I work with the public, I work with people in the most resourceful times of their life and I have chosen to work in the security industry, to help those in the most vulnerable stages of life. Most people I’ve met are spending years of their lives trying to contemplate or overcome the sometimes, debilitating results of small events.
Sometimes it’s hard to see how the small choices can change your life or the impact those choices have on others. But when compounded over time, the smallest things make the biggest impact.
Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s I was bombarded with the early growth mantra of “making goals”. Goal setting works, but most people spend too much time on the big goals, like losing 30 kg, buying a house, getting married, having kids etc not necessarily in that order. Those things are easy to see coming. The little things, however, can go unnoticed, and many in my opinion don’t see how important they can be.
The little things that lead to good results are the most, easy to do. That’s probably why most people don’t do them. Positive choices start with positive actions, like getting up on time, prioritizing your day, putting an extra 10 minutes into practice or using some of your spare time to help someone else.
If we start with ourselves that is great, if we expand by helping our kids, when they are young imagine the positive impact it will have on our, and their future. But first it’s about leverage. If you take a moment, now and write down on a piece of paper, 3 people you care about, but haven’t spoken to, or shared with lately, then called them, went to them, or sent them a txt” just saying hi and letting you know your someone I like”. That small task will have an immediate impact on your life. It will make you feel better, and in turn brighten someone’s day.
For a husband, it may be as simple as doing the dishes, or doing a load of washing for your partner. If you, like me, do some form of exercise, then using this time effectively may be as simple as adding some positive learning material to your head phones.
A great one that I have seen repeated, recently is identifying someone you know in need, getting their permission and seeking financial help through “GoFundMe pages”, or volunteering to help, by doing some gardening etc. If you can take your kids along, you show them the value of contribution.
You don’t have to be a saint, or a politician to do get things done, or do something special. You have tremendous influence over the world by just putting in a little effort every day.
You might not see the impact, right away. It takes time and commitment to have significant results. But with a little time, each day, you can generate a benefit for you, and your loved ones, for the rest of your lives.
Taking that little time each morning or before you go to bed by prioritizing your day, you will see more opportunities and that will motivate action.
Seeing the opportunities and knowing the right choices to make however is not enough, you Must act on it. Since the little things are easy to do, they are easy not to do. It’s easy not to study, or practice a few extra minutes or to push the snooze button on your phone or alarm clock.
But whatever choice you make will influence your life, and it will affect the choices you make in the future. Making positive choices now will increase the chances of making more positive choices in the future. This is called the “Ripple effect” and it is true for negative choices as well.
I constantly try to influence those around me in a positive way, sometimes that means calling out people I care about on the “Sh#t” idea’s or influences. But I separate the actions from the person. If I can influence a person to make a little change, having them tip out their own alcohol, go back to school, or calling a friend, I believe these positive choices can build on each other.
Each of us can influence and change the world we live in. But it starts by taking little actions, every single day, because to coin an old saying from an RSPCA add I watched growing up “From Little things, big things come”.
Thank you for reading and know that I appreciate you and your time. If you know someone, anyone that this advice might benefit, please share.
