Slow and Steady

So much of the motivational/productivity information out there is focused on how quickly we can accomplish or change something, and how we “need” to get this or change that right now. Urgency has taken over everything, and in many ways has also taken the place of wisdom.

We tend to rush into whatever seems the fastest route to our goals and gloss over the details, and often reap the unintended consequences or hidden costs of what goes along with some faster routes. Many times, there are better, quicker ways of doing things and there is nothing wrong with pursuing those ideas and solutions. But, we’re bombarded from every side with marketing ploys and gimmicks that we don’t even realize we’ve been influenced by.

When you look critically at the media, you’ll notice the aim to disseminate propaganda in startlingly subliminal ways. Everyone has an agenda and a narrative, and the more emotions and subconscious influence that can be conveyed, the more blind support of an idea, or political ideology is garnered. Sadly, this kind of influence can take rational, logical thought completely out of the picture. Then, months or years down the road we look back and wonder why in the world we chose to do or support what we did in light of where we are now.

When we sit back and thoughtfully analyze what we’re being told, research, and ask logical questions, we can see just how much actual facts have been twisted one way or another to benefit those trying to accomplish their own goals. It doesn’t take time or effort to see this in the media, but it does take significant effort to beat the cognitive dissonance in our own minds and accept that most things aren’t what they appear to be on the surface.

The same is true of our path to health. The media’s ability to twist a narrative to benefit one group or party over another, depending on who they support, is extremely similar to what we see every day in the health and wellness space. Everyone has a quick fix, a new cleanse or diet, a new way to work out that is “revolutionary” and will “fix” all your problems in 6 weeks. Some guru somewhere that can, for a certain sum of money, erase your years of struggles and create “a new you” in 30 days. You know the kind of hype I’m talking about; the examples are endless and ubiquitous.

While there is benefit to something new and fresh, especially if it can jolt you out of deeply set habits with a renewed motivation, what we’ve seen help people the most are small, slow and steady changes over time. People tend to fall off the wagon and become overwhelmed with large changes. Most leadership books on habits will support this. One of the best ways to make a change is to focus on something incredibly small, like eating a little less bread and a little more veggies with your meals when you think about it, or setting a small goal of going to the gym two days a week and working on simply showing up - not even worrying about what you do when you get there, just getting through the doorway first.

These kind of small changes won’t make a noticeable difference overnight, but, they will cause you to win early, and win consistently. This, in turn encourages you, and slowly, steadily builds positive habits that end up causing massive change over time. And, change that is deeply rooted and hard to revert.

When you learn to add simple habits and small changes into your life over time, their effect compounds. These seemingly insignificant changes end up adding up to life-changing downstream effects and are amazing to see.

Sometimes we need to separate the noise of the “fix this in 21 days” or “the world is ending TODAY, so you must do this now!” and sit back and assess what’s really going on, use the brain and wisdom you’ve been blessed with to chart a course forward with small, well-planned, effective changes you can make over time. You’ll look back later and be amazed at how much little smart accomplishments changed you for the better.

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.” Proverbs 12:11

“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge is rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” Proverbs 24:3-4