Kid’s your mom, Elizabeth, works in politics. Having one parent working in politics and another as a lawyer is probably a little strange. (Trust me, we’re very popular people. Not at all hated by the general population). In the numerous campaign’s she’s worked on throughout her career I have always heard her use a phrase which has made an impression on me.
“Move the Needle.”
The phrase is used within the context of a particular message, strategy or tactic which is designed, not to win the entire campaign, but to move the needle favorably for the candidate (or issue as the case may be.)
This idea captured my imagination because it is so applicable to the rest of life. Almost everything we do on a daily basis is effective to “move the needle.” At my work, when I accomplish my daily tasks, drafting or approving a document, reviewing medical records or doing research on a case, rarely am I achieving the knockout punch that will catapult my law firm into long term success. Instead, success in any endeavor is built upon steady and incremental efforts applied over time. Daily habits will produce success more than any one day of hard work. In short, if you move the needle every day, you’ll be building success. Even when it doesn’t feel like it.
So when you’re stuck and disappointed that a goal feels out of reach, focus on what you can do today that will move the needle towards your long term goals. Maybe that means sending just a few more emails that day, making the call you’ve been putting off or writing the next paragraph of a memo. Move the needle. Your small successes will give way to large achievements. This is the same idea as one of your mom’s other favorite aphorisms. “How do you eat an elephant” the answer, which is now implied and not even stated in our family is “one bite at a time.” (Not sure why anyone would want to eat an elephant and I’ll side step any jokes about Liz and the Republican Party as well 😉).
My dad has a story which he calls the “Wisdom of Billy Elliot.” When your grandpa was a boy, he was climbing a hill with his friend on a snowy day (no doubt on his way back from school which was uphill both ways.) But the hill was steep and slippery and Grandpa gave up climbing.
“I'll never make it the hill is too big!!” He declared to Billy.
Billy said, “Well can you take one step?” And he did. “Can you take another step?” and he did. Grandpa, of course, made it up the snowy hill. One step at a time. Keep your feet churning.
The point is nothing great was ever achieve through the effort of one day. No marathons were won by someone who decided to only put in all their effort on race day. No one ever wrote a book worth reading in one sitting. No test in school was passed with one night of cramming. (Well, that’s not actually true at all, terrible example… but you get the point.)
Proverbs repeatedly refers to this principal as “diligence.”
“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”
- Proverbs 13:4.
Proverbs always contrasts the diligence of a righteous man with the sluggard (Bible talk for a lazy ass) which always makes me feel convicted.
If you have a goal, break it up into smaller tasks. What do you need to do monthly, what on a weekly? What tasks on a daily basis. I like to ask myself, “If every day were like today, where would I be in a year? Where would I be in five years? And where would I be at the end of my life.” If I don’t like the answer, then I can start over and try to make the most out of the day.
This also includes cycles of rest, which if you don’t take, you’ll burn out eventually. Remember, you’re moving the needle, not solving all the worlds problems in a day. Be gracious to yourself as well.
So attend to the needs of the day. Do your work, make a plan, clean your room, take a walk, do some push ups, run a mile. Look around and see what you might do that can push back the chaos of your life and move yourself in the direction you want to go. And if you are still stuck, pray, read a little, and then take a nap. (If you’re still stuck after a nap then, you’ve exhausted my bag of tricks).
If you can stack up effort over time, you can change the world around you. Your sphere of influence will expand can accomplish great things. So go ahead, look around, take courage, and take the next step.
Move the Needle.
