In an effort to push what we're doing at Challenge Accepted, this blog sets off the beginning of a personal challenge of setting up a daily blog. This will also lead into a vlog in the days to come. So, without further ado, Embrace the Little Things.
Often when we look towards tomorrow, it's the big things that catch our eye. Though I think it's absolutely important to pursue the big ideas, it's even more important to embrace the little things. This is why.
When we look forward towards any goal, overcoming any obstacle, achieving any target, there are a lot of little things between here and there that we have to work through in order to be successful. When we get tied up in the outcome, we fail to see what's happening along the journey. It may be slightly cliché, but truly, the journey is where we find the most growth within ourselves and the world around us. So how do we find these little things, how do we reach that next step? We embrace all of those little things as they come by. It's those little nuances, those little blips in time, those little 'little' things that help us strive for the next mark.
If you were to look at every major achievement in your life, it's easy to start to outline all of the smaller steps that were necessary to make that accomplishment happen. If, for example, I look towards a long hike, I can look back over the hundreds of miles and outline all of the steps it took to get to the end - both figuratively and literally. Trailhead to trail-end is an accomplishment, but that's not the story I tell people. I tell of the bluffs I climbed, the waterfalls I saw, the random pool of water I decided to swim in simply because I could. They're little moments along the way, but those are the moments that make the journey.
The point I'm getting at is this. The simple truth of life is that the big goals are great when we can achieve them. The little things, however, make up the foundation of our lives. When we're willing to really cherish those little things, the moments, the spaces in between, we can find a fulfilling life that's beyond comparison. Why? Because within those little things we can find out who we are and grow in the process. Life is a process of little things that help us define who we are. If we're too worried about the end result, then life can quickly become a zero sum game. I, for one, cherish those moments, and hope that I can return to them when things seem difficult or out of reach.
So to all of you going through your paces in life, don't worry about getting there so quickly that you miss out on the important points between here and there. Bring those memories to the front of your mind, take a look at the nuances, and embrace the little things. Those little things make the difference between just getting something, and earning the process.
Here's to the little things!
Justin