Confront the difficult while it is still easy

In the 63^rd verse of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-tzu speaks of doing small things in order to accomplish greatness.  In what might appear to be another paradoxical conundrum in which we mire ourselves, consider that all things large tend to originate from that which was once small.  From seed into oaks to the universe itself, powerful forces have grown from imperceptibly small specs of particles or matter.  How often do we stop ourselves from taking on new things because we’re worried about how big it may be, or that it’s not big enough?   This is all about living in that moment, no matter how seemingly insignificant, and occasionally saying “yes” when our experiences taunt us into saying “no”.  Inaction is often harder to undertake than action.  I think about how I quit smoking.  The concept is simple as what I had to do in order to accomplish a goal was to do nothing (or not do something is likely more accurate).  That is, in order to be a nonsmoker I had to not smoke.  We resist so much as it seems insurmountable to even consider not doing something sometime later in the future.  Silly, right?  No.  That’s what prevents many of us from achieving greatness through fully committing ourselves to something small, now.  I have a thousand goals in life.  If I really think about what it will take to do them, I won’t even start.  I just need to run that Db scale with my left hand up to 280 bpms, hop that fence and hope there’s a trail rather than a guy with gun, ask that girl out for coffee, clackety-clack on my keyboard, resist the urge to say “no”. 

Confront the difficult while it is still easy; accomplish the great task by a series of small acts.