Ritual

Since committing to do 10 push-ups a day as a small step, it has become something of a ritual. I think it makes me more mindful of fitting in physical activity where I can, like walking the dog a little farther if it’s not too cold. I think it has made me a little more aware of my eating habits, too.

Spirituality

My own spiritual experience as a Christian is that it is often a walk of small steps. In the parable of the talents, Jesus pointed out how it is those who are faithful in the little things that are entrusted with bigger things. I think y0u can see this principle throughout the Bible.

If you'd like to see what small steps in a spiritual walk are like, you might like to read Walking with God by John Eldredge. With God involved, you're faithfulness gives you a role in a big story, as Eldredge writes about in Epic.

Some other books that may help you develop spiritually include
The Bible
The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry
The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis

Take Small Steps to Improve Financial Outlook

Relatively small steps to pay down debt and increase saving can have profound effects on your finances, especially if they are carried out consistently over time. Here are some links that may give you some ideas for small steps you can take to improve your financial outlook.

See how long it will take to pay off credit card debt at Cardtrack. Don’t be discouraged. Even a little bit of extra payment can shave off months and years.

You can make a similar calculation for your mortgage at Bankrate. CNN Money has a similar calculator and a debt reduction planner.

Recovering from the Flu

I had the flu last week, which made even the smallest thing seem difficult. This week it’s back on the horse. One of the nice things about working in small steps is that if something derails you, like the flu, it isn’t that hard to start again with the small step.

Book Review: One Small Thing Can Change Your Life by Robert Maurer

I previously posted this review at Keenan’s Book Reviews. Kaizen is the basic idea behind this blog, so I thought I’d repeat it hear.

Maurer, Robert. One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way. New York: Workman Publishing, 2004.

Small is good. That is the message of kaizen and Dr. Robert Maurer. Kaizen is the concept, popular in Japanese industry, of making small, continuous improvements. It had its origins in American industry as it geared up of the imminent demands of World War II.

Maurer describes why smallness works in personal psychology. It starts with the brains reaction to fear. Any sufficiently big change triggers the fear reaction, even if the actual threat it low. This reaction prepares the mind and body to fight or flee. There is no time for philosophizing, fancy imagining or creative analysis when your in immediate danger, so we lose access to the parts of our brain that contain those functions. Instead of creative thinking and reasonable risk taking, we revert to familiar and seemingly safe behavior when faced with something new.

Kaizen gets around this by having us contemplate things that are so small they don’t trigger fear. Instead of tackling the big questions, ask yourself a small one. Instead of leaping into anxiety-producing activity, spend some time just imagining doing it. Instead of massive reform, take just the smallest steps toward your goals. Instead of biting off the big problems, nibble on the little ones.

Once you slip passed the fear with things so small they seem ridiculous, your brain, which enjoys problem solving, will take up the task. One small thing builds on another, your fear reduces as your familiarity grows, and change can occur with surprising speed.

Maurer provides several examples both on the personal and corporate levels. Some come from the experiences of his patients.

Maurer does not deny the value of innovation, major, sweeping, quick change. It is very difficult, but it sometimes works and is sometimes necessary. However, for many of the changes people want to make, particularly in their personal lives, small changes that stick are often the way to go, especially when our own brains can sabotage a major change.

Order this book here.

Weight Loss Links

As I previously mentioned, I’d like to lose a little weight and I’ve committed to one small change to move that direct. I try to find ideas and inspiration from many sources, and with that in mind, I’ve put together a list of weight loss related websites.

Amended Jan. 8, 2009

50 Million Pound Challenge
The Biggest Loser (NBC)
Health books
Joy’s Life Diet (Today Show)
Out-Weight-Loss Pablo Challenge (Mornings with Brant)

Submissions

small steps BIG CHANGES would like to hear about your small step commitments, big change results and experiences and share them with other readers of this blog. Please follow these guidelines.

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Submit your contribution as an e-mail to smallstepsbigchanges@hotmail.com.

My Small Step Commitment

I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about how small changes can bring about big results. It’s getting a lot of attention now that New Year’s Day is approaching.

Like a lot of people, I have a health goal. I’m 5’11”, weigh 270 lbs and have a 46” waist, i.e. I’m overweight. (I’ve included a chart showing my measurements at different times over the last year. I plan to update it from time to time to show what I hope will be great progress.)

So, instead of making a huge goal and in all likelihood failing, like some many other resolution makers, I’ve decided I’ll start with the smallest thing I can think of. It may be small, but at least I’ll be able to do it and stick to it.

My small step commitment is to do 10 pushups a day. I know I can easily do this. I takes very little time. That is the idea.

I’ll be setting up system in which you can contribute your small step commitments, big changes results and experiences. I hope to hear from you and wish you success.