Thursday, September 10, 2020

Exploring, Experimenting, and Microchanging as Life-Enhancement Strategies

Just going by the mass popularity of self-improvement and motivational literature and programs out there, I'm pretty confident that a lot of us want to do what we can to make our own lives more productive, healthy and fulfilling.  Regardless of my genetic or environmental background, ultimately it's the choices I make that determine the quality of my existence...or at least that's what my own experience has taught me.  And I'm not just talking about momentous, life-changing decisions but also the myriad small choices I make during the course of a day.  As a matter of fact, if done with the oversight of one's better nature without any intention of hurting others or violating ethical standards, the composite effect of many things done a little differently can have an enormous effect on how I enjoy my life.  And regarding those little things, I'm thinking...myself at least...of three strategies: exploring, experimenting, and "microchanging"...

When your daily life is as regular and governed by routine as mine, exploring can be as simple as going down a different street or hallway...or taking a brief moment to look around at the surroundings in greater depth.  Experimenting is doing things a little differently to see the effects, pro and con...say, taking my meals at different times and spacing them differently, for example.  Microchanging, a term that I coined myself, involves taking each day (or cyclic period) and doing a new specific, constructive activity on a small scale ...and then continue onward with that change.  When the next day (or specified time period) arrives I continue to incorporate all the earlier "micro" changes while beginning a new one...creating in the end a mountain of positive change.  I'm doing this starting now...should be a lot of fun, and probably awfully challenging as well...

No comments:

Post a Comment