I was thinking that in today’s world, we often feel the pressure to make dramatic changes in our lives. Sometimes we see flawless online images of people saying their entire lives changed because of a new workout routine, a diet, a “minimalist restructuring”, you name it!

And I don’t deny that sometimes your life really does change through a dramatic shift or decision. Sometimes a huge change is the very thing you need. I’ve done several of those big changes in my life, such as switching my major from Business to Health Science.

That was a pretty dramatic change, but it ended up working out really well because I was way more interested in health. It turns out I liked the experiential and entrepreneur side of business, but I didn’t like studying it academically!

But other times, it’s actually the little things that make a big difference in your life. Those are the things that don’t always make the headlines, but they build positive habits or help you in other ways.

For example, one little thing I’ve been trying to do is go to more art and writing meet-ups, and other get togethers, in my city. Some of them are so near my home, I can even walk to them! While those aren’t big dramatic things, they help me spend quality time with people in real life, and I’ve even made some friends through doing this.

An action like that may not seem major, but it builds the kinds of positive environments and habits I want to experience.

Another example is reading more books (now that I’m finishing up college studies, I can finally get back to more of them!). I used to love reading for leisure, and it’s still something I enjoy, so when I can, I get books from the library, online, or from the local book sale. Although I don’t have tons of money for spending on books, I get what I can and settle down to read. It’s very relaxing and fun.

This is another thing that may not seem like a dramatic choice, but it actually brings a lot of positive shifts towards how I want to constructively spend my time.

Why You Don’t Need to Be Perfect With It

One thing I've noticed in American culture is that we are often very hard on ourselves for failing our plans. For example, we might have big goals for the new year, but then we beat ourselves up if we don't flawlessly fulfill every single new year's resolution.

Over time, though, I've realized this isn't actually that helpful when you're trying to build new habits (or reignite good ones from the past). Building positive routines or achieving goals takes time, and it's kind of unrealistic to expect perfection at the first try.

I was noticing this kind of "have to be perfect" vibe in some online communities around reading, such as BookTok or BookTube. Even though it's great that those communities encouraged more people in my generation to read, they also sometimes pushed a style of reading that isn't really that attainable.

People felt they had to finish every book or read a huge stack of stories each day. And other folks were showing off "book hauls" that most people wouldn't be able to afford. It became less about reading for fun and more about competition.

When I saw this, I had to remind myself that reading for enjoyment doesn't need to be like an endurance sport! You don't have to be perfect with it. Sometimes I'll pick up a book and not finish it until months later, because I'll have other stuff to do in life or I just take a break for a while. There's nothing wrong with that. The book will still be there for you to enjoy.

Similarly, most of the life changes we want to make will have their serious side, but it's also good to have some fun with them if we can. And it's okay to take a break or not complete a goal perfectly. Progress often happens in the little steps we take for granted.

Maybe we can start keeping "progress journals" as a way to see how those steps make a difference over time. Mark your progress even if you don't reach the end of the goal. You could be surprised at how you're steadily improving bit by bit.