Journal: #297 Living One Day At A Time
I believe I have a subtle yet powerful force at work in my thought life. It’s a very human condition; therefore, I harbor no guilt. Embarrassed is the best word to describe how I feel. I’m embarrassed it took me this long to see it for what it is. I, like most people, try to control my life. I know. What a shocking revelation! Except it isn’t a revelation. I’ve written about “letting go” and “keeping it simple with God.” In fact, every single day of my life, I say, “Lord, your will be done in my life.” Comically, I spend the remainder of my day trying to avoid mistakes and “the wrong path.”
Today, on a business call, my client said something old in a slightly new way. She is starting a podcast and wants to name it Small Steps, Big Success. I think it’s a catchy name for an ancient axiom: slow but steady wins the race. Of all the lessons of the last year, this is one of the top three. (Along with Be Honest and Keep it Simple.) Of all my goals of the last year, writing every day taught me the most. I 100% believe anyone can change any aspect of their life if they show up every day. People who lose weight don’t have perfect diets or work out ten times/day. (They did learn to get back up when thrown from the horse. They learned how to keep a bad food week from turning into a bad food month.)
Something about how Cindy (the Client) talked about little steps and big success touched me. It was as though a door clicked open in the space between my head and my heart. In that instant, my head let go of trying to predict the future. And my heart let go of the need for feedback. (My head and heart are often at odds, but not on this.) The truth is the biggest buildings are constructed one piece, one beam, one brick at a time. We see the finished work but rarely the amount of planning, organization, and resources required to build it. It’s the same with each of us. Whatever is good and true requires time and dedication. Contrary to popular Christian myth, welcome change is rarely sudden or immediate.
So, I’m going to focus on each day. Doing the little things. That’s it. Simple.
