Happy new year to you. Before I even start this week, I want you to know how grateful I am that you read my blogs each week, or however often you get to them. As a writer, it is often hard to know who reads, how many read, and what type of impact my words are making, if any. If you are reading this, we have just launched into 2025, and as you think about the year to come, I would encourage you to consider the power of one.
There’s a temptation in our society to make new year’s resolutions and try to change everything all at once. It can be incredibly overwhelming and inevitably leads to many people giving up on their dreams. Have you ever been there? I certainly have and also have given up on more new year’s resolutions that I am willing to share with you. That’s why these days I follow this strategy and encourage you to do the same. That is to think about just the power of one.
I was walking home after training the other day, on a beautiful sunny morning. Amongst the vibrant blue sky and bright sunlight, one disturbing thing stood out to me; rubbish that had been thrown on the ground. As I was just about to step over a discarded fast-food container, I stopped and picked it up and placed it in a rubbish bin that was only a few metres away from where it was lying. As I dropped it in the bin, I thought to myself, if every person in Melbourne would simply pick up and responsibly discard just one piece of trash per day, that would be more than 5 million pieces of rubbish less in our streets per day and a much cleaner and healthier city. That, my friend, is the power of one.
What if, instead of a crazy new year’s resolution that demands you change 10 things all at once, you just chose one? Would that be possible, and if so, what would be the result at the end of 2025. If that one thing was to buy one less $6 cup of coffee per day, that would result in $2190.00 extra in your hand. Wow, that’s the power of one. What if that one thing was to walk an extra 3km per day? That would be over 1000km per year. Would you be fitter, leaner, and healthier if you walked from Melbourne to Sydney? I think so. Again, the power of one. Imagine your one thing was to say just one encouraging or loving thing to someone important in your life. Can you imagine a stronger, more connected relationship after 365 days? I can, after just one week. That is the mighty power of one.
Trust me, one thing that you persist with is so much more valuable than 10 things you don’t stick to. That one thing you commit to will build your confidence, build belief, inspire others, begin to compound, deliver surprising results, and will empower you to start adding other things, one at a time. Again, my loyal friend, that is the power of one.
A lady I was working with told me she wanted to be healthier, so we discussed it, and she decided her one thing would be to eat a healthy breakfast each day. After just 63 days of sticking to it every day, what she told me, inspired me beyond belief. When she told me she had more energy, I wasn’t surprised. When she explained she had dropped two dress sizes, I was impressed. What she told me next is the reason why I do what I do. She explained that after a couple of days of sitting at the table to eat her breakfast, her teenage son who would normally run out the door without eating, started joining her and eating breakfast with her. Then a day or so later, her husband started joining them both and they began eating breakfast together as a family. Do you know what that means?
Not only was she becoming a healthier human, but her actions had inspired her son and husband to make healthier choices. But it doesn’t stop there. What else has she changed since that time? Who else has she inspired subsequently? What about her son and husband? Who else have they encouraged to start eating breakfast? Can you see where I am going here? The ripple effect of that one simple, seemingly insignificant decision has and will continue to impact many lives for many generations to come. That is the unstoppable power of one.
In my podcast this week with the incredible Jennisue Jessen, called Slow to the speed of love, we discuss the power of showing love to people. She has experienced incomprehensible trauma in her life yet has chosen one simple thing; to use trauma to equip her, not allow it to define her. Let me tell you, the power of that one decision helped her and her organisation positively impact more than 53,000 people in 2024 alone. Do not miss this podcast, you will be inspired beyond.
2025 is currently a clean slate. You can make of it whatever you choose. I know you want to look back and be proud and excited about what transpired this year and who you became in the process. That being the case, please let go of the idea that it has to be hard, overwhelming, and disruptive, and simply focus on the power of one.