Subtle Changes Produce Big Results
Sometimes it takes very little to do a lot.
Change is the one and only constant in the universe. No matter who, what, where, how, or why you are, change will happen. For the most part, change is impartial, neutral, and simply occurs. It takes many forms and happens both insanely fast and ludicrously slow.
When it comes to the big picture matters and the collective consciousness, you and I have little to no control over anything. As I frequently share, all we can do for most of the happenings outside ourselves is vote in elections, organize and/or attend protests, boycott the worst of the worst, and help raise awareness for actionable change. It’s indirect because most of that stuff doesn’t directly impact us.
When it does, we can make more active choices and decisions about our lives. For the most part, however, all of our control lies in and with ourselves.
This is specifically about your mindset/headspace/psyche self. Who, in your heart of hearts, you desire to be. And if who you are now isn’t who you desire to be, all you need are subtle changes to produce big results.
The most important thing about change that you can and do control is this: It’s only yours. There isn’t anything at all you can do to change anyone else. You can influence, guide, assist, and show them things. But you’re not in their head, heart, or soul, so you can’t act for them at all.
It’s not selfish to make changes that are necessary for you. And to do that, all you need is active conscious awareness.
Mindfulness for the win
When all is said and done, you, and only you, exist in your mind, body, and spirit. You alone are inside your head, heart, and soul. But from there, you can access some pretty incredible things to be empowered.
When you’re empowered, you gain control over your life experience. Granted, that doesn’t always mean you can immediately change things outside of yourself that are part of your life. But you can find ways to make subtle changes to redirect yourself. I’ll get into that more ahead.
To be empowered, it’s important to be in the now. Be present in this moment, here and now. When you make the effort to be consciously aware, in the now, you apply mindfulness. Mindfulness lets you see with clarity who, what, where, how, and why you are, now.
To engage this, you start by asking questions about your inner mindset/headspace/psyche self, such as,
- What am I thinking?
- What am I feeling?
- How am I feeling?
- What do I intend here?
- Is my approach (to this, that, or the other thing) positive or negative?
- What am I doing/not doing?
Only you can answer these, and the answers exist only in the here and now. If you find any of the answers unsatisfactory, you’re now empowered to do things to change them.
This is where subtle changes come into play.
Subtle changes to produce big results
One of the most infuriating things about changing any of the above is their lack of tangibility. Thought, feeling, intent, approach, and action are all intangibles. Any changes made to them are inherently subtle because they’re usually not something you can see, taste, touch, or so on.
Yet these are the things you and I have near-total control over. Now, admittedly, not always. When shit happens, the immediate response tends to be automated and uncontrolled. However, after that moment passes, you now gain the ability to control what comes next.
Immediate, white-hot anger after a car accident or getting fired only lingers for as long as you allow it to. Via mindfulness, you can pause, make yourself present in the here and now, and shift what you dislike about your mindset/headspace/psyche self.
These subtle changes look something like this: I’m feeling angry right now. That’s valid; this all went wrong. But I know my anger doesn’t show me a way to move forward. So, I’m going to recognize and acknowledge my anger. Then, I’m going to release it via deep breathing/screaming/beating a pillow, and alter my thoughts, feelings, intentions, and approach to do something constructive.
The act of recognizing and acknowledging the validity of your mindset/headspace/psyche self produces subtle changes. That’s because it creates paths and opens channels of empowerment. All the small, subtle changes you make from within accumulate and can produce big results.
Hence, you can change your life for the better.
Other subtle changes via action
Thought, feeling, intention, and approach are important to all choices and decisions you make. Choices and decisions are action. Doing moves you forward.
Any action done via conscious awareness can produce big results. Subtle changes that add up are easy, but shouldn’t be undertaken without understanding and intent.
These include making small adjustments to diet and exercise. I don’t mean grandiose diet plans or gym memberships. Subtle changes are things like drinking more water daily, eating only 2/3 of what’s on your plate, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, standing and stretching hourly, and so on. Subtle changes.
Everything starts small. Nobody instantly goes from sickly to healthy, poor to rich, unwise to wise, and so on. There are steps along the way and work done to move from where you were in the past to where you are now to where you desire to be in the future.
We often disregard the small, subtle changes for their power. But even getting up with your alarm instead of hitting snooze half a dozen times can alter your mindset/headspace/psyche self for the better.
For example, a few years ago, I started waking up with the sun. Didn’t seem to matter when I went to bed; when the sun came up, I woke up. As I desired to read more regularly, I chose to use that time, first thing in the morning, to read. With that subtle change, I now read about 50-60 books a year and have learned all kinds of amazing new things from this action (while improving my own writing approach and technique).
There is one more important obstacle to subtle changes I need to address.
The subconscious mind isn’t the enemy
Many, many messages from the outside world want you disempowered, on autopilot, living by rote and routine, a cog in the machine. They encourage you to do it subconsciously, no matter what “it” might be.
Your subconscious mind is where your beliefs, values, memories, and habits live. Often, like an attic full of old junk, stuff goes there and gets forgotten. On top of that, the subconscious mind is like a sponge. It absorbs everything it comes in contact with and will become oversaturated and stinky if you don’t wring it out.
Many subtle changes start by learning what’s happening in your subconscious mind, altering beliefs and values that no longer suit you, and switching off the autopilot to take the wheel. It’s often with subtle changes that you start to wring out the mind-sponge. This can be distressing, however.
I’ve found more than once that crap lodged in my subconscious was causing me to self-sabotage, remain in an uncomfortable comfort zone, or otherwise not be who, what, where, how, and why I desire to be. When I looked at it that way, I felt some guilt and shame. Then, that turned to self-anger. Why’d I let that happen?
The thing is, the subconscious mind is not the enemy. It’s a web that catches everything. Unchecked, it holds on, even to what you don’t desire. How do you deal with that? Recognize and acknowledge what you find. Then, via conscious awareness, make subtle changes to the intangibles.
It will take time, energy, and effort, but I think that’s utterly worthwhile. All intentional change starts with subtle changes. Subtle changes can lead to big results. This empowers you, which can help you live life the way you desire.
What subtle changes have you made to your life that led to big results in the past?
This is the seventh-hundred-fifty-sixth (756) exploration of my Pathwalking philosophy. These weekly essays are my ideas for – and experiences with – applying mindfulness and positivity to walk along a chosen path of life to consciously create reality.
I share my philosophy because I desire to make a difference in the world and help as many people as I can to find their empowerment with conscious reality creation.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to share and/or repost where it might do good for you and others.
The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.
Also, please check out my author website for the rest of my published fiction and nonfiction works.
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