When it comes to making positive changes, start with the minimum effective dose. Usually this concept is applied to exercise as a way for the body to adapt to the stress of a workout without getting injured, but I believe we can apply it to most things.
There’s this false narrative in our culture that more is always better – and I think this pervasive idea has done a lot more harm than good. Not only are we always looking for more, doing more, being more to the point of exhaustion – but we believe that things are only worth doing if we give it 110%.
If we can’t commit the full hour to the gym, why even bother? If we can’t meditate for an hour every morning at sunrise, why not just sleep in and not meditate at all? Well – I had pizza this weekend so might as well order takeout tonight and start my diet again next week.
We trick ourselves into thinking it’s all or nothing. But what if we started with the minimum effective dose? What if we started with adding in more greens instead of depriving ourselves of every “bad” food we can think of? What if we start by doing a 5 minute meditation before we begin our day, whenever that may be?
By starting with the minimum effective dose, we give ourselves a fighting chance to do better and be better consistently over time. Healthy living is not a race – it’s about showing up for yourself a little more than you did before.
