compliments of FutureVisions^SM

creating sustainable results in growth and performance

Take small actions that guarantee success. Here are some wonderful examples:

	Stop overspending:   remove ONE object from the basket before going to pay
	Exercise:   stand - yes, just stand! - on the treadmill for a few minutes every morning
	Manage stress:   once a day, note where your body is holding tension (your neck? lower back? shoulders?). Then, take one deep breath.
	Keep the house clean:   pick an area of the house, set a timer for five minutes, and tidy up. Stop when the timer goes off.
	Learn a foreign language:   commit one new word to memory every day. If that's too hard, try learning one new word each week.
	Get more sleep:  go to bed one minute earlier at night, or stay in bed one minute later in the morning.

These little actions usually sound bizarre to the uninitiated. But if you have struggled to make a big change - to drop 20 pounds, to change careers, or to steady a sinking romance - and failed, then you might appreciate how small changes can help.

Remember, big bold efforts to make a change can be counterproductive. Many of these efforts don't take into account the weighty obstacles that may lie in the path: lack of time, tight budget, or a deeply ingrained resistance to the change desired.

Radical programs bring up hidden resistance and sabotage reactions. Small actions take very little time or money and outfox the fear response. Even tiny steps can lead to rapid change. Sometimes all it takes is one small step to effect a dramatic improvement.

When a goal is to perform an activity that you deeply resist (say, exercise) or to give up an ingrained habit (perhaps you shop as a way to relax), you may find that one small step isn't quite enough. However, tiny steps allow the brain to build up new, permanent habits. And even sllllooowwww change is better than failure.  That first tiny step DOES lead you comfortably to a second step, and then a third, and so on, until one day you discover that you have mastered the change.