Change Small

It has been said that if we cease to change and grow we already have one foot in the grave. That isn't an ideal place for your foot to be, nor any other part of your body. While it's a good thing to periodically ask ourselves "Who am I?", more importantly it's essential we ask, "Who am I becoming?" Those of us who are honest, could find at least one, if not many "things" or areas of our lives we would like to change and improve. Unfortunately, the status quo is for folks to get stuck and remain complacent, while clinging to the desire to change. Hope is not a strategy, and there are a couple reasons most folks don't continue to improve or better themselves. Number one, is because they try ten different things at one time. Number two, is because they keep one eye on where they are and the other eye on their past. I write this week, to those who have one eye on where they are and one eye on where they want to go.

Tony Evans writes,

"If you want a better world composed of better nations, inhabited by better states, filled with better counties, made up of better cities, comprised of better neighborhoods, illuminated by better churches, populated by better families, then you'll have to start by becoming a better person."

Successful people are realistic about their problems and areas of weakness but find ways to resolve them.
Albert Einstein said, "It's not so much that I'm a genius, I just stick with problems longer than anyone else." The tallest hurdle we have to get over is sticking with a discipline through failure. We give up to easily when the going gets tough and if we fail once, it's all over. What's the thing you know is a problem but just can't seem to overcome? What are some of the darker areas of your life you want to shine brighter? The key to change is to start small, and stay the course. If you fail, learn the lesson and forget the details.

Let me give you an example...

This isn't going to be shocking to most who know me, but I'm not much of a conversation starter. Some may even call me anti-social and I'm fine with that, it's true. I would be perfectly happy not saying a word to anyone, ever. I could just nod or smile, and go about my business. I get stressed when I have to talk to folks, not sure exactly why but either way  I'm not proud of it and it's something I need to change. Obviously I can't change over night, but by taking small steps in the right direction I can overcome the defect.

This may sound cheesy, but indulge me for a moment. Changing small to me means introducing myself to folks I have never met. I try to follow through with at least one person everyday. This is most definitely out of my comfort zone, but the more I take the initiative to speak with others, the easier it will be to communicate naturally. The gym is my location of preference, remember small steps. It dawned on me a while back that I had been working out with the same group of people for almost two years and have never talked to any of them. Just a lot of grunts and glamour shots in the mirrors, neither of which I do by the way. (Unless of course nobody is around) The first time I followed through, I met a guy who knew my grandfather and had brushed shoulders with him in business a few times, pretty amazing.

Michael de Montaingne says, "No wind favors him who has no destined port." Likewise, success is connected to action.  If you don't feel like talking to a pastor, do it anyway, more than likely it will be the best conversation you've had in your life. When you don't feel like going to the gym, go anyway. It doesn't matter if you simply walk around in there for a few minutes, you went and perhaps even worked out a little. If you don't feel up to reading that book, do it anyway. Even if it's just a few words, the point is you read and perhaps learned more than expected or got an idea that will change your life forever. When you don't feel like practicing the guitar do it anyway. Little and often makes a lot in time. You don't have to hit a home run every time, consistent singles will do the trick. Or as Aristotle observed, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."

The process begins with one book, one mile, one smoke, one meal, one friend, one prayer. Whatever it is you would like to change, just begin and change small. In time you'll develop the qualities you admire and it will change you from who you were to who you desired to become. Might I suggest something else? Surround yourself with people who will hold you accountable. It does the body good to hear a dose of truth every now and then. If you're not following through on your commitments, hearing it from someone else will make it clearer. Though it may hurt briefly, it's the intake system that drives motivation. Remember, we want to change! I encourage you to begin the process this year. Take the first step and then learn from your mistakes. If you fail, correct your course and try again.

"Unless the LORD had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave."
-Psalm 94:17

May God Bless you in 2014 and may you seek and walk out His will.
PS: There's an army rising up...