Revolutionary Drops of What

This Morning, I Decided to Start a Revolution

I woke up and made a choice. A choice that I actually make every morning. I chose to add a “drop of what.” I did that to continue building a “trickle of why.” Every day, we are offered a choice to either put in the work toward something bigger or to sit back, be passive, and let resistance win. Every day, we can discipline ourselves and become stronger or we can be undisciplined and let life happen to us. This morning, I chose to stand up against today’s resistance and add a drop of what. This is today’s tiny revolution. This is the choice to made to progress toward a bigger change. A slow and steady change. I made progress toward a revolution.

Revolution and Resistance

So what is the revolution? For me, it’s working toward my why. What is the resistance? For me, it’s things that keep me from reaching toward my why. Revolutions are about change. Revolutions are about carving a path. Revolutions are about making daily, intentional decisions that move us forward and help us progress toward a cause. Today, the revolution begins again. I have a reason. I have a why. And this path to why begins with today’s drop of what.

What, Why, and One Word

Over the past few years, I’ve developed a personal mission. I have a simple statement to help remind myself that each day has purpose if each day has direction. I need to remember that the path I tread every day should help me “love, enjoy, inspire, encourage, and positively impact those in my circle of influence.” That’s it. That’s my mission. That's my why. I have that statement written and posted on my desk so I can read it every day. And I do. I also have one word. INSPIRE. Just one word I’ve taken from the mission. After reading Evan Carmichael’s book, Your One Word, I chose that as my One Word. Evan says, "There is one word that defines who you are, connects all the things in your life that make you come alive, and will help you escape the chains of mediocrity." So I have my WHY (the mission) and my ONE WORD (inspire). My WHAT is a little more interesting. It’s the daily drop that’s carving my revolution.

Daily Drops of What

Every morning, I write. I write for me, and I write to share. Writing is one of my main whats. It’s one of the things I do to help me carry out my why. So I do it every day. Writing helps me clarify my thinking. It helps me find daily joy through gratitude. It helps me share ideas that hopefully add a tiny drop of inspiration to others. So writing is a what. But so is teaching. And coaching. And parenting. And relationship building. Every day, I have hundreds of opportunities to add a drop of inspiration. But each day, the revolution begins the same way. With writing. My first small “drop of what” that works to build the “tiny trickles of why.”

Tiny Trickles of Why

Cycling coach, Dave Brailsford used the phrase “aggregation of marginal gains” to describe his approach toward improving the British cycling team. Small, marginal changes and improvements that aggregate to create large overall gains. I like this idea a lot. Each of those daily actions and small changes are like the tiny “drops of what” that are building to “trickles of why.” Like drops of rain, they are all incredibly small. On their own, they go unnoticed and are seemingly powerless. But a few drops build to a trickle. This trickle, when aggregated, leads to a stream. And that stream gains tremendous momentum and power. This is the way I see each new day. And opportunity to build toward something greater. Gathering enough drops allows something bigger to happen. A small stream of water can carve an impressive path. We may not be carving a Grand Canyon, but that is exactly how it was carved. By a lot of small drops. Drops working together to create something grand. Something like a revolution.

Today, the Revolution Continues

Okay, so getting out of bed and writing a few words does not seem like much of a revolution. But it is. Those black lines of text wrapping the page are drops building today’s tiny revolution. By fighting today’s tiny battle, I added a critical drop of what that I needed to build toward that trickle of why. Today’s drop helped me take a step to carving the path to my why. You may not notice it today, but looking back my hope is to carve something grand. That's it. That’s what. That’s why. So I hope you can take a minute to think of what you're doing to start your own revolution. Then add today's drop.

Have an awesome day!