As I turned off the busy highway and turned at the bend to drive along the river, I was delighted to be witnessing the tail-end of the sunset. It was 5:15 pm and the first time, since the days started getting lighter later, that I FELT the difference. The sun no longer sets at 4 pm, but it didn’t happen overnight – it’s been over 5 weeks since the winter solstice.
The steady and incremental change reminds me of how we approach change with our clients. Small Steps.
Show up with small, steady, incremental change, done consistently over time, brings the best, long-term results.
We want – whatever that is – to be strong, more fit, a different size, sleeping better, more energy, making better food choices – to be an instant success – instant results so the advertising goes.
Spoiler alert – It doesn’t unfold this way.
When we still have a sleepless night or don’t fit into our jeans in two weeks, we superimpose these ideas that we can’t AND won’t ever be successful. Especially if we’ve been there before. The repetitive pattern of not hitting the mark can be more than deflating, it can lead us to think it’s our never-ending story.
Back to the sun – the sun is the steady one, remember!? We (the earth I mean) is the one circling the sun. And what I mean to say about all this is:
Be like the sun, steady, showing up every day – no matter how the day unfolds.
Some days the sun is covered with clouds – so are we – buried in the day’s tumult. Some days the sun is shining bright and we respond the same.
Either way, the call is to show up moment to moment and practice one small step at a time. And slowly, perhaps unperceptive for a while, change happens.
If you want to investigate change a bit more – we loved our conversation with Dr. Jeri Quirk – listen here.
