What’s the smallest thing you can do to bend the culture around you?
Any cultural change starts with the smallest step. But that can be complicated if you are raised in an inspirational culture where it is all about — “the feeling” to do something.
In this culture we hear a lot comments like “I feel like not going..”, “I feel that’s not what I like”, “I feel that I can’t do it”.
I don’t mean to say that it is bad to feel good about doing things, before actually doing them. But if we are honest with ourselves, we may find out that often feelings lead to the “safe” way or our usual way. And eventually you end up not doing the right thing.
This is a story about the small steps. I've found that taking small steps is not only a tactic to change the culture around you but also is a lot more like a value.
Doing little steps is not waste of time and it certainly shouldn't be easy. It should be hard otherwise it’s not really worth it. For instance, sending an SMS to my best friend is not hard. On the other hand calling someone who I hadn't met for a long time might be.
Also, small steps ought to be scary. Our “safety” driven nature is to do things that are not scary. If you feel discomfort or anxiety, you might be on the right path.
For example, In the morning time — to learn 10 new words in that language you seek to master. Or to do 10 more pull ups in the gym when you’re exhausted. It is not easy, but it is a choice to make the little step.
One thing that everyone could benefit from is learn to listen more deeply to others. It is a choice. To invest 10 minutes a day to listen carefully. To make that other person feel heard and show honest respect for his or her thoughts and ideas.
These little steps start to capitalize the culture of how we do things and in time takes over “the feelings”. Life gets simpler. And when you change, the culture around you bends as well.
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