Friends of Dave #415: đż jiffy pop đż
The Power of Starting Today
Friends, I found myself reflecting on the idea of starting small this week.
If youâve been reading here for a while, you know this isnât a new theme. Small steps, incremental wins, and steady progress often take center stage because theyâre so fundamental to growth. This idea popped up again during a conversation with someone who reminded me how easy it is to get overwhelmed by the sheer size of our aspirations.
If youâve ever scrolled through social media, you know the feeling: perfectly curated success stories, big wins, and giant leaps forward that make it all seem effortless. Itâs inspiring, sure.
But it can also feel paralyzing.
You see someoneâs finish line without seeing their starting point and wonder, Where do I even begin?
Hereâs the truth: nobody starts big.
Those seemingly effortless achievements? Theyâre built on the back of countless small, consistent actions. The kind you donât post about because theyâre too mundaneâearly mornings, late nights, and tiny victories that go unnoticed by the world but mean everything to the person taking them.
One of the benefits of writing this newsletter is revisiting themes like this and looking at them through fresh eyes.
This week, Iâve been reminded of a few key truths about starting small.
A good friend once told me, âYou donât run a marathon in one day. You start with a single stepâand then another.â This is true for anything worth pursuing. Itâs not about the grand gesture but about breaking things down into manageable pieces.
Write a paragraph today, brainstorm an idea, take a single action toward that long-term goal.
The beauty of these small wins is that they build momentum. That first step might feel like nothing, but over time, it snowballs. Confidence grows, progress compounds, and before you know it, youâre further than you ever thought possible.
Life has a way of making big goals feel unattainable. Thereâs always something in the wayâtime, resources, fear of failure. But instead of focusing on what you canât control, focus on what you can do today.
Can you spend five minutes learning something new? Reach out to a mentor or friend? Sketch out an idea, no matter how rough it looks?
Progress doesnât come from perfect conditions â it comes from doing what you can with what you have.
One of the biggest myths about achieving goals is that you need to wait for the perfect moment. News flash: there is no perfect moment.
The stars wonât align.
The timing will never be ideal.
The fear will never fully go away.
The only way forward is to begin, no matter how small or messy that beginning might be.
Oh, and hereâs another part we also often overlook: the celebration. In a world obsessed with outcomes, itâs easy to skip over the progress youâre making. But every step forward deserves recognition. Did you take a risk? Try something new? Overcome a little self-doubt today?
Thatâs worthy of a đ , isnât it?
So think about itâŠthereâs probably something on your mindâa goal, a project, a change youâve been meaning to make. Whatever it is, remember that you donât have to tackle it all at once.
Start small. Take one step. Build momentum. Celebrate the progress.
And hereâs the best part: every time you do, youâre creating a story worth tellingâone that isnât about perfection or ease but about resilience, effort, and the power of showing up.
Let me know if this resonates or if youâve had success with starting small. Iâd love to hear about the steps youâre taking, Friends. Until next time, keep moving forward.
XOXO
Dave
And now a few things to make you smarterâŠ
Since August 2020, prices for âfood at homeâ (groceries) have increased by 20% according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the steepest inflation seen since the 1970s.
On average, American households are paying about $270 per week ($1,080 a month) for groceries, according to Delish, which sourced their findings from the latest Census Bureau estimates.
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Films fail at the box office for many reasonsâa poor release date, a bad trailer, a disconnection from the zeitgeist, a global pandemicâand not always because theyâre bad. Some infamous money-losers, like Shawshank Redemption, probably rank among your favorite movies. Here are 55 movies that didnât connect with audience in theaters earning less in ticket sales than they cost to make and market. But while they were initially viewed as disappointments, many are now considered cult classics; too off-kilter or challenging to initially connect with mainstream audiences, they found their fans on video or streaming.