June 1, we’re almost half-way through 2025. Time is flying! What do you want to accomplish by December 31? How about challenging yourself to get better at something that is important to you?
I bet you’ve heard this before: small, consistent actions over time can lead to big change.
Tim said the track behind his young son’s school beckoned to him. He wanted to run around it. He could picture himself doing it. But when he started, he couldn’t jog even an eighth of it before getting totally winded. He was disappointed and mad at himself. Every day, he’d see that track when he dropped off his son. It nagged him, so he challenged himself.
He set the goal of running the entire track without stopping. But, he had work to do before he could achieve it. He walked it a number of times and knew he had to do more than that. He decided to stop drinking a can of soda first thing in the morning. That was his dependable start-the-day-caffeine-kick. He knew it was not a good habit, so he quit drinking that first can of the day the first week. Weeks later he stopped drinking the second can of soda each day. Soon, he wasn’t drinking soda at all. He was amazed he could function without it.
At the same time, he walked the track a few times a week, picturing himself jogging it, when he wasn’t beating himself up for not being able to do it right off the bat. Over time, in small increments, he’d walk, then jog, challenging himself each week to do a little more. Some weeks were harder and he’d plateau. He’d miss a week here and there. But, he persisted over time. Started exercising at home, too. It took a while, but he did it.
Now, he jogs around the entire track and even sprints portions of it to push himself to get a little better. Small, consistent actions over time led to this big change. Tim feels stronger, slimmer, and more fit than when he started.
What would you like to get better at? Start today with one step in that direction. You can do it!
