Starting small

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
You’ve heard it many times, but this simple quote has a power to it that is often underestimated.
We all want to develop ourselves spiritually and it can sometimes feel frustratingly slow. If only we could become enlightened overnight!
But small things add up. We can make leaps and bounds in our spiritual progression one step at a time.
Likewise, we can have a big impact by taking one small action at a time.
In a 1960 lecture, Master of Yoga Dr. George King said:
“Don’t underestimate your own power…
Don’t overestimate it, but don’t underestimate it.
Don’t say: “I’m only one person, what can I do?”
You can do an awful lot.”
This is a fantastic point. For the most part, we do underestimate ourselves. We don’t realize that we can help someone on the other side of the world in a very real way.
In a later address from 1974, Dr. King said:
“And you not only advance yourself, but you may be, you may be just the person who, using this energy… may alter the whole of somebody’s lives on another part of the world; you don’t know – you just don’t know! There’ll come a time when you will know, but you just don’t know now.”
Saying a prayer for the world or practicing The Twelve Blessings does not take up much time in the day.
But if we perform any spiritual practice like this often enough, even if it’s just for a short period of time, the good we do for ourselves and for the world really adds up.
Each seemingly small step advances us along our spiritual journey.
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My spiritual practices routine has changed over time. Sometimes I do more, sometimes less. Sometimes I try new things.
I have found that when I don’t feel like doing my practices, that is when I need to do them the most.
When I’m tired, or distracted, or “too busy,” taking even 10 minutes to practice pranayama, mantra or prayer makes a difference.
I’ll have more energy. It will calm my mind. I’ll feel refocused.
And I know I’m taking a small step forward.
Something you can try
You may already have a regular routine of spiritual practices. But just for the next week, really push yourself to add one more. Even if it is just an additional prayer, like the Prayer for Spiritual Workers. I’ll do the same.
We are currently in the middle of a Spiritual Push. This means that by performing extra practices, we can help ourselves and others even more.
Let me know how you get on.