The Power of Music to Lead us to the Divine
The Little Way: A New Year's Resolution
I was about 8 years old when I was first asked to lead a decade of the Rosary. I remember waiting anxiously through the first part, thinking all kinds of negative thoughts. I was afraid I would fumble holding the beads, or lose count, or not say it the way it should be said. But my grandma, who in my eyes was the well-seasoned expert in prayer, whispered to me in a calm, reassuring voice: “just say one ‘Hail Mary’ at a time.” And with those words of wisdom, I was set. I started out slow, nervous and shaky at first, but then after a few beads, I got into the flow and the rhythm and gained some confidence. Ten beads later, I found myself, for the first time, leading an entire mystery. It was piece of cake, I thought, and it was quite a proud but quiet moment of accomplishment for the 8-year-old me. Later on in my young life, I would often found myself leading prayer groups through an entire rosary. And it all started with those few words that my grandma whispered in my ear.
The Secret of the Little Way
Now, in my work as an organizational psychologist tackling big projects with lofty goals, I often reflect back on this early childhood experience. I would often remind myself of the wisdom and technique my grandmother taught me—take it one step at a time. Start small and focus on each small step towards the goal, no matter how big and lofty that goal is.
When we set smaller, incremental, and achievable goals, the large goal becomes less daunting, more manageable, and more realistic. When we have a lofty goal that we need to accomplish, it is almost always our natural tendency to first get overwhelmed, and that instinctive reaction has the potential to leave us stressed out and paralyzed by fear and intimidation. It helps to tackle big goals one small step at a time—steps we can actually take, manage, and win. Small wins add up and accumulate and eventually the big lofty goal is achieved.
In the history of progress, we often celebrate and talk about major leaps forward such as the landing on the moon or the invention of computers, but the majority of these monumental events is actually made up of the small progress events that happen every day. We know about Apollo 11, the first landing of humans on the moon, but this monumental event would not have been possible if not for the lesser-known Pioneer 0, the very first attempt to go to the moon 11 years prior. The monumental events in history stand on the shoulders of the small everyday-progress events that are rarely talked about. We tend to celebrate the big wins paying less attention to the small wins even though those small wins are what will get us there.
We can learn from the wisdom of the “little way” of St. Therese the Little Flower. As we take those small steps on the way to our larger goal, let us not minimize each step but make sure that we perform the little ordinary things with extraordinary love. We may not need to celebrate the small wins but it doesn't mean that we don't treat them with great love.
The new year is always a great opportunity to start, restart, reassess our priorities, and revisit our goals, or create new goals. But as we take that opportunity to change, grow, or improve with whatever new year's resolution, remember that the journey, no matter how lofty the goal is, is made up of single small steps. Remember to celebrate the small steps and do each one with great love. Take it one rosary bead at a time, each with great love, being mindful of each uttered word, and before you know it, you're praying an entire rosary with great love.
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About the Author
BJ Gonzalvo, PhD, is an organizational psychologist who helps workers perform to the best of their abilities. He hopes to do the same for those working in God's vineyard and help us all be who God meant us to be.
He enjoys sharing the insights he derives from his reflections on psychology, culture, and most especially his Catholic faith. His writing has appeared in Busted Halo, Northwest Catholic, and his website, www.SaintlyNest.com. He is the author of several books including Lead Like the Saints, Gift of Kapwa, and Music: The Art of Togetherness.
