One Small Thing

Have you ever noticed that sometimes one small step can be the catalyst that leads to great change? Often times, the road we need to travel down can seem overwhelming, a task too daunting to even consider. But a baby step, something seemingly insignificant, can be the very thing that begins a great journey.

My friend has struggled with depression for a long time. Through the years, I’ve listened to her, comforted her and acted as her life coach. I wanted her to own her reality -- not the life she wished she had, not the one she used to have, but the one she was actually living. Who would have thought that it was not my words of encouragement or the life lessons I’ve picked up along the way that would have made the difference -- it was a haircut!

“That haircut changed my life,” she said. You see, after a devastating break up, she had stopped living, she had let herself go and she had given up. It seemed like she was frozen in time -- unable to go back and unwilling to go forward.

“When I got that haircut I started caring for myself again,” she said. “I started to feel a little bit better about myself when I looked in the mirror. Because of that small change, I began to make other changes. I took a shower, put on some nice clothes, left the house and, eventually, started connecting with others and started making future plans.”  And she welcomed hope.

Now, when we talk, all I hear is joy.  She laughs.  She has regained hope, faith, and optimism.  She plans for the future. She has abandoned her “victim” style tendencies. 

It wasn’t the haircut that made the difference; it was what it represented for her. I’ve had a similar experience myself. For me, it was a breast augmentation. After my babies, I felt deformed. I was so self-conscious that I began wearing my hair down in my face to cover myself. After I took that step, I found I was pulling my hair back totally away from my face (bangs and all!) again, putting myself out there more and no longer hiding.

I don’t know what you’re going through right now; I can’t understand all the emotions you feel. But I do know one thing for certain; life is a journey that is always changing. The little people might not think so but I trust that you do have the courage to take that small step that will put you back on the path of your own destiny.

Go for it!!!