Size does matter
Being small is okay
So what?
Same as Part 1 from last post, you will:
- Find yourself smiling at yourself and around others;
- Get more from your relationships;
- Give and get help when you or they need it; and
- Find an escape from the dredge of your daily grind.
Why a two part post?
I had planned to write one post but the first one ended up being about the little things that are presented to us. I wanted to write about the importance of the little things you can do for others.
Why are they important?
If you’re not yet convinced that being small is okay and little things matter, you need to try it for yourself. Try taking a second or two out of your busy day to make small gestures to your partner, child and colleagues. I will leave the convincing to you as I’m confident that you will amaze yourself at what little things do for your relationship.
Bring little doesn’t mean easy
Why is it hard to do these little things despite how trivial they look to be? That’s because you hate change. Bringing change into your life feels like mutiny. If you’re used to buying big and grandiose gifts a couple of times a year for special occasions or praising your colleague on their achievements, you’re going to have to put in the hard work to make it a habit. Making it habitual is a surefire way of ensuring that it gets done.
Resistance is okay so force yourself to do it. You will be okay!
My experience
I used to feel like I had to start a meaningful conversation with my wife during our morning routines in the kitchen. It felt like we weren’t connecting and getting a good start to the day if we didn’t. One day, my wife told me that she didn’t have the energy to have a deep conversation. I took the opportunity to ask her what she wanted to chat about in the mornings (which I should have done long ago). She said “I want you to ask me how I slept”. That’s all she had wanted all along. And it took me years to find out when I could have asked her what she wanted. All she wanted was a little thing of me asking her “did you sleep well?”, not a big bang.
What now?
Start small, once or twice a day.