Making changes incrementally has always made the most sense to me. Small movements, minor adjustments, a few new items to learn at a time — those kinds of steps seem much easier than large-scale shifts all at once.
Others disagree and do well with more radical moves when a change is needed, kind of like a cold plunge.
Both options can be correct. They are merely different approaches for different people at different times.
For the month of July, I’m using my preferred incremental approach to develop new and improved, life-giving habits as I continue to regain strength from the severe ankle injury last fall.
Challenge for July: Incremental improvement
The goal each day is to determine a next step to improve a specific area.
Some days I’m adding something and other days I’m removing or minimizing something.
Think of all the areas of life and what it would take to make forward progress in each one. From there, you’ll have a long list of small steps that can be taken to do better.
Health and wellness provide an excellent starting point — proper nutrition, appropriate exercise, quality sleep, medical checkups, achieving consistent calmness, improving emotional strength and on and on.
Our spiritual health also gets overlooked from time to time.
Spending time reading God’s Word; focused time truly listening and seeking as we pray, read, meditate and absorb; serving others; sharing Christ and helping others grow in Christ are all areas to evaluate.
We also can improve our personal relationships and communication with others.
What if we took a few minutes each day, or even once a week, to reach out to family members and friends we haven’t talked to in a while?
A quick call to say hello, a text with a basic “thinking of you” message or even sending a full update through a letter mailed or emailed — all types of communication would be appreciated. The important thing is to actually communicate.
We might also find ways to sharpen our minds and continue learning through reading or listening to audio books, news reports and educational resources.
Working through the never-ending project and chores list might be the hardest to attempt to move forward. The items seem to multiply and grow extra tentacles along the way.
Still, tackling the most daunting item on the list almost guarantees an instant flood of relief and a surge of energy to knock out minor items in the afterglow of serious accomplishment.
Whether we start sitting outside for 20 minutes as a new way to start our day or wind down earlier in the evening to calm our mind before bedtime, the important thing is to find those small steps of life-giving improvement we can make.
Those steps propel us forward and help others do the same.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This editorial was written by Jennifer Davis Rash, president and editor-in-chief of TAB Media Group, for her Rashional Thoughts column and will appear in the July 10 edition of The Alabama Baptist newspaper. To subscribe, click here.
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