Running a marathon is accomplished by taking steps. Painting a masterpiece is created with each brush stroke. Writing a novel is completed word by word. Making a BIG Impact is achieved with small acts of kindness, love and change.
Never underestimate the power of one small step, because you never know the grand finale of your effort. You see, it’s easy to feel like our acts of kindness don’t go far, but if we take our gaze from the crashing waves at the shoreline and look out onto the horizon, it just might be possible that the impact we’re making is beautifully limitless.
Small Steps Accomplish Big Goals
Have you ever had a big idea? You know, the type where your heart starts to race in excitement and you just can’t wait to make it happen? Maybe it was starting a new exercise routine or making a feast from scratch. The image looked perfect in your mind and you had the best intentions of bringing your vision to life, but something went wrong between adding in the flour and kneading the dough. Perhaps you learned that you bit off more than you could chew, causing your fabulous idea to fall to the wayside and never get accomplished. Too often our goals are unmet because we didn’t see the value in taking small steps to reach them. Don’t give up. Your effort is worth it!
Every Act of Kindness Creates Momentum
Making a BIG impact is like conquering a huge goal. Taking small steps allows us to not feel overwhelmed and helps us gain momentum. Then, before we know it, we’re on a roll as Changers. In fact, Mark Twain famously said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Once we get started we can begin to see the fruits of our labor, which spurs us on to continue moving forward to Make Impact. Think of these small wins as the mile markers in our journey, and focus on the destination.
Plan a Changer Act into your Schedule
The hustle and bustle of the holidays is right around the corner, and the “I’m too busy!” excuse will soon be on the tips of our tongues if we’re not careful. Now is the time to start planning small acts of kindness and love into our daily routines. Here are a few simple ideas to add to your calendar that can make a bigger change than you might imagine.
- Support a local business: Consider visiting a local cafe or restaurant on your lunch break once a week.
- Recycle: Create a bin in your kitchen for your recycling.
- Cook for others: Bake pumpkin bread or a special holiday treat for your coworkers or neighbors every Friday.
- Say thank you: A meaningful “thank you” can go a long way in a person’s day.
We never know how big our impact will be. A smile could spark another to smile. A compliment might pull someone out of feeling invisible. One “thank you” can make a stranger feel appreciated. Sometimes it’s less about a grand gesture and more about a genuine feeling. Let’s take small steps every day to help those around us feel more loved, valued and impacted by our presence. Even if you never see the big impact of your small steps, maybe it’s because one single rose had more meaning than a bouquet of flowers. The result is not always for us to decide.