Wednesday, August 12, 2009

One Small Step...

OK, I was going to give this blah blah blah blog a cute title about the "journey of a thousand miles..." but when I realized Confucius said it and then further realized that I hate the word journey, I decided to use another frequent flyer in the quote world instead - "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." (Neil Armstrong)

As I lay in bed tonight, OK tossed in bed tonight, I kept thinking that in order to take action you really only have to do one small thing. Infinitesimal. Itty Bitty. Once you do that thing - whatever it is - you are no longer where you were. You are out of inertia and moving. Even if it is at a turtle's pace, you are still moving. In fact, Martha Beck calls these mini movements turtle steps. And you know the story about the Turtle and the Hare, right?
So, that damn Confucius was onto something.

Where are you trying to go?
What are you hoping to achieve?
What do you want more (or less) of in your life?

Having a sense of your destination can be helpful, but even if you don't know exactly where you are going you can move in the direction of your dreams by taking one small step. The cool thing about these little moves is that you can adjust your direction easily if you discover it wasn't actually where you wanted to go. The other cool thing? They are a piece of cake and, dare I say, FUN!
My small step this week was to update my blog. After all, the journey of a thousand thoughts begins with just one word. Which is why I got up at 3am and decided to type a few of those words. Turtle Steps.

Do want more joy? What is one small thing that will bring you more joy this week?
I am going to laugh more with my family.

Do you want to be healthier? What is one thing (tiny!) that will create more wellness in your life? I am going to enjoy the fresh fruits and vegetables of summer every day!

Do you want less stress? What is one itty-bitty mini-movement you can take to create more peace?
I am going to remind myself to be present.

Share YOUR small steps.
Everyone who comments on this post goes into a drawing for a 30 minute one-on-one coaching session on Turtle Steps. I know - it is a shameless way to encourage comments, but I don't care!

Confucius always makes me think of fortune cookies. I like to add "in bed" to the end of all my fortunes. So, "the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step... in bed." Good night everyone!
xoHannah