“Do not despise the days of your small beginnings” ~ the Bible. “Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still” ~ Chinese proverb.
Some translations of the Bible say “humble” beginnings. I am sure that we all want to succeed in all areas of our lives more especially in the financial area.
It is only normal and nature permits it. I believe that all normal human beings have the desire to want to do something that will make them excel and succeed in all endevours’ of life.
The biggest problem, however, lies in the desire to climb the tree starting from the very top. It is the wish to enjoy the fruit before even taking the necessary step of planting the tree.
It is like wanting to eat dessert before having the main meal, rushing to experience the rewards without putting in the essential groundwork first.
We always want to ignore the basics. Many of us do not want to build a solid foundation for our success, be it in business or personal development. We want the easy way out.
We would rather start reaping from what we have not fully sowed. However, what we do not realise is that ignorance and avoidance of basics is one of the major contributors to our failures.
Yes, you may experience temporal success but the end is very catastrophic. Cutting corners may just prolong your journey to success.
Starting small gives you the opportunity to learn the trade. You grow slowly but steadily learning and avoiding big losses.
This gives you motivation, as you are able to see the small achievements that you are scoring along the way and you keep building on them.
The Building Blocks
To succeed at anything you need to have the building blocks put together. In fact, you must first acquire the building materials and then put them together in the right order.
Most of us have acquired the building blocks and I can assure you that a good number of us have better building materials than successful people.
The major difference is that we want to jump the gun. We want to start building the house from the roof.
Simply put we do not appreciate our small beginnings. I like this Chinese proverb that says “a journey of three thousand miles beginnings with one step.”
For sure every step taken simply means that you have covered a distance. In this case, your building blocks are the steps you are taking.
As an individual, I have learned to appreciate that for anything that I want to succeed at, the small efforts and inputs that I put in are greatly appreciated and treasured.
For I know that it is these small little things that give birth to big things. Know that Rome was not built in one day.
Remember if you are planning to start running your own business do not be discouraged at the amount of startup capital you have.
Just start and grow with your business. The more you learn how to handle small amounts of money, the more you are training yourself to handle large amounts of money.
They say “it is the cents that make the dollars.” Put the cents together and you have a dollar. The more cents you put together the more dollars you have. The more dollars you have the more money you accumulate.
It’s just like the human body; it is made up of small cells. These small cells when put together make each and every tissue, organ, and finally, the whole body is complete.
When you focus on the composition and makeup of the human body you will appreciate that all growth comes from within; you will appreciate that those small things when put together they add up to something big.
Start Small
I know we all want to start big and quickly move in the comfort zone.
The reality is that even the biggest corporations of today started small.
A lesson learned from starting small is that you grow with the business and develop a discipline for managing it.
Nature is such that you will hold dear what you have worked for and have seen grow from scratch. You become emotionally attached to it.
It is very different to be given a lot of money that you have never handled before in your life, the likely hood of mismanaging the funds is higher than when you have toiled and sweated for the same money.
They say easy come easy go. Have you ever wondered that most of those who win the lottery quickly become bankrupt?
Starting small and ensuring steady growth also gives you a sense of pride and satisfaction.
I am not against anyone who starts big, experience has shown that those who grow their businesses from a small scale are more likely to succeed than those who start big.
I feel more comfortable starting with something I can handle and improving on it as it grows. It is much easier to handle small things and learn from them.
Even in the area of personal development, change will not come like manna from heaven. The change will come through the small everyday efforts that you put in.
Conclusion
In order to succeed, we must appreciate the days of our humble beginnings. We also appreciate that all forms of living things are made of small components and remember that it is the cents that make the dollars.
Learn to cherish those days and thank your creator for them. The days of your small beginnings are your learning curve and building blocks for your success.