My work as a teacher is to help people make their life their practice.
Simply put, this means we use our everyday life as our practice pad to work in the energies, the spiritual values that we say we hold dear. Compassion, patience, tolerance, wisdom, understanding. These are a few of the values we work with every single day.
What I’ve noticed is that often we try to make very big changes in our life when really all we need to do are make small changes, one step at a time. When people set out to change their behavior, whether they seek to “watch their thoughts as they have them or “observe their feelings” as they happen, they are looking to make a really big shift. That’s not a simple or automatic process.
What often happens is that we seek big changes and on an unconscious level we get overwhelmed, and stop before we have even begun.
What I’d like to suggest to you is when you’re looking to make a change, start with a little step. Make the little step over and over and over until you really feel you’ve made a shift. Then take another little step forward in the direction of the shift that you seek.
It’s kind of like looking at a diet and choosing to lose 15 pounds. If I were to lose 15 pounds, and said that I’ve got to do it with in 3 months. I’m creating a doable intention. If I said “I have to lose 15 pounds in a week”, that’s the big big shift. It’s impossible for most to lose 15 pounds in a week. Very, very difficult.
Over time, one little step at a time, each decision about each meal, each decision to work out every day, over time it adds up. It’s the same thing about a spiritual shift or a change in behavior.
I’m curious, how do you feel about this? When you are making shifts, do you like to make big leaps? Do you find yourself making big leaps and giving up? Do you take one little chunk at a time, one little step at a time? Leave us your thoughts here. Leave us your wisdom and your advice. Let us know how you feel about taking one step at a time. Small steps, small increments versus big leaps. I’m going to look forward to seeing what you write. We’re going to talk soon.