People ask me, “what’s different this time?” Successful weight loss, exercise, and maintaining a new lifestyle, why is this time working for me? I eat clean, attend boot camps, and journal my food into MFP. When I have questions or to support others, I inquire and respond on a private Facebook group page. It is not that I have greater willpower than another. My food choices prevents blood sugar levels from spiking, making it physically easier to maintain an equilibrium, preventing cravings and overeating unhealthy choices. Yet other than that there is no holy grail for what I have done thus far and what I will continue to do. What I have learned is that doing the little things consistently over time is what makes me successful. Continuing to do these small action items is what will contribute to maintaining that success. Nothing more and nothing less is needed for explanation.
Yet time will change, life events will affect my behavior through choices within and outside of my control. Yes, maybe for a day, or two, or three, or a week or month, yet when I return to these small, simple action steps that have made me successful, my path of success continues. Doing these small tasks consistently is the path different from others. As easy as it is to complete these small, simple steps, it is just as easy not to do these small, simple steps. In Jeff Olson’s book, The Slight Edge, this is his philosophy about successful people. Having this slight edge over time establishes long term success. Time enforces advancement along a spectrum where success shows minut, barely visible progress in the short term, yet compounded over time is noteworthy. Doing the little things consistently over time builds momentum, until suddenly success appears and its continuation maintains it.
When you know this truth to be self evident, you simply do what must be done, day in and day out. No excuses, no retorte for its difficulty, and no perfection in the process. Like Yoda’s philosophy, “Do or don’t do. There is no try.” Changing your mindset to fit the stream of steady and slow wins the race is necessary. In a world of big breaks, magic pills, and instantaneous gratification oozing from all corners of our culture, to live moment by moment doing the small things is transformative. That altered state of being pays tremendous dividends with a long term payoff. Success is anyone’s for the making with small, simple steps leading the path. No need to see the end, following one action into the next gets you to the finish line. With this knowing, success comes to fruition with rewards often greater than expected. My transformation from repeated failure for decades to successful path is proof of concept. Success, why me? Success, why not you, too?