The Power Of One Small Thing

Fatima Doman, Executive Coach and Senior Consultant at Franklin Covey, says small victories build confidence and motivate us to do more.

The Power of Accomplishing One Small Thing:
I encourage my clients to take on one small, realistic goal at a time. It’s motivating to build progressive quick wins. With each new victory comes confidence. Sometimes we look at that disorganized, over stuffed closet or garage, or the prospect of hunting for a job in this down economy and we feel overwhelmed, discouraged and completely unmotivated to tackle it. It’s best to choose one small thing that you don’t dread doing—like organizing one part of the closet first, then step back and really take in your victory. Let the smile spread across your face. That great feeling of one small accomplishment will give you the motivation to take on the next task, and so on. The same principle applies to searching for a job. Your confidence will increase when you commit to doing something as small as sending out one resume each day. I heard a popular author tell how he finally got his first book written. He had a full time job, a wife and children. He studied his routine and realized that he watched mindless T.V. for about an hour and half at the end of each eve. He decided to go to bed by 10:00 each night, forego the T.V. and then set his alarm an hour and half earlier each morning. He dedicated that hour and half before work each morning to writing his book. He finished the book in just four months! It’s like the gradual, tiny drip in the faucet that over a few hours fills a bucket!

The Power of Giving One Small Thing:
Times are hard: economically and emotionally. We don’t have to feel pressure to give BIG gifts: a smile, kind words, a sincere compliment, a thoughtfully written card, showing your interest in someone’s day, expressing gratitude, or sharing your time and talents can have the same impact as a large bouquet of flowers. Give a positive, uplifting attitude to those around you—it’s a simple act with profound consequences. My friend Liz once stopped and gave a homeless man some lunch. He obviously wanted to give her something meaningful in return, and did so by giving the only thing he had, a sincere compliment: “You look beautiful today, lady”. That compliment made it an honorable exchange for both. Mother Theresa said, “We can all do small things with great love.” We often think that to be successful we must focus on ourselves. This simply isn’t true. Successful people become successful because of how much value they give to others. Becoming overly focused on my desires and my feelings and my needs, is a downer. When we’re so focused on ourselves, we become easily disappointed in others and circumstances. That’s why it helps to turn our attention to others, and focus on giving, rather than receiving.

The Power of Slowing Down and Enjoying the Small Things:
I love what the Buddha said, “When you are walking, walk, when you are sitting, sit”. We know multitasking is unproductive. Research shows people who multitask make about 50% more errors and spend about twice as long completing a task, not to mention feel stressed out. Learn to slow down and enjoy the small things in life—the small things are really the best things and they’re free. Focus on every day, inexpensive, nurturing rewards that don’t sabotage your goals, such as taking time to watch a sunset, listening to beautiful music, cozying up to a warm drink, hugging someone you love, simmering apples and cinnamon to fill the house with a wonderful smell, dance with your kids, take a bubble bath, notice the changing colors of leaves or icicles on a tree, give yourself quiet time with a great book, go to a museum, write in a gratitude journal, or trade foot massages with your partner. There’s a movement in Europe called “slow food”: research shows that slowing down to cook, give thanks and enjoy a meal in the company of friends or loved ones improves digestion, health and wellbeing.

Fatima Doman is passionate about coaching others to succeed and in addition to her work with Franklin Covey, runs Ascend Coaching, her personal coaching business.