One Step at a Time

Like many of us, I can become disheartened by the sheer volume of what I need / would like / feel I ought to do. So this week's quotation, by Saadi, gave me fresh heart. It reads, "It is not an art to conquer the world; if you can, conquer a heart."

It reminded me of another quotation, by (I think) the American Unitarian Universalist minister, Forrest Church, "Do what you can, where you are, with what you have."

In other words, we don't need to "conquer the world" right off the bat. Changes are made by individual people, doing what they can from where they are, day by day, using the skills that they have, and being open to change and growth.

I would guess that all of us can make a list of "things that are wrong with the world". They might include poverty, war, homelessness, exploitation of the planet, violence... the list is endless, and depressing. And overwhelming. What can we, individual little people, do about it all?

The answer, I believe, is in Saadi's quote, "if you can, conquer a heart." Use the mind, heart and abilities we have been given, to change *one* person's mind, to pick up *one* piece of litter, to choose to buy *one* eco-friendly bottle of washing liquid, to sign *one* petition, to attend *one* protest. Then, to further the washing metaphor, "rinse and repeat".

image by Bill Stilwell (Flickr)

This approach also applies to tasks which feel "too big". When faced with a serious and complicated task, it is human nature to procrastinate, to do that which is easiest, and to ignore that which is difficult and overwhelming.

I know this from my own experience. Each time I add a new piece of software to my PC, which I know will *ultimately* make my life easier, it is such a massive temptation to carry on using the same old, less-efficient software I know so well. Because the struggle to learn how to use a new piece of software efficiently daunts me.

This has happened this week. I've downloaded a free trial edition of Scrivener, the writing software, and spent last night going through the tutorial. I can see that once I've got to grips with it, it's going to make my novel so much more fun to write. BUT there are so many features with which I am unfamiliar, I am finding the prospect incredibly daunting. So... I'm going to take my own advice, order a copy of Scrivener for Dummies and give it a proper go. I am sure that once I've taken that first step, and actually engaged with the software, it will become easier and easier.

But the first step is the most difficult. Conquering one heart is the most difficult. The greatest amount of energy is used when we start moving. From still to first step takes more energy (certainly more emotional and spiritual energy) than the following steps. A sort of virtuous feedback loop is set up, and as we form a new habit, it becomes easier to maintain it.

And remember...

image: Flickr