Author: Jennie Turton
The Power of One Small Choice
by Jennie Turton
It is amazing to see what an impact one small choice can make on our lives. This truth became a personal reality for me this year. A friend challenged me to make the choice to set aside my normal self-help reading material for a season and to dive into some weightier works by authors outside of my comfort zone.
At first I begrudgingly agreed, casting longing glances at my bookshelf of resources. Yet, as the year wore on, I found myself craving the deep, poignant thoughts of these men and women so much older and wiser than myself. I started to find myself thinking differently and eventually acting differently in response to the ideas these individuals were presenting. Gradually, my superficial self-help books looked less appealing, and I found myself abandoning my bookshelf almost entirely in favor of a new one. I began reading these culturally rich books on my own, without the prompting of my friend. I liked the changes I was seeing in myself. Who would have thought what a difference the choice to trade out a few authors would make in my life?
So, what about you? Is there an area in your life where you would like to see a change? Are you wishing for more? Wanting something different? You may be surprised by the power one small choice has in changing your circumstances!
It is easy to get overwhelmed by the “bigness” of an obstacle we’re facing or a new habit we’re trying to introduce; but it’s amazing to see how much one small choice can actually get you moving in a totally new direction!
Here’s a few thoughts to help you get started:
1. Choose an area of your life where you’d like to see change happen. Maybe you want to start eating healthier, or maybe you want to save for that trip to Italy. Maybe you want to make an internal change, like overcoming resentment you have towards a loved one or fear you have about stepping out of the comfort zone of your social circle. Pay attention to your emotions this week and look for that one area of your life that leaves you feeling dissatisfied.
2. Decide NOT to get overwhelmed by the big picture. You really don’t need to eat the elephant all in one bite. You got where you are today in this area through a series of small choices made over the course of a lot of time. Don’t worry about trying to reverse things in an instant. Be graciously patient with yourself. It will come!
3. Brainstorm a list of things that you could do to move you in the direction of your goal. Maybe it’s going online to find one new, healthy recipe to make this week for dinner. Maybe it’s saving just $20 a month…the price of four or five Starbucks cappuccinos. (This may help with your goal to eat healthier too!) You could decide to pick up the phone and call the loved one who hurt you…just to get his or her perspective on the situation. The next holiday work party you’re invited to…go! Strike up a conversation with one of the company leadership. You might just find that he or she’s a normal person too!
4. Watch. Amazing things happen when we break the cycle of the predictable in our lives. You know the quote by Albert Einstein, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” It really is true. The beauty of introducing just one small choice is that the “sameness” is interrupted and a domino effect of good often happens as a result.
5. Commit to keeping that one small choice as a regular part of your life. Let it become a new habit. When you no longer have to remind yourself to do it, you know you’re set!
6. Repeat steps one through five again, choosing a new area of your life where you’d like to see change begin. You’ll find the process really does get easier with time…and more fun!
Trading my old reading materials for new brought incredible inner growth to my life this year.
What change could result from introducing one small choice to your life?
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