The old saying goes that even the greatest journey starts with the tiniest of steps – or words to that effect! And, certainly, so it is with the very personal journey that some describe as Personal Development. But the challenge in life is not just to start a journey, but to keep going. Research points to the fact that most people who stumble or fail on their chosen journey – be it a new business venture, a weight loss goal, their desire to progress in a particular career or the desire to progress at a particular sport or musical instrument – will, having failed once, rarely try more than a couple of times. Yet, statistics for the Business School at Madrid’s University show that those who are really successful are prepared to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get on with it for just as many times as it takes. And it was Calvin Coolidge who alerted us to the importance of persistence, stating that only perseverance leads to success.
Last week, a client and I discussed the importance of regularly and continually taking even the smallest of steps to ensure that they stayed on their chosen path – their own Personal Development journey to effortless career success and personal health and happiness. The idea that even two or three minutes meditation in a day is infinitely better than no mental exercising at all was likened to us putting another penny in the slot so that, sooner or later, pennies will drop for us. I don’t know about you but, when I was growing up, we often went to the amusement arcade where you rolled pennies down a slot, onto a moving platform that had loads of pennies – most of them appeared as if they were about to cascade over the edge, into my hand!
In life, in business, in meditation, we simply do not know which penny will tip the balance in our favour. But the one sure thing is that, if we stop putting our daily penny in the slot, we will not reap the reward of the pennies that we have already invested. In fact, we will come to the incorrect conclusion that we have wasted all our previous pennies. Every penny counts – every minute that you invest in your own Personal Development no matter how seemingly insignificant, every moment spent in mindfulness, leads you to a greater awareness, a greater level of presence, opens your mind further to the incredible possibilities that this life holds for us and, indeed, the opportunities that may well be staring you in the face if you only had eyes to see.
For everyone with whom I have worked, sooner or later, pennies drop. But, if you really want to Change Your Life, you’ve got to put your next penny in the slot – today…
