Do you ever just feel scattered? Like you just can’t get organized or focused enough to do the things you want? I’ve been sort of stuck in this weird rut for most of the summer. It’s not terrible, we’ve had a really nice summer. We’ve had great family time, done a little traveling, explored our favorite local summer spots. But I know I haven’t been working on my goals. I haven’t been as intentional about how I spend my time. I start to feel restless when my purpose is not clear.
So I bought a new planner. For the coming school year. And I’m more excited about it than I should be. I even got new pens to go with it. I am aware that I geek out when it comes to stuff like this, but I also think something else is going on here.
There is a principle in parent coaching that resonates here: Small thing make a difference. It’s not about a magical planner that will organize my life and help me get refocused. It’s that I took a step to regroup. I didn’t keep wallowing in my restlessness and disorganization, while all of my energy basically hitchhiked out of town. I made a really small change. I did one little baby step.
But little baby steps do something amazing-- they bring extra energy with them. Sometimes just knowing that there are things we need to change can feel overwhelming and discourage us from moving at all. When we make small (even tiny!) steps toward the changes we want, it can have significant impact-- giving us more verve to tackle the next small step. I haven’t even received the new planner in the mail, yet I found myself working on projects over the weekend that I had been putting off for months. I already am starting to feel revived.
Making changes is hard. We often don’t give ourselves much credit for small things. We congratulate marathon runners, but it begins with those first few steps. I wonder if we gave ourselves a little more grace and celebrated the small steps, could we accomplish more? Would we have more vigor to tackle another challenge?
What is your next small step?
So I bought a new planner. For the coming school year. And I’m more excited about it than I should be. I even got new pens to go with it. I am aware that I geek out when it comes to stuff like this, but I also think something else is going on here.
There is a principle in parent coaching that resonates here: Small thing make a difference. It’s not about a magical planner that will organize my life and help me get refocused. It’s that I took a step to regroup. I didn’t keep wallowing in my restlessness and disorganization, while all of my energy basically hitchhiked out of town. I made a really small change. I did one little baby step.
But little baby steps do something amazing-- they bring extra energy with them. Sometimes just knowing that there are things we need to change can feel overwhelming and discourage us from moving at all. When we make small (even tiny!) steps toward the changes we want, it can have significant impact-- giving us more verve to tackle the next small step. I haven’t even received the new planner in the mail, yet I found myself working on projects over the weekend that I had been putting off for months. I already am starting to feel revived.
Making changes is hard. We often don’t give ourselves much credit for small things. We congratulate marathon runners, but it begins with those first few steps. I wonder if we gave ourselves a little more grace and celebrated the small steps, could we accomplish more? Would we have more vigor to tackle another challenge?
What is your next small step?