I had an occasion to contemplate the great change that can come about through the smallest acts. This past weekend, I had my bike (Daisy!) refitted - a process I am beginning with this new wonderful bike of mine as we haven't worked out all the kinks yet for a pain free ride. So we moved the seat forward, maybe a centimetre and holy banana what a difference.
That got me thinking about a book by Nathaniel Brandon, the Six Pillars of Self Esteem which I often recommend. In it, Mr. Brandon has created exercises for the reader, which require one to write stem sentences. Many of them start with "If i were 5% more..." conscious, positive, aware, kind, patient, compassionate with myself, "I would ....".
Its an interesting exercise to contemplate what being 5% more of anything, or bringing 5% more of yourself to something, might accomplish. I also like the fact that really, 5% doesn't really seem like such a big deal no? Doesn't seem impossible, seems like something anyone could do.
Sometimes we overwhelm ourselves when we seek to change. We want to revamp ourselves, our partners, our kids. We want to see great things, huge change. And we get disappointed because really, great, sweeping changes are hard to come by, in ourselves or in anyone else. But 5% .... I could endeavour to be 5% more patient, or 5% more compassionate, I could do that. More interesting is the change that happens around you in response to that 5%.
What will your 5% be?
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