Want to find happiness? Learn to recognize the importance of each positive step that you take.

Think about it. How many times have you talked yourself out of taking a small step towards a healthier and happier life? Have you ever asked yourself, “Does it really make a difference if I go to the gym today?” or “Is one slice of chocolate cake really going to hurt me?”

Find Happiness One Small Step at a Time

Part of the problem with small steps is that they seem insignificant in isolation. Will going for a walk today help you to live longer? Nope. But, will going for a walk every day improve your health? Absolutely!

Will practicing the guitar for 30 minutes today make you an accomplished musician? Of course not. But, will playing the guitar for 30 minutes, every day, for a year, help you to play well? Definitely!

In a previous article, I talked about the power of using small incremental steps to accomplish anything. But, how can you motivate yourself to keep going when each step is insignificant? The answer is that you need to take a step back and see the big picture.

Seeing the Big Picture Behind Your Small Steps

Every time I find myself wondering if a small step makes a difference, I ask myself what would happen if I took this step every day for a year. For example, every morning, I get up and write at least 3 articles for the Boomerly blog. If you have ever written articles before, you know that this is harder than it sounds.

There are mornings when I just don’t feel like writing. At these times, I often ask myself, “Does it really matter if I write 3 articles today?” My response is always, “It’s not today’s articles that are important, but, the pattern that they represent.” I remind myself that writing 3 articles a day means that, over the course of a year, I will produce over 1,000 pieces of content. That’s 1,000 opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others. Framed like this, how could I possibly choose to take the easy way out?

In other words, try to apply rules in your life that, if applied consistently, would result in the greatest amount of happiness.

The bottom line is that every small step matters. Sometimes you just need to remind yourself to see the big picture behind your small steps.

What small steps do you take every day to live a happier and healthier life? What one small step could you start doing today to make the world a better place? Please join the conversation.

Here’s a short article that I recorded on the topic of using small steps to find happiness at any age.