The one growth principle that applies to EVERYTHING

When I was 15 years old, I wanted to turn from a skinny little boy into a man – and do it quickly! I called a friend of mine, Michael Christofis. He had muscles and I wanted to know how to get them. So I casually asked him how much weight he does on the bench press. “I put 20kg on each side and do 3 sets of 10”. OK, I’ll try that too.

Well, it was a disaster. I managed to get the bar off the rack, lowered it down to my chest, but with all the willpower, desire and effort in the world, those skinny arms couldn’t lift that bar off my chest. I was straining and pushing and actually lucky not to burst a valve! But I was stuck. So with all remaining energy, I rolled the bar down my boney chest, over the stomach to my lap so I could sit up and breath. I actually ended up with bruising down my non-existent 6-pack!

You see the problem was, I wanted to start a full-on weights training routine but hadn’t developed the smaller, bite-sized habits yet so that I was ready for the next stage. I’d never done a push up, never tried 10kg… I just launched in with 40kg and failed. I was like an unfit, untrained runner trying to go out and run a big marathon!!!

The same thing happens in many areas of life. We want to play that instrument and be good at it now! We want to start saving but want it sizeable now. We want to be a boss, and be the boss now.

When it comes to the growth of a business, of finances, of our physical condition, of our inner formation, of our children there is a principle that will always stand:

Before you grow a lot, you’ve got to grow a little.

One of my favourite proverbs is found in the good old Bible itself. Yep, there’s some nuggets of wisdom in there… “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.” (13:11)

Jesus ends up repeating the concept saying it this way, “If you are faithful in the small things, you will be trusted with bigger things.”

This same principle applies in every area of our lives.

When you get up in the morning, start the day with a victory. Make the bed. Exercise. Take a moment of gratitude. Have a little victory. When you are frustrated at your financial position, make one change. One saving. One goal. Reverse the trend and have a little victory. When happiness in your relationship feels like an impossible mountain, just take one step, one date, one kind word, one hand-written card, one little victory.

Who knows… You may end up getting further down the path than you think!

Is there something you have achieved through small victories? Have you set a series of small goals to achieve a big result? Do share!