What would you choose: A penny doubled every day for 30 days, or a million dollars?
When I first heard this I thought, "well that's a no brainer, everyone knows that a penny has almost no value." Clearly anyone would choose a million dollars.
A penny. In Canada we don't even use them anymore. We might be able to find some stray pennies at the bottom of a drawer or stuck in a pocket of an old purse. Doesn't feel like much. Blah–it's just a darn penny.
The truth is if you start with a penny and double the value every day, you end up with $5,368,709.12 on day 30. Check out the math in this article.
Over 5 million dollars! That blows my mind.
Small things accumulate. The good, and the bad.
We make choices that move us forward in our health and wellness, the results of those choices propel more good choices, and more and more.
When we change one negative thought, do something good for ourselves or someone else, or anything positive–it builds on itself.
What we focus on expands.
Especially the little things. There is immense power in small shifts. Deciding to go to a yoga or spin class when all I want to do is eat marshmallows and cry over a Nora Ephron movie: calling a friend when I can only think of how awful I feel, and can't imagine talking to another human: doing something fun when I think that's the last thing I have time for - these thing may seem simple and insignificant, but their affect on our well-being is HUGE.
Creating and cultivating a practice of self-care is about paying attention, being mindful and aware of myself, my body, my thoughts and feelings. The cumulative effect is huge.
Over time we will see the results of how we've been investing in ourselves. It is inevitable. I don't know about you, but I'm done with seeing the negative effects. I want to be free from what's been holding me back. I want to be empowered. I want to feel good.
How about you?
A lot of us need to deal with past trauma, or deep rooted issues. Counselling and other professional supports will certainly move us forward in our journey. Many, many things will support us on our path of healing and restoration.