Small steps lead to big leaps

I have always been a fan of small steps, repeated day after day. Step after step. Towards an intention. 

This is how you run a marathon, one small step at a time. 

Or write a book, 300 to 500 words a day, every day. 

Or build a cathedral. One brick at a time.

Small steps taken daily build a good life: money in a savings account, kind acts, generosity, eating fresh food, and moving your body.

We celebrate the big and bold and discount the small and consistent. 

I am in my fourth year of surfing. For the last year, it has been a focused commitment, surfing daily if possible. (Mother Nature plays her part. Waves. No waves.) 

Given that it is the hardest sport to learn, it has been a practice of small steps, commitment and patience. A lot of patience. 

This week, those small steps have paid off. Based on the surf conditions of where we are camping, I stepped down to a short board. For those of you unfamiliar with surfing, the longer the board, the easier it is to catch waves. (Of course, there are limits to the length of the board as well.) The shorter the board, the more challenging surfing becomes.

The first two days were not pretty. But suddenly, on day 3, I found my feet. By no means smoothly, or even on my feet, looking like I am in control, yet significant. 

I did not know, four years ago, that it would take this long. I probably would have given up if I knew.

Yet that is the point. The intention was held. The path set. The commitment made, followed by small steps taken daily. I relinquished the attachment to the timeline. Let go of my expectations. And stayed true to the intention, with no possibility of giving up. 

I made a big leap off the back of a million small steps.

Photo June 19th 2025, Article written June 19th 2025