Do Just One Thing

It is easy to feel powerless, that what you do will not make any difference, that you might as well not even try—to feel that things are just stacked against you and that no matter what you do, it will not help, or might even make things worse. While I do not struggle with those thoughts, I can still take a moment to truly accept that something really is going my way, or that someone really is interested. The first are symptoms of learned helplessness, while the last is a residual deficit of self-esteem, an error which I recognize and can correct or not fall into most of the time, just not yet in every moment. (More on how that is done in later posts.)

Powerlessness is easy to correct. It takes effort and repeated practice, but the practice is only this: Do just one thing.

The trick is that it should not be the thing you always do. In some way, it must be different.

Whether you are facing your day, or contemplating your situation at the present moment, think "What is one thing that I can do that will help make things better?" It does not have to be a big thing, and it does not have to make a big difference. A small action or change of thought leading to a small improvement is enough. In fact, it may just be that the smaller it is, the better!

Why would the smallest action or thought be the best?! Because in certain states of mind, a bigger action might seem too daunting, too impossible, or too unlikely to work. This is false, of course, but that does not keep people from believing it.

The smallest action or thought is best, the best place to begin, because even the most seemingly powerless person can believe that they can do something small. Even if they are not convinced it will make any difference, at least it is easy enough to try it, and see. The most important thing is not the size of the action, but just the fact of getting started taking action.

The next most important thing is to keep taking actions or changing thoughts. One a day is enough to start. A few a day is a good place to work up to. The results will not always be what you might have hoped, perhaps, because trying can lead to failure or to success. Failure, though, is just a part of reality, but not a reason to stop trying——though after a few failed attempts, trying something a little different (or even completely different), would be a good idea! As one book I readput it: "Do more of what works and less of what doesn't."

With lots of practice, and the positive reinforcement that comes from experiencing power over your life, and your environment, and your thoughts (not necessarily in that order), you may even get close to living every moment of your life with a feeling of power to make a difference. At that point, it will be so automatic as to be almost unnoticeable that, in each moment, you are subconsciously asking yourself that important question:

"What is one thing that I can do now that will help make things better?"

NOTE: The question is deliberately not "What is the one thing I can do now…", because there are always many things you can do to help make things better. It would be an error to think there was just one.