Small steps to massive change

My father once asked me a question in regards to sobriety that always stuck. “If you were to turn your car just 5 degrees to the right you’d barely notice. But 100 miles from now you’d be in a completely different place.”

This quote has a couple of meanings for me. First, if you have a goal don’t allow yourself to veer too far off course and always be mindful of your intended path. For just one shift in direction, if unnoticed, can be catastrophic when compounded. We must therefore be ever vigilant in our auditing process, reviewing our map both in terms of progress but also direction ahead. We can’t take our eyes off the prize.

While it can be a warning, this quote can also be one of inspiration. Sometimes it seems as though our path is littered with bad luck. Like each step just takes us deeper into struggle and difficulty. And the further we traipse into the quicksand of life, the further we find ourselves from anything resembling a branch or vine of liberation. But maybe we don’t need a savior. Maybe we just need to course correct.

Sometimes a complete overhaul is needed. Sometimes we need to just change everything. There’s a reason why rehab works. It uproots everything in one’s life. But for many of us, change is really about making the daily changes that are sustainable. If you were to start tracking intake, start walking 8,000 steps per day or start lifting weights 2-4x per week it might not make a difference next week. But can you imagine the change you would see in a year? 5 years? A decade? You would be unrecognizable.

Act with intention and that little step can become a massive leap. It just takes time.