Power of Increments
Last summer I was traveling to the gorgeous city of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is an absolutely stunning city with a unique blend of history, culture, and natural beauty.
While I was waiting on my morning cup of coffee in a cozy cafe along the Royal Mile, I saw an extremely elegantly dressed man in his 60s and I ended up striking up a conversation with the gentleman.
Initially, we talked about the nuances of technology after he learned about my work as a Technology Architect. But, the conversation became extremely interesting when he started narrating about his life experiences.
The gentleman had traveled to over 97 countries and has a deep understanding of culture, and literature, and is extremely fond of music. Later he shared his experiences of how he went from being a Homeless man in Glasgow to where he is now. I was completely taken aback by the hardships that he had to overcome to become what he is now. He talked about tons of stuff that he had pursued in order to overcome his hardships.
Some of the key lessons that I learned from him-
Power of Acknowledgment- He mentioned that while waiting on the street to gather pennies to buy his burger, he realized that he is in deep trouble and he doesn’t want to live like this forever. He didn’t have a lot of resources available at that time but he knew one thing- that there is something wrong and that the thing that needs to change.
I believe that we all have two voices inside us-
— One which lets us live our lives the way it is. This voice doesn’t want to change. It is always willing to tell us a story that is okay.
— Another voice- the voice which always whispers and never screams but, it usually is the most powerful voice which suggests that something needs to change. No matter how hard we try, the second voice always speaks even if we had abandoned listening to it for a long. This second voice is the voice of our realization and destiny. The voice which wants us to fight our odds and overcame.
I am pretty sure that the gentleman must have encountered the inner voice many times, but there is only that time while waiting for the burger — he could literally hear it aloud between fainting whispers.
Power of Starting Small- One of the biggest obstacles to making a start is often feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the task at hand. This is exactly where the concept of starting small becomes the way to go. The starts are always sloppy but that should never be an impediment.
The gentleman didn’t have any resources available at his disposal when he made the choice to march forward in his life. With no resources, he didn’t have any control over what or where he should march. However, he had only one resource available which is TAKE THE FIRST STEP. That first step provided him the momentum. Through those many First Steps, he is able to achieve what he had achieved.
Without the first step, you will never start. Without many steps, you will never finish.
For example, if you’re working on a big project, start by outlining the main points you need to cover. From there, break each point down into smaller, more specific tasks, and tackle them one at a time. By starting small and focusing on each individual task, you’ll be less likely to feel overwhelmed, and you’ll be able to make steady progress toward your goal.
Power of Consistency — The first step begins the momentum, and the following steps over a sustained period of time pave the future. The diamond becomes a diamond only when it had experienced extreme pressure over a sustained period of time. The motivation inspires us to take the first step, however, integrity and persistence ensure that numerous such steps are taken in order to attain the vision.
What’s your inner voice saying to you now? What’s the inner voice that you had been abandoning while it is asking you for a change? Let's take that one single step and you never know- that is the only step you needed to turn the wheels!
