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Monthly Mantra: Start small.
By Erica | May 9, 2010
Even though I’m a small girl, I’ve been known to tackle (er, jump into headfirst) extremely large projects. I am totally that girl who decides on the first of January to not only work out every single day for the entire year, but also to completely re-vamp my wardrobe, create an entire new social circle and never eat meat again (OK, I actually did that one. This video was it for me).
But the one thing I’ve learned from all this crazy project-undertaking is this: If you want to do something–I mean really do something that you’ll actually want to continue to do in three days–you have to start small. You can’t overwhelm yourself (of course, being underwhelmed isn’t good either, but I’m talking about finding a nice medium here)–or you’ll quit before you even get a chance to hit the Stairmaster.
It’s all simple science, really. For example: It’s been proven that if you’re a negative thinker who has been thinking in circles of negativism, self-doubt & trash-talking yourself & the world around you for years & years, deciding in one day to become a positive thinker & starting to use affirmations will not get you the results you desire. Instead, you have to start by being rational–not super positive. The difference between rational & positive is crystal clear. Rational thoughts are thoughts like: “I might feel disgusting in this outfit today, but I feel less ugly/gross/bad about myself than I did yesterday, so maybe I’m getting better.” By throwing in neutral statements like “Maybe,” your brain will believe what you’re feeding it because the thought is “rational.” Now, if you tell yourself, “I look absolutely beautiful & wonderful & waay sexier than I ever have in my entire life”–your brain is gonna call your bluff & not be able to process the info. the way it should. (Though, you probably do look that sexy. Don’t get me wrong.)
That being said, we should really apply this “rationality” to every new venture we undertake. Don’t expect to lose 50 lbs. in three weeks. Don’t expect to have an entire novel written in one week. You catch my drift. Making small changes–even though I know how exciting it can be to start a new project, and throwing yourself into it with reckless abandon is tempting–is the only way to ensure that the changes you are making actually stick.
So, in celebration of this mantra, for the rest of the month I’m going to post one “small change you can make today.” Every day I’ll post one small thing you can do that day to uplift, encourage, inspire, create or empower yourself or others. They’ll be short posts with easy ideas that you can implement right away. The posts won’t necessarily be aimed at a specific habit or goal, but improving your life (& feelings about yourself & the world!) in general. So please keep checking back frequently & join me in making the rest of May a little more joyful.
Now it’s your turn. How do you feel about starting small? Have you had success with making small changes? What works for you when it comes to changing a habit or thought pattern?
xoxo erica lee
Topics: Inspiration, Monthly Mantra | 2 Comments »
May 12th, 2010 at 5:58 am
[...] ♥ [Want to know what "One Small Change You Can Make Today" is all about? Check out the introductory post here.] [...]
May 21st, 2010 at 12:29 pm
erica!! saw your link on fbook feed, your articles are so cute and awesome! I loved reading things like this as a teen, a little bit of affirmation, someone saying “your bad haircut doesn’t matter” etc. keep it up!
starting small is definitely the way to go. when I get an idea for a personal project, my mind goes SO quickly through the process and I can picture the result—then it becomes such a daunting, large task I don’t know where to begin. it’s all about the first step and having mini plans-of-action :)