Last weekend I spent more time with my immediate family for the first time in quite a while. My parents sold my childhood home, and with 28+ years of “stuff” gathering in an endless attic, let’s just say there was plenty of time to be spent. One of the first things I realized is that a house really doesn’t make a home, the people do. Sure, I have some super great memories in that house, but having one of my best childhood friends buy it and make it their home is a really awesome change.
A few months ago, I wrote a blog post called “A Short Story- Move Some Dirt” that recounted one of the hardest and best lessons I learned as a child. Take a look if you want to know what the best discipline tool looks like; they’re usually the simplest of tools. But in that blog, I talk about sometimes you just have to move dirt. Mental dirt, physical dirt, just move; make changes in your life, whatever that means to you. The only way to really change yourself is to change your surroundings, your actions, and then your mind.
Well, if you’ve ever sold a house, you know the process can be quite the same. As we were going through literal DECADES of pictures, plaques, yearbooks, clothes, trinkets, old equipment, sportswear, etc. you begging to figuratively also unpack all the associated memories. You open something, laugh, tear up, talk about it and keep moving. And as I continued to dig, I continued to realize just how much I’ve changed. It was like being in a time machine. Sure, fundamentally, I’m still the same person, but so much about me has changed for the better.
Now I know we’re thinking, NEVER FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM! And I agree 100%, but life, growth, maturity, and seeking God’s will has taught me a couple of things, but most importantly, that change is GOOD.
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” ― Andy Warhol
But change is hard. And it takes MASSIVE action. What does that mean? We hear it all the time. “MAKE MASSIVE CHANGES,” say all the coaches, mentors, bosses, etc. in our lives. And while they are right, I think we all go about it the wrong way. I know I’ve been extremely guilty of this too many times, and it usually doesn’t end well.
So, massive action, in my opinion, is actually pretty simple. It’s SMALL, CONSISTENT changes over a LONG period of TIME. Check out the graph below, and you can see this in a visual format.
What you are seeing is the basic equation of getting just 1% better every day. Being a little more kind. Putting down the chips and eating and apple. Taking the stairs, not the elevator. Eating the salad not, the sandwich. PLANNING FOR 5 minutes each morning and afternoon. These are all SUPER small actions. And what do actions do?
“Success comes from taking the initiative and following up or persisting.“- Tony Robbins
Actions create momentum. And what does momentum do? It builds on itself. Have you ever tried to push a car or four-wheeler or any vehicle that ran out of gas? You know, you get behind it, and your friend gets in to drive and your like, wait, what? Why am I pushing and you’re driving??? Yea, so you start to push and guess what, nothing happens. And then you let off and push again as hard as you can, and it moves a little. Then again, and it moves a little more. Then you get to the tipping point (more on that later!), and the car starts moving. And once it’s moving, it moves a little faster. That’s momentum. You aren’t using the same energy to keep it going you had to use to get it going. That’s ANY new habit. The hardest part is the start.
WELL, THE SAME IS IN LIFE. When you get stuck or run out of gas, you have to push through. You have to find the activities that move you forward each and every day towards your goals. The discipline to continue to take these actions when there doesn’t look to by any progress is critical to its success! Over time, the accumulation of these activities will create that MASSIVE CHANGE that you’re looking for.
In just 18 short days, we get a new year and a new DECADE. There couldn’t be better timing to get yourself going in the direction you want to go!
What few simple momentum building actions can you take today that will create momentum towards your successful life? Write them down and get to work!
GO, DO & GROW!