Small Incremental Changes Can Yield Great Outcomes

Human behaviour

“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” - Neil Armstrong

Throughout the 1960s, I used to follow the NASA space program. I had a subscription to NASA, and every few weeks, I would get the latest newsletter about the space program. I followed the U.S. space endeavours through the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, culminating in the first landing on the moon and Neil Armstrong famously uttering his words.

The space program evolved over more than a decade, and it started with a purpose–a goal. In 1961, President Kennedy said that within a decade, America would put a man on the moon. Well, they achieved it in eight years.

Many speak about having a purpose in life. My wife and I have spoken to groups, especially senior groups, about purpose because the assumption is that when you retire, you just relax and live off the spoils of your investments, or, as many have to do, live off pensions. So, the idea of retirees having a purpose is almost an oxymoron. The difficulty many have in even thinking about a goal is that it seems too hard and unattainable.

Some years ago, I was listening to some jazz, and I jokingly told my wife that in my next life, I’m going to come back as a jazz saxophone player. My wife said, “Why wait until your next life?” I thought she was joking, but she was serious. I was told in primary school that I was essentially too ‘dumb’ to play a musical instrument. It’s amazing what teachers used to tell kids in the 1950s.

So then I thought, how can I start playing a musical instrument in my early 60s when I didn’t even know I could read music?