Photo by nippy.

Everything you do gets you closer or farther from where you want to be.

Nothing is neutral. You are either getting better or you are getting worse. Everything you think, say, and do moves you toward or away from your goal. And taking care of the small things can lead to greater confidence and willpower to achieve your goal.

One of my favorite authors, Larry Winget, put it perfectly:

“When you stop letting things slide and start taking advantage of every moment amazing things happen.”

I was sneaking around five pieces of candy every day a couple weeks ago. It only amounted to around 100 calories a day and I kept up with these in my calorie log — I never let anything slide there. I would eat these, however, at the worst times. Like when I got home and was starving but didn’t want to wait an hour for dinner. Or before I went to bed. These are the worst times to eat something sugary. Before a meal it means that might eat more than I would have otherwise and my body will be primed to put on fat due to insulin spike. And before bed is also bad as research has shown that high GI carbs before sleep can interfere with hormones that result in better sleep and growth hormone release. I knew this beforehand but bought into the “don’t limit yourself too much” baloney and decided I needed a little to keep me going.

I decided to take care of this small piece, I stopped the snacks altogether. Now I’ve built up a reputation with myself that I don’t mindlessly eat sweets. And I’ve found I avoid sugar in all meals and snacks now more than before. For example, before I would reason “Oh, I’ve already lost ten pounds eating a few candies a day eating this sugary cereal instead of oatmeal isn’t that big of a deal obviously”.

What small tweak can you make to move you closer to your goal instead of further away? Start small and start today. Make a commitment just to do it today. Then try again tomorrow.