How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
So goes the commonly quoted encouragement to conquer big projects.
It’s clever, but somehow I rarely let it encourage me. My response was usually something like, “sure, but it will NEVER get done”. What does one little ‘bite’ matter?
This state of mind allowed me to remain stagnant and not push myself to overcome things in my life that seemed overwhelming and more than I could handle. It wasn’t comfortable, but I couldn’t believe that some teeny tiny change could make much of a difference.
A scripture came to mind that previously I had mostly glossed over, thinking it applied in Jesus’ day but not for us today.
Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20
I was convicted and realized I needed to give it a try.
Last year as I set aside the excuses and adopted the elephant-eating philosophy I completed and published my first book! You can learn more about Cherish This Christmas here: https://pauladavispeace.com/2012/11/01/exciting-announcement/
This fall I adopted this concept to living a more healthy lifestyle. Finally admitting this year to being middle-aged I thought about the future a little differently before. I realized continuing current eating habits and the mostly sedentary lifestyle I was living would lead to even more difficulty over time. Always before I had jumped into a change like this ‘all in’, believing that I had to cut out all foods that weren’t healthy for me and exercise for hours a day.
Always before I had failed. This time making small changes has me 10 pounds lighter in 4 weeks and feeling less sluggish and craving less of the fatty, high calorie foods.
Small changes really do matter.
- If you save 25¢ a day, after a year you would have almost $100
- Completing one chore each evening (dusting, vacuuming, laundry, etc.) leaves most weekends free of housework.
- Spending just 20 minutes a day walking, cleaning the house or grocery shopping burns about 500 calories a week.
What elephant(s) are you facing today? Do you look at them the way I used to…does one bite really matter?
I encourage you to change that thinking!
Choose one small change to adapt this week. Then add another.
Give it time…at least a month before giving up. (this may be the toughest part!)
And be encouraged! (If you need help with encouragement, send me a note.)
blessings & peace to you…
Paula
Paula Davis 