This Tiny Action Changed My Life

Takes Little Time... but Very Powerful

If you are like me, I shy away from blogs and articles that have titles like “5 Easy Steps to Happiness” or “Two Secrets That Will Lower Your Golf Score By 5 Strokes!” Well actually, I might look at that one. That aside, my view is that anything worth doing or striving for is almost always going to take some effort, time and perseverance.

Sometimes, however, there are pieces of advice or behavior changes that can be on the easier side and quite effective. I would like to share one behavior change that takes little time to do yet clients have said it has changed their lives for God’s glory.

What's in It for Me? 

I’m glad you asked, and I can speak from personal experience. What I am going to describe was one of the first behavior changes I tried while designing the Unstatus Your Quo® Growth Plan. Before I describe the behavior change, I’d like to describe situations where the change will benefit you and those around you who you love.

Hard Chargers/Type A's - Take Note 

When I used to leave the office some years ago, I had my head down, walking quickly to my car, deep in thought, and generally was very intense. I was the CEO of a company in a rapidly changing industry with little our company could do to control results of one of the main services we provided. There seemed to be no time for rest, and I had to be on almost 24 hours as business and economic news continued to hit the various screens I used.

Fortunately, I decided to make a small behavior change that made a big difference. Almost immediately while walking to my car, I started hearing birds chirping. Where did they come from? I wondered what migratory birds were suddenly making beautiful noises around our office building. I’d never heard them before. How did this happen?

Husbands - Take Note

Just in case you missed this class in Husband School, let’s review part of Marriage 101. Boyfriends can audit this part also. Our wives like to hear that we love them. Just because you told her once does not cut it, right? How many times must we say it? More often than we probably do. If you took an accelerated class at Husband School, you know that you should not say “I love you” at the same time each week or day. You also know that your voice has little emotion with it if it is part of a routine practice. That’s not good either. Still with me?

After the behavior change that helped me hear the birds, something happened in this area for me. Sometimes, I actually tell Nancy that I love her in a different way. It might go something like this. “Nancy, when you tell stories about (blank), I notice that you do this certain thing with your mouth (time to imitate it in case your wife is a visual learner).  I think that is so cute, and it is something that I just love about you.” What just happened is that I noticed something little which I actually mentioned to her which sends a message that I am really paying attention to her, noticing the little things about her, and actually have some emotion in my voice while telling her that I love her. It puts so much more meaning into the “I love you” expression. How was I equipped to do this?

Drivers in Bumper-to-Bumper Traffic - Take Note

Yes, life is so busy. We are often late while trying to get to a meeting, lunch or child’s event. Our fellow drivers sometimes take risks to get one car ahead. Or, the car in front did not move within a nano-second after the light turned green, and somebody sped up and got in front. You can add more frustrations that we all experience.

After the behavior change, these situations turned into opportunities. I may actually listen to and process the Biblical teaching that may be coming over the radio or in the podcast. When I look over the dashboard and into the sky, I see the beautiful cloud formations. That reminds me of the beauty of God’s creation. Looking into a car seeing a family packed up for a vacation, I smile and remember some of our family vacation experiences. I also see that I am passing the car that switched lanes to get three seconds ahead of us. I shouldn’t gloat. Sorry. What made me have calmer experiences in bad traffic?

Wives - Take Note

This area is filled with landmines, so I won’t venture here.

So, What is the Behavior Change?

Thank the Lord in a little prayer during the day when you notice little and big gifts that He has given you.

Big gifts could be you just left a person’s office, and he signed on as a new client. Or you picked up your young child from daycare, and she mentioned something about Jesus that she learned. Or you noticed something cute about your wife when she was talking, and now you are equipped to tell her you love her in a more meaningful way.

Little gifts could be the green light you got at the intersection where it almost always is red by the time you get there. Or, you hear the birds while walking to your car after work. Or you noticed that you were about to step on a landmine at home and didn’t. Actually, this gift should probably be in the Big Gift Category now that I think about it at my house.

How to Start?

Pray every morning that the Lord gives you the eyes to see and the ears to hear the big and little gifts from Him all during the day. If you only notice one gift during the day, that is still progress. Over time, it will become a habit (a reflex, not a choice) and you will eventually be thanking the Lord many times during the day, almost without thinking about it. If you have gone through the Unstatus Your Quo® Growth Plan, you know the new science behind habit formation and how to form habits much more easily.

Doing This Will Change Your Life in These Ways and More

From my personal experience, I gained a much stronger sense that the Lord is with me throughout the day. I know intellectually that He is in me, but there is just something different when having little prayers (conversations) of appreciation with Him all during the day. My relationship with the Lord has deepened and is stronger and more meaningful.

I also think more about my actions and if they are God glorifying or not. I wonder if what I am about to experience from my smartphone is worth anything. Why waste my time on the phone if I am getting worthless info? It doesn’t stop all of my poor time or money stewardship, but I am much better than I used to be.

Smiles are much more frequent, even in traffic. I could go on and on, but this little behavior change will make a difference in your life. Assuming you take this one on as a change you would like to make, please send us how it has changed your life and your relationship with the Lord. You can certainly do this, and we look forward to hearing your stories.

Charlie