As the saying goes, champions are not made in the ring, they are merely recognized in the ring. What we see is the cumulative outcome of small-small consistent efforts put in by a champion before being recognized as a champion. We often ignore something which is small but the same thing when accumulated, we notice it and many a times surprised to see the glaring difference. I am always fascinated to see a dancing river. What a powerful source of multiple productive uses! It is used for drinking water, irrigation, power generation, tourism and what not. If we peep into the history, every great civilization was developed around a river only. We also know how much disaster it can bring when it breaks the barriers.
My fascination multiplies many folds when I think about the beginning of the river. It starts with a few drops of water falling consistently. What else can explain the power of consistent small better than a river? The key to the success here is the consistency. A river will not be able to reach its destination if there are leakages in between. A river will not be able to reach its destination if it will not move in a proper direction. Likewise, a huge solid rock can be crushed into pieces by a few drops of water hitting it consistently for a long.
The same principle is applied in our life also. Whatever we do consistently becomes our habit and later on, it becomes our life. Even the smallest thought if repeated daily, becomes our way of life. In fact our life is a sum total of billions of our micro thoughts processed in our mind even when we are sleeping. It is often said that if we continue any action for at least 21 days without any exception, it may become our habit. It is also said that if we want to be a master of any subject, we may have to spend at least 10000 hours specifically focused on that subject. Now, 10000 hours may look too long to hang on a specific subject. But, if we split it into our daily routine, it comes to only a few hours. Only thing we require is to be consistent in those few hours. This is a magic of consistent small. So, what should we do? In my view we should list out what are these life changing small things around us and should try to understand the cumulative effect of the same.
A consistent few minutes of daily warm up through morning walk or yoga or exercise can reward us a healthy body and mind. Well! How can I forget to mention here, one of the Japanese secrets of healthy and long life? Of course it’s a consistent balance diet. But it is also been contributed by consistently adopting their common saying “Hara hachi bun me” in their daily diet. It tells them to eat only until they are eighty percent full. A consistent smile to our dear and near ones can change our morning, our day and our whole life. We can spread smile in our surrounding by our smile. If we practice this small thing every day, it become our nature. A consistent small commitment of not leaving the job half done, can lead us to a great success in whatever field we are. A consistent systematic investment can lead to accumulation of a great wealth over a period of time due to magic of compounding. A consistent small habit of reading some pages of a good book everyday can generate en-numbers of positive and creative thoughts in our mind which can bring a miracle in our life beyond our imagination.
To sum up, it’s a consistent small attempt of a child which enables him to walk on his feet and it’s a consistent practice of a few hours daily which can lead an athlete to a great leap to achieve a gold medal in Olympic. So, let us understand, respect and practice consistently these wonderful small habits to enjoy their magical fruits.
Let us be consistent in our small positive efforts to add some value in this world.
Hemangini Parmar
Exploring Life 