Sometimes it doesn't pay to "think big." In fact, there are lots of times when thinking small can produce disproportionate rewards. For example, I've hoped to commence regular workouts for oh, about 20 years. I finally decided to make at least some effort to do this. I found an easy fitness app, picked the beginner series, and started with the shortest beginner workout — 10 minutes. I was going for the least of the least. And it wasn't too bad. I particularly liked watching the timer go down. Two minutes in and just eight minutes left... you get the idea.
It's pretty hard to convince yourself that you can't spare 10 minutes to accomplish a small goal, so I've been able to grow this little foray into a fledgling habit, doing longer workouts and hardly even dreading them. Small steps.
In this issue's People feature (page 54), we talk with Jerry Quinn, recognized as the man who stepped up to save Spokane's iconic clock tower from destruction prior to Expo '74. Quinn started out with the much bigger goal of saving two of Spokane's venerable railroad stations, but had to settle for preserving just the clock tower. While it wasn't the "big" plan that Quinn and his fellow railroad aficionados had envisioned, this "small" step has had a massive impact, preserving an irreplaceable and iconic element of Spokane's past for ensuing generations.
A new year is upon us. Maybe it's time to pick a small goal and see whether some big things might just happen.
