“Little strokes fell great oaks”
Benjamin Franklin found in his work, Poor Richards Almanac
Merriam-Webster defines aphorisms as, “a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment.” Aphorisms are like memorable quotes we can take with us in our day to day lives.
The above aphorism is one I say to myself on days when I am finding it hard to get motivated because I am not reaping the pay-off of my efforts. Then I am reminded of this saying by Benjamin Franklin.
When chopping down a tree, even the mighty oaks, it takes little bits of energy and persistence with each swing. Each swing itself doesn’t carry much weight towards taking down the mighty oak, but eventually, swing after swing, The Oak will fall. For us, our Oaks can be goals, skills, or a mentality we are trying to obtain. Sustained, consistent effort will get you there. Even when it seems like we are not making progress, if you keep applying yourself, you will get to our goal. It is about harnessing the compound effect to your advantage.
Main Take-Away
- Persistent effort can lead to us attaining our goals.
Action item
Reflect on how your goals are going today for five minutes. Have you been consistent in your efforts to reach them? If not, that’s okay! Make time for five minutes each day this upcoming week to work on one of your goals. For example, if one of your goals is to get in shape, start with doing five push-ups a day, that is better than not doing any. Plus, by the end of the week, that will be 35 total push-ups! Start seeing your goals as bite-sized daily efforts, and you will slowly build towards accomplishing them.
