Small Steps, Significant Progress

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Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge this week got me thinking about how small steps add up to big things over time.

Was it really true that the bridge has to be painted 365 days a year? Turns out the answer is no. It’s an urban legend.

Of course, touch ups are required. Just as they are in our own lives.

And spending a few minutes each day on important goals can make it easier to achieve them. That’s what I’m attempting with my Spanish studies. If I can’t consistently devote a half hour every day, how about 10 minutes?

Technology makes this even easier than when I made my first attempt to learn Spanish a few years ago. Now I have a Rosetta Stone app on my phone and my tablet. It’s available anytime and anywhere. The only start-up time required is plugging in my earbuds and tapping on the app. Easy and effortless.

My daughter was amused last night at the airport when I squeezed in my 10 minutes of Spanish. But if I keep this up for a year, it will equal 60 hours of study. That’s better than zero. And perhaps as the days and months go by I’ll find that I can double and triple the time.

After all, it’s easier to ramp up the momentum on something already underway.

 

The photo above was taken in spring 2014 when my sister, Katie, and I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge and back from Marin County. Small steps added up to a beautiful and invigorating 3-mile walk that morning.