{"id":28709,"date":"2015-07-16T06:00:06","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T13:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=28709"},"modified":"2017-09-18T12:47:06","modified_gmt":"2017-09-18T19:47:06","slug":"think-small-how-a-subtle-change-can-have-a-huge-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/think-small-how-subtle-change-can-have-huge-impact-0716154","title":{"rendered":"Think Small: How a Subtle Change Can Have a Huge Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WomanDo you resist change?<\/p>\n

Do you work hard to maintain the status quo, regardless of its effect on you?<\/p>\n

Is it possible that you might better tolerate change if you approached it in small doses?<\/p>\n

All too often, when we think of bringing about change in our lives, we consider making choices that have far-reaching effects, with sweeping consequences for ourselves and perhaps others. These seemingly super-sized changes beget long to-do lists of follow-ups and follow-throughs that can leave us overwhelmed and exhausted before we\u2019ve even begun.<\/p>\n

Change often ignites fear<\/a> within us, so much so that we talk about making things happen but do nothing, or we initiate the first few steps only to abandon our goal because things get difficult or we meet with some resistance or it just requires too much of our energy and concentration. Sometimes we pin our hopes and dreams on big change only to discover that the results weren\u2019t as we had imagined.<\/p>\n

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Have you ever initiated a big change and then stepped back from it, feeling the need to protect yourself, barricading yourself against the discomfort associated with it?<\/p>\n

Have you felt shame<\/a> or embarrassment at not being able to move forward in the way you had hoped?<\/p>\n

This is why it\u2019s so important for us to consider the impact that implementing subtle or small changes can have on us. They, too, can have far-reaching effects.<\/p>\n

Some benefits of small change include:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. It is easier to implement.<\/li>\n
  2. It is less difficult to get others to be supportive of small changes.<\/li>\n
  3. Less fallout\u2014subtle changes may not necessitate other changes to follow.<\/li>\n
  4. It provides an opportunity to test the waters and course correct if need be.<\/li>\n
  5. You\u2019re more likely to stay motivated. With small changes, you\u2019re more likely to experience a sense of accomplishment, promoting your next steps (\u201cSince I was able to achieve THAT, why don\u2019t I now try THIS?\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Here are some examples of powerful yet subtle changes and what their immediate, noticeable impact might be (in italics<\/em>):<\/strong><\/p>\n