A Sanskrit Shloka That Highlights The Importance of Consistent Efforts.

दुर्लभान्यपि कार्याणि सिद्यन्ति प्रोद्यमेन हि। शिलापि तनुतां याति प्रपातेनार्णसो मुहुः॥

The Impossible things can be accomplished with effort. Like a hard rock gets thinner with repeated falls of water.

Small actions are not important in this modern & fast-paced world. To succeed in life, one must take one massive action.

This is the misguided thought process that I got stuck to in my life.

To change my life for the better, I always looked out for one the massive steps rather than focusing on the small steps taken consistently.

Instead of focusing on the gradual progress, I was opting for one giant spike in my growth chart. And for that spike, I was concentrating on one massive step that is yet to be discovered.

Peter Trucker explains this beautifully:

“People often overestimate what they can accomplish in one year. But they greatly underestimate what they could accomplish in five years.”

I really wanted to achieve all of them in a single swing rather than trying my luck on all the throws that life puts me to face.

I was going for a home run and not focusing on base running. Who wants small results in a world that thrives on instant gratification.

But, massive action often intimidates us. They demand what we can’t produce. You don’t cut a rock with a drop or two in an instant. But allow those drops to consistently fall on the same spot of that rock. Have patience and water will do its work.

All it demanded in return was patience and consistency.

Water had the potential to break rock but it was hidden. With enough time, water unleashed its hidden potential. The water appears to be unable to break down the stone in half. With enough time and consistent effort, the water broke the stone which would seem impossible for the naked eyes to believe.

Likewise, only I have to opt for small and consistent steps to make changes. By choosing to stick with the small steps each and every day, I may move my growth chart upwards to an extent that might be not visible today but with time, that growth chart would indicate the progress. The compounding effect would help your small and consistent effort to amass into a huge change in your life.

Consistent efforts show results, not instantly but I must have the patience and the courage to take it to the finish line.

To transform my life, I should show up every day for the rest of my life. No one is changing my life for me but I should do it myself with consistency.

Seth Godin highlights that:

“The thing is, incremental daily progress (negative or positive) is what actually causes transformation. A figurative drip, drip, drip. Showing up, every single day, gaining in strength, organizing for the long haul, building connection, laying track — this subtle but difficult work is how culture changes.”

So, instead of focusing on the output, I must put my effort and intention into showing up every day to continue the process.

No matter how big the goal is, I believe that the compounding effect can help me reach there if I can persevere.

Remember the words of Maya Angelou:

Every Journey Begins With a Single Step.

At the beginning of the journey, try to stay consistent with small steps and then move ahead with that consistency. The giant steps can place us quite close to our goals, but they seldom go our way. The failure that we encounter while taking giant shapes is potent enough to deter us from our journey if we allow it. So, start small but stay consistent.