“Building a Pond or a Life: Same Rules!”
A friend of mine is digging a pond. He had never operated a bulldozer before he rented this one. Gutsy guy!
I asked him how long it had taken for him to learn how to operate the bulldozer. He said that after a couple of hours, he had begun to get the hang of it. Then he made one of the wisest comments I’ve ever heard: “The main thing is to make shallow cuts and keep on pushing.”
We probably all tend to overemphasize big accomplishments and undervalue little efforts. That is probably why more of us don’t have very many accomplishments.
Small efforts, when practiced consistently, have big effects. That is true of efforts for the bad and efforts for the good. (Of course, efforts for bad things don’t take nearly as much effort as efforts for good things, but that is a topic for another day.)
I’ve noticed that this business of making shallow cuts and keeping on pushing works in every area of life. Marriage, running a marathon, weeding the flower beds, teaching, getting my Ph. D.—all of these involve doing small efforts and keeping on pushing.
I’ve read and enjoyed the book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: And It’s All Small Stuff.” Good book! However, there’s a saying that counterbalances the title of the book, and is also good:
“Don’t despise the small stuff. All big things are made up of small stuff!”
The same rules apply, whether you’re building a pond or a life.
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