I’d like to start today’s article with a little update about where my head is at with regards to my articles. 2019 taught me valuable lessons about consistency and how it can really help somebody grow and scale their business, initiative, project or whatever passion they are pursuing. It also taught me, however that consistency without direction is a waste of time and energy and in many ways can actually become a means of stressing oneself. Having said that I’d like to let you all know that I am letting go of my commitment to put out an article every week. No – that does not mean you won’t be hearing from me. What it means is that you’ll be hearing from me when I’ve had enough time and feel as though I’ve been able to develop an idea or topic that I feel will actually bring value to my readers. If that means an article every week, great. If it means one every day, awesome. If it means one every 2 months, so be it. I don’t want to post every week for the sake of posting every week… I want every post to bring value. The timing of that?… I guess we’ll have to see. In order not to miss my posts, however, please subscribe to the website so that you can receive notifications of my latest articles.

Oh! – yeah… today’s one of the days I’m going to publish an article….

This morning I asked a question on my Instagram. I wanted to hear from you all what things you wanted me to talk about (my first step in trying to increase the value of what I write). I received some really interesting responses (and some advertisements but we’ll save that for another post). The one that stood out to me was “On thinking big.” I’m not entirely sure what it was that drew me to this response – perhaps the vague nature of it? Is it vague because it’s hard to specify what “big thinking is” or is it vague because the question is open ended? This interested me… so here’s my take on “thinking big”.

I believe in thinking small. I think it’s extremely useful and important, and in our day to day lives it is what makes the differences we experience. But what about two weeks from now? What about 15 years from now? Nah… that’s a problem for another time… WRONG!

Thinking big is equally as important as thinking small, and is a necessity if you are trying to experience change in whatever area of life interests you. If it’s politics, think big. If it’s climate change, think big. If it’s getting fit, think big. Thinking big is essential for bringing about change in our lives as it incorporates a sense of WHY, a sense of PURPOSE, and most importantly, a sense of TIME. It allows us to remember the journey we are on, despite the day to day hiccups that we may experience. Now I know that this explanation sounds extremely simplified and overly optimistic… trust me, people have voiced their opinions about my overly optimistic attitude (it’s okay – I’m over it). However, I think teaching yourself to think BIG is not about throwing out super positive ideas into the world about what it should be for the sake of being a “visionary.” I think thinking big is like google maps.

When we navigate using Google maps an interesting thing happens. Without us even interacting with the screen the scale of the map will change automatically. When we are “cruising” the map zooms out, allowing you to see the big picture, giving you a bit of a heads up of what’s coming. It zooms IN when you need to make a CHANGE in direction – when you need to take an action. The series of these small actions together results in your successful navigation of your full journey. Yes – I did it again. I used a metaphor to talk about life concepts… #sorrynotsorry.

Understanding your inner “big thinker” is understanding how to read and interact with a map of your life. It’s understanding and learning how to plan for what’s ahead. For example, zooming out on google maps tends to show traffic patterns that may come in our paths way before we even reach them. Zooming out on your own life helps you identify areas of potential growth. Phases you’ve passed through from which you need to draw expertise and experience. It also allows you put yourself and the moment you are living in in perspective. If gives you direction. An important thing to remember is that what may be “big thinking” to you, may not be to somebody else. This is critical. Push your own boundaries, don’t let those of others dictate what your map looks like.

Learn how to balance your methods of thinking so that you can navigate your life towards the person you want to become. If you have goals, think big and act small. If you’re stuck trying to figure out what your goals are, think even bigger, and act even smaller. It’s not about being a “big picture” thinker or a “small picture” thinker. It’s about understanding the entire picture.

THINK big, act SMALL.

#zuluechoinitiative