Small stones

‘The person who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.’

This saying, from long ago, was never more relevant for us than it is today. If we have a goal or goals that we want to achieve, we need to start by taking small steps. Patience is something that is in short supply today – a lot of people believe that if they take a few giant leaps, they will achieve their goal sooner. 

A very important thing to remember is that there are no shortcuts to success – at least not real, lasting success. We need to go through each small step before we reach the place we want to be, we need to be patient and meticulous.

It is also important to remember that not all the steps we take towards our goals will be successful. Some of our attempts will result in us going backwards, or maybe sideways. The most important thing is to not lose heart, but to take the time to stop and think about what went wrong and why. Once we can see, try to understand and then work on/rectify our mistakes, then not only are we coming closer to our goals, but we are better able to understand ourselves, and shape our character.

This can only be done one step at a time, and with patience, perspective and insight. Sounds easy doesn’t it — but in reality it is anything but!

If we choose to stay blind to our shortcomings, remain impatient and just keep trying to find shortcuts, we are actually cheating ourselves out of the opportunity to grow on our journey through life. Instead of trying to wish our time away by leaping straight to the end goal, we should be focusing on and embracing the journey in front of us; accepting it for what it is and making the most out of each day (and the experiences that come our way).

Our mountain (whatever that may be) will only move when we have done all the small steps (carried the small stones); and when it does move, after all our efforts, we will come out of that journey as a better person.

This all sounds great – but in reality, how do we go about ‘carrying small stones’ as it were?

The Bible is a great place to for us to start. It says: “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!” (Luke 6:31, The Message)

How much better off would the world be if more of us were able to follow this simple advice!?!

This and a whole lot more great advice on how to achieve goals and be a better person is just waiting to be discovered in the bible – check it out for yourself!!