Small change

The term small change is often used to denote something tiny, unimportant, and ultimately not worth doing. Think of it sort of like you’d think of pennies or nickels compared to, say, twenty or hundred dollar bills. Why go for small change when you can set your sights on something bigger, more substantial?

And, while that may be a reasonable way to think about the money in your purse or your pocket, when it comes to our behaviors or our habits, actually small change can be worth a lot. In fact, you make enough small changes and you might be surprised about the big changes that result.

Big change might be something like running a marathon. But, no one has ever competed in a marathon without first making a small change - the commitment to run around the block. Or, big change might be completing a graduate degree. But, no one has completed a graduate degree without choosing to make a small change by taking that first course. A big change could be any new habit or accomplishment. And, all big changes require the many little changes that precede and then lead up to it.

It takes 100 million pennies to make a million dollars! That’s a lot of small things to make up a huge thing. It takes a bunch of little changes to create the big outcomes we seek. Start collecting your pennies and start collecting those other small changes. Consider taking that first small step towards the bigger outcomes you desire.