We all want to get the most out of our life, but sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. It seems like such a daunting task, and often be tough to know which changes will make a lasting impact. From many kinds of research done on human habits and psychology, it has been proved beyond doubt that small, consistent changes have more impact on changing the quality of life than working on a massive one concerning habits or anything for that matter. So in today’s post, we will see the power of small changes!
Why do Small Changes Matter?
Whenever you decide to make an impactful change concerning your health, wealth, or relationships, you always need a plan to achieve that.
Consider you decided to have a savings of 100,000 INR in 12 months.
This amount is not a small sum for many. To save the above amount, we try to make small changes in our spending habits. We may also look at options to make some extra income. By the end of the first month, we may not have a large amount saved, mostly two or three thousand.
But making the small steps of cutting down on unwanted expenditures and looking at less expensive ways to handle our inevitable monthly expenditures will keep adding money to our piggy bank. By constantly looking at options for saving, we tend to become experts in that in the long run. By the end of 12 or 15 months, we will be able to have the above money saved!!
How does that happen? That is the power of small changes. Also called the compound effect of small changes. When we make changes consistently, they don’t add up. They compound.
How small changes can make way for big ones! The James Clear theory!
This compound nature of small changes is the core concept of the book “Atomic Habits” By James Clear. If you want to know how to get things done by doing small steps, this book is all about that!
James says,
“The secret of getting results that last is to never stop making improvements. It is remarkable what you can build if you just dont stop…Small habits dont add up. They compound. That is the power of atomic habits. Tiny Changes. Remarkable results.”
He proved that a one percent change over 365 days results in an overall improvement of close to 37 percent. That’s just awesome! 37% better you!!
Think about how much you can achieve when you decide to have these changes over multiple spheres of your life!!
Benefits of harnessing the power of small changes!
There are many benefits to having more little changes than a bigger goal without simple steps attached to it. Let us see a few of them.
- Help you be more consistent with your bigger goals.
One of the most frequent reasons people give up on something they do is when they don’t see results as expected. Taking the above example of losing weight, if our goal is losing 20kgs without simple changes mapped to that, it can be discouraging to see we are not improving much even after one month.
But if you break that into small changes like:
- A week without artificial sugar or
- Three days of Intermittent fasting or
- One day of fruit diet or
- 30 mins walk for five days a week
When you accomplish these smaller tasks, it gives a sense of satisfaction. Also, it gives you a feeling of having control over yourself. These feelings will keep you motivated and encourage you to challenge yourself more. When you repeat these steps multiple times, tada you will ultimately reach your final goal.
- Help you to reduce the amount of effort required.
You know that when you try to run 2 km on the first day of your resolution to better health, you will not be able to complete that! But when you start with half a kilometer for a week, you will see that the time you take to run that same half kilometer getting reduced in the 2nd week. And you can add a few more meters to the period you were running in the first week.
That is the magic of little consistent changes!!
- Help you create habits that will make impactful life changes.
To quote the famous speaker Zig Zigler, “We build our character from the bricks of habit we pile up day by day.” Yes, you and your lives are a total of what you do day in and day out.
The after-effect of the above two points – we create a habit! Any activity we do for a sum of maybe close to a month will start becoming a habit for us. So breaking our bigger goals into smaller chunks helps us to create multiple good habits side by side. That is now a bonus!
How to Make Small Changes in Your Life?
Now that we know why small changes matter, let us see how we can start with one. What is the first step, or what is the path that you have to follow?
1. Establish realistic goals. When making changes, it is a must to set realistic goals that you can achieve. Do not try to overhaul your entire lifestyle overnight – start with one or two goals and work from there.
2. Make a plan. Once you have your goals in mind, you need to create a plan of action to help you achieve them. Break your goals into smaller, more manageable steps, and make a schedule for accomplishing them.
3. Reward Yourself. When you accomplish the milestones you have set, reward yourself and enjoy that. It will turn into a motivation to do more. But never go overboard.
4. Find support from family and friends. When trying to make changes, it can be helpful to have the support of loved ones. Ask your family and friends for their help and support in reaching your goals, and be sure to return the favor when they need it.
5. Be patient. Change does not happen overnight, so be patient and do not get discouraged if you can’t see results immediately. Stick with it, and you will see positive changes in no time.
Some impactful small changes to start anytime!
The possibilities are endless, but let me give you an idea of how simple those changes can be.
- Breathe more deeply (If you notice most of our breaths are shallow throughout the day)
- Drink more water (One thing we forget when working on multiple tasks)
- Add fruit or salad to one of your meals ( We Indians lag too behind in our fruit intake ratio)
- Be in the sun for at least 15 mins (Covid has made us forget about the benefits of sunlight)
- Start and end each day with gratitude (We are luckier than we think and have numerous things to be thankful for)
- Smile or laugh more (You need not be happy to smile or laugh, but smiling or laughing can make you feel less stressed even though you started it as a fake one!!)
- Walk away from an unnecessary argument (Before you argue, ensure your opponent has the minimum ability to understand the concept of “differences of opinion.” If not, it is mere waste of time and energy.)
- Start reading (Just two paragraphs if that is the maximum you can)
- Compliment others/say good things (Maybe, your compliment will be the only good thing that happened to someone that day!)
- Celebrate more frequently (It can be treating yourself with ice cream for successfully cleaning the entire house!)
All these are so simple to start. Try one or two. Don’t forget to let me know what changes you have felt after doing these multiple times.
Let the power of small changes empower you!
Think about the last time you made a significant change in your life. It probably didn’t happen overnight – it took time, effort, and a lot of planning. The same is for making small changes. If you want to make a real difference, start by making small changes that you can stick to over time.
Making small changes can have a greater impact on your life. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. So take some time to think about the changes you want to make and get started today. You’ll be surprised at how much you can achieve by making small changes in your everyday life. And enjoy the whole process of getting changed!!
Don’t forget to keep me posted by commenting below!! See you in my next post, until then stay safe and happy 🙂
