There’s a Tibetan saying that reminds us:
“If you take care of the minutes, the years take care of themselves.”
You’ve probably heard that with pennies and dollars, too.
Business owners (myself included) can often become SO consumed with planning for “what’s next” …
That we sometimes completely overlook the small, amazing moments happening right before our eyes.
Moments like a stranger actually making eye contact and smiling at you while you’re in line for coffee…
Or how excited your dog gets when you walk in the door… even though you only went out to get the mail…
Those moments are life.
But because we’re juggling so many balls and are running at such a fast pace —
Sometimes we can’t help but hyper-focus on what goes wrong, especially when it feels like things are piling up (like a client no-showing you and then someone cutting you off in traffic right after).
Neuroscientist Rick Hanson calls this “the law of little things”.
But the good news is, the law works both ways.
By intentionally focusing on small, positive experiences during the day, we can actually counteract our brain’s natural tendency to zero in on the negative.
In Hanson’s book, Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence, he says,
“…each day is like a winding path strewn with pearls and diamonds, emeralds and rubies, each one an opportunity for a positive experience.
Unfortunately, most people hurry by without noticing them. And even when they do see a jewel, they rarely feel anything about it. Jewel after jewel, left behind, lost forever.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
With a little intention and skill, you can take some seconds here and there each day to weave a handful of these jewels into the fabric of your brain, your being, and your life.
Little moments of ease, pleasure, calm, determination, joy, insight, and caring become neural structures.”
In other words, this is how we “take care of the minutes so the years take care of themselves.”
You’re allowed — in fact, highly encouraged — to make your journey to success a happy one.
The big things will come.
In the meantime, be present and notice how amazing things are that are right in front of you… no matter how small.
It all adds up.
Make it an incredible day,
Alicia
