It’s the Little Things that Count

When was the last time you were jealous of someone? When was the last time you spoke behind someone’s back? When was the last time you “woohoo”ed about a man that wasn’t your husband? When was the last time you wished something in your life was better, whether it’s finances, relationships, or health?

There’s a Bible concept that goes beyond being Christian. “What goes around, comes around.” “You reap what you sow.” “Karma is real.”

Whatever you want to call it, one of the things I’ve learned on my journey of spiritual growth is that I can’t expect good things to happen if I’m doing things that aren’t good. If I’m doing bad, bad will happen in my life. If I’m doing good, good will happen in my life.

This admittedly wasn’t the easiest of things to learn at first. Because the “good” and “bad” things that people do that can impact the blessings that do or don’t come into their lives aren’t necessarily big deals or life changers. In fact, some of the smallest, day-to-day decisions we make can influence whether we have a good day or a bad day.

Let’s start with a simple example. You’re grabbing your morning cup of coffee, the line is moving slowly, and the store is crowded. Do you get annoyed? Do you snap at the barista when you place your order? Do you mumble and grumble about how long things are taking to your fellow customers?

Now let’s flip that around. You’re grabbing your morning cup of coffee, the line is moving slowly, and the store is crowded. Do you joke with your fellow customers? Do you say “Good morning” and give a smile to the barista when you place your order? Do you chit-chat with others as you wait for your coffee?

Which of those two examples is more likely to result in you walking out of the store and having a good day? (Hint, it’s not the first.)

Now, let’s take a slightly different example. You’re driving in the car and you’ve hit traffic. You flip on the radio. The music is about “getting paid”, “hittin’ that”, or “honies with booty.” Do you stay on that station or do you change the station? What if you were listening to music that was positive, uplifting, and happy? Which music do you think will result in a better drive? Which music do you think will make being stuck in traffic not quite as bad? And once you arrive at your destination, after being stuck in traffic, do you think you’ll be in a better mood if you listen to the “twerk it” music or if you listen to “it’s a beautiful day” music?

Throughout the day, we’re faced with small choices – little decisions that actually have a big influence on the direction our day goes. Those same decisions, made day after day, can also influence how our life, in general, goes. If you make choices that result in negative over and over again, how can you expect things to be positive?

If there are things in our life that we wish were better, we can’t expect things to change if something doesn’t change. That means looking at what we do, what we say, and how we act to see how our own actions could be contributing to how things are now, and thereby seeing the actions we can change to make things better.

Don’t believe me? Give it a try yourself. Spend a day being nothing but positive. Be happy, be joyful. Laugh at anything that tries to stress you out or frustrate you. (Nothing beats negativity like laughter.) Then see how your life changes. Because it will.