Time to end the crash-diet approach to improving life and start making a positive impact - one tiny action at a time (now that could really add up)!
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” Confucious
Feeling good is pretty addictive. We know, now more than ever, what makes us feel great, but often there is a gap between our intentions and the execution, leaving us feeling something of a failure. There is a way, however, to dispense with the ‘crash diet’ approach to improving life and to start making a positive impact (mapi) a way of life.
A fantastic example of this and a welcome ray of sunshine in these difficult times has been the legend that is 100-year-old Captain Sir Tom Moore and his epic 100 laps of his garden (with his walking frame). What started out as an intention to raise £1,000 for the NHS in the UK, turned into a staggering £32.7 million act of kindness and generosity; uniting us in hope and the goodness of the human spirit in these unprecedented times. And although we can’t all raise millions for charity, we can hang on to this sentiment and make sure we treat ourselves, our families, our friends, our co-workers and our communities a little better.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to selecting how we should be making a positive impact. It’s simple — do what you think will make your life and the lives of those around you better. It’s all about the choices you make, how you live, what you buy, what you don’t buy, what you do and what you don’t do, what you say and what you don’t say.
The key to success is not to go too big too soon. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have lofty ideals like reducing pollution or getting healthy, but like most things, when you want to see change there is often a disconnect between what you want to do and what you can actually do. Start really small and rack up those tiny wins. Before you know it, that more thoughtful response or kinder action will become a new habit, one that feeds another new tiny habit and another and so on.
Take driving — as it serves as an excellent practical example of how making a positive impact can work. The big ideal here would be to improve the status quo on our roads and put an end to unnecessary death and injury. However, the journey to that destination begins with one person making a tiny change to their driving habits; Like this…
1. Establish your mapi: I will stop driving too close to the car in front, because it’s stressful for that person and could cause a rear-end shunt with knock on effects for multiple other people.
2. Reinforce your mapi: Every time I drive, and I see brake-lights ahead that will be my prompt to keep a safe distance.
3. Celebrate your mapi: Every time I do it, I will smile, say “yay” and just celebrate my little win!
4. Now nurture your mapi & make it habitual. Every time I drive: After I see brake-lights I will check I am at a safe distance, then I will celebrate.
Once you feel the habit is taking hold, start thinking about your next mapi — the secret is to find where it fits naturally in your life and nurture its growth.
(These 4 steps are based on the work of Stanford Professor BJ Fogg PhD in his epic book ‘Tiny Habits — The Small Changes That Change Everything’).
You are now building towards not only making your driving better, but also enhancing the road experience for everyone else driving around you. Just imagine if every driver was doing the same as you; each day, week, month making tiny habitual changes that improve all of our journeys.
Now imagine people started incorporating these little gems into multiple areas of their lives — at home, at work, out and about socially. That could really add up!
In short, making a positive impact is about being a great citizen and setting a standard that brings out the best in us all. Like dear Captain Sir Tom who would have still been making a positive impact and become our hero even if he had only raised his intended £1,000.
I am off to make my husband a cup of tea, because that too is making a positive impact on his day!
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead 1901–1978 (American cultural anthropologist at Columbia University)
