In This Episode:
This episode discusses why we should use small changes and how they can lead to big results.
Episode Transcript:
Opening
On today’s episode, how you can use small changes to get big results.
You’re listening to Your Faith At Work with Dr. Ryan S. Howard, a podcast to inspire and equip you to partner with God in your daily work. Visit your YourFaithAtWork.org to learn more and download your free copy of 21 Days to a New Workplace You.
Episode
If you’re anything like me, you’ve had times in your life where you’ve had this big motivation to have this big change and you’re going to get these big results. Maybe, for example, you decided that you wanted to start exercising or you want to read a book a week. So you commit to it and you start doing really well out of the gate and then you miss a day or you don’t feel particularly motivated and somehow it starts to back off achieving that and then all of a sudden it’s been a week or two and where did that go? And you forget about it and move on.
I want to suggest that instead of thinking about these big changes, it’s better to think about a small change. What little tweak can you make?
Small Changes in Golf
If you’re a golfer, you will understand this a little better, but it’s simple. If you look at a golf swing and where the ball goes, whether it goes straight down the fairway or it goes way off to the side, it’s just a little difference. It could be in the grip of the club, it could be in the club head position, but just a tiny little angle difference or the ball position by less than an inch can make the ball go different places, hundreds of yards down the fairway. Off to the right, left or wherever it is. It doesn’t take a lot of change.
The Key to Small Change
It’s the same when it comes to other stuff in our life that we want to have big results from. We need to make small tweaks, small changes. So one of the keys to being able to do this consistently is to have the change that you’re trying to make be Small enough so that you won’t have mental resistance to it.
It won’t be something you’ll want to avoid or it won’t be something that you need to be especially motivated for. It won’t be reliant on you having the willpower in the moment. It’s something small enough to where you’ll just do it with no resistance
The goal is consistency and making it a habit. For example, if you you want to read more, you can just read one page a night before you go to sleep. That’s only a couple of minutes for one page at night. Or if you want to drink water, just start by drinking water when you get up in the morning and before you go to bed.
The idea is to just start small.
A Challenge in Two Areas
There are two areas in particular that I want to challenge you in with your faith at work. A challenge to make small changes. One area is reading the Bible and the other is prayer.
If you already read the Bible every day, that’s great and perhaps you can just think about what you can do to enhance that. And if you already pray every day or at least do pray consistently think about what you can do to enhance that also.
Reading the Bible
If you’re not particularly consistent with these, I want to challenge you to find a small change you can make to get in the word of God every day. Whether it’s reading just one chapter, or a Proverb, or to read the Bible until you get to a verse that stands out to you and God speaks to you. You can even use an audio Bible.
Whatever it is, what can you commit to that you can be mindful of and not have so much resistance to? It’s just something that you can easily step into daily? The idea is that you would grow from there, but you have to get started and get consistency. You can leverage small change to do that.
Prayer – Conversation with God
The other area that I want to really challenge you in is prayer. If you’re not praying, can you pray for one minute? Prayer is conversation with God. Get get alone with Him and just pray with Him. Have conversation with him and invite Him into your work. Ask for His favor. Ask for Him to be with you and go with you throughout your day. Ask for Him to speak to you throughout the day. Just spend one minute at least and start there.
Make the Change and Build Habits
The goal is to build these habits. These will be central to your faith at work and to integrating God into your work. Central in partnering with Him in the workplace.
Is God bringing anything to your mind right now where you can seek to make a small change? Make that change this week and watch for the big results that God will bring.
Closing
Thanks for listening to Your Faith At Work with Dr. Ryan S. Howard, if you enjoyed this podcast, we’d love for you to subscribe, share, and leave us a review. Be sure to visit your YourFaithAtWork.org to download your free copy of 21 Days to a New Workplace You and remember, God wants to partner with you in your work every day.
