Richard Blake thought he needed a dramatic shift.
When the restlessness crept in — the sleepless nights, the quiet resentment toward always being the provider, the distance in his marriage — he assumed he was on the brink of something big.
Something had to change.
He just didn’t know how, or where to begin.
But the shift didn’t come from a lightning bolt or a breakthrough strategy.
It began during a coaching conversation — the kind that doesn’t try to fix things, but asks better questions.
What are you noticing in your body at the end of the day?
What stories are you rehearsing before bed?
And then the invitation:
“Would you be open to tracking just a few things each night — not to fix anything, but to start noticing?”
That night, Richard wrote three short lines in a notebook.
When we feel stuck, it’s easy to believe that only something seismic can move us forward.
A relocation. A reinvention of how we show up at work or at home. A sweeping overhaul of our mindset or strategy.
But here’s the quieter truth: Most transformation doesn't begin with a leap.
It begins with a pivot.
This is a truth echoed in everything from James Clear’s Atomic Habits to Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge: lasting change is the result of small, repeated actions — not giant, unsustainable efforts.
And while it may feel too soft or insignificant, Olson is blunt about that:
“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.”
In other words, it’s not about enjoying the practice. It’s about staying aligned with what matters most — even when it feels quiet, slow, or unglamorous.
BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits, echoes this by reminding us that motivation is unreliable — but small, consistent behaviours can anchor us when motivation fails.
And in the world of performance and leadership, we know this too.
From the Kaizen philosophy in business to the HBR-backed principle of compound habits, the evidence is clear: micro-practices move the needle more than bold declarations.
So that night, when Richard wrote:
One thing that went well today
One emotion he noticed
One thing he was grateful for
...he wasn’t solving his problems.
He was shifting his posture.
He was interrupting the depletion with awareness.
If you’re anything like Richard, your life is already full.
You lead a business. You’re present for your kids. You train hard. You deliver.
But that’s exactly why small, intentional habits matter more than grand gestures. They don’t require you to stop your life — they meet you in it.
They work not because they’re flashy, but because they’re faithful.
And over time, consistency becomes compound interest for your well-being.
It’s deceptively simple.
Every evening, before you close your laptop or collapse into bed, write down:
One thing that went well today
(Even if it was tiny. Especially if it was tiny.)
One emotion you noticed in yourself
(It doesn’t have to make sense. Just name it.)
One thing you’re grateful for
(Try not to repeat the obvious ones every night.)
No analysis. No pressure. Just a practice of noticing.
In a world obsessed with output, this is an act of restoration.
If you're holding out for the big reinvention, I want to invite you to start smaller.
What 15-minute practice could open a window of clarity for you?
What micro-habit might soften your inner posture just enough to create movement?
You don't need to overhaul your life.
You need to listen to it.
And sometimes, all it takes is three lines.
Curious where to start?
If this article resonated and you'd like to explore coaching or simply talk through where you're at, I’d love to hear from you.
📩 Send me a message or visit www.arukasolutions.co.za to get in touch
