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30-DAY WRITING CHALLENGE / 2 SEPTEMBER 22
The Power of Thinking Small
How a simple mind trick is helping me achieve my year-end goals
I gave up on New Years’ resolutions a long time ago. That gym membership was never fully used no matter how many times I set my alarm. I can only eat so many salads, and being productive always started tomorrow.
Jumping on that first new month bandwagon usually meant a sore rump as I inevitably fell off by the next month or first major pothole, whichever came first. While I thought I wanted the results, doing the work was a far different matter. It turned out that I was not as motivated as I first believed. No big surprise there.
On one of my many weight loss quests, I came across this little wisdom gem that continues to challenge my thinking. I don’t remember the source, but it goes something like this. When asked how long it would take to lose 100 pounds, the recipient answered, “about 1 year.” Already discouraged by the timeline, that person was no longer willing to put in the effort.
They were then asked if they planned to be alive by this time next year. The answer was, of course, yes.
“Then, why not be 100 pounds lighter by this time next year?”
