be done if you invest 15 minutes every single day. Over the course of a year, this adds up to over 90 hours!

In most cases, you’ll discover that you had more time than you thought, especially when you’re only carving out fifteen minutes a day to work toward your goal. If fifteen minutes a day isn’t enough, consider spending half an hour. In a year, that means you’ll invest over 180 hours in your goal!

The Power of Small by Aisling Leonard-Curtin and Dr. Trish Leonard-Curtin

If you want to take time to read more about the significance of small changes, The Power of Small by Aisling Leonard-Curtin and Dr. Trish Leonard-Curtin is a great resource. In their book, they explore the power of small and consistent change. They believe that small decisions combine to create powerful transformation.

Their book will help you take practical steps to improve your life situation. They leverage psychological research to help you stay motivated in the midst of your self-improvement journey.

What Would it Look Like to Improve Your Life by 10% This Year?

As you plan for the coming year, consider what a difference it would make if you improve your life by 10% over the course of the year.

How would it impact your career if you improve your work productivity by 10%?

What improvements would you see in your health if you spent 10% more time exercising?

How much joy would you have if you spent 10% more time with your family?

A 10% difference isn’t hard to build, especially over the course of a year. Yet those changes, made over the course of your life, will lead to a happier and more fulfilled life.

Break Large Goals into Smaller Ones

What are your biggest life goals? Perhaps you want to write a novel or become an expert in your field. Whatever your goal, breaking it into smaller pieces is the key to success.

For example, if you want to learn a language, some smaller goals might include:

· Download a language-learning app on your phone.

· Complete one lesson each day.

· Find an opportunity to practice your language comprehension and delivery with other people.

· Listen to audiobooks in that language to build your skills.

· Travel to another country where that language is spoken.

These smaller goals are much more manageable than the large goal. No matter what your big goal is, it can be broken into smaller steps.

Perhaps it’s cliché, but there’s a proverb that says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Today you can start your journey toward big goals by taking one small step.

Conclusion

We all want to achieve the big goals and reach our biggest dreams. However, it takes consistent effort to reach your biggest goals.

There’s a reason “Couch to 5K” challenges are so popular. These challenges focus on helping people with no athletic ability train for a 5K run. Instead of jumping right to a 5K, these programs focus on making small, sustainable changes in preparation for the event.

You can use the same principles to reach your goals. What small steps and changes can you make in order to reach your goals? Remember, spending only fifteen minutes a day working toward your goals adds up to over 90 hours a year! Even the busiest person has fifteen minutes, which means even the busiest person has the ability to reach their goals.