Home
>
Success
>
Three Proven Ways To Leverage the Big Power of Small Changes

Three Proven Ways To Leverage the Big Power of Small Changes

Successful people set ambitious goals. But the high standards and lofty visions necessary for great success can sometimes be daunting. You may want to run a marathon, lose 50 pounds, or build a business empire, but you may quickly find yourself overwhelmed if you mentally focus on such ambitious goals.

The result can be procrastination, or even depression. Clinically depressed people often have goals that far exceed what they feel they can really accomplish. As a result, they often get stuck in a "paralysis of analysis" ? finding themselves unable to initiate actions because they feel they need new skills or more information.

Fortunately, there is a great power in making small changes. Consider this sampling of findings from the research on health and weight loss?

Losing just a few pounds can have a significant impact on your health, even if you remain obese.
Small amounts of exercise (as little as a 10 minute rapid walk) can significantly boost your mood for several hours.
Taking in just 150 fewer calories per day, about that found in one can of sugared soda, would lead to a loss of 15 pounds in one year.
Among older Americans, a very modest weight lifting regimen can significantly reduce their risk of falls and fractures, while increasing their ability to climb stairs or carry groceries.

Small changes have big impacts in other areas of life as well. Want to write a book? Write a page a day, and you can be an author within a year. An hour a day studying a new topic can lead to considerable expertise in just a few months. Plastic surgeons bring about dramatic changes in appearance with very small changes in facial structure. If the space shuttle's trajectory is off by a fraction of a percent, it can end up being hundreds of miles from its destination. The list goes on.

So how do you leverage the big power of small changes? Try these three techniques?

1. Revel in small changes. Instead of beating yourself for not having accomplished your big goals, feel good about small improvements.

If you want to lose weight, start with small lifestyle changes such as taking stairs instead of elevators, substituting a glass water for one soda each day, waiting 20 minutes before deciding you want "seconds" at dinner, or eating just one more serving of vegetables each day.

The ancient wisdom of the I Ching states that the process of change should begin with the easy and the simple. Two thousand years later, experts on psychological change concluded that there are two crucial rules for shaping your own behavior: "(1) you can never begin too low, and (2) the steps upward can never be too small. When in doubt, begin at a lower level or reduce the size of the steps."

2. Divide and conquer. Henry Ford said: "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." Elite athletes, for example, routinely set both long-term and short-term goals, but sports psychologists have discovered that repeatedly focusing on the long-term goals can be counter- productive. Instead, focusing on the short-term goals, and the small changes needed to achieve them, leads to more motivation, greater confidence, enhanced performance, and more happiness, both for athletes and non-athletes alike.

Basketball coach Larry Brown, who is currently leading the Detroit Pistons against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals, typically starts each game by encouraging his team to "win the first three minutes." He uses the same technique throughout the game, focusing his team on near-term goals and the small changes needed for victory. Football coaches often use a similar tactic, encouraging players to mentally consider the 16-game season as being comprised of four 4-game mini-seasons.

3. Schedule a time for small changes. Often we don't simply don't make the time for the small changes that can make big impacts. We may (wrongly) consider them to be inconsequential, or shy away from them because they remind us of how far we are from our more ambitious goals. Try scheduling a time for these modest behaviors, and sticking to it.

This technique is similar to "activity scheduling" ? a tactic commonly used as one element of treating depression. Depressed people are often reluctant to engage in activities, such as going to a movie, even though they believe these activities will make them feel better. Committing themselves in advance to engaging in these activities can significantly boost their activity levels and their mood, helping to ensure they make the small changes that have big impacts.

REFERENCES

The findings and recommendations in this article are based on scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. For complete references, see Psychological Foundations of Success: A Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates the Science of Success from Self-Help Snake Oil by Stephen Kraus, Ph.D.

? 2004 Stephen Kraus

About The Author

Success Scientist Dr. Stephen Kraus is author of Psychological Foundations of Success: A Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates the Science of Success from Self-Help Snake Oil. Steve has a Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University. To contact him or subscribe to his REAL Science of Success ezine, please visit http://www.realscienceofsuccess.com

http://www.realscienceofsuccess.com

reliable home cleaners Wilmette ...

In The News:

Account takeover threats go beyond stolen passwords as criminals exploit session cookies, SIM swaps and MFA fatigue to bypass your login security.

SpaceX is reportedly pursuing access to 80,000 cell sites to turn Starlink into a major wireless carrier rivaling Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

Tech advocacy groups warn that foreign nationals at AI companies like OpenAI and Google pose a national security threat amid a lack of federal oversight.

Singapore researchers built the world's first touchscreen woven into clothing, surviving 50 machine washes while displaying images and responding to touch.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A startup founder woke to $449 in unexpected OpenAI and Anthropic charges after stolen API keys were exploited during the "Black October" cyber wave.

Educational Testing Service hackers stole millions of California student records, but families who moved out of state years ago may also be affected.

Apple's iPhone Duo screens are cracking near the hinge just days after its $1,999 launch, and iFixit's CT scans may reveal what's going wrong.

Travel expert Katy Nastro says 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles vanished from her account after someone redeemed them without permission.

Google AI Overviews can't be permanently turned off, but adding -AI to your searches and using the built-in Web filter can help bypass AI summaries.

Attaxion researchers found 30 fake Texas campaign merchandise stores traced to just two sellers hawking gear for competing Republicans and Democrats.

GM plans to debut eyes-off driving in the Cadillac Escalade IQ by 2028, but safety testing reveals how long distracted drivers take to regain control.

Data brokers assign labels predicting your health, finances and religion based on browsing and purchases, then sell those profiles to businesses.

Elon Musk says he'll give one SpaceX share to every kid in America in 2027, but key details about eligibility and distribution remain unclear.

ClearSpace UK's robotic spacecraft with giant claws will chase down dead satellites at 17,000 mph, with a 2029 launch from Scotland planned.

A fake Social Security statement phishing email uses the SSA logo and a convincing layout, but the sender's domain instantly exposes the scam.

A clean credit report doesn't mean your identity is safe. Six ways criminals can steal from you without triggering a credit monitoring alert.

Carolyn Marvin, a 78-year-old retired professor, was arrested after blocking an Uber Eats delivery robot on a Philadelphia sidewalk for months.

The Midnight Mimosa malware campaign hides inside cheap Android phone firmware, giving attackers powerful access before owners even turn devices on.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Meta's Muse AI was built to manage tasks, but users are developing romantic AI relationships and even calling the AI companion their girlfriend.

A Minnesota murder suspect's notebook listed 11 people search websites, raising urgent questions about data broker opt-out and online privacy risks.

Google Universal Cart tracks price drops, surfaces promo codes and uses Google Wallet to match your best credit card rewards before checkout.

Safari's Notify Me feature and Google's price-tracking tools can monitor products and send alerts when prices drop on your iPhone or Android.

George Weiner built PACspam.org to trace who sends nonstop political fundraising texts after blocking numbers repeatedly failed to stop the messages.