Begin Where You Are
Could our greatest victories over the most difficult problems be realized in the phrase "despise not small beginnings".
Our modern culture often makes this very difficult because it promotes, instant answers and immediate gratification.
This is primarily due to the idea that we like simple solutions that are neat and tidy. Oh and by the way if they could be discovered and implemented before the end of our favorite weekly television program that would be perfect.
Now this tendency could be well documented across political, family, work and relationship landscapes as well as many others.
Obviously efficiency and timely results have their place. I would argue however that many times the most powerful realities we enjoy today are because of things that start out from very small beginnings. Their initial start often give little indication of the triumph and great change or benefit to come!
History shows us that small beginnings can have monumental results of positive change.
A Hard Case
Civil Right Movement - Freedom Riders
In the spring of 1961, a small group of civil rights activists began the difficult, dangerous and sometimes deadly journey toward breaking down the racial segregation laws in the United States.
These laws stated that African Americans were only aloud to sit in the back of public transportation buses. Furthermore, blacks were not permitted to eat in restaurants or sit in waiting rooms at the bus terminals.
At the beginning of these peaceful protests the size, intensity and ferocity of opposition against them suggested it was pure futility in the attempt of creating any real or lasting change.
History shows us that this small beginning was in fact the catalyst for the larger major civil rights movement that lead to the 1964 and 1965 Civil and Voting Rights Act respectively.
These humble beginnings become the foundations of inspiration for additional legislation, used by Dr. Martin Luther King and others to help turned the country toward a more positive path.
In the end it caused the dismantling of blatant racism and systemic discrimination. It lead to the mechanism of hope and change that eventually gave way to people largely not being treated and judged by the color of their skin but rather the content of their character as quoted in ground breaking Washington D.C. speech " I Have A Dream ".
A Practical Case
The aforementioned example, although important was quite heavy duty.
Let’s take a look at a more personal or practical example of this concept of despise not small beginnings.
Say for example you have a vision of being the first to graduate from college in your family. Or you want to be elected to your local school board where your children attend. Perhaps you have a goal of losing weight or getting fit or even running in a marathon! Maybe you’d like to master a second language.
All of these examples and as many more as there are people can be leveraged and realized by the slow, steady compounding effect of a small beginning the is allowed to continue on it’s powerful arch of potential.
If we’ll not judge or abandon our focus when looks like we’ll never pass that“ difficult “ class, get one single vote, or stop eating your late night calorie laden favorites, run around the block let along 26 miles or put together that first really coherent sentence of a foreign language.
A Fun Hypothetical
Lets take a look at an astounding example and genius of not paying attention to how a right cause or a worthwhile dream looks in the beginning.
Rather being disciplined to know what will happen if we begin and continue with only the end in mind. It revolves around an idea that has sometimes been referred to as the eighth wonder of the world!
Compound Interest.
The financial world and money markets have long since known and realized this fact. Although there are market limitations in the real world if we look at the principle of constant compound interest rate applied to capital the results are exponentially geometric!
Now take a moment and consider the following:
If you had a choice of a 35-day bonus to get out of debt but had 30 seconds to choose a payout option based on the 8th day of growth, which would, you choose?
Option One is one thousand dollars a day.
Option Two is one cent per day that doubles each day.
Well at first glance some quick math makes the question seem almost a bit ridiculous.
Option One would yield you a hefty $8,000 after eight days. So of course this is the right choice, isn’t it?
Option two would only accumulate a pathetic $ 2.55 in comparison!
Seems like a clear choice unless you’re exercising the power to despise not small beginnings and you take a closer look at the other 27 days in the month!
I think we need a drum roll please. The results of what happens next are truly astounding.
On the 16th day with Option One your thousand dollar days would bring in a very exciting $16,000!
Option Two improved but would only produced a comparatively pedestrian result of $ 653 dollars.
If you had picked the thousand dollar days no doubt you would be happy and feeling good about the debts you could retire at the end of 35 days.
However the rare person with a glimpse of the potential of compound interest could actually not only pay off all their debts – they would be able to easily RETIRE THEMSELVES and THEIR extended FAMILY as well with an outrageous accumulation of wealth totaling $339,456,652!!
If you made your 30 second choice on the natural impulse you would have done well and at the end of 35 days you would have had $ 35,000 dollars for your trouble. However waiting and allowing a small beginning to reach it’s fullest potential would have changed your entire destiny.
Although this is a fictitious example, it dramatically highlights the principle point.
Despise not small beginnings in whatever you’re doing. Keep a strong attitude as you get started and keep going until you reach your goal!
StayPos!
