Bliss Is In the Bits

I've talked about re-defining yourself, about breaking free from the person you used to be and embracing the person you are. I've shared my advice for meeting new people and increasing your network, for revisiting places and experiences and making new memories to take control of their meaning. I've even been quite open about my personal struggles and my own journey as a young professional to find my place and figure out who I am both personally and professionally.

This testing of limits and pushing of boundaries can take the form of large-scale changes. Switching careers, going back to school, getting divorced, embarking on a new relationship, leaving town, committing to an exercise plan, becoming a vegetarian.

But, it also creeps up in the small things…sometimes, it's these small things that make the biggest difference. Maybe you drive a different way to work, you start attending more networking events, you try foods you never thought you'd try, you take a random class, you make it a point to get to know someone before you judge them, you ask that person for coffee.

They say the "devil is in the details," but I'd argue that "bliss is in the bits." Those little bitty things you change, the tiny ways in which you push yourself, the minuscule limits you test. Consider them all practice for the day when a larger opportunity presents itself. You'll be ready to make big changes, to take a larger chance, because you've become accustomed to the feeling.

Give yourself some credit. For many of us, flexing our change muscles doesn't necessarily come naturally. But, if we work at it every day, if we continue to push it…it'll become second nature.