Have you ever tried building a snowman when the snow wasn’t quite right?
At the beginning, you put together a small ball of snow. As you roll it around, small bits of snow stick on to it… but then they fall off again. And stick, and fall off. It makes you feel like Sisyphus.
And lots of people experience personal development like that. They try something small, it works for them, but then they drop it. They try something else, then forget it. They develop a good habit for a week or two, then break it.
And like with building a snowman, there’s a simple solution. Focus on building up the core ball first. Gather together a bunch of snow, and make a respectable-sized ball. Then, once you start rolling THAT around, you suddenly notice the new bits of snow stick, and stay on, because of the weight of the ball!
Your life is like a snowman
Personal development works the same way! Once you develop a few core skills, suddenly everything else starts sticking on, the momentum builds, and before you know it, you are happy, you feel a sense of purpose, you contribute to the world, and you wake up every morning with a smile on your face!
For example, taking consistent action and overcoming procrastination is a core skill! (It’s surprisingly easy with the right approach.)
Then there’s skills like building habits that last, positive thinking, and treating your body well. And once you gain some basic competence in all of those, suddenly every other bit of advice you hear will stick on to that!
In fact, improving your life is just like building a snowman, because:
- having a vision is crucial – unless you know what you’re trying to build, you’ll just end up with a heap of snow
- it’s all about fun – life is too short to take everything seriously. Have fun with it!
- every snowman is different – and so is every person
- people will love to join you once you get the ball rolling
And the first step is getting the basic ball right. The core skills of personal growth. Without them, no amount of fancy tricks will save you.
And yet I see, again and again, people who try to improve a snowman by simply switching around the accessories. Trust me, no amount of carrots and pieces of coal will make your snowman look good if your basic snowball is just a heap of dirty snow.
But if you take time to build a solid core ball, and add the two smaller balls on top, then you can switch around the accessories, and get great results no matter what accessories you use!
Get the basics right first. You’ll thank yourself a thousand times.
Enjoy building your personal snowman!
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Very well said Vlad. I lived in Canada for 4 years and I couldn’t build a snowman for the entire time, until the last snowfall. It was because I never understood how to build the core ball. Great analogy.
“people will love to join you once you get the ball rolling”
I love that, it’s so true. Sometimes in the past I’ve wondered why I wasn’t getting the support I thought I needed and it wasn’t until I said okay, let’s just try to see what we can do on our own that people started taking notice and joining in.
Thanks for the thought provoking post. I loved thinking about snow today; it’s so hot here!
Tracy’s last blog post..I am so ready for a 3 day weekend
What a wonderful post! It’s got so much common sense and you’ve organized it out so well. I like the idea of taking responsibility for my own core and then thinkgs will start attaching…….and this is work i have to do all.by.myself……I also like the way you suggest I have fun with it!!
Thanks for your post
Eden’s last blog post..Are Artist’s Introverts?
@Srinivas:
As a kid, I always started making the core ball… and then made it bigger and bigger, until it took three of us just to roll it around. I usually never got around to making an actual snowman :p
@Tracy:
Ya, there’s a world of difference between “Hey, wanna do x?” or “Hey, I’m doing x, wanna join in?”
Especially when you’re trying to get a group of friends organized. If you simply talk to one or two people, pick a good time, and then tell the others “This is when and what we’re doing, come along if you want”, it’s so much easier than trying to talk to everyone.
@Eden:
You’re welcome. I do my best
u r a champ, dude!
What an analogy man,u certainly made my life better!
@Alok:
Thanks… I guess
@Soumya:
And your comment just made MY life better. Exchange complete
great post. It got me thinking this morning: What makes my inner snowball? What must I stay on track with to keep building my snowman? For me they were getting up early, daily meditation, daily writing, and daily organization. You’re amazing!