We hear it often, the phrase, it’s the little things that matter. It is something we learned as young kids, but like many things in life, we often forget as adults and need reminding. That’s a theme across many of the personal story reflections I’ve shared in this newsletter blog since I started writing here in October 2023. Today, I pause to recognize the progress I’ve made on my health transformation journey in losing 62 lbs. since December 15, 2023. I still have a long way to go for my health goal, but I’m a little over half-way there, or as I say in my mantra that I’ve embraced on this health journey, progress not perfection. It is the little things each day that contributed to the progress not perfection and losing 62 lbs. Also, it is the little things each day that contribute to my health-related numbers like my A1C coming down and trending in the right direction.
That doesn’t mean that each day is perfect or without slip ups, mistakes, difficulties, and sometimes painful days emotionally or physically, because that’s called life. But it does mean that each day, there are little things that I embrace and acknowledge that bring me joy, fulfillment, sense of purpose, laughter, and create forward positive movement in life towards my personal and professional goals. The little things can be something as simple as drinking more water, going for a walk, standing up more instead of sitting at work all day, laughing with friends or family, or reminding ourselves of the simple little things that brought us happiness and joy as a kid.
I was reminded of that today by a social media post about a young kid signaling to a trucker to blow his horn, which made the kid’s day, and the trucker commenting in the photo that the boy signaling to him to blow his horn, made the trucker’s day (see the image below this message). That social media image immediately took me back to my childhood in rural Georgia, riding around in the cars with my uncles and aunts, pumping my arm in the air when I saw a trucker, anticipating the thrill of hearing them blow their horn, and giggling with delight. I remember those moments in my mind’s eye and even hear and sense the horn and my happiness in response. Many of my family members were and still are truck drivers, and I’m thankful for all their hard work to keep our country moving. Those truckers and that image all remind me of the simple things that brought us joy as kids. And the image also is a reminder that the same things can bring us joy as adults. Life is full of challenges, heart aches, and difficulties. But it also filled with joy, happiness, and opportunities to work towards accomplishing our life goals, all through embracing the little things.
So, as always, I encourage you to reflect on your own stories from childhood or any other time in your life where you’ve embraced the little things and found joy and progress towards your goals. Remember to look around and focus on the little things each day that contribute to your progress not perfection in whatever you seek to do in life because as always, Your Story Matters.
