Skip to main content

Change comes little by little....

There are things about myself I want to change. And sadly, some of those things are things I've wanted to change for many years, and yet, here I am, the same. Why? I think a big part of it is that I haven't had a vision of what is possible. And another part of it is that I get overwhelmed.

 Here's how it goes.... I read a parenting book. I vow to be kinder and more patient with my kids. Then something happens where my expectations are not met, and I'm tired and overwhelmed by something else, and my emotion gets the better of me. I do or say something unkind. And then I get upset at myself. And after a few days of this scenario happening again and again, I give up, thinking I'm just not capable of being the kind and patient Mom I want to be.

 But in reading The One Thing this week, I gained a new perspective that I know will be beneficial in my journey of change. My goal needs to be mastery. I don't want to just be OK at being patient and kind. I want to be exceptional in my patience and kindness. And The One Thing has reminded me what I read several years ago in The Genius in All of Us: mastery takes time. For great musicians, scientists, and athletes, but also in our character development. Research has shown that most exceptionally talented people worked 10,000 hours to obtain their level of proficiency.

 Reading this, it finally clicked for me--being a master of kindness and patience with my kids (and everything else I want to become), will take time. 10,000 hours or possibly 10 years. That could be overwhelming to think about, but for me, it's actually reassuring. It helps me realize how silly it is for me to give up on myself for not being perfect in 1 day. It allows me the perspective to forgive myself and to realize that every effort I make toward improvement is one step closer to the mastery I will some day have. It also motivates me to put forth the effort to study and practice. To be intentional about making change.

 As the Chinese proverb says, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It's important to not let those thousand miles ahead bog me down, but to take the first step, and the step after that, and the step after that. And I know success will come as I stick with it.

 I hope my realization will help you in your journey of change.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Fresh Approach to Goal Setting

Today, during my Miracle Morning , I came across a fresh approach to goal setting. It makes so much sense. Tomorrow I will be delving in to answering these questions. I can tell already this will be a life-changing exercise. This is as close to a direct quote as I could get, listening to the audiobook of  The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results . Goal Setting to the Now: What’s the One Thing I want to do some day?  Based on my someday goal, what’s the One Thing I can do in the next 5 years to be on track to achieve it? Based on my 5 year goal, what’s the One Thing I can do this year to be on track to achieve my 5 year goal, so that I’m on track to achieve my someday goal? Based on my one year goal, what’s the One Thing I can do this month, so I’m on track to achieve my goal this year, so I’m on track to achieve my 5 year goal, so that I’m on track to achieve my someday goal?  Based on my goal this month, what’s the One...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kids and Reading

One of my favorite things is walking into the room to find my 2-year-old son plopped down on the ground "reading" a book. He looks at each page intently before turning to the next. And when he finishes that book, he grabs another from the shelf and repeats the process, sometime for more than 10 minutes. My 4-year-old daughter loves to "read" too, but she mostly prefers to be read to. Of all the things we have done wrong as parents, one thing we feel like we did right was putting a book case of children's book in the room where we spend most of our time, within easy reach of our children. My husband was telling me about a book he read that talks about setting yourself up for success. It tells about a woman who really wanted to go far in her profession, which required her to read academic journals at home in the evening. However, somehow she ended up watching TV every night instead. The book suggested the reason why wasn't merely a matter of a l...
Post a Comment
Read more