One of my new favorite blogs had a great post the other day called The Power of Gradual. It struck me since I’ve often claimed my middle name is “I want it now.”
Simple ideas.
“There are no quick fixes. Making change in your life takes time.”
“When you work at something day in and day out, you achieve huge positive change in your life.”
How easy it is for me to be impatient, to think that I have to be done with everything yesterday. I really struggle with the small daily changes that are supposed to add up to progress – that’s why previous to this I have had such an up and down roller coaster of success and failure. I go to extremes and can’t maintain those changes. No one, could!
I really liked his imagery -
Try this as an experiment. Make a tap leak ever so slightly—maybe a drop every half minute or so. Put an empty bucket below it. Now, go on with your day. Forget about the tap. Actually, I don’t need to tell you to forget the tap. You just will. Sometime later, stroll by the bucket. Holy heck! There’s a lot of water in there. It might even be overflowing (the author will not be held responsible …). That’s the Power of Gradual. It’s the effect of a small thing happening over and over (and over) again.
So I’m working on gradual. I have made a lot of changes, there are more to come. I still want it all now but I’m working on patience, too. Sometimes I think I need to be doing more – like I want to leap from not exercising at all to being a fitness maven. I’m trying to remember that each small change I make adds up in that big bucket and someday my bucket will be full – maybe sooner than I think.
9 Comments
Zazzy,
Thank you SO MUCH for bringing this post to my attention. It really hit home with me.
I think we are alike in many ways, and I too want everything now! How quickly I abandon any work in myself when I don’t get results right away.
In the post, there is a picture of the bamboo water thingy. Do you (or any readers) know what those are called? I love that sound, and imagine there is something I can download to play that sound in the background, etc. I just don’t know what the heck they are called! :-)
I needed this reminder after the day I had at the Pueblo. We on the Board are excellent business people, but the folks we work for are highly traditional and have not changed much in centuries. We thought we made great business progress last year, but are now realizing that such “drastic” moves have scared the staunch traditionalists. Having read your post, I can now see re-entering the maze of politics and ceremony as an opportunity instead of a distraction.
Thanks.
Fabulous reminder, Zaz.
I needed to hear that today.
I’m glad that it spoke to others as strongly as it spoke to me. It’ll probably become an axiom to remind me daily of the power of the small step. After all, not taking the small step doesn’t bring you any closer to the destination in your personal journey of a thousand miles.
Scott – I’ve always called them “little fountains” though there is probably a more official word. They make me want to pee!
Very profound, Zaz. I’ve never been at all good with patience and need to often remind myself that Rome was not built in a day.
Scott, I wonder if you’re thinking about Deer Chasers? Those are the only bamboo fountains I can think of that aren’t just called bamboo fountains.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KJlMYFklZc
Hmm. Looks like it ate my last comment. If it didn’t and I’m just repeating myself SORRY!
Scott, I think those bamboo fountains are called Deer Chasers.
Zaz, I really like this sentiment. I often forget how to be patient and have to remind myself of the old, “Rome was not built in a day”.
Every once in a while, Akismet grabs a comment with a link in it. I love Akismet and I don’t mind un-spamming the occasional comment but I still think it should be able to identify that you’re a regular commenter here….
Heck, Lel, my kitchen wasn’t cleaned in a day….. let alone Rome!
Being among those who have prayed, “God grant me patience and I want it NOW,” I am very intrigued by the power of gradual. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I think someone needs to hire you as a research assistant – you seem to discover such lovely things.
I’m afraid I mostly discover things through other people – that’s the fun. I explore the blogrolls of those bloggers I particularly enjoy and find some really interesting things.
Please give me patience NOW? Oh yes…. I can relate.