The year of small things
I have crowned 2023 the year of small things for me..
It’s a bit counter cultural, I know. We’re surrounded by messages encouraging us to live our best lives, to show up in big ways, and to grow - our businesses, our churches, our nest egg.
These are not necessarily bad things.
But what if life wasn’t all about go big or go home?
I decided to focus on small things this year, believing that sometimes paying attention to the small stuff (if not actually sweating it) makes all the difference.
For example, I always come into my house through the carport door. On the wall immediately to my right is a series of coat hooks. I always hang my keys and purse on the first hook
Except when I don’t.
You know, like when my hands are full of groceries and I lay my keys on the counter where they are soon hidden by the bread I just bought.. Or I forget to leave my purse and keys on the hook, leaving them elsewhere in the house, not worrying about it because I’m leaving it in a special place and I'll remember that special place.
(Narrator: She does not remember. She never remembers where those special places are.)
Then the small thing becomes a big thing as I waste time going through my house searching for that special place. Wherever I'm going, I’m a bit more frazzled when I get there.
So how does designating 2023 the year of small things help me? When I walk past the coat hooks, I stop and go back. I don't put my keys anywhere else. Therefore, I don't waste my time and energy and good mood in a quest to find them..
I know, it doesn’t sound like much, and some of you may be rolling your eyes because it’s what you’ve always done. And yet, almost a month in, I can see the difference.
It’s not just the keys and purse, of course. There are other small tasks and small habits that I’m tending to in better ways. Using the umbrella of small things makes it easier to recognize them and to do them.
Maybe you need to do a big thing this year. Maybe it really is time for you to go big! If so, you go right ahead and do that. I’ll be cheering you on.
Just remember, tending to those small things makes the big things possible.
Don't be afraid to think small.
If you need some help sorting out your own small things or big plans, feel free to contact me.
