Sometimes the smallest step is the biggest.

There is a theory among dentists that a person’s dental health would radically change if the patient would just floss one tooth a day.

Exercise experts believe the most important habit a person can develop is waking up every morning and putting on their work-out clothes.

As a husband or wife, one of the most impactful things you can do for your marriage is to get in the habit of asking your spouse, “What is one way I can help you today?”

In nearly every personal endeavor, experts know that the smallest step is most often the biggest step.

Why? (See: A Simple Question Few People Answer)

It’s simply the law of inertia.

Remember in grade school learning, “An object at rest stays at rest, an object in motion stays in motion.” I credit all scientific statements to Einstein, but it was actually Isaac Newton who established this first of the three laws of motion. What’s true of mechanics is often true with people as well.

Without a radical intervention, a person will continue in the same state they are currently in. No matter how much they desire to change. No matter how much thought they put into a new action. No matter how much they know their current direction will not lead them to a desirable outcome.

But with a very small action, extremely dramatic changes can be made. It doesn’t require the biggest step; it simply requires a step. Once a person, team, organization, or company begins going in the right direction, they will continue to do so until they choose otherwise. (See: Start Making Good Decisions)

Why is flossing one tooth one of the most impactful actions you can take for your dental health? It’s because no one stops at just one tooth. If you take the time and effort to find the floss, get in front of the mirror and floss one tooth, you will likely floss another and then another.

When someone puts on their exercise clothes, chances are the person will actually work out. And when they work out, that action will likely have a ripple affect on other behaviors. They will more likely take the stairs over the elevator. They might be more aware of their food choices.

When a husband or wife habitually asks, “What’s one way I can help you today” it will make them more aware of what is happening in their spouse’s life, more likely to do what they are told, and more likely to do other activities which could be perceived as helpful to their spouse.

We often see a large gulf standing between us and where we want to be. Whether it be career goals, personal goals, or where we desire a team to be, we wrongly assume it would take dramatic changes to achieve what we desire.

Yet what if there isn’t a gulf between us and our desires? What if we are just a few strategic steps away from better outcomes?

While we can’t have everything we desire, we do greatly control much of our lives. In many scenarios (though clearly not all) we have what we have chosen. What if we chose differently?

By remembering Newton’s law we can dramatically change our lives. When we consistently take small steps in the right direction in our relationships, our physical health, our emotional well-being, etc, we can experience radically different outcomes. (See: A Lesson in Longevity from Coach K)

Two questions:

1. What do you want?

2. What’s the smallest step you can take toward that goal?

Sometimes the smallest step is the biggest.