Small Improvements

Big changes are a bi product of small improvements made over time. You could even call them micro changes. Changes that are so insignificant, you would hardly notice them if you didn’t make an effort to.

I see this a lot in Muay Thai. I don’t recall a single instance when I walked out of a training session feeling a noticeable change or improvement. In fact, I almost always walk out of practice exhausted with bruises all over my legs, feeling like I’m not good enough.

Yet, over the years, I’ve improved … a lot.

The older I get, the more I think this “do big things” culture is a marketing ploy more than anything else. In most instances, it’s not useful.

Small incremental improvements work because they don’t require you to stop what you’re doing or tear something else down in order to build something back up.

They work because they’re manageable and don’t demand emotional turmoil.

The downside is that you miss out on the adrenaline and dopamine. You miss out on the feeling of “doing something big” and starting something new.

It’s cruel in a way. Doing well requires you to miss on on feeling like you’re doing well.

But in the end, it’s worth it.