Have you ever thought about how your personal evolution and the path to transformation exists in the small things? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Happiness doesn’t just exist in where we are, it lives in what we do to get there. Recently, I have been reflecting on how the latter part of 2021, looks and feels very different for me than the beginning. This time last year, you’d find me back in a classroom teaching reading to 6-8 grade students in the midst of a pandemic. A year later, I am a grateful assistant principal who is working with a new team, students, and community in the midst of a pandemic. Although my role has changed, I am the same person at the core. I have the same heart and passion for what I do. I recognize that it’s the small things that have contributed to endless refinement and continuous improvement towards the educator I am becoming. It’s the small things that have illuminated my love for education and the constant pursuit to be better for the people I serve.

Small Wins

You see, it’s the small wins that add up to the big things. When you love what you do, you have the motivation to remain courageous in your convictions. Even the setbacks you experience have the potential to become aha moments that fuel new ideas and catapult your drive for the person you wish to become. It’s the small things that pave the way to the big things. It could be the people you meet along the way; they may have taken the time to listen to your dreams, your ideas, and validate what you believe in and what you stand for. Those are the same people who probably told you “You can”. Those small things may have been a smile, a nod, a note, a glimmer of encouragement, a push into pursuing opportunities you didn’t know were waiting for you. Those small things may have helped you say yes to yourself and encouraged you to shatter the walls of fear as you were fervently finding your way. Maybe that small thing was someone who used the words “No, you can’t”. Thank that person for that, this was your opportunity to embrace every ounce of self-doubt to ignite determination and hope on the road to achieving personal growth.

It’s the Small Things

Small moves breathe new meaning into a year. In the book Atomic Habits, James Clear says, “We often dismiss small changes because they don’t seem to matter much in the moment.” Looking back in time, there were a lot of small things I didn’t savor in the moment. It’s the small things that led me to the place I am in today; they are rooted in a collection of interactions I’ve had with people, family, friends, students, and colleagues. The gradual evolution of becoming yourself is wrapped up in small things that happen over time. My friend Sean Gaillard recently shared a small thing, a simple sentiment in a tweet, “consider the possibilities”. Take a moment to look beyond your immediate surroundings… look for the small things in new people and possibilities on the horizon. Where are you now and where do you want to be in a year?