Progress is almost never dramatic.
Big wins, sudden breakthroughs, and "aha!" moments are what we'd all love to experience.
But in my experience (ha), those happen really, really rarely.
In pretty much every area of my life, progress has happened slowly over time.
My piano skills are what they are because I've been playing for 35 years.
My blog has never had a stage of explosive growth; it's just gotten to where it is due to 12 years of steady writing.
I've become pretty competent in the kitchen because I've been practicing almost daily for 30 years.
I see this with my kids too.
Math skills build slowly over time.
Art skills come with repeated practice.
Writing improves a tiny bit with each essay.
I think this concept is helpful because it can assist you in setting realistic expectations for yourself.
If you expect to get good at something really quickly, you'll want to quit when that doesn't pan out.
But if you expect small, regular improvements, you can meet those expectations, and you're going to be more likely to hang in there and keep working.
You'll get better at budgeting as you practice.
Your savings accounts will grow slowly over time.
Your debt will get paid down month by month.
Your frugal skills will improve bit by bit as you practice (cooking, baking, DIY-ing, second hand shopping, fixing, etc.)
You'll get gradually better at mindful spending (which means that at first, you'll still have a fair number of slips into mindless spending.)
You'll get better at cooking at home one meal at a time.
Nothing magical is going to happen right away when you start making changes in your life. (More's the pity!)
But in the same way that tiny grains of sand make up a beach if there are enough of them, your small changes and little bits of practice can add up to something really significant over time.*
*It's worth noting that this is true of positive changes AND of negative changes. They both add up over time to something big.
So.
Slow, incremental progress is normal; don't be discouraged by it! As long as you keep moving in the right direction, you are going to make tons of progress.
Great reminder! Thanks!
Great advice. I recently read Atomic Habits, a worthwhile read, and this is much of what the author said. He also had tips on how to make good things happen more and more (layering/stacking).
Yes! I read that book recently too, and I loved it.
Just what I needed to hear today! Patience may be a virtue but it's not mine. 🙁
I really needed to hear this today. Sometimes life gets a little overwhelming and the small changes just don't seem to be enough, but sometime you need to take a step back to see how far you've come to realize it does make a difference.
Another thing that happens only slowly is the formation of habits, including frugal habits. But once you form the habit, it becomes almost automatic and therefore you do the frugal thing all the time, practically without thinking about it.
Yup. It's a good point where doing the frugal thing is just second nature.
I was just thinking the same thing after reading this post today. All of the small frugal things that seem insignificant at the time DO add up over time and make lasting habits and many also create financial savings over the long term.
This is so true, and so encouraging.
I think marriages are also built that way, by practicing day by day, and the results can definitely be negative instead of positive if one is not careful.
I think back to how well I cooked when I first started out -- pretty badly! -- to now, when people come to me for advice on cooking. It took a long time, but each day improved my skills because I've always cooked at home, since I've always had to watch our budget. I am still learning new skills, too, which is fun!
I'm also learning Spanish, and sometimes, when around a Spanish speaker, I despair of ever grasping the language, but you've reminded me that every day that I practice is a day in which I get a little tiny bit better.
This Spanish example is so fitting for me right now. I’m learning Spanish as well and it’s so hard for me when speaking to keep this in mind.
Absolutely loved this bit of wisdom!! Thank you:)
Thank you for this timely reminder.
You’ve mentioned several categories where I’d love to see explosive growth.
But...little by little...inch by inch.
A good reminder for the day. It is easy to get overwhelmed by how much there is to go, it is nice to know that little steps along the way are what make it happen. One of my favorite quotes is "Inches make champions" from Vince Lombardi. It is putting in that little bit, those inches, every day that will get me there. Great post!
Such a good reminder. Thank you!
You give me hope that someday I'll make a pie crust that doesn't double as a good substitute for shoe leather!
My father used to tell me "Don't be afraid of falling on your face. At least you are moving forward." He passed away 30 years ago and I still remember a lot of the little sayings he used to say. Your reminder helped me remember him today. So, thank you.
I love that saying!
I feel like this is true in parenting, too. I'm a better parent than I was 3 years ago. I learn more. God molds my heart. He guides. But it's lots of baby steps.
1. Just celebrated first whole year of two hour long yoga classes per week. Making new friends. Learning balance and feeling much better. 2. Will join a church choir in the fall. Two ladies in yoga class are members. 3. Also will sign up for keyboard lessons at a piano store. 4. Have my old second hand piano in living room. 1920s up right. 5. Was a big girl: called roofer and got new 50 year roof and all new wood repairs and soffits and gutters ...covered ones. Wrote out check for all of it with money I saved.
This is such a great reminder! I think I will need to re-read this post many days!!
Thank you so much for this encouraging reminder!
This is sage advice. So many days I sit in front of my computer doing the bills/banking/budget and I just want everything paid off NOW. But, you are right, I’ve accumulated debt in small increments so it’s going to take regular increments over a longish period of time to send it in the opposite direction. One thing I do each morning is open my debts and assets spreadsheet and subtract $1 per day from my mortgages and loans. It’s a super conservative number but it’s easy to remember and I can see the amounts owing going down and my net worth going up. Whenever I get my statement in the mail, I update my spreadsheet with the (always) lower balance and my total debt tumbles down further. It works for me. Some people go on Facebook first thing in the morning, I look at my numbers. It reminds me how to spend my money. Love your blog.
Such truth! I have made a habit of looking back every so often to see progress. Especially with parenting and watching my son overcome physical disability. There's so much work to be done, but he's so much better than he was, and I'd miss that if I didn't recall what life was like 1 or 2 years ago.