How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Sometimes I think part of being curious is recognizing when the universe is throwing thoughts and concepts to (or at!) you, becoming curious as to what those mean, and using them to impact yourself and your choices.

This last few weeks I’ve had so many conversations about baby steps. Moving forward. Micromovements. How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. How to eat an elephant. Maybe it’s just the turn of another calendar year, as people are looking at their goals and dreams and reflecting upon them, but it feels like more than that.

Image from wix.com

I spoke with a former fiddle student of mine this week. When we met in 2006, he’d been playing violin for about a year with another teacher when she moved and recommended he contact me for lessons. We made slow slow slow progress in his lessons, learning technique and building a small tune repertoire.

Now, over 10 years later, we occasionally have the opportunity to play some Irish tunes together. This week, he taught a tune to the group I'm currently hosting every week. He also learned a tune that night in less than 30 minutes (something which I think if I’d told him in 2006, he would have thought impossible). When I commented to him how much progress he’s made, he was thrilled to hear it, because so many sessions it just doesn’t feel like he’d made much progress.

Sometimes the person taking the steps is the last person to realize they were moving forward at all. Funny how baby steps work.

When we harness their power, though, we can move so far. I love the concept of micromovements (which I first learned of from author and creative leader, SARK). When a big task feels overwhelming, break it down into the smallest tiniest ittiest bittiest pieces. Then break those even smaller. Pick one. Just do one. If another feels manageable after that, great, do another, but you only need to do one.

This in and of itself can become overwhelming. That’s when it is important to reach out: ask for help, take a class, browse (mindfully) online for answers, information, and guidance. See how others have conquered their goals, no matter how similar or different to yours.

A tiny task done for 10 minutes a day adds up to over an hour a week and over four hours a month. Four hours on any given task can make big changes. Ten daily minutes of information on a subject can create a vast amount of knowledge in an area. Baby step sized pieces.

It is only in moving forward that we can find where we’re meant to be (which, humbly, is ever changing). Feeling stuck in a rut? Frustrated with where you've ended up? Just in the mood for something new and different? Find one tiny step to make a shift. Then another. And another. Just keep moving, even if you’re not yet sure where you’re going.

Even if you don’t even yet know what they are, keep eating your elephants.

Amy x

#nothingispermanent #doneisbetterthangood #consciouslycurious